Tips summary:
- It’s free! You can enter the festival and tents with no tickets, free of charge.
- You probably need at least €64 (+€80 is the minimum recommended) in cash per day/night; which covers 2 beers (1 litre each), some food (i.e. chicken) and 2 trips of public transport.
- There could be long queues to enter the tents. To avoid them, go very early (before 12 pm at least) or be ready to wait, especially on weekends. During weekdays it is normally easier, so you can go in the evening and find a table.
- If you want to dress up, you will need at least €100, and there are plenty of places in Munich to get the clothes. But it is completely ok to not do it. For men, a simple checkered shirt would work. Avoid cheap/fake dresses, better to go casual.
- We recommend the following tents: Pschorr, Schützenfesthalle, Hacker, Ochsenbraterei.
- Beer serving hours: 10 am to 10:30 pm on weekdays and 9 am to 10:30 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
- Get there by metro: we recommend Goetheplatz or Poccistraße stations, being Theresienwiese the main one.
- Avoid large bags. They check at the door and they could not allow them.
- You can only order from the seating area, although some waitress may take your order anyway.
- Do not hesitate to get a seat/table! And be patient with the toilets queue (women).
There is a wealth of information available online about Oktoberfest. Our intention with this post is to summarise it as much as possible, without leaving any important advice behind.
For more detailed information, we recommend consulting the Oktoberfest FAQ and the official website.
Date and time
Oktoberfest used to be in October, as you would imagine, but nowadays it starts in mid-September. One of the reasons for this seems to be the weather. The next ones will be:
- 2025: September 20 – October 5
- 2024: September 21 – October 6
- 2023: September 16 – October 3
- 2022: September 15 – October 5
- 2021 and 2020: Suspended due to COVID-19
- 2019: September 21 – October 6
- 2018: September 22 – October 7
And the beer serving hours are:
- Weekdays 10.00 am – 10.30 pm
- Saturday, Sunday & holiday 09.00 am – 10.30 pm
Entry and reservations
There is NO entry fee. You can enter the area and all beer tents for free.
To make a reservation in a tent, you have to contact the respective beer tent. You can find this information on the official website.
The best way to get there is by metro. Theresienwiese (U4 and U5) is the main station, which you can avoid using Goetheplatz (U3 and U6) or Poccistraße (U4 and U5).
Prices (Updated 2025)
The massive glass of 1 litre of beer will cost between €14 and €16 in 2025 (see full prices here), which shows a considerable increase from the 10.60€ we paid the first time we were there in 2017.
Non-alcoholic drinks are also expensive in 2025. Current 2025 Soft Drink Prices (average per litre):
- – Lemonade: €12.11 (up from €11.67 in 2024)
- – Water: €10.95 (up from €10.48 in 2024)
- – Spezi (cola-lemon mix): €12.48 (up from €12.23 in 2024)
A single and average evening would cost at least €64 in cash (2025 prices):
- 2 beers (1-litre each) = €30 (€14-16 per beer)
- 1 traditional dish (chicken, pork knuckle) = €18-22
- 1 Pretzel or bread roll = €6-8
- 2 trips on public transport = €7 (day ticket recommended)
- Tips (optional but appreciated) = €3-5
- Total cost per person = €64-72
You cannot bring your own food or drinks to the tents.
Tents
There are 14 tents, all of them with their own charm, so it is not an easy choice. The picture below shows the full map:
Our favourite tents were the following:
1. Pschorr-Bräurosl
An excellent balance between locals and foreigners, an amazing vibe and the best beer.
2. Schützen-Festzelt
Not as big as the others, but great atmosphere and decoration. It is also famous for its pig with beer sauce and potato salad.
3. Hacker-Festhalle
Surrounded by clouds and stars, and always a cheerful crowd, this is an old-time favourite.
Besides the ones above, Augustiner-Festhalle is considered the one with the best beer (served from barrels), Hofbräu Festzelt is well known for getting crowded and full of tourists, similar to Löwenbräu-Festhalle.
Dress code
It is perfectly fine if you do not want to dress up, but avoid cheap/fake dresses, as it would be better to go casual. If you want to do it, be ready to spend at least €100. Locals normally take clothes seriously and spend a lot of money on them.
A good and cheaper alternative is to rent. I recommend using Bavarian Outfitters rentals. You can get a Lederhosen set (Lederhose, socks & costume shirt) for €49,90/day and a Dirndl for €42,90/day. In both cases, you get a 50% on the second day.
Traditional Bavarian dress for men includes:
- Checkered shirt
- Leather trousers (the Lederhosen)
- Off-white slouch socks
- Haferl shoes, normally black.
Traditional Bavarian dress for women includes:
- Short-sleeved white blouse
- Traditional dress (the Dirndl)
- Pinafore
- Sheer pantyhose
- Elegant low-heeled loafers
Oktoberfest Accommodation
Munich gets extremely busy during this time of the year, so you will need to book in advance. And if you want to find a good price, I would recommend booking at least 6 months in advance, although the sooner the better, and one year would be ideal.
Our recommendations:
Cheap options
- Frederics Serviced Apartments: we stayed in these apartments, good location and a decent price. Literally just outside Hohenzollernplatz metro station.
- Pension Lindner: another time we stayed in this pension. Right in the heart of the city, the location cannot be better, and they serve an amazing homemade breakfast. Great value for money.
- Lindwurm70
- Apartment München Isartor
- Concept Living Munich Serviced Appartments
Walking distance to the fest
- Sofitel München Bayerpost
- Eden Hotel Wolff
- NH München Deutscher Kaiser
- Vi Vadi Hotel
- Best Western Hotel Cristal
- Helvetia Hotel Munich City Center
- King’s Hotel Center