No, your flight to Germany is not included in the price of our trips. This allows our guests to book the best price, use airline miles, and extend their trip if desired.

No, Travel Insurance is not included in the price of our trips. Travel Insurance is highly recommended and we have listed options below.

Faye Travel Insurance

To enter the European Union, passports must be valid for at least six months after your arrival date in the country. For the Oktoberfest trip that means passports must be good through at least March 21, 2025. For the Christmas Market trip, passports must be valid through at least May 8, 2025.

The European Union does not require American citizens to possess a visa until at least 2025. Only a valid passport is required. However, if you plan to travel elsewhere before or after the Bierhaus Travels trip, you should check entry requirements. We will be happy to help you with this.

Our trips start on Saturday. If you are flying directly to the guided tour, you should plan to leave the East Coast late Friday afternoon or evening. Most flights from the US arrive early morning. The Oktoberfest trip starts at the Frankfurt International Airport (FRA). Plan to land about 9am the first day of the trip. The Christmas Market trip starts at the Stuttgart International Airport (STR).

Our trips end at the Munich International Airport (MUC). Our coach will drop us off around 8AM. You should plan a departing flight no earlier than 11AM on the last day of the trip. Especially during Oktoberfest, it is important to arrive at the airport three hours before departure. Feel free to extend your trip before or after.

All travel is by chauffeured coach. We have one driver and one coach for the entire trip. We will have a cooler with some drinks and snacks on it to make the journeys more enjoyable. We will stop as necessary; however, most travels are under two hours.

We try to reduce the number of hotels so that you do not have to pack and unpack every day. After breakfast at the hotel, we meet our chauffeur and board the coach for a daytrip to visit somewhere special—usually within an hour of our hotel so that we can maximize touring and minimize traveling. On travel days between hotels, we usually stop somewhere interesting and have a nice lunch. I will provide everyone with a more detailed itinerary just before the trip.

You should be able to lift your bags up and down a flight of stairs. You should expect to be able to walk about a half-mile at a time without being winded or having to stop. You should expect to have to go up and down narrow European stairwells and should be able to negotiate cobblestone streets. Wear comfortable shoes. There are zero reason to bring heels. There are opportunities to go hiking and exploring if you want to be even more active.

On the eastbound flight from the US to Europe, one is especially susceptible to jetlag. If you are able to sleep on a plane, you’re one of the lucky ones. If not, you are likely to lose an entire night of sleep. Some people swear by supplements. If they work for you, go for it. However, the best thing you can do is to force yourself to stay active and awake the first full day in Europe. Avoid the temptation to nap; it will throw off your clock and slow down your adjustment. On that first day in Europe, we will have some activities planned to keep people active.

The coach can accommodate only one bag per person, plus a personal item like a purse, briefcase, or small backpack. There is not enough room for a checked bag and a carry-on bag, even if your airline allows you that much luggage. And frankly, you don’t want that much luggage with you. Europe is not ADA-compliant. In older buildings, elevators are not common. In the old parts of town, it is common that the coach can get no closer than a block or two to the hotel. You don’t want to lug a lot of luggage. Pack as lightly as possible. But bring a collapsible smaller bag to fill with souvenirs from your trip .

If you already own good quality German “tracht,” (the generic name for lederhosen and dirndls), then by all means bring it. If not, there will be opportunities to buy the traditional German outfit before Oktoberfest. Most Oktoberfest visitors wear trachten; but you won’t be alone if you are not. A good quality Lederhosen outfit will costs about 300 Euro; a Dirndl with blouse can cost less than 200. (This is one time where a lady’s outfit is less expensive; the men’s lederhosen is made from leather—usually goat.) If you have trachten, you will have plenty of opportunities to wear it—especially on our Oktoberfest trip. But don’t fret if you don’t. It’s not a necessity. If you would like to purchase tracht ahead of time, there are some great options at Dirndl.com

Bavarian weather can be like that of Nashville: hot one day and a cold rain the next. Therefore, your outfits should be flexible and comfortable. Plan to dress in layers. Comfortable walking shoes are a must; wool, hiking, or compression socks are helpful. Bring undergarments for each day of the trip. Shorts are not appropriate when we visit cathedrals or churches; elsewhere they are fine. Khakis are appropriate everywhere and you won’t need anything more formal than that. A light fleece and a rain-resistant outer layer is necessary any time of year. During the Oktoberfest season expect highs in the 50s or 60s, but that could go up or down ten degrees. Nighttime lows could drop into the 20s. Those lower temperatures are especially the case when we are in the Alps. For the Christmas Market trip, you will need a heavier coat, gloves, hat, and a scarf. Expect highs in the 30s or 40s and lows in the teens or 20s. Snow is likely.

