How to get Oktoberfest tickets in Munich: how to buy and prices

Oktoberfest is not only one of the must-see attractions on your list of things to see and do in Munich, it is also the largest folk festival in Germany and one of the most important in the world. It has been held every year since 1810 and welcomes more than six million visitors each year.

Below I tell you all about the Oktoberfest so that you can enjoy it and make the most of your visit.

The Oktoberfest, which is imitated all over the world, has its original and multitudinous edition in Munich and during its celebration it follows a rigorous calendar of activities and traditions typical of Bavarian folklore. The festival, which is divided into stages, is attended by the city's mayor and leading brewers. Afterwards, the public takes centre stage and adds colour to the festivities.

The festival takes place on the Theresienwiese, a 46-hectare field west of the city centre, next to St. Paul's Church. There, for a little over two weeks between September and October, the Oktoberfest attracts all the attention of visitors and locals alike.

• Recommended if... You like beer, popular festivals and you will be visiting Munich between September and October.

For the duration of the Oktoberfest, admission to the Theresienwiese is free, i.e. you don't need to buy a ticket to enjoy the festival, and you don't need a ticket to enter the tents on the grounds, so you only pay for what you consume. All information about the festival can be found on the official website.

In the southern part of the Theresienwiese there is a parallel festival called Old Oktoberfest, with typical celebrations from the early years, which started to be held after the 200th edition.

Admission to this festival costs approximately three euros and may include a one-euro entrance fee for each tent.

Beer is not sold in small or medium sizes, only in one-litre glasses, and prices start at ten euros. Prices for typical food such as sausages start at seven euros.

Interesting facts

• Price... Entrance to the field for the main festival is free and entrance to the Old Oktoberfest costs three euros. Beer is sold from ten euros and sausages from seven euros.
• Opening hours... Generally the field is open from 10.00 to 22.30 on weekdays and from 9.00 to 23.30 on weekends. Opening times may change with each edition.
• Location... The course is located west of Munich city centre, at Theresienwiese 1.

For the main Oktoberfest area there is a single entrance ticket, which is free of charge. For the Old Oktoberfest, which takes place in the southern part of Theresienwiesen, there is a single entrance fee of three euros, although some tents charge an entrance fee of one euro.

During the days of the festival, some Munich tours end their tour at the festival grounds.

There are no skip-the-line tickets because all participants must pass through a security checkpoint at the entrance to the grounds, so the delay at the entrance will depend on the number of visitors waiting. As this is a free entrance, I recommend that you arrive early at Theresienwiesen.

There is also no charge for admission to the tents in the main sector, but you can reserve a place to eat and drink there in advance. Admission to the tents is usually not delayed, but in some cases you may have to wait if the capacity of visitors is exceeded.

Oktoberfest tickets are free of charge, so there is no need for them to be included in city sightseeing passes. The Theresienwiese field, where the festival is held, has only one entrance and does not offer the possibility to enter without queuing because all visitors go through the security circuit.

However, some tourist passes like the Munich City Pass or the Munich Card include nearby attractions and excursions, bike tours around Munich, hop on-hop off bus services and other alternatives that are not unrelated to the festival, so if you buy one of these tourist passes it will also be useful to enjoy the Oktoberfest.

You should keep in mind that if you buy a tourist pass because you are only going to be in the city for a few days and you want to include a visit to the Oktoberfest, the ideal thing to do is to enter the Theresienwiese grounds early to avoid waiting in line. Here is a guide so you can get to know Munich in a two-day visit.

Useful facts

• Price... The Munich City Pass costs from 48 euros, while the Munich Card offers versions from 14 euros.
• Duration of the tourist pass... You can opt for passes for a certain number of days or for a certain number of attractions.

There are some tour services that offer guided tours of the Oktoberfest museum, including an escort to the festival entrance and a table reservation in some of the tents in the main field.

This tour might be useful if you are interested in the history of the festival and also want to have a secured table in a tent, but it is not essential to have the assistance of a local guide to enjoy the tour.

Oktoberfest is a festival that every visitor experiences in his or her own way, admission is free and access to the tents is usually not delayed, so you can enjoy it without any hassle. Besides, without a table in a specific tent, you will be able to visit them all and choose the one you like the most.

If you're on a tight budget, I recommend you get to know Theresienwiese at your own pace and leave guided tours for excursions around Munich or other visits that require an expert local guide, such as when visiting Neuschwanstein Castle or the Viktualienmarkt.

Tickets to the Theresienwiese are the same for adults and children and are free of charge. The Oktoberfest is not only a beer festival but a popular celebration with attractions such as roller coasters, local music, costume parades and many more activities that are suitable for the whole family.

In addition, every Tuesday is Family Days, which includes discounts on rides, food and soft drinks for children between 12 noon and 6pm.

