Drink Up at Germany's Best Loved Festival
Munich's annual Oktoberfest attracts crowds from around the world, and rightly soMunich is a sophisticated city in many ways; some compare it to Berlin for its effervescent nightlife and cultural highlights. Yet at heart, it is still a small town and the friendliness of its burghers is a key element of its Oktoberfest. With a number of airlines offering direct flights from Manchester to Munich, it's easy to join in with the fun.
Despite its name, Munich's annual Oktoberfest beer festival takes place in the last weeks of September and finishes on the first Sunday of October. Originally a celebration of the marriage of Prince Ludwig in 1810, today the festival is more about celebrating beer and bratwurst. If bratwurst doesn't appeal, try Schweinebraten (roast pork), Schweinshaxe (grilled ham hock), Weisswurst (a white sausage) or Steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick). Vegetarians are not forgotten either as there are numerous traditional meat-free delicacies to wash down your beer such as Brezn (Pretzel), Kasspatzn (cheese noodles), Reiberdatschi (potato pancakes), Sauerkraut or Knödeln (potato or bread dumplings).
The festival is made up of 35 different beer tents - 14 large ones together with a further 21 smaller ones which are open from the morning until nearly midnight. The issue most guests have is pacing themselves - Oktoberfest beer is generally fairly strong and so it is important to make sure you don't overdo it! Even if you do, help is at hand with the German Red Cross on standby throughout the festival.
