With the most awaited festival coming up soon, I’m sure you are all planning to book your tickets to Munich already! While some of you may be regulars, there may be some newcomers to this group too. For those who are recent additions to this worldwide motion, Oktoberfest is the biggest, baddest and the most loved beer festival in the world! It starts from mid or late September and goes on till the first week of October. Now you may wonder why it’s called Oktoberfest when it starts in September! Well, while the first ever Oktoberfest did take place in the month of October, the celebrations were shifted to September owing to the favorable weather conditions. Who would have thought that the wedding celebration of a king in the 1800s, would overtime turn into a global notion of merriment? People seem to have been drinking for too long now, don’t they!
During Oktoberfest, tourists from all over the world flood Munich to enjoy the special beer brewed exclusively for this festival. A wide range of traditional culinary wonders like Hendl, Steckerlfisch and Schweinebraten and many Bavarian delicacies can also be enjoyed during this time. Horse races is a tradition that continues till date, and the grandeur of the race must be seen to be believed. The energetic buzz inside the tents, the parade and the beer barrel tapping is highly contagious. Staying true to the name “fest”, it is an exciting mixture of beer, food, amusement rides & games and some more beer!
And so, while Munich is branded as the beer capital of the world, the city has so much more than tents and brews. Here is a list of the top 10 things that you can do in Munich while you have a gala time at the Oktoberfest.
1. Go biking with Mike’s Bike Tours
2. Start where it all started, at Hofbrauhaus
3. Shop- Eat- Drink at Marienplatz
4. Surf in Englischer Garten
5. Feasting at Viktualienmarkt
6. Beer und Oktoberfestmuseum- Explore the when and how of beer
7. Go Log Rafting on River Isar
8. Wirtshaus in der Au- Divine indulgence
9. Michael Jackson Memorial, The Orlande de Lassus statue
10. Valentin Karlstadt-Museum- An amusing tale
Apart from the above, you can also plan some other activities while you’re in Munich. The city has the most spectacular castles, graceful lakes and rivers, and some of the largest gardens. You can go on a historical journey, or relax in the arms of nature.