EXPERIENCE TRUE GERMAN GEMÜTLICHKEIT!
Imagine yourself now, roaming the streets of a beautifully preserved medieval city with iconic half-timber houses all around you. There is this feeling of excitement in the air in anticipation of the upcoming Fest. You've taken in a couple of hours of the sites and sounds of the city and now it's time to stop in at a local brewery. Seated at a table that seems like it's from centuries ago (but sturdy as can be), you're surrounded by classic Bavarian wood panelling, artifacts, and traditional murals on the walls. There is a hum of locals and tourists alike chatting and clinking their mugs. Just before your freshly prepared local dish arrives, you feel it. The Gemülichkeit. There isn't a literal English translation but you know the feeling- it's that feeling of coziness, warmth, and good cheer that comes with the people you're with and the atmosphere around you.
You raise you mug, look all your fellow travelers in the eyes ,and clink your mugs while gleefully exclaiming, "Prost!" You're on a Drinkable Destinations tour of Bavaria and life is great. 🍻
You raise you mug, look all your fellow travelers in the eyes ,and clink your mugs while gleefully exclaiming, "Prost!" You're on a Drinkable Destinations tour of Bavaria and life is great. 🍻
Oktoberfest & Bavaria tour 2026
September 16th-22nd, 2026
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Tour Highlights include:
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Day by day RundownDay 1: Meet us in Munich!
We'll meet at the hotel before heading out to a welcome dinner at Augustiner Keller with a special barrel tapping just for our table! Day 2: We will meet our first local guide, Sabri, who will delight us with his knowledge and stories (and charm!) for the next four days. A guided city walking tour of Munich's old town, including visits to Marienplatz, Viktualienmarkt (Munich's central food and craft market and bier garden), and the Hofbrauhaus, as well as a walk through the English Garden to watch the surfers (yes, surfers!). The group will have lunch together at a local beerhall or beer garden and we will continue with exploring beautiful beer sipping locations throughout the old city. Evening will be free for guests to dine and explore on their own. Day 3: A private bus will pick us up to head north to Bamberg, an historic medieval town in the Franconia region and UNESCO World Heritage site. On the way, we'll stop in the picturesque Hallertau region for a private tour of a hops farm with a famr hosted lunch and beer tasting, then continue along to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. This fairytale town is one of Europe's best preserved medieval cities and so stinking charming, it's hard to believe it's real. We'll have time to wander around, take in the charm of the classic half-timber buildings, walk along the city wall, sample some local favorites (Schneeballen and the best brats we've ever had), and do some shopping. That evening, we will check into the historic Fässla Brewery and Guesthouse in Bamberg and enjoy a lovely dinner of Franconian specialties in the beer house below the guest rooms. Day 4: We'll start our day with a walking tour of historic Bamberg, including the old city, palaces, and beer attractions. Afterward, we'll head to Schlenkerla Brewery for lunch, a famous Rauchbier brewery, then take in the "loitering" culture of drinking in the streets outside of the breweries. Day 5: Back to Munich! We'll take the train from Bamberg to Munich with a surprise stop along the way. After arriving in Munich, we'll check in at the hotel and the group will break before dinner time to allow everyone to get a great night's rest before our big day at Oktoberfest the next day.
Day 6: Our first day at Oktoberfest! Don't fill up on breakfast at the hotel because our first stop with The Thirsty Historian is a traditional Bavarian Weisswurst Frühstück (breakfast) at Schneider Brauhaus. After breakfast, we'll visit the Paulaner microbrewery for a brewery tour before heading to the Oktoberfest grounds and our table reservations! Our Thirsty Historian guide will delight the group with tales from over 200 years of Oktoberfest history. At the table, the spirit of Gemülichkeit will overtake you and you'll be clinking mugs and singing "Ein Prosit!" in no time. Day 7: Oktoberfest, day 2! You'll have the morning free to enjoy Munich. We will meet around noon to gather the group and head to Oktoberfest for table reservations and our last day together. |
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INCLUSIONS |
Rates |
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$4995/person based on double occupancy lodging* $1500 single supplement for solo travelers** $1200/person deposit For comprehensive information about the tour including reservation information, please download the Information Packet in .pdf format below.
