Octoberfest in Vilshofen
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
When you are traveling on AmaWaterways cruises that start in Vilshofen, Germany, your cruise will begin or end with an Octoberfest celebration. This Bavarian town helps you celebrate one Germany’s best parties—Octoberfest.
So, let’s explore together and learn about Octoberfest on the Danube as an exclusive feature of an AmaWaterways Cruise.
What is Octoberfest?
Octoberfest originated as a celebration of the royal marriage of a Bavarian Prince in 1810 in Munich. It was a 5-day celebration. In subsequent years, the party was continued in Munich and slowly turned into a festival where the beer breweries erect temporary structures that feature long tables with plentiful beer served and traditional German food specialties.
It has evolved into one of the world’s best parties--there is plenty of food and especially beer served to all (one source I read says over 2 million gallons of beer is consumed in the 2-week period). In Munich, there are parades, beer wagons and many dressed in the tradition folk clothes of the past and present day Germany. Recent numbers say over 6 million attend these celebrations and a large number are tourists.
One reason, in my mind this festival is so popular is that it represents the feeling of Bavarian sense of gemütlichkeit—cordiality. We want to share with a warm welcome to Germany and AmaWaterways on the the Danube and we’ll celebrate together in Vilshofen.
Octoberfest is celebrated in all parts of Germany—Anne took these photos in 1989 in Garmish. We were very welcome to that celebration and I think you can see how fun these events are for all.
Lowenbrau Beer Wagon 1989 Garmish
The beer wagon loaded for the Octoberfest in Garmish
This mother allowed Anne to take the picture of her son—he was quite shy but ready to celebrate.
Octoberfest in Vilshofen
Instead of just limiting the celebration to Munich, the local populace of Vilshofen decided to greet guests who want to start their cruise in their small town with an Octoberfest celebration.
There are several benefits of starting a cruise in Vilshofen—the primary benefit is that it avoids a low water point on the Danube in Regensburg, so many cruises will not be disrupted by the lack of rain.
So, here is our experience in pictures from March of 2023 in pictures.
Anne, Cesario (our cruise manager) and Hank celebrate Octoberfest in in Vilshofen.
After a brief rain shower, this amazing rainbow covered the Danube over the AmaViola in port in Vilshofen,
Just what you would expect in an Octoberfest—beer steins and pretzels .
Anne with the Beer Queen at the festival
the band played for us.
on the way to our Octoberfest celebration, this intense rainbow fascinated us.
Vilshofen sculture—in the background you can see the city watchtower
Vilshofen
The