A good time for children to visit the Oktoberfest is during the week before 5pm. In addition, children under the age of fourteen are free of charge at the Old Oktoberfest.

There are many things to do with children in Munich, but the Oktoberfest is certainly one of the most interesting because it can be interesting for the whole family.

The opening hours may vary from Oktoberfest to Oktoberfest, but as a general rule the grounds are open between 10.00 and 22.30 on weekdays and between 9.00 and 23.30 on weekends. During this time the marquees are also open.

Please note that some of the busier marquees stop selling beer one hour before closing time and also suspend entertainment and food service.

They may also remain closed if the occupancy level is very high, so I advise you to check the capacity of each tent on the official Oktoberfest app.

• Opening hours... The field is open from 10.00 am to 10.30 pm on weekdays and from 9.00 am to 11.30 pm on weekends. Opening times may change from year to year.

There is no fixed length of stay for the Oktoberfest, as this will depend on your travel plan and waiting time to enter the grounds and tents.

You can enter early and stay all day or go directly for lunch or dinner time. You can also visit the camp at a specific time, such as the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony or the traditional costume parades.

Therewiesen is a 46-hectare camp and if you want to walk the entire camp and visit most of the tents it could take three to four hours. You should bear this in mind if you're only in Munich for a few days.

The answer depends on what stage of the Oktoberfest you are interested in seeing. The festival has an opening ceremony which takes place when the mayor of the city arrives at Theresienwiese.

Behind him enter the brewery representatives escorted by horses with carriages containing barrels of beer. When the mayor opens the first keg and drinks the first litre of beer, the Oktoberfest is officially opened, while twelve cannon shots are fired around the grounds. This event is one of the most visited of the festival.

There are also parades of traditional costumes, prizes for best costume and concerts of German folk music. Tradition dictates that visitors wear traditional costumes and during the parades you can see the best costumes.

This event is one of the most popular with children, along with the Family Days that take place every Tuesday of the festival.

The best time to enter the grounds without a reservation in any of the tents is before 5pm, after which the crowds increase significantly, especially at weekends.

The Theresienwiese is located to the west of Munich city centre and there are many ways to get there by public transport.

By underground you can choose to take the U4 and U5 to Theresienwiese station or the U3 and U6 to Goetheplatz and Poccistrasse stations.

You can also take the S1-S8 train to Hackerbrücke, Munich's central station, which is about eight blocks from the Oktoberfest venue.

By bus you can get there on lines 53, 58, 131, 132 and 134. The hop-on-hop-off sightseeing buses also make stops in the Theresienwiese area and increase the frequency of their routes during September and October to assist Oktoberfest visitors.

By private transport you can opt for a taxi, although it will be difficult to find a free one during the days of the festival, or a rented car, although the roads are often congested and there are very few parking spaces in the Theresienwiese area.

Interesting facts

• By Metro... You can take the U4 and U5 to Theresienwiese station or the U3 and U6 to Goetheplatz and Poccistrasse stations. During Oktoberfest services run until 1.00 on weekdays and until 2.00 on weekends.
• By bus... You can take bus lines 53, 58, 131, 132 and 134.
• By train... You can take the S1-S8 service to Hackerbrücke.

The festival lasts between sixteen and eighteen days, between the end of September and the first week of October, and has different stages.

• The opening ceremony, which is attended by the mayor, is one of the highlights of the Oktoberfest and is usually the busiest. There, the ruler opens the first keg and the event is inaugurated for everyone.
• The traditional costume parades are also a central event of the festival.
• Beer tasting in the larger tents is a must.
• The brewing process is essential. In each of the tents of the six participating breweries you can get an insight into the brewing process of each beer, which, in order to be admitted to the Oktoberfest, must comply with strict procedures and be natural. Brewed only with hops, water and barley, which guarantees the quality of the beverages.
• The Family Days, which are held every Tuesday, are very interesting dates to visit Theresienwiese with children, and the closing ceremony is one of the most emotional moments of the Oktoberfest.

The Theresienwiese is free of charge, which is why there are a number of tips you should bear in mind before you go:

• The crowds are usually high and there is no possibility to buy tickets in advance or to book queue-free passes. Therefore, to get the most out of your visit, I advise you to visit the Oktoberfest during the early hours, from the opening at 10 am until 5 pm, when visitors start arriving for dinner in the main tents.
• The best way to get there without delay is by public transport. By metro you have several options that will drop you off at Theresienwiese station, which is opposite the main entrance to the grounds.
• Hop-on-hop-off tour buses also have services that include stops in the area. Driving can get you stuck in traffic and getting a taxi during Oktoberfest days can be a difficult task.
• If you are only in Munich for a few days, I recommend that you book a table in advance in the main Oktoberfest tents, especially if you want to visit at night. This will save you time and allow you to make the most of your time at the festival.

And you, are you ready to enjoy one of the most crowded events in the world?