OK. So I’m going to be in Rome in September for a week. This being by first European trip, I want to go to Munich on a day trip to take in some of the Oktoberfest goodness.
The train takes like 8 hours, the flight about an hour and 45 minutes.
Anything I need to know?
Anything Special to see in Munich?
Anything I should be avoiding?
Depending on the day and time, don’t expect to just stroll into one of the beer tents and sit down. I was at the Oktoberfest once, on a Saturday, and it was a miracle I got into one of the tents at all. And even then I couldn’t find a place to sit.
I’d heard that.
I really wouldn’t bother. Save Oktoberfest for another trip so you can do it proper.
The flight does not take 1:45. That’s the time between “liftoff” and “landing.” You actually need to add in things like “time spent in the airport” (it’s an international flight), “time spent getting to the airport,” etc. If the train has wagon-lits, it’s probably going to leave you less dead-tired.
Forget it. You have to travel from your hotel to the airport, wait for your flight, then your flight, then from the airport to Munich, then rush through everything (you might have time for one beer), rush back to the airport, wait for your flight, fly back to Rome, and get back to your hotel. There may not be enough hours in a day for that. And if there are delays, you are screwed.
If you want a day trip from Rome, go to Pompeii. Save Munich for another trip.
The trip from Munich airport to the central train station isn’t bad; less than an hour if I remember correctly (although I wasn’t using it when the Oktoberfest was on), and you can walk from there to the grounds.
You might see if there’s an overnight train that would work with your schedule. There are different levels of service, reclining seats, fold down bunks, or a compartment. I did a few weekend trips that way. I never did sleep very well, and there’s not much chance to clean up when you get where you’re going, but it gave me a lot of time at whatever city I was going to.
Here’s a page from the German railroad with a map and timetables. Looks like there is a line to Rome. Be kind of a shame to make that trip at night and not see the Alps, though.