Prolific traveller and train driver Martyn takes us on his latest holiday adventure, with train-to-plane travel making a three-day trip to Oktoberfest easy from Hertfordshire.
With a group chat still smouldering in anticipation and our respective families reassured that this is merely a “cultural exchange and opportunity to sample Bavarian tradition and hospitality”, our intrepid explorers, with passports in hand, ugly hats donned and lederhosen at the ready, head from leafy Letchworth in Hertfordshire towards Gatwick Airport.
First port of call: getting to the airport
There comes a time in any planned getaway, normally some time after the suggestion to “check this place out”, where travelling logistics becomes the order of the day. What time is the flight? Which airline? How much luggage do we bring? And invariably: “Which airport is easiest to get to?”
Gatwick is our choice, and travelling by train makes the journey entirely straightforward. Key Smartcards are tapped, barriers swing open with a cheerful beep, and it isn’t long before twelve carriages of Thameslink magnificence hove into view at Letchworth Station. This is the 08.50 Thameslink service to Brighton, via Gatwick Airport.
Why taking the train to the airport just makes sense
Getting to Gatwick by train means we can simply board, sit back and relax for less than 90 minutes before being dropped off at the terminal. No driving across London, no hunting for airport parking and, importantly for a three-day trip, no wasting time sitting in traffic.
It also opened up more choice when booking our flights. Gatwick can offer some good options for European city breaks, but getting there from North Hertfordshire without Thameslink would have been a much bigger mission, especially during rush hour.
If you travel as a group of 3-9 adults like us, you can even save a third off your rail fare, meaning it’s great value too. If you know exactly when you’re travelling, which is more than likely if you’ve got a flight booked, make the most of advance fares if they’re available, as they’re often the cheapest option.
Check in, drop bags, and let's go explore
Our flight takes just two hours and, upon landing, we breeze through passport control and head for the frequent shuttle coach to the city centre. It’s just as quick as the SchnellBahn but has the convenience of dropping us directly outside our hotel.
Our first stop is Munich’s oldest Bierkeller, “Augustiner”. Built in the Maxvorstadt district of the city in the mid-19th century, it’s a fantastic place to unwind after a journey and serves fantastic snacks and hearty meals.
The interior is split between the main hall, where live bands entertain hundreds of people nightly, the huge cellar downstairs, where the atmosphere is more subdued and cosily intimate, and the loft, which has a real warmth and charm. Outside, a great garden accommodates hundreds more guests and has done since 1842.
Our evening passes with delicious food, refreshing cold beverages and chat about what the next two days have in store, before walking back down the hill to our hotel and relaxing for the night.
Day two
We wake to the sound of bells and rumbling from the trams gliding past the hotel. It isn’t too early, so once refreshed, we don our lederhosen. Yes, lederhosen. You stick out like a Bratwurst in a fruit bowl if you don’t wear lederhosen.
We head to Theresienwiese, named after Princess Therese, whose marriage to Crown-Prince Ludwig in 1810 gave us a celebration that is observed every year. Germans call it Wiesn, we call it Oktoberfest. And oh my, is it big.
The area is effectively a compound, with only three or four entry gates. Think “Winter Wonderland” in Hyde Park, only this is an event at which grown-ups can actually enjoy themselves.
Here the breweries of Bavaria seem to compete for the biggest, grandest, most extravagant setup, most of which take nearly six months to put up. These aren’t merely a collection of beer tents; this is a temporary Bavarian city.
What to expect at Oktoberfest in Munich
Hofbräu’s party tent can accommodate up to 10,000 revellers within its structure. Today, it’s going to be our venue of choice. The gates open at 9am. The queues surge in and rush for the best seats at the best tables in the best tents. We are only too happy to join in.
Breakfast is served at the tables and is typically a salted pretzel, freshly baked on the premises and roughly the size of a Peugeot 106’s steering wheel. Other options include schnitzel sandwiches and Bratwurst, held aloft and brought around the tent by smiling servers.
Drinks are served in traditional one-litre glass steins and they’re enjoyed slowly amid conversation and awe of your phenomenal surroundings. Within about half an hour, the atmosphere is not unlike that of a football match. The oompah band strikes up, the several-thousand-strong crowd cheers and this party is well under way.
The music is regularly punctuated with a rousing chorus of “ein Prosit, ein Prosit…”, a traditional coming together of cheers to health and happiness. Games are played, snacks are enjoyed and the very best, if very temporary, friends are made.
Time for dinner
A full menu service offers everything from soups, ribs and chicken to entire roast pork joints, all freshly prepared in the massive on-site kitchen. The service is swift and amazing to see, as our server, whistling in her teeth, winds her way to us through the thrumming crowd, a tray of plates held above her head.
Dinner is enjoyed as the oompah band leaves the stage. A cover band takes their place and this is when the party atmosphere goes into overdrive. The huge sea of revellers gets up to dance and we aren’t the sort of people to shy away from a bash THIS big. We get up and join in.
However, it isn’t too long before it’s 11pm, kicking out time. With ears slightly ringing, we stride purposefully through the bright lights of the stalls within Oktoberfest. The rides, including rollercoasters, high-altitude chair swings and claw rides, look like great fun, but maybe not on such a full stomach.
Day three
The now-familiar bell-and-trundling sounds of the city trams stir us. Strangely, last night has left us with almost no ill-effects. We share our memories of the evening just gone and glance over each other’s photos. There have been so many memories!
Suitably freshened up, we don the lederhosen and ugly hats once more and step out into the city. Our now-familiar route brings us back to the queue for the Oktoberfest grounds and the anticipated fun that awaits within.
We aren’t made to wait for long before the gates open at 9am sharp and the “Deutsche dash” begins again, thousands of people descending on the Festzelten ready for a phenomenal time. Our target today is the Hacker-Pschorr tent, another grand and ludicrously over-the-top construction designed for one purpose only: to accommodate daily the party to end all parties.
Oktoberfest closing ceremony
Only today will be different. Today is the closing ceremony for Oktoberfest. Tomorrow sees the beginning of a gargantuan clean-up and take-down effort that will be unseen by the hundreds of thousands who visited. Tonight then will be somewhat more special.
Perched on benches that give little comfort, we settle into the tent that we would call home for the rest of the day. The crowd builds up and we share our table and benches with other people who’ve joined us for the exact same reason: to have a wonderful time and sample the rich history of this fabled event.
A trip to remember
The evening draws to a close. For the last night of the three-week event, sparklers, seemingly appearing in people’s hands from nowhere, are waved throughout the 9,000-strong attendees.
The band strikes up a final I’ve Had The Time Of My Life, throughout which several dirndl-wearing ladies attempt the run-and-lift scene from Dirty Dancing, and very few of which end successfully. We are ushered towards the exits and meander back to the hotel via another traditionally German eatery.
Back at the hotel for our final night in this magnificent city, I am left to wonder just one thing: “Where did my ugly hat go?”