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Munich, Germany:
OKTOBERFEST TOUR PACKAGE
September 21-24 (Fri-Mon), 2012
and by popular demand a second weekend package has been added on
September 28 thru October 1 (Fri-Mon), 2012
The land-only price for this tour package is *390 euro (payable in Munich) + US$100 (deposit) per person (double occupancy), which includes your accommodations (in a new centrally located non-smoking hotel), two dinners, a handful of liter-sized beers, all (public) transportation when traveling with the group, a reservation at one of the fest's best beer tents, and Brett Harriman as your personal guide. You will be hard-pressed to find a comparable package, anywhere!
*The price for this package equates to approximately 115 euro per person per day, which is hard to beat when considering the exclusive hand-held nature of the tour and especially that room rates in Munich during the Oktoberfest virtually double in a city that is already pricey.
The price does not cover breakfast, lunch, one dinner, and of course personal expenses, such as whatever you do on your free time.
Among the many highlights, you'll experience the Oktoberfest like a local as Harriman guides you through Munich's Old Town as well as the festival grounds and to prime positioning for the opening-weekend parades. For a detailed tour summary, browse the day-by-day itinerary on the left.
(Note: Harriman can assist you with booking your flight, rail pass, rental car, whatever - please contact him with your request.)
Note: All rooms are doubles and therefore the package is based on double occupancy. On account of the exorbitant room rates during Oktoberfest, the supplement for a single traveler is $300. (Sorry! but the two-week Oktoberfest period commands Munich's highest room rates of the year.) That said, single travelers are welcome to room together to save the supplement; (notify Harriman if this is you and he will do his best to make compatible room assignments).
Payment: To reserve your place a deposit of $100 per person is required and the remaining 390 euro is due in cash, in Munich, upon meeting your group leader. After the deposit is made Brett Harriman will contact you to confirm your place. (Note: Reserve your spot sooner rather than later before the package is sold out!)
To cancel: Deposits are fully refundable 45 days prior to tour departure (minus applicable transaction fees, e.g. 2.9% via PayPal). Within 45 days, however, your deposit will be forfeited (sorry!) unless your spot can be immediately refilled.
By request, Brett Harriman can also offer custom-designed tours for groups as well as exclusive pamper packages for small, private parties. Please contact him personally with your request.
PLEASE click the following button to "like" my new "Oktoberfest Munich" page on Facebook. Cheers!
Want to celebrate Oktoberfest like a local?
Now is your chance...
The tour package is limited to 20 persons, affording you the personal attention you require and deserve as a respected guest. If you are flexible, curious for knowledge, have an adventurous side, like to have fun, enjoy the outdoors and going on walks, "Harriman" tours are for you!
Click this button to pay your deposit via PayPal (in the Instructions field note which weekend you prefer to celebrate).
Join Brett Harriman this September for an exclusive 4-day (3-night) tour package to the Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany! Established in 1810, the Oktoberfest this year celebrates its 202nd birthday. This year also marks Brett's 14th straight Oktoberfest in Munich and he looks forward to sharing with you his passion for the world's most famous folk festival.
After Berlin and Hamburg, Munich is Germany’s third largest metropolis. Often referred to as “the village of 1 million,” Munich is the proud capital of Bavaria, founded in the 8th century when monks formed a settlement on the Isar River. From this evolved Zu den Mönchen (literally “by the monks”) and today’s modern-day German name: München. Monks are the masters of brewing beer, and Munich, a settlement of monks, developed into an intoxicating hub; one that Harriman would love to acquaint you with.
There's much to learn and explore on this exciting and action-packed tour. So come along and join Harriman in the capital of Bavaria where you'll experience Munich and the Oktoberfest like a local!
(See Comments at the bottom of the page and feel free to add one of your own!)
(For a visual on some of the sights and sounds to expect on this tour, view Harriman's Oktoberfest video.)
Tour package itinerary:
DAY 1, Friday, September 21: At 5:30 p.m. we’ll meet at the hotel for orientation and introductions followed by drinks and a Welcome-to-Munich feast (Brett's treat)!