You can carry liquids only in containers with a volume not exceeding 100 ml (3.3814oz) in a transparent, resealable bag no larger than 1 liter. Each passenger is allowed to carry one bag of liquids. Exceptionally, security may open bottles or containers for screening. Ladies should also carry all of their makeup in clear bags. Check with you airline to confirm you can carry up to 4oz of liquids. Liquid containers larger than 100 ml must be placed in checked baggage.

Any medicine prescribed by your doctor should be in its original bottle to be able to bring it through customs.

We have created a wonderful resource in the form of a shopping list on Amazon. Everything on this is not necessary but useful to have.

Bierhaus Travels Shopping List

European electricity is 220V/50Hz. US power is 110V/60Hz. The plugs between European countries can vary slightly, but most adapters are interchangeable. Any US device with a heating element (hair dryer) will die, and any US device with a motor or timer (clocks) will operate at slower speed. So don’t bring them. The good news is that most laptops and cell phones are already dual-voltage capable. All you will need is an adapter to enable your US plug to fit into a European outlet. If you have any questions, look at the label and (usually in very small print) will be a description of the allowable input power. If it says something like “Wide Range Input: 100-240V; 50-60Hz” then you are good to plug an American device into a European outlet. If you travel with a medical device for sleep apnea or asthma, please check the device or its literature before bringing it to Europe and potentially destroying it.

In Germany hotel rooms tend to be less spacious and have fewer amenities than you may be used to. In-room coffee makers are uncommon. Thankfully, hair dryers are now common and all of our hotels should have them in each room. Many rooms will have just showers and not tubs. There is rarely air conditioning, so controlling the temperature involves opening a window to make it cooler, or adjusting a knob on the radiator to make it hotter. Radiators can be deceptively warm at night.

A “king” sized bed in Germany usually is two twin beds pushed together in a single frame. There will be a crack running down the center of your bed. On the beds likely will be two twin-sized down duvets. The only sheet will be the fitted sheet and there likely will be no other linens. In the unlikely event that is not warm enough, there should be a blanket or two in the closet. In the more likely event that your duvet is too hot, you will have to just figure out a proper sleeping temperature for you.

Plan to use Whatsapp. If you don’t have it, download it; it’s free. Texting in Europe is expensive—even for Europeans. They use Whatsapp. We will set up a group chat upon arrival. Make sure that your phone is set up for Europe. Usually it takes informing your service provider and costs a few dollars per day. Check ahead so that you aren’t surprised with a big bill. Where you can use free wifi, do so. Most hotels have it. Many restaurants and city centers also have free broadband wifi.

A German hotel breakfast is a treat! You should expect first to be greeted with coffee, or to have access to an automatic espresso maker. Either option yields great coffee. Then you proceed to a buffet stocked with cheeses, sliced meats, patés, fruits, yogurts, and juices. There are almost always soft-boiled eggs and sometimes eggs to order, as well as smoked salmon. And then there are the breads: pretzels, croissants, chocolate croissants, kaiser rolls, farmer’s bread, poppyseed bread, and more. There was an article a few years ago in the Wall Street Journal about how the French have the reputation of having great bakeries, but the best bakeries are next door in Germany.

Germans (and most Europeans) number their floors so that the first floor is above the ground level. So if your room is on the second floor, that is the American third floor. Thankfully, larger hotels usually now have elevators. However, the elevators are usually tiny. (Hope you’re not claustrophobic.) And it is not uncommon that there are steps even on the same floor since many of the larger hotels in the old parts of town combined a few buildings to make one larger building.

Germany is part of the European Union. It uses the Euro, which currently costs about $1.10. All the countries we will visit use the Euro. That includes France and Austria. However, nearby Switzerland and the Czech Republic are on their own currencies.

You should not need to bring cash with you and travelers cheques are so last century. Visa and Mastercard are accepted in most restaurants, shops, and hotels. However, American Express is less common. ATMs are everywhere throughout Europe and you can access your American checking account at most ATMs. Vendors at festivals tend to be the only places where credit card usage is uncommon. Rather than bringing a lot of cash with you, we recommend having 100 to 200 Euros in cash in the event that you see something you want to buy from a small shop or vendor which might not take credit cards and that you replenish your cash as necessary from ATMs. Remember to notify your bank that you will be traveling so you card is not locked during our trip. Whatever you do, do not exchange money at the airport; the exchange rate is usually very unfavorable.

Usually stores are open on weekdays from 10 am to 5 or 6 pm. (That’s 17 or 18 o’clock—Germans typically use 24-hour time.) Often stores close for lunch. On Saturday stores are usually open only in the mornings, and never on Sundays. That is changing—especially in touristy areas, and at touristy times of the year, like Oktoberfest in Munich. Christmas markets are usually open seven days a week. Just be aware that if you see something you want to buy, you might be unpleasantly surprised if you try to go back to the store later and the store is closed.

