Oktoberfest Munich - Top Tips (2024)

FAQs

How much do you tip at Oktoberfest Munich? ›

It should be not more than 10 to 15% of the beer or food price. And yes, giving a bit of extra tip will ensure that the waitress will always serve you in time and in quality. What beer is served at Oktoberfest?

Try Oktoberfest during the week

The experience you get during the day might be tamer, but it is no less authentic. Also, you will get the opportunity to sample the special weekday lunch menus at the different tents. You will also have the benefit having an easy time finding seating without a battle.

To make a simple toast (ein Prosit), lift your mug or stein and call out, ''Prost! '' (''Cheers! ''). Die Maß (or Mass), a Bavarian word for ''measure,'' refers to the single-serving liter of beer in the standard Oktoberfest mug or stein.

Tourists generally stay longer, but to be honest, one can only consume so much beer and wurst! Booking out one or two days to spend at the Oktoberfest Festivities in Munich is more than enough.

What to bring? Entry to both the Oktoberfest and the tents is free. One exception is the Oide Wies'n – the historical part of Oktoberfest that takes you back in time with old-fashioned beer, food, and rides; to enter, you have to pay a small fee (4 euro). Make sure you bring cash, as credit cards are not accepted.

You may be able to pay at some stalls or rides using cards, but you can never count on it. The only thing you can rely on is cash. There are ATMs at the fair grounds as well as in all big tents. However, most of them aren't operated by banks and come with ridiculous charges.

The average Oktoberfest visit does not include a table reservation, hence, without one, you're in good company. All the large tents, except the Weinzelt and Käfer, are obliged to keep large sections unreserved. As many struggle to find free seats nonetheless, we'd like to offer some tips to you.

Dirndls, for women, and lederhosen for men and some women, make up Munich's Oktoberfest trachten, or traditional costumes, and with well in excess of 90% of revellers in the beer halls sporting some kind of Oktoberfest dirndl or lederhosen, for even the short-term visitor an investment in some Oktoberfest outfits can ...

Easily the most common way of saying cheers in German, prost is an expression that means “to life” or “to health.” (It also rhymes with toast!) Additionally, you can say ain prost, meaning “a toast,” to let everyone know you're in the mood to raise your glass.

Prost! Translation: Cheers! Toss on an “Ein Toast!” at the end to encourage a celebratory “bottoms up!” before drinking your Märzen with friends.

What do Germans yell at Oktoberfest? ›

O'zapft is, in particular, is the most iconic of Oktoberfest sayings. This is the cry you will here once the Mayor of Munich has tapped the ceremonial keg, thus kicking off the entire two-week-long event.

Those who want to do without alcohol at the Oktoberfest have a wide choice of beverages. After all, not all Oktoberfest visitors focus on enjoying a good beer.

We recommend you budget around EUR80-EUR100 per day. Entrance to the Oktoberfest is free. A 1 litre mass/stein of beer will cost you just over EUR11.

The gates to Oktoberfest open at 9:00 am on opening day, so you'll want to show up around 5 or 6am. At anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 seats each, you'd assume there would be enough space in the tents to accommodate everyone who wishes to join Oktoberfest on opening day.

In restaurants, a reasonable tip is between 5-10% of the bill, and a 15% tip is considered very generous. If you're paying with a card, leave a tip in cash to make sure it goes to the server. That said, more and more establishments have card machines that include the option to add a tip for the staff.

There is no fixed pay per shift or day. On average, a waitress makes 10% per mug of beer and dish of food sold, plus tips. In other words, the more you sell the more you earn, which can come to a few thousand euros for the duration. In my experience, the drunker the customers get, the more generous they tip.

As a general rule, expect to tip around 10% of the bill. If you get exceptionally good service, say thank you with a tip closer to 15-20%. Whether you're tipping with cash or card, always use the local currency to save money.

Waitresses inside the Oktoberfest tents often carry 18 beer mugs at a time. That's an impressive 41.4 kilograms. Even though we aren't fans of clichés, we have to admit that men manage a bit more. One gentleman once carried 27 Maß mugs!