From September 19 to October 4, 2026 the Theresienwiese belongs to the Oktoberfest. It is the 191st, and it runs for 16 days. Locals call it the Wiesn, after the meadow it stands on.
This page is here for a reason. Anyone heading for the Wiesn who then goes looking for a room in Munich knows the problem. Bayrischzell is quiet, and the train runs there and back without changing.
Why this works from Bayrischzell
The RB 55 runs from Bayrischzell via Miesbach and Holzkirchen to Munich central station. No changes, about 80 minutes, hourly during the day.
And let me say it straight away: I would not take the car. Parking around the Theresienwiese during the Oktoberfest is genuinely bad, and the time you lose hunting for a space is time you could have spent reading or sleeping on the train.
Now the number that matters: the last train leaves the central station at 12:10 a.m. and reaches Bayrischzell at 1:30 a.m. There is one before it at 11:10 p.m. That holds every day, Saturdays and Sundays included.
Hold that against the tent hours: in the large tents last beer is at 10:30 p.m. and they close at 11:30 p.m. From the tent to the station is a 15 minute walk. So you do not have to leave earlier than everyone else, and you are not the one standing on the platform doing arithmetic.
Bayrischzell sits inside the MVV network, zone 9. One ticket covers the whole trip, train and Munich subway together. A day ticket costs 25.00 euros on your own. For two to five people take the group day ticket at 39.50 euros, children between 6 and 14 count as half. Both are valid until 6 a.m. the next morning.
For five people that works out at 7.90 euros each for the trip there, the trip back and everything in between.
And if you stay with us, it gets cheaper still
Guests staying overnight in Bayrischzell get a guest card from their host. With it you travel free in MVV zones 6 to 9, and that already covers the whole stretch from Bayrischzell to the edge of Munich.
For the rest you only need a ticket for zones M to 5. As a day ticket that costs 17.50 euros on your own, or 32.60 euros for two to five people together, instead of 25.00 and 39.50 for the full distance.
And if you hold a Deutschlandticket, you do not need to buy anything at all for the journey.
The guest card is personal and only valid together with photo ID. All details without guarantee, the binding source is the MVV.
What that means in practice: no car, no parking space, and no discussion about who is driving tonight. You get on in Bayrischzell and off in Munich, and the same in reverse at night. Buy your ticket beforehand, not on the train.
The one thing to get right on the way back: the correct part of the train
The trains to Bayrischzell, to Tegernsee and to Lenggries usually run coupled together between Munich and Holzkirchen, where they are split apart. So do not just sit down anywhere, sit in the part that says Bayrischzell. It is written on the outside of the carriage and shown on the displays inside, and if in doubt ask a member of staff on the platform.
Sit in the wrong half and you end up at Tegernsee in the middle of the night. That is the one mistake you can make on this line.
What happens when
Saturday, September 19: opening day
At 10:35 a.m. the landlords' procession sets off on Sonnenstraße at Josephspitalstraße and reaches the Theresienwiese around noon.
At 12 noon sharp the mayor of Munich, Dominik Krause, taps the first keg in the Schottenhamel tent, for the first time in his term. Twelve cannon shots in front of the Bavaria statue then release the beer in every tent.
Worth knowing about day one: the tents open at 9 a.m., soft drinks are served from 10 a.m., beer only from 12 noon.
Sunday, September 20: the costume and riflemen's parade
From 10 a.m. until about noon, with a commercial lead-in starting at 9:25 a.m. Seven kilometers long, and according to the Festring München over 9,000 participants in 60 sections. The parade starts at the Max II monument on Maximilianstraße and runs via Residenzstraße, Odeonsplatz, Ludwigstraße and Brienner Straße to Esperantoplatz at the Theresienwiese.
Watching from the roadside costs nothing. If you want a guaranteed seat, a grandstand ticket is 40 euros, and a combined ticket for both Oktoberfest parades is 60 euros. Grandstands are set up on Maximilianstraße, at Max-Joseph-Platz, around Odeonsplatz, at Stachus, on Sonnenstraße and at Kaiser-Ludwig-Platz, among others.
If you want to watch for free, get there early. The good spots along the route are taken before the parade even starts.
And if it does not work out: the parade is broadcast live on television. That is no bad thing either, you see more than you would from the third row at the roadside.
If you only have one day and you like traditional dress and brass bands, this is the day.
Tuesday, September 22 and Tuesday, September 29: family days
On both Tuesdays, until 7 p.m., many rides, showmen and food stands offer special prices for children and families. Not everyone joins in, so it pays to watch for the signs as you go. The large tents also serve children's dishes at their own prices.
Sunday, September 27: the open-air concert of the Wiesn bands
From 11 a.m. at the foot of the Bavaria statue. The festival bands of all the tents play together, with celebrity conductors.
Sunday, October 4: the gun salute that ends it
From 12 noon on the steps below the Bavaria. Around 60 Bavarian riflemen fire a salute to see the Oktoberfest out. That is not the end of the day though, tents and rides stay open into the evening.
The Oide Wiesn, if the rest is too much
In the southern part of the Theresienwiese the Oide Wiesn runs alongside, also from September 19 to October 4. The name means the old Wiesn. It is a fenced-off area with vintage rides, three tents with Bavarian music and a museum tent with a free family program.
You pay from age 15, and then it is 4 euros. Younger than that and you get in free, and after 9 p.m. entry is free for everyone. The old rides cost 1.50 euros a go.
Which one I prefer: the Oide Wiesn. It feels more like the real thing, it is quieter, and it does not overload your senses the way the main grounds do. If you want it calmer, do not skip it.
For families, and for anyone who finds the main grounds too much, this is the gentler half.
It doesn't happen every year
Few people know this: every four years the Bavarian Central Agricultural Show takes the same ground in the southern part, and the Oide Wiesn has to give way. The last time that actually happened was 2016.
In 2020 the agricultural show was called off because of Covid, in 2024 because too few exhibitors signed up. Both times the Oide Wiesn ran instead. The next show is planned for 2028.
So 2026 is a year when it does take place. If you want to see it and are thinking there is no hurry, keep that in mind.
What is new in 2026
Three rides are joining. Shake & Roll takes the classic Break Dance ride further, its gondolas are not fixed and can turn right over. Fisherman's is a new build that leads through a fishing village on three levels, with water effects. The Chaos Pendel swings up to 42 meters high at up to 80 kilometers an hour.
There is a change among the tents: Bartls Flößerstadl takes over the spot of the Münchner Stubn and picks up the history of log rafting in Munich.
The lost property office moves from the service center to the Deutsches Museum transport branch on the Theresienhöhe. On accessibility, street 4 has been added, wheelchairs can be borrowed with online reservation, and sunflower lanyards are available for people with non-visible disabilities.
And the large tents may now start the music at 11 a.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. at weekends. Opening day is the exception. Until noon only traditional brass music is allowed, after that it gets louder.
Opening hours
The fairground is open Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Fridays until midnight, Saturdays from 9 a.m. to midnight, Sundays from 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
The tents open Monday to Friday at 10 a.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 9 a.m. In the large tents last beer is at 10:30 p.m. and closing time is 11:30 p.m. Two exceptions: the Käfer Wiesn-Schänke and Kuffler's Weinzelt stay open until 1 a.m., with last orders there at 12:30 a.m.
From the station to the fairground
On foot it takes about 15 minutes. Leave the station through the south exit, follow Bayerstraße to the right as far as the Hermann-Lingg-Straße junction, turn left there and walk straight towards the main entrance.
One tip from my own experience: Munich central station is being rebuilt at the moment. Coming from the Starnberger Bahnhof side, where our train arrives, you have to take detours and it takes longer than usual. Allow around seven extra minutes for now and you will arrive relaxed.
Another one for the last train: the regional train does not leave from the main hall but from the side, at the Starnberger Flügelbahnhof. That is further than the station entrance, so factor it in.
By subway, Theresienwiese station (U4 and U5) is the closest and also the most crowded. If you want to avoid that, especially with children: Poccistraße (U3 and U6) is fairly calm, about a ten minute walk. Goetheplatz (U3 and U6) has normal crowds, also around ten minutes. Schwanthalerhöhe (U4 and U5) is busy, just under ten minutes.
What I have seen of the Wiesn myself
I have been several times, from very different angles. That has left me with a fairly clear opinion.
Once with the family on a weekend. Never again.
We went with the children, who were small back then. We were simply carried along by the crowd. No stopping, no looking at anything, no getting anywhere. As a family we do not go at weekends any more, that much is settled for me.
Back when I worked in Munich
I had a five minute walk to the Wiesn and often went over after work, usually around 4 p.m. One ride on the rollercoaster, a bit of a look around, then home before the evening rush started. So around 5 or 6 p.m.
From then on the rides are packed and it feels as if the whole of Munich is pouring onto the Theresienwiese.
That is still my yardstick: until late afternoon the Wiesn is a lovely place. After that it is a different one.
Inside a tent, as someone who doesn't drink beer
I know the tents from the inside, through company events at my old job. In at 6 p.m. after work, sitting there until 9 p.m.
For someone who doesn't drink beer, and I am one of them, that is only so much fun. Either you join in properly or you watch. Both work, but you should know beforehand what you are getting into. A tent is not a place where you sit around on the side.
What I would tell a guest
Set off early and be in Munich by about 10:30 a.m. Then you can stroll across the Wiesn in peace, go on a few rides and stop for lunch, a Hendl, a roast chicken, or whatever takes your fancy.
That carries you nicely into the afternoon without ever running into the crush. And in the evening you are back in the Leitzachtal, where it is quiet.
Weekends are a personal no-go for me. If you want to see the costume parade you do need the Sunday, there is no way around that. In which case: get there early and leave early.
And where will you sleep?
That is what this page is really about. The Wiesn is one thing, a quiet room afterwards is another. Bayrischzell and its hamlets have inns, hotels and holiday apartments, and the train stops right in the village.
What not to bring
There are checks at the entrance. Bags may hold no more than three liters, or measure no more than 20 by 15 by 10 centimeters. A small handbag or a mini rucksack is fine, an ordinary day pack is not. Glass bottles have to stay outside as well.
And even if you are there early: a tent can be closed when it is full, and nobody has any influence over that.
All details without guarantee, the binding source is the program of the City of Munich.