How To Do Oktoberfest On A Budget

Oktoberfest » Stokepedia

We know what you’re thinking, you’re thinking that we’re just going to say, Camping with Stoke Travel at Oktoberfest is the best budget option, and you’re right, we could say that, because it IS  the best option, as written about by multiple independent bloggers like this gal, and this guy and, and over here too, and not to forget about these guys.

But we’re going to assume that you already know that Stoketoberfest is your best value accommodation option at Munich’s Oktoberfest. We’re going to  move along from that, and show you ways to save your hard-earned euros/pounds/dollars/pesos/baht/rupiah/whatever when you’re on the ground in Munich. These tips are good to go even if you’re not staying with Stoke, in fact, if you’re not staying with Stoke you might need them more because you’re obviously paying WAY TOO MUCH.
Anyway, here we go. P-to the-motherflipping-prost!

Dressing for Oktoberfest on a budget

Whet your whistle over here for our full guide to dressing for Oktoberfest.

OK, look while you can wear your civilian rags into the beer halls, that in no way means that you should. One of the great delights of Oktoberfest is to hit those beer halls dressed like a Bavarian beer-swilling legend! Almost everyone else is dressed in the trachten and you’ll feel like a prize pumpkin if you’re the only one wearing dickies and Limp Bizkit tee. 

So while Stoke Travel sells authentic and cheap Oktoberfest costumes for guys and girls, we’re obviously not here to tell you about how awesome we are! We’re here to tell you that you can look the part just by throwing on one of the chequered-table-cloth style Oktoberfest shirts, for both girls and guys and forgoe the expensive leather pants and braces for guys, or the entire milkmaids’ dress for the gals. 

Yeah, going all out and wearing the whole kit is a bunch of fun, but if you’re stretched for cash just throw an Oktoberfest shirt (you could go with anything chequered/plaid/flannel, but they’re cheap cheap so fork out on this) over some jeans, jean shorts, Daisy Dukes, chinos, cargos, a skirt – whatever! And you’ll fully look the part. 

If you’re not feeling too tight, accessorise up with hats and pins and whatever and nobody will even notice that you’re not fully playing the part, and before you know it you’ll be dancing on tabletops with a bunch of Bavarian beefcakes and betties. What a result!

Oktoberfest beer halls on a budget

Dip your proboscis in here for a full guide to drinking beer in Oktoberfest beer halls.

One thing that’s unavoidable, no matter how tight your wad is, is that you will spend a small fortune in the beer halls. You just will, it’s one of life’s truths like dodging death and taxes. But DW, going to Oktoberfest to spend money on beer is precisely what you signed up for. If you haven’t put a king’s ransom into your budget for Oktoberfest beers then why are you even here. But, that said, there are some ways we can save money in the beer halls, and they are so important that we’re going to listicle them.

1. Pre-drink
   If you’re staying with Stoke you would have smashed the open bar all morning, so you’re good to go. Don’t be afraid of grabbing some roadies, just hide them when the po-po is around, and even stop off at the convenience store, or even the bar/beer garden on the way in. You’ll be forced to dump your vessel at the Oktoberfest entry, but never fear because there are plenty of non-beer-hall bars inside the fairgrounds and they are well cheaper than the beer halls. Pre-party like a champ, but don’t fuck it up because the main event is inside. 
2. Respect the beer, respect the system
   Surviving Oktoberfest is an artform. Make sure you don’t pregame too much, because the beers are strong like bull and delicious like bull. That’s good because after like your third or fourth beer in there you’re already in the spirit realm so you can’t spend too much… lies! Of course you can, because like any journey into the spirit realm any fiscal prudence is out the door and replaced with a frivolous need for ridiculous items like rollercoaster rides, cool hats and daring people €20 to drink their own vomit (they do it surprisingly often). ONE THING that we have to say is don’t scrimp on the tip. You have to tip the beer maid every beer, just to be a good supportive human, and to make sure that your wonderful beerfrau comes back to you when you need her most*
   *Sorry about the antiquated gendered language, there are beer bros in there, but the ladies are just the best at serving beers. 
3. Slip a Jaeger in your pocket
   You can buy little shots in there to give your sesh a much-needed shot in the arm, but they’re going to cost you as well, when you can just pick up some little bot-bots of petrol station Jaeger and store them away in your pockets, so then when you’re feeling a little too sober (never) you can boost your situation with a quick throwback of the magic elixir. Jaeger is German, Oktoberfest is German, you’re feeling über German, you kind of have to do it. 
4. Don’t do drugs!
   We know that in many parts of the world a sneaky pill or bump might be a way to drink less and enjoy more, but in Germany the penalties for drug use are big time, there are sniffer dogs all over, piss tests at the ready, and if you come up positive you’ll be in the system for life (meaning that every time they stop you, they’ll test you – how annoying!). That said, it is kind of the perfect place to be hiiiiiiiiiigh, so if you’re a brave party monster then maybe go for it, but it’s all up to you. We said NO.