DAY 2, Saturday, September 22: (Wear your walkin' shoes.) After breakfast, we'll begin our Oktoberfest adventure by viewing the traditional opening-day parade (dating from 1887). Known as the Festival of Innkeepers, the parade is an hour-long procession of horse-drawn brewer wagons transporting the ceremonial first beer kegs to the fairgrounds. The guest of honor, seated in the leading wagon, is the Bürgermeister, or mayor of Munich, who will tap the first keg at noon to kick-start the Oktoberfest. (*For more on the mayor and the start of the Oktoberfest, see below after Day 6.) We'll follow the horse-drawn procession to the Oktoberfest, where Harriman will give you a tour of the fairgrounds, including a ride on the giant Ferris wheel with commanding views over Munich and beyond. Afterward, Brett will escort the group back to the market square for an orientation tour of Munich's Old Town (but those who would like to stay at the fairgrounds are welcome to do so). The rest of the day-evening is free time.
In 2011, Brett Harriman was invited by the President of the Oktoberfest to represent the United States during the opening weekend festivities, keg tapping and parades. Click the following video to see Brett interviewed on TV regarding this unique Oktoberfest honor (interview begins at :35, Nov. 9, 2011).
DAY 3, Sunday, September 23: (Again, throw on your walkin' shoes.) Today, Harriman insists, is the best day of the year! After breakfast, Brett will escort the group to an insider locale for special viewing of the Costume and Riflemen’s Parade, since 1835. This is not just any parade, this one happens to be the largest and most beautiful and historically rich costume parade in the world, comprising some 6,500 participants marching in a 6-kilometer-long spectacle from downtown to the fairgrounds. The participants are members of folk clubs from all parts of Germany, and Europe, proudly displaying their regional colors and garb, historical uniforms and (in many cases) musical accompaniment. This is truly a pageant not to be missed, and your tour guide will have you front and center to marvel every footstep! Afternoon free time. We'll meet again at 4:30 p.m. on the festival grounds for the climax of your Oktoberfest tour: a reservation at one of the fest's best tents for dinner and beer and barrels of fun!
DAY 4, Monday, September 24: Regrettably, after breakfast, it's time to say Auf Wiederseh'n. Our tour is over.
FOR MORE FUN, EXTEND YOUR TOUR PACKAGE:
DAY 5, Tuesday, September 26: (The Sound of Music tour) Interested parties and fans of Rodgers and Hammerstein can continue the merriment in Salzburg with Harriman on tour visiting the charmingly scenic and captivating sites that set the backdrop for arguably the most popular musical film of all time: "The Sound of Music". (Reserve your spot before this tour is sold out!)
DAY 6, Wednesday, September 27: (Berchtesgaden & Hitler's Eagle's Nest tour) For World War II buffs, nature lovers and anyone with an adventurous side, this comprehensive all-day tour is an absolute must-do! First, Harriman will escort you from Salzburg across the Bavarian border along a picturesque route into the alpine village of Berchtesgaden, then you'll experience the breathtaking beauty of Königssee in the Berchtesgaden National Park, followed by a thrilling journey up to the mountaintop perch of Hitler's Eagle's Nest at 6,000 feet! (Reserve your spot before this tour is sold out!)
*(Continued from DAY 2:) Once the wagons arrive at the fairgrounds, the climax is not far off. At the stroke of 12 noon, in the Schottenhamel tent, the Bürgermeister clobbers the very first keg of Oktoberfest beer with a wooden mallet and proclaims, “O’zapft is!” (It’s tapped!) At that moment, twelve cannon volleys ring out across the Wies’n, puffs of smoke burst overhead, high in the sky, officially signaling the start of Oktoberfest to the other tents and that beer can be served, precisely when an army of determined barmaids begin the mad dash of carrying fistfuls of frothy mugs to dry-mouthed patrons crying out for beer like nesting chicks begging their mother for food. For many, the rest of the day is a blur!