Dunabe River Cruise & Oktoberfest in Munich 2018

[soozaay]

My husband & I are in the beginning stages of planning our trip to Munich in 2018 to celebrate Oktoberfest. This is our first trip to Germany and would like to make our most of our vacation. I was thinking of also tying in a river cruise on the Dunabe (being the closest river to Munich) to take in as much of that region of Germany & surrounding countries as possible.

 

Is this even doable? What cruise lines should I begin to research? We've only taken ocean cruises and I know river cruises are quite different, I just don't know where to start.

 

Thanks for any help you can provide! :D

[Host Jazzbeau]

Hi Susie --

 

I have made a bunch of Stickies at the top of the page that would be a good starting point for your research. Enjoy!

[soozaay]

Thanks,

[jpalbny]

It is very doable as long as the dates work out. Munich is a commonly-used airport for those embarking or disembarking in Passau. Danube cruises often start or end in Passau or surrounding towns.

 

If you've done ocean cruises, check out the stickies that Host Jazzbeau has provided. Look at the comparison of the various cruise lines; this compares river cruise lines to similar ocean cruise lines and hotel chains. If you know a particular ocean cruise line that you like, you will be able to find a river cruise line which is similar. Once you've found a few lines that you're interested in exploring further, check itineraries on their websites. If you have more specific questions about lines and itineraries ask away.

 

We did the Danube in April 2016 and thoroughly enjoyed it. We ended with a day in Munich, at the Frulingsfest (Spring Festival; baby version of Oktoberfest) and it was very easy to do that. So your plan should work out just fine! Enjoy the research and hope your cruise is fun too.

[notamermaid]

As the other posters before have said, it is certainly doable. Quite easy in fact as many lines use Munich as an airport, there is a pre- and a post-cruise option with some lines. You could even start a cruise from Nuremberg. If you want to DIY that is also convenient. Think of visiting Neuschwanstein, look at rental cars, private transfers, etc. But getting from many places to other many places is convenient by train in Germany. Very efficient, if not always punctual. This could be a place to start your research: https://www.raileurope.com/index.html

 

As you will likely be travelling at the end of September (the Oktoberfest is not all in October, check dates online if you have not done so yet) I recommend getting a bit of countryside into your plans, either with a trip to Neuschwanstein or the other hilly regions of Bavaria. There are many picturesque valleys and small towns in the "Freistaat": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bavaria

 

For towns I recommend Bamberg and Augsburg: http://www.augsburg-tourismus.de/home-english.html

 

Remember: from Passau and Nuremberg there are river cruise itineraries in both directions, i.e. head downstream to Vienna and Budapest, or upstream to Würzburg and into the Rhine. While river cruises advertised in the US are normally 7+ nights, it is possible to find itineraries on European lines (bi-lingual or tri-lingual then, or just German) that are only five nights long. CroisiEurope and German companies offer round trips from Passau, those are usually 7+ nights to Budapest and back, a few are shorter.

 

Have fun planning.

 

notamermaid

[papa B me]

We did a Danube river cruise with Uniworld in Dec 2015. We flew into Munich and spent 2 nights prior to the cruise on our own. Had a great time. When you start looking at river cruise lines take a look at Uniworld. They now have a Danube cruise that includes a couple of days pre or post cruise in Munich. This would take care of all the logistics of getting to/from Munich to the cruise ship as well as the inclusion of some excursions. You could fly in a few days early or stay a few days longer if you want more then 2 days in Munich.

[polabear]

My German colleagues tell me that you want to book for Octoberfest pretty much immediately after Octoberfest. To get a table reservation is also difficult, although I think there are tours that include so many hours in one of the tents. The hotels will be very expensive and hard to find. To give you an idea, my husband and I wanted to visit Munich the week after Octoberfest, and hotels were still so expensive we ended up going to Liechtenstein instead. Which was absolutely wonderful and worth the trip.

 

This is not to dissuade you, just that if you want to do Octoberfest, you are already a bit behind. :)