Bier- und Oktoberfestmuseum
Photo: Own work — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Explore Munich’s beer and Oktoberfest history in a historic townhouse, featuring exhibits, guided tours, and a museum restaurant.
Planning your visit
Bavarian beer is governed by the Reinheitsgebot of 1516, the purity law restricting ingredients to barley, hops and water — the oldest food regulation still in effect anywhere — and the museum in a fifteenth-century townhouse near the Isartor covers that history alongside Oktoberfest.
The festival began in 1810 as a horse race celebrating a royal wedding, and grew into the largest folk festival in the world; the museum traces how, with historical material, photographs and the paraphernalia of the Wiesn.
The building is worth noting in itself — one of the oldest surviving houses in Munich, with steep narrow stairs and a beamed interior.
The attached tavern serves beer and Bavarian food in a historic room, and tasting sessions with a beer sommelier cover the styles: helles, dunkles, weissbier, and the strong doppelbock brewed by monks as liquid bread for Lent.
Allow ninety minutes with tasting. Bookable options include museum visits with sommelier-led tastings. Current availability is listed below.
Before you book
Where is Bier- und Oktoberfestmuseum?
Bier- und Oktoberfestmuseum is in Munich, Germany. The map on this page marks its exact location.
How long should I allow for Bier- und Oktoberfestmuseum?
Allow ninety minutes. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book Bier- und Oktoberfestmuseum in advance?
Tickets can be bought on the door at quiet times, but booking ahead fixes the date and avoids the queue at busy ones. Live availability is shown on this page.
