Oktoberfest in Munich (Oktoberfest Solo Trip)
Solo travelling has been a popular option for decades – appealing to those who have the sense of adventure to explore on their own. Many of these travellers visit historic cities where they can discover the sites and make new friends at their local hostel. Once you’ve gotten comfortable with being on your own, why not attend one of the world’s biggest parties on your own? I decided to do just that and take on a solo Oktoberfest trip.
While travelling through Central Europe in Fall 2019 with Kaitlin from A Caffeinated Life, I visited cities across Austria, Slovenia, and Slovakia. I had a few days to explore by myself before I met up with my parents in Paris. Oktoberfest has been on my bucket list from the very beginning; it only seemed right to pay a visit while being in the region at the right time.
Oktoberfest Solo Trip Accommodations
After looking through accommodation options in Munich, I realized that it wouldn’t be feasible for me to stay in the city. Most hostels raise their prices during Oktoberfest and the cost of a shared room was hundreds of euros per night. There are also options for campgrounds, but this wouldn’t be the safest option as a solo female traveller. Because of these complications, I skipped accommodations altogether (keep reading to figure out how I did it!).
Transportation
I would have to use some creativity if I was going to make this work. After spending hours looking through train schedules, I finally decided I would spend a few nights in Salzburg, before taking a train to Munich with a six-hour layover, then hop on another train and spend a few nights in Prague (exhausting even to think about). Although the timelines were tight, it would be absolutely perfect it all went according to plan.
Luggage Storage in Munich
Of course there are always some hiccups, and my first train from Salzburg to Munich had mechanical issues. When I finally got to the Munich train station around 10am, I packed my suitcase into the luggage storage lockers. If you’re trying to do the same thing, I’d recommend arriving at the train station as early as possible because lockers were going quick. There were no standard sized lockers left, so I paid a few extra euros for the largest-sized storage locker. You will also want to make sure you have coins for the lockers; I had to ask around for coins to passerbys so I wouldn’t lose out on one of the last lockers
Bavarian Dress
I headed out onto the streets of Munich to find myself a dirndl (the typical Bavarian dress). After all, if I was going to do Oktoberfest, I was going to do it right. I got a hot tip from my hostel-mate in Salzburg that the H&M near the Oktoberfest grounds carry the traditional Bavarian attire.
Authentic dirndls are notoriously expensive; I watched a hostel-mate try on dirndls at a store in Salzburg, some of them could costing hundreds of euros! Because I was only going for the afternoon, I didn’t want to invest into an outfit I would only wear for a few hours. You aren’t allowed to wear the Americanized Oktoberfest Halloween costumes, as these can be viewed as disrespectful. Luckily, the rumour was true and I was able to snag a stylish blue dirndl for under 30 euros. I stuffed my regular clothes in my handbag and headed over to the grounds.
Surprisingly, there is no entry fee for getting into Oktoberfest. Although, there was a bit of a line to go through the security process.
Finding your Seat
I walked into the first Oktoberfest tent and one of the servers quickly greeted me. It’s much easier to get a table during the daytime than at night. I take it she was used to seeing travellers doing a solo Oktoberfest trip coming into request a seat for one. I like to think of these Oktoberfest servers as almost matchmakers. As soon as she took notice of me being a twenty-something English speaker, she started looking around to see who she could seat me with. I ended up at a table with a bunch of young Americans, some of which were even heading to Prague as well, and gave me their number to meet up.
Food & Drink
Of course I ordered a stein of beer in the tent. Different breweries sponsor the tents, to each of them has different beer options. The stein of beer was 14 euros, but that was able to last me for my whole visit to the tent.
A few hours later, it was time to gather my belongings from the locker and board my train to Prague. I was still wearing my dirndl and was a little bit tipsy.
Oktoberfest Solo Trip Takeaways
It was a nerve-wracking experience doing an Oktoberfest solo trip. I urge you that it’s worth it. You can only grow from pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Being an introvert, entering a party alone (let alone a festival of thousands of people) is far from my comfort zone. Putting myself thorugh the experience has made me realize that I can be independent, and shouldn’t rely on anyone else to make my dreams come true. Now that’s a powerful feeling. I did think about pushing it off and returning later in life with a friend to pass the time. I just couldn’t bear the thought of being so close to Munich at the exact right time of year. And thankfully, I followed through. Oktoberfest has been cancelled for 2020, and who knows when they will be back up and running in full force. Next stop – solo trip to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
If you’re planning on travelling in Central Europe (which is hopefully possible in 2021), I’d highly recommend checking out one of the historical heurigers in Vienna.