Oktoberfest food on a budget

Here are five things that you just have to eat at Oktoberfest

One of the finer things in Oktoberfest life is the ability to devour, without concern for calorie or keto, the perfectly-paired beer drinking foods that come served alongside the beer. For the locals, and the visitors in-the-know, Oktoberfest is as much a food festival as it is an excuse to pickle your insides in amber ale. Pork knuckles, roast chicken, all the wurst, pretzels – even trout and radishes – are just some of the culinary delights that await is inside those hallowed halls. But boy-oh-boy are they expensive, and if you’re doing Oktoberfest right you might not even enjoy them, as you shovel the food into your sloppily masticating jowls like a St Bernard eating a valium hamburger. 

The real pros put a meal aside, usually a pre-hall lunch, and visit one of Munich’s many permanent beer halls or beer gardens. In these year-round pleasure domes you’ll find the same beers and the same food at a much lower price, and yeah, sure, you’ll take a hit on Oktoberfest’s ambience for a more sit down vibe, but these Bavarian temples to indulgence are not by any means tame – think oompah bands, large groups of raucous locals belting out folk tunes at the top of their lungs, it’s more like being in a medieval wedding than a French bistro. And they’re everywhere, so you can get your Bavarian food fix on your way to the beer halls and then push yourself to the brink of throwing it all up again in the actual Oktoberfest. Win win! 

Just look at how many breweries, beer gardens and beer halls a quick Google search turns up in central Munich alone! 

Seeing Munich on a budget

Strap on your sightseeing boots before you head out to see these Munich hotspots

OK, this is the ultimate activity to tightwads for there aren’t many sights to see that are going to charge you – in fact the whole act of “seeing” implies doing it for free. How they gonna charge you for seeing? “Just looking” is the universal secret password for “I don’t intend on spending a gosh-darn cent”. The beauty of Munich is that once you get downtown, and we didn’t say this, but we’ve heard that many people ride Munich’s rail system without a ticket, you can walk around all day, see the most beautiful and wonderful buildings and people, lounge around in a park where people are surfing in a river surrounded by naked old people, drink store-bought beer in said park, stroll around some more, fall in love 800 times, and it ain’t going to cost you a deutschmark. 

Get off at Hauptbahnhof and just walk – you can’t go wrong and you won’t spend a cent.   

Getting to and away from Oktoberfest on a budget

Here’s our complete guide on how to travel to Oktoberfest. You don’t need much more than that, just know that as far as a rule of thumb is concerned slower equals cheaper. Here’s a list in ascending order of expense: walking; hitchhiking; rideshare; public bus; private Stoke bus; hire a car; train; airplane; helicopter. Do with that what you will. 

And there you have it! Follow this little guide and get yo’self the most bang for your meagre buck at Munich’s Oktoberfest. And yeah, the easiest way to save the most money is to do an all-inclusive stay with us at our Stoketoberfest party camp, where you’ll find an open and unlimited beer and sangria bar for only an extra €10 a day!

 

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Tagged with: Stoktoberfest, Munich, Oktoberfest, Oktoberfest Munich, budget Europe, Springfest, backpacking