Munich: Oktoberfest on a small budget
Oktoberfest is a lot of fun, but fun has its price. A stein of beer will set you back at least €14 ($14.70). Euromaxx reporter Aisha Sharipzhan finds out how far €100 will go at the world's biggest beer festival.
Transcript
00:00 I'm in Munich, Germany at the world's largest folk festival,
00:03 which draws in millions of visitors every year,
00:05 Oktoberfest, which is not exactly considered cheap fun.
00:08 So I've set myself a limit of 100 euros
00:10 to see what I can do here with that.
00:12 I've got several must-dos on my list.
00:14 I want to drink beer, of course,
00:15 eat a pretzel, try roasted chicken,
00:17 ride the Ferris wheel,
00:19 and check out the nostalgic Euterwiesen.
00:21 I've got a lot planned for today,
00:24 so let's see what I can do.
00:28 It's still quite early, so I'm desperate for some coffee
00:31 and cake before I start drinking beer.
00:33 Let's check out this tent here.
00:34 The Café Therese tent is the oldest coffee tent at the Wiesn.
00:39 I got myself a cappuccino
00:40 and their classic pastry, Theresienpussar,
00:43 which altogether cost me 14 euros.
00:45 I think my Oktoberfest outfit isn't fully complete yet.
00:50 I'm going to get myself one of these adorable Lebkuchenhärzen.
00:53 Oh, this one's cute.
00:56 Oh, it's only six euros.
00:57 I'll take this one.
00:58 Perfect.
01:00 Now it's finally time to investigate
01:05 the reason most people are here, the beer.
01:07 Here at the Lebeweizen,
01:10 this costs me 14 euros, 50 cents.
01:13 I wonder how much it's going to be next year,
01:15 but for now, let's drink up.
01:17 Prost!
01:18 Wow, what a crazy atmosphere.
01:21 I'm feeling the alcohol a little bit,
01:23 so I'm going to go look for some food to sober me up.
01:26 I'm on the hunt for some roast chicken,
01:28 which they call Händel.
01:30 Hi, could I get the half Händel, please?
01:33 Roast chicken is a barbarian classic.
01:37 You cannot come to Oktoberfest without eating one.
01:40 It's a little bit cheaper to get one outside of the tent,
01:42 so this cost me 12 euros.
01:44 Let's try it.
01:45 It's hot, but it's really good.
01:52 (Festive music)
01:55 Now that I've got some food to sober me up a little,
02:00 I'm ready to look for some entertainment.
02:02 There are a lot of fun rides out here,
02:07 like the Teufelsrad.
02:08 I'm not sure yet if I'm going to ride it myself,
02:10 but watching is a lot of fun too.
02:12 I just have to pay five euros to get inside.
02:15 Let's go.
02:16 The Teufelsrad, or Devil's Wheel,
02:18 is a comical spinning wheel attraction
02:20 that has been delighting Oktoberfest visitors
02:22 for over a century.
02:24 Now that I'm here, I think I'm going to go for it as well.
02:27 Well, that was a lot of excitement.
02:38 I didn't last very long, but I'm really happy I tried it.
02:41 Stephen!
02:42 There's one thing that I definitely don't want to miss.
02:48 The Ferris wheel,
02:49 a ticket to ride the iconic attraction,
02:51 costs 10 euros.
02:52 Riding the Ferris wheel is obviously a bust.
02:57 I mean, just look at this view.
02:59 You can see the whole grounds from here.
03:00 It looks crazy.
03:01 I'm feeling a little peckish again,
03:09 so for seven euros,
03:10 I'm going for a typical German bratwurst.
03:16 Now I'm checking out the nostalgic Euterwiesen.
03:19 It's four euros entrance,
03:21 but if you're on a really tight budget,
03:22 you can come after 9pm when it's free to enter.
03:25 I also found those chocolate-covered fruit.
03:30 I'll try some strawberries and bananas for five euros.
03:35 That was a good choice.
03:44 Another great thing about the Euterwiesen
03:46 is that the rides here cost just 1.50 euros,
03:49 so of course I've got to get on one.
03:51 After that adrenaline rush,
04:07 it's time to enjoy another beer.
04:09 (chatter)
04:12 So I'm ending my time here with another beer, of course,
04:20 and a big pretzel.
04:21 14.20 for the beer and 7.50 for the pretzel,
04:24 which sets me over the budget just by 70 cents.
04:27 So I'd say it is possible to enjoy Oktoberfest
04:30 with 100 euros.