(Italiano) Oktoberfest tips •

After the stories of my parents about all the years passed at the Oktoberfest in Monaco of Bavaria to drink beer and have fun, I had the curiosity to go there although I am almost completely teetotal.

Oktoberfest Oktoberfest Homer

So I convinced my boyfriend and a friend of ours (not that there was much to convince them to go to a beer festival!), booked the tickets a week before with Easyjet and the hotel with Booking (Vi Vadi Hotel Bayer 89 very nice and convenient for Oktoberfest), we left for Monaco!

Since we had never been there, we made mistakes that surely the next time we won’t do. So here are our tips to better enjoy the Oktoberfest experience:

The first tip I want to give is to NOT GO IN WEEKEND nor the 3rd of October which is a national holiday. We stayed there on Friday and before 4pm/5pm was not very busy, but towards evening and especially on Saturday all the streets of Monaco were invaded by people who were heading towards the entrance of the Oktoberfest.
DO NOT WAIT FOR THE EVENING TO GO IN THE TENTS. The beer is served only in the 14 tents and only if you are sitting at the tables, BUT finding a place from 5/6pm is impossible, therefore it is better to go in the tents from morning to lunch or from 2/3pm to remain seated until the evening or even to drink in the afternoon. We unfortunately were not able to sit in any tent trying to get into at 6pm, but next time we will not make the same mistake!
Live the most of the Oktoberfest experience dressing the typical Bavarian clothes: dirndl for women and lederhosen for men. in Monaco you will find different varieties of these costumes, some economic and some expensive, but it’s really worth to wear it, it is now a custom among tourists and not just a Bavarian tradition. Women be careful about where you tie the knot of the apron of your dirndl because depending on the position of the knot, the meaning is different: the knot on the left means singles, the one on the right married/girlfriend, the one in front in the centre that you are virgins and in the centre on the back that you are widows !
Take some time to visit the beautiful amusement park (especially at sunset when the lights of all the attractions slowly turn on) and taste the local food in the various stands.
Don’t carry backpacks, large bags, because you will not get in! And don’t bring credit cards because inside the Oktoberfest only cash is accepted.
Monaco is not only the Oktoberfest, if you can, go at least two days in order to be able to visit the city. The English garden is very nice and there you will find a beer garden under a Chinese pagoda!