Solo Travel to Oktoberfest Guide

Oktoberfest has been on my bucket list for SO long (like over ten years at this point) and I happened to be traveling through Munich this September on a solo trip through Europe. When I realized Oktoberfest would be in progress during my stay in Munich (I only noticed it because of the insanely expensive hotel prices) I wondered whether it would be fun to go by myself. My friends and I had a large group trip planned for Oktoberfest 2020, which obviously didn’t happen, but none of them were able to come meet me this year.

I am a huge fan of solo travel and absolutely recommend anyone take at least one solo trip in their life, but I had my doubts on whether Oktoberfest was a great choice for solo travel. I decided since I’d be in Munich anyways it would be crazy to not at least check it out during the day, have a beer, send my friends pictures to remind them that we need to rebook this trip for next year, and call it a day.

I ended up spending multiple nights during my trip at Oktoberfest with various friend groups I had met & I am so happy I took this trip, even though my instinct was that it would be more fun with my friend group. Oktoberfest 100% lived up to my bucket list expectations and if you have the chance I recommend you go, solo or with a friends!

Keep reading for my full Oktoberfest Guide! Also, check out my full Munich travel guide here.

Jump to:

• Getting to Oktoberfest
• Where to Stay for Oktoberfest
• Oktoberfest Tickets
• Oktoberfest Tent Reservations
• Attending Oktoberfest Solo Tips
• Safety for Solo Female Travel at Oktoberfest

Disclaimer: This article contains some links where I earn commission through booking. There is no extra cost to you, and I only recommend things I’ve used and love or places I’ve stayed and enjoyed!

Getting to Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest takes place right near downtown Munich and is accessible by walking from the downtown area or taking public transportation

Walking:

I recommend walking to avoid the public transportation chaos! It’s much easier than fighting the crowds and it’s not too far depending on where in the city you’re coming from. 10 minutes from the main train station, and 25 minutes from Marienplatz in Old Town. Also, if you don’t want to walk home grab a pedicab outside, the drivers are hilarious and will bring you right to your hotel. The streets of Munich are filled with pedicabs around the time the beer tents close.

If you’d prefer not to walk or that’s too far for you there are convenient public transportation options that will get you to Oktoberfest from Old Town in under 10 minutes (and even faster from areas near the train station) Look for the U4 or U5 U-Bahn’s and take them to Theresienwiese . More details can be found here.

Where to Stay for Oktoberfest

When choosing where to stay for Oktoberfest I recommend first deciding whether you want to be closer to Oktoberfest or closer to the Old Town (main tourist area of Munich) On my most recent visit I chose to stay closer to Oktoberfest (which also happens to be closer to the main train station) But on previous trips to Munich I’ve stayed in the Old Town area.

Closer to Oktoberfest

On my most recent trip to Oktoberfest I stayed at Eurostars Book Hotel. It was super convenient to both the the Oktoberfest grounds (less than 15 minute walk) and the main train station (less than 5 minute walk)

To be totally honest, this neighborhood is not as nice as the Old Town area and I’m not sure I would feel 100% safe walking around at night if it wasn’t Oktoberfest, but during the festival the streets are crowded at most times with people heading towards the Oktoberfest grounds.

Old Town

If you’re willing to be a bit farther from the festival & spend a bit more money on accommodations I definitely recommend staying in the Old Town area of Munich. Also, if this is your first trip to Munich you’ll want to explore this area during your trip to Oktoberfest. My favorites hotels in this area are DO & CO Hotel or Platzl Hotel

Oktoberfest Tickets

Tickets are not required to enter the Oktoberfest grounds, you pay for everything (food, beer, rides, games, etc.) as you go. One important thing to know is Oktoberfest is cash only (tents and all of the other attractions)

Oktoberfest Tent Reservations

Depending on the time of day and the size of your group, you may want to make tent reservations for the evenings of Oktoberfest. A certain amount of tables within each tent are left open for those without reservations, but tents do fill up and close due to capacity, so if you have a large group or are set on visiting a particular tent definitely make reservations in advance.

Tips on Oktoberfest reservations:

• Reservations are made individually through each tent (there is no central location to reserve across tents) Details here
• Reservations become available in the Spring before Oktoberfest
• A certain number of tables in each tent are reserved for those without reservations
• It’s easier to visit a tent without reservations during the day
• Most reservations last about 4 hours

Since I was travelling alone I didn’t make any reservations for this trip. I ended up meeting people during my trip and we were able to visit a few tents at night without reservations. These were weeknights, I’d imagine the weekends get much closer to capacity.

Solo Travel to Oktoberfest Tips

As I mentioned, I was a bit nervous attending Oktoberfest solo wouldn’t be the most fun trip. I also usually don’t get too homesick when I travel, but I was worried seeing all the big friend groups would make me more homesick than normal for my friends and family. I ended up meeting tons of people and being super glad I made the trip to Oktoberfest, now I’m even more adamant my friends and I need to reschedule our 2020 group trip.

A few tips for attending Oktoberfest solo:

• Visit during the day initially to get the lay of the land and potentially meet some people
• When choosing somewhere to sit in a beer tent look for larger, friendly looking groups – everyone is down to make friends at Oktoberfest!
• Be outgoing (even if it’s hard) you won’t regret it, I promise
• Try meeting people outside of Oktoberfest to meet up with later. I made two friend groups, one was a group of guys I met on the train on a day trip to Rothenberg and one was a group I met when I was grabbing dinner at Hofbräuhaus. It made it a bit easier to talk and plan in quieter settings. I also felt much more comfortable going to the beer tents at night knowing I was meeting up with friends.

Safety for Solo Female Travel at Oktoberfest

4.5 out of 5

I felt safe at Oktoberfest during the day and even at night. Given that it can be a drinking-heavy event I recommend being smart, aware of your surroundings & smart about how you’re getting home and who you are hanging out with. Overall, I’d fell completely safe attending Oktoberfest solo again.