First, plan to arrive on time. If you arrive late for your reservation they might have given away your table. Servers are less attentive than you probably are used to at the Bavarian Bierhaus. After bringing you the menu and taking your drink order, they probably won’t come back to the table until you put down your menus—the symbol that you are ready to order. Your individual meals arrive at the table when each dish is ready, rather than all the meals in a party being delivered together. It is expected that you eat when your food arrives and that you not wait for others. Your table is yours for the evening (this doesn’t apply at big festivals). There will be no rush to turn the table for another party coming after you. In small town gästhauses, it is common to see friends and family conclude dinner and linger over cards or drinks long into the evening. Just as at the Bavarian Bierhaus, tables in many restaurants are seated communally. It may seem awkward at first, but after the first beer, you will have new friends.

Tipping in Germany and Austria is very cheap by American standards. Usually, it is just rounded up to the next Euro or the next even-numbered Euro. For example, on a meal that is €16.20, you probably would leave a tip of €0.80 or €1.80 if you are especially generous. Rounding up to an even €20 (a tip of €3.80, or about 24%) would be very high by German standards. But the server won’t mind if you tip that amount. In France, the customary extra tip on top of the included tip is 6%. The included tip is 15% and is already calculated in your bill.

All drinks in the EU must specify the size of the pour on the menu and there will be a mark on the glass that indicates that size. So ordering a wine is less of a guess than in the States. Also less is the price. A good local wine likely will cost less than ten dollars for a quarter-liter pour (about eight ounces). You can walk about outside with a drink in Germany. There are no open container laws. But there are very strict drunk driving laws. Don’t drive after a second drink.

Most Europeans drink bottled water exclusively. There are very few water fountains. At a restaurant you will pay for water and it won’t automatically come to you at the start of the meal. There will not be ice and the water might be sparkling unless you specify “stilles,” or still water.

A value-added tax (VAT) of 19 percent is included in the purchase price rather than added to the cost at the cash register. You will see it called Mehrwertsteuer, or sometimes abbreviated as Mwst. As a non-EU citizen, you are entitled to get back the tax, but it is a cumbersome process. First you have to inform the store that you intend to get the tax refunded. If they consent, they will write up a form for you. Then when leaving the country, you will need that form, the receipt, and the item unused, unworn, and still in the original packaging to get the form stamped at the German customs station. You then have to send the form from the US back to the original store. Unless you plan to buy some very expensive items, it’s probably not worth the hassle.

Unless you eat a vegan diet, there probably will be plenty of options for you. There are many very good vegetarian entrees. Gluten free options exist most everywhere too—even at bakeries. Let us know if you have any dietary restrictions and we can make alternate arrangements for our meals together.

No. Traditional German lagers are served at cellar temperatures—around 45 Fahrenheit. These days they are served usually colder than that. Most German beers are lagers. You will get lots of opportunities to enjoy different kinds of German beer. There are many and they are great.

Breakfast is provided at our hotels every morning. There also are several places where all of us will eat together for a special meal, which is included in the trip. On both trips we will be eating together at Munich’s famous Hofbräuhaus.

We will publish details of the meals before the trip, and substitutions might be possible.

All other meals are on your own, giving you a great opportunity to experience the best of Bavaria and surrounding regions. There are so many special dishes and wonderful places to enjoy them. I am happy to provide some recommendations, but a lot of the fun comes from exploring something new.

In Germany the legal drinking age to drink beer or wine is 16; it is 18 for liquor. So if you want to bring your 17-year old child with you to Oktoberfest, you can.

Yes! On a Saturday evening about two weeks before our trip, you will be invited to join us for dinner at the Bavarian Bierhaus. This will be a great opportunity to meet everyone and to ask any last-minute questions about the trip. If you can not make it, we will also share a document with everyone’s photos and information so that we can get to know each other.

All of Continental Europe is on the metric system. You will confront this mostly in restaurants. The good news is that the size of most European beers is already metric at the Bavarian Bierhaus (1/2 liter and 1 liter glasses), so you probably already know that size. Some beers are 1/3 liter—this is typically the case for a high gravity beer. One-third of a liter is just under 12 ounces. Wines pours are often 150 ml, which is about 5 ounces, five pours to a bottle. Sometimes pours are smaller or larger, but it will be specified. If you should do some hiking, signage will specify distance in kilometers. One kilometer is about six-tenths of a mile. On flat ground that is about a ten-minute walk.

Germans don’t jaywalk. If it is a freezing January on a deserted Sunday morning, Germans still will wait for the light to change. The German culture is intolerant of rule-breaking.

When it comes to driving, Germans are hyper rule followers. The most important rule is always to stay in the right lane on the Autobahn. The left lane is for passing only. As soon as you have passed, return immediately to the right lane. If you do plan to drive on your trip and you are not used to driving in Germany, please send me a note and I will give you a guide I’ve developed for people who want to drive before or after the group portion of our trip. It is easy to drive there, but there are some rules and customs which you need to know.

These trips are not appropriate for children under the age of 16. Any minors 16 or older must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.