
Full disclaimer: I don’t know if this will ALWAYS be a cheaper option, but for us it was! Plus, ima be honest, I really just wanted to stay OUT OF THE CITY since we had just come from a couple days in Paris and a few in Lyon.
But I digress – for us, it was the cheaper (and prettier, in my opinon) option!
So – STARNBERG.
That’s right. You heard me. STARN. BERG.
It’s a pretty little town with and here’s why I loved it so:
DAT LAKE DOE


THE NATUREZ


YES, YOU CAN BUY YOUR OKTOBERFEST OUTFITS THERE

So, we had to buy them there! Apparently all shops close on Sunday, BUT there was one by the train station that was open (I’m assuming since they KNOW people will be buying things for Oktoberfest). We were able to get ours for a pretty good rate (my BF paid 50€ for his lederhosen, and I paid 60€ for my dirndl).


Plus everyone is just so friendly and wants to have a good time. Everyone I chatted with was wonderful and you meet people from all over the world! Over the course of the 8ish hours we were there, we met people from the states, Argentina, Slovakia, UK, Germany that all sat at our table!
So if you get a chance to go do it!!! Plus the festival itself is free – soooo if you hate it you can leave, without having wasted any money! Oh and also the food. Promise me you at least try some food. I’m a vegetarian and saw lots of vegan options, too! I had the mac and cheese and cheesy potatoes (I tried to learn what it was called in German, but the name was soooo long) and they were DELICIOUS.
IT’S ONLY A 30 MIN TRAIN RIDE FROM MUNICH

It’s open late (even on a Sunday) – we got to the train station about 10PM (and accidentally rode it the wrong way for a hot sec, oops – gonna blame it on the beer lol). It looks like trains run until almost 1AM (even on Sunday night) but you may want to look it up on Google Maps or Deutsche-Bahn (the German train site) to be sure.

The train station was only a 15 min walk from our AirBnb in Starnberg, but it ended up pouring rain as we were walking back. We ended up running and went the wrong way by accident until finally making it back to our room, soaking wet. I have no idea why we were stubborn and refused to just get a cab or Uber. But now it’s probs one of my favorite memories soooo 🙂
PRETTY VIEWS, TOO
If you want some pretty views, go to St. Joseph’s Church! I couldn’t find much info on it (it’s not even on Google Maps!) but you can just follow the spire (visible from most places in the town center) and find it. From there, you can look for a walled garden to find some nice views! We didn’t have a ton of time so I didn’t get to stay as long as I would’ve wanted (what a lovely place to read a book and relax!).

WALK THROUGH THE TOWN CENTER

We only had one meal out here (thanks to our AirBnb host providing free toast for breakfast #ballinonabudget and us wanting to experience the Oktoberfest food to the fullest!!) at Boston Café and Cocktail Bar but it was SO GOOD. My BF even said it was the best meal he’d had our entire trip!

I’ve also read that Augsburg is a nice place to stay if you can’t find a place in Munich. It seems to be about the same distance as Starnberg, but from the northwest instead of the southwest. It’s also more of a city than Starnberg, so if you’re more into that go there!

WHY YOU MAY WANT TO STAY IN MUNICH ANYWAY


I also want to note that the train ride from Starnberg to the Munich airport is kind of a trek. Like, it’s easy to do, but definitely a pretty looooong train ride. Like 1-1.5 hours long. Whereas to Munich, it’s about half that. You have to change trains once in Munich, too. Plus, it’s kindaaa pricey (although it’s the same price to go to Munich), about 13€ for a single or 24.30€ for a group.

So go, and promise me you’ll make time to explore the other towns on the lake. I’ll be living vicariously through you because I really wish we’d had time to do that!
It’s great to stay in quieter (and cheaper) areas away from major crowds especially during festivals and the lake district looks really peaceful. My favorite photos are the one of you both in Dirndls and Lederhosen and the other of the Octoberfest in the evening. Such pretty colors in the sky.
Yes, I totally agree! It helps me keep my sanity lol. And yeah dressing up was so fun! And yes, the sunsets were super pretty, too. 🙂
This all sounds fab – I am not normally keen on crowds either, so it is great to hear that you had a blast. I honestly think it sounds more fun to stay a little further away from the madness!
p.s. you both look fantstic in your dirndl and lederhosen – it sounds like you pick up bargains and they both really suit you guys!
Yes I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had! And yes, staying in Starnberg was cool because we got to experience two different places (Munich & Starnberg) and I got my nature fix haha.
Thank you! Yes, we got lucky getting them in Starnberg the day of! It’s also pretty easy to find shops in Munich, but we were worried as we went on a Sunday and all the stores are traditionally closed in Germany on Sundays! However, they made exceptions for Oktoberfest 😉
This sounds like so much more fun than the standard Oktoberfest route!! And you look so cute in the dirndl (hopefully I spelt that right!!). Thanks for the info. I’ll definitely be looking into staying in Starnberg rather than Munich.
Yes, I think it was a little different, that’s for sure! And yes, I’d recommend it 🙂
Wow! Sounds amazing, I would love to celebrate Oktoberfest in Germany one dat
It was so cool! But there are also tons of local Oktoberfest celebrations, too – I’m sure you could find something in or near your city! 🙂