Oktoberfest München, Deutschland (Germany)

Clearly the best time to visit Munich is during Oktoberfest…

The infamous Paulaner tent on the Theresienwiese fairgrounds, München. September 2022.

The train from Utrecht takes about seven hours, with just one change. That may sound like a long time, but when you consider getting to the airport early, checking bags if you have them, and waiting in security lines, turns out I’d much rather just take the train. Plus we were staying at a Marriott property right beside Munich’s central station which is much closer to the action than Munich’s airport (about a 1 hour commute by train). On top of that, there were large groups of Dutchies already dressed in their Lederhosen and pounding beers on the train

Neues Rathaus, the New Town Hall. September 2022.

The first night was classic Oktoberfest. We dressed in our typical classic German attire, went to the festival grounds and met some friends, ate sausages and half-meter long hotdogs, and planted ourselves at an outdoor table on the Hofbräu terrace. Liters and liters of beer were drank. Strangers were met. Songs were sung. Stumbling occurred. A perfect Oktoberfest night.

Deutsches Museum on the Isar River, September 2022.

A Building of Faces and Munich from Above. September 2022.

The next day was time for recovery and exploring. The typical city wandering occurred. I ate delicious schnitzel and spätzle at several different restaurants. Restaurant Deutsche Eiche in particular had an amazing slab of roast turkey breast with a turkey gravy that cured all of my ailments instantly.

Dennis Reynolds: Golden God.

The last night of our adventure was spent in a triumphant return to the Hofbräu tent. This time we found some folks with a half-empty table and they let us join them, right in the middle of the room beside the bandstand. A few liters and many toasts later we headed back to the hotel, a wonderful and slightly impromptu trip to Munich completed. Will definitely be returning next year!

Oktoberfest Night, September 2022.

Until Next Time!

Recommends:

  • Hofbräu tent. Definitely the best of the tents.

  • Restaurant Deutsche Eiche (mmmm turkey)

  • Roomers Munich, Autograph Collection - A Marriott property with a phenomenal breakfast and a pool/hot tub/grotto in the basement. So fancy. Thank you Marriott points!

  • Going up the Frauenkirche tower. Not the best tower I’ve been in but there’s an elevator and plenty of signboards to tell you what you’re looking at.

Questions? Comments? Let me know below!

Koblenz and Castles

Welcome to Koblenz, a city in Southwest Germany:

Schloss Stolzenfels, one of the many castles that line the river valleys around Koblenz

Koblenz is located at the intersection of the Rhine and Moselle rivers and is surrounded by more castles than you can shake a stick at. After reading about some of the coolest castles in Western Germany, I figured Koblenz was a good place to start. Driving time was pretty short (about 2.5 hours from Utrecht) and the German borders had finally opened to Dutch tourists. After more than 3 months of quarantine, it was time for a relaxing (and responsible!) trip.

I looked for hotels with a nice view on one of the river banks and settled on the Mercure Hotel, a 4-star hotel on the Rhine River that checked all the boxes. As it turns out, they had just reopened a few days prior and had some good Coronavirus prevention strategies in place. Masks were required in the lobbies, elevators, and hallways, and rooms were left un-booked for several days between guest stays. Partly due to this and partly because of the type of room I had booked (City View ftw!) we ended up having the entire top floor to ourselves. There were beautiful views of the southern half of the city (including Schloss Stolzenfels in the distance) and the Rhine River.

Going into town that evening was an interesting experience. There were tons of people out and about, enjoying the night air. Many people had masks on, and they were required when entering any indoor area. Everything closed down around 22.30, with a pair of police officers politely going around the square and asking people to disperse. After picking out some to-go beverages, we walked on a nice boulevard that ran the length of the western bank of the Rhine and found a nice bench to people watch. A very solid evening.

Wandering through the old town the following day, it was time to seek out some breakfast (brunch actually. Wake-up calls are unnecessary when you’re on vacation and mornings are stupid). Eventually we landed at the Altstadt Hotel & Café (above) that had great outdoor seating on a beautiful square next to the Town Hall (below). Masks were required indoors again (a regulation throughout Germany) but once you sat down outside you are free to remove them in order to drink your massive “bowl” of coffee. And I mean massive. It required both hand to pick up and drink, and boy was it delicious. The sandwiches were no less delicious. Altstadt Café bakes their bread fresh, and the cream cheese/peppers/diced pepperoni panini daily special was exactly what I needed. 100 percent recommended.

Johannes-Müller-Denkmal, a monument from 1899 honoring Doctor Johannes Müller. It stands in front of Koblenz Town Hall and Citykirche.

The rest of the day was spent wandering the city, exploring on foot. Recommendations include:

  • Ludwig Museum and Basilica of St. Castor - Beautiful gardens and a beautiful church.

  • Memorial of German Unity/Deutsches Eck - People watching, river confluence, outdoor biergarten.

  • Weindorf Koblenz - Winery with an excellent traditional German menu (schnitzel AND POTATOES!)

  • Hauptfriedhof Koblenz - Hike into the hills surrounding Koblenz to see the main cemetery. Several WWI and WWII memorials and beautiful gardens.

Herz-Jesu-Kirche, a Catholic Church in Koblenz c.1903

Sunday: On to the castles! The goal was five castles in one day. Google Maps were created. The car was started. Here we go…

Burg Thurant, Alken, Germany. Vinerads lead down to the town of Alken and the Moselle River. Castle #4!

Pergola Garden, Schloss Stolzenfels, Koblenz, Deutschland.

Burg Lahneck, castle #2 on the whirlwind castle tour.

Burg Eltz. c.1157

Wrapping up with Burg Eltz (the castle that inspired the trip in the first place), it was time for dinner at Pizzeria Vulcana in the nearby town of Münstermaifeld. The outdoor seating provided a great view of Stiftskirche St. Martin und St. Severus. Great food with a great view!

Thanks for reading! Please Like or Comment below if you have questions.

Graffiti near Koblenz Stadtmitte, the main train station in Koblenz.