Essential eleventh hour travel guide for Oktoberfest

Cost savvy Brits wanting to book an eleventh hour trip to Munich for Oktoberfest don’t need to worry about the impact of airfares on their wallet as a price analysis, carried out by travel comparison website Kayak.co.uk, shows that flight costs can decrease by as much as 29 per cent during the second week of the festival.

For the analysis of flight prices, Kayak.co.uk examined all submitted search entries in the two week period leading up to the biggest beer and folk festival in the world. The results highlight that during the two weeks prior to Oktoberfest, flight prices are on average £202 reaching a peak of £250 in the week before. During the festival, the average flight cost is £208, but bargains can be found during the second week with the average flight cost on Tuesday 1st October just £154.

Annie Wilson, Managing Director of Kayak UK, commented: “Our analysis produced very interesting results. Travellers found the cheapest fares for short-term trips, particularly when looking to travel during the second week of the festival. The statistics showed that the biggest saving can be found if you book a trip to Oktoberfest 2014 just after the end of this year’s festival.”

Hotel fares soar

In addition to airfares, Kayak.co.uk also examined hotel price trends during Oktoberfest, finding that an overnight stay increases by an average of 26 per cent during the festival. Two weeks before the festival, an overnight hotel stay costs approximately £75, before rising to £146 during the first half of the festival. The price then decreases to around £138 per night in the second week.

Kayak.co.uk then analysed the best day of the week to stay in Munich during Oktoberfest. Sunday to Monday is the cheapest time to stay in Munich, so travellers that are able to book one or two days last minute holiday from work have a great incentive to head over to Germany to enjoy the festivities.

“Bargains on flight costs to Oktoberfest are possible; however accommodation is almost always expensive. Our recommendation, based on the price analysis, is to only stay for up to three days and preferably visit Munich during the second week,” Annie Wilson concluded.

For more information, including hotel tips and what to do and see, visit Kayak’s Guide to Everything Oktoberfest.