*It's pricey, we know. The largest share of the cost is the cost of hotels in Munich during and around Oktoberfest. We stay at very nice, comfortable, modern hotels that are within a 15 minute walk of Oktoberfest and right across the street from the train station. We have found from experience and ample feedback from guests that our guests very much appreciated the proximity of the hotel to Oktoberfest as well as the amenities and comfort.
The secondary reason for the increase in cost is that the exchange rate has gone up nearly 10% since the 2024 Oktoberfest and Bavaria Tour. Would you like to book your own hotel rooms during our stay in Munich for Oktoberfest? We can offer you an alternate rate minus the 3 nights of lodging in Munich! **This a small group affair and we cannot fully absorb the cost of a single person in a hotel room as our rates are based on double occupancy in the hotel rooms. |
What makes our tours different than other tour outfits?
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1. Local Tour Guides - We don't live in Munich or Germany but we have lived in Europe and have traveled extensively. Even so, we feel that our tour guests are best served by using local tour guides that we have established relationships with for our tours. The experience is so much more rich when stories are heard from people who live in the areas we are visiting.
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2. Small Group Sizes - We believe that small group sizes make for better experiences. Small groups allow our guests to form closer relationships with us, our local guides and each other It also gives us more intimate access to places, restaurants and attractions.
Minimum: 8 Maximum: 12 |
3. It's not only about beer and breweries - We love beer and learning it's history and cultural implications. But we're not a one trick pony only visiting breweries all day, every day. (if you've seen one room of stainless steel tanks...)
We love all sorts of history, culture, food and attractions so we blend our thirst for great local beer with local history, culture and attractions. And at the end of a day of touring, we'll find a great spot to sit back and enjoy our Drinkable Destination! |
What have people said about our tours?
We took a trip to Germany/Octoberfest with Justin and Robyn and let me tell you it was nothing short of amazing. We had access to places and people and beer we would have never had on our own. They made sure every single aspect of the trip was handled so all we had to do was show up and enjoy ourselves. The ability to meet and talk to the malters, hop farmers and brewers was nothing short of magical. We stayed in top notch hotels and there was never a shortage of great food and beverages. We feel blessed as we have become great friends with the folks we traveled with. We would not hesitate to book another trip with Justin and Robyn!
Cindi & Chris, Milwaukee WI
Just returned from the Oktoberfest & Bavaria tour with Drinkable Destinations and everything was incredible. The tour itself was a perfect mix of history, culture, sightseeing and beer-based experiences. Loved the addition of local guides for the city walking tours. Justin & Robyn are true professionals who were prepared for everything and handled hiccups so well. For example, as we were boarding the train to head back to Munich, my husband realized he left his passport at the hotel. Robyn stayed behind with him while he got his passport, and they took the next train to meet up with Justin and the rest of the group. I always felt like we were in good hands and well taken care of. There were so many special touches included in the tour, and they even gifted us a custom gingerbread heart to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. I'll definitely travel with Drinkable Destinations again. Hoping to make it to Tipsy Tulips 2027! Thank you for all the amazing memories, Justin & Robyn!
Google review from Vicki
Cindi & Chris, Milwaukee WI
Just returned from the Oktoberfest & Bavaria tour with Drinkable Destinations and everything was incredible. The tour itself was a perfect mix of history, culture, sightseeing and beer-based experiences. Loved the addition of local guides for the city walking tours. Justin & Robyn are true professionals who were prepared for everything and handled hiccups so well. For example, as we were boarding the train to head back to Munich, my husband realized he left his passport at the hotel. Robyn stayed behind with him while he got his passport, and they took the next train to meet up with Justin and the rest of the group. I always felt like we were in good hands and well taken care of. There were so many special touches included in the tour, and they even gifted us a custom gingerbread heart to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. I'll definitely travel with Drinkable Destinations again. Hoping to make it to Tipsy Tulips 2027! Thank you for all the amazing memories, Justin & Robyn!
Google review from Vicki