Octoberfest is coming...START PLANNING!
You may think that it is a bit too early to be planning for Octoberfest, but in actuality, it's about time to start booking! Hotels all around Munich book up way in advance, and of course, flight prices will skyrocket.
Book your hotel...TODAY. Check out the various hostels, pensions, hotels etc as there are many many many in the city. If you want to go for your standard Marriot or Holiday Inn, that's fine, but note that their prices will be higher than normal. Take any web browser and start searching. Don't worry if it's not that close to the Fest as you can always take the train in, or, my suggestions is to take a train to an area nearby, and even walk the rest of the way as the train cars will be packed and you could spend up to an hour waiting to board. The Octoberfest is held at the Theresienwiese on the U4/U5, so maybe avoid those train lines and get off somewhere nearby. Last year it was nearly impossible to go down the escalator at the Hauptbahnhof to the U4/U5. You can easily walk there from any of the stations surrounding it, or even take a cab.
As soon as you get into town, get yourself a Dirndl or Lederhosen as you will wish you had one when you see the thousands of men and women sporting theirs. A fashion for women now is to wear men's style lederhosen, but with shorter shorts. I'm looking forward to getting myself a pair of those as well! There are many shops all around the city, so just find one online. I suggest going to Toytowngermany.com and typing in the keyword "Tracht" into the search. You will then find discussions about tracht as well as a helpful description and store locations with prices. Mind you, I paid 50-60€ for the actual dress, 17€ for the apron and 17€ for the shirt. Lederhosen are a bit more expensive ranging from 150€ and up. Check some of my past articles where you can read more about Tracht and become an expert yourself!
Enjoy!