One of the things I miss most from living in Europe was the close proximity to so many different destinations.  The event I will miss traveling to the most this year is Oktoberfest.  Oktoberfest (or as it the locals call it, the Wiesn) runs for 16 days in Munich. This year, it begins September, 14th.  As a veteran for the Wiesn (5 Okotberfests, 4 Fruhlingfests), I would like to share five tips to maximize your time at the Wiesn.

Hacker Tent

Tip 1: Arrive Early! If you don't have a table reservation, get there early!!!! I remember my first Oktoberfest when I had no idea how it worked and leisurely showed up at 3pm. Thankfully, we were a party of two so it was easy to cram into the outdoor tables. Keep your group to four people maximum in order to be able to get into the tents. Although the environment is a lot of fun all around, the best experiences take place inside a tent: sharing beers with perfect strangers, and singing songs in German you never knew existed. 

Beers at the now defunct Hippodrom

Tip 2: Research your tents!  The Oktoberfest website gives you a great guide of the tents and what they have to offer. Some of my favorite tents are the Wildstuben, Hacker, and Weinzelt.  I love the rustic details and the traditional cuisine at Wildstuben.  The Hacker is the traditional large tent that is perfect to stand up on the tables and party!  The Wienzelt is a non-traditional tent as is serves wine. It has a great bar with lots of Sekt (German sparkling wine). I'm sad that one of my favorite tents, the Hippodrom will not be at the Wiesn this year but I am sure there is an equally fantastic tent to replace. Tip 3: Pace yourself!! Drinking begins at noon at Oktoberfest with beer steins that hold a liter of beer!  As tempting as it sounds to have a drinking contest with your buddies, no one wants to be wasted at 3pm with so many fun afterparties to follow.  Great thing about the Wiesn is that most tents have food. Delicious Bavarian filling food. Do not leave Munich without having the traditional roasted chicken and potato salad. Yum! Tip 4: Buy a Dirndl or Lederhosen!!! Cannot stress this enough.  My first two Oktoberfests I wore the normal travel uniform of t-shirt and jeans. Although both were great experiences, the fun factor was tripled when I bought a dirndl(traditional Bavarian dress for women). They are not cheap, a quality dirndl runs from 100-300 Euros but I guarantee that it is an investment piece. Please don't be that person with a dirndl or lederhosen of cheesy material purchased from a costume shop. Bavarians take their fest seriously and so should you. There are plenty of shops in downtown Munich with beautiful dirndls and lederhosen.  Tip 5: Discover Bavaria: Southern Germany is stunning.  Once you go south of Munich you enter a magical land of alpine beauty. Go to castle Schloss Neuschwanstein. The castle is absolutely beautiful with an amazing view.  Take a day trip to Oberammergau, Germany. The village,has beautiful houses with old world paintings on their outside walls. Some have religious paintings and some have old Bavarian scenes. It was all very old world and charming.  Also taking a day trip to these beautiful places will show your friends and family that you did not only go to Munich to drink.  Hoping to make it next year with my Dutchman to sing some Schlager songs and wear my dirndl!  What are your top Wiesn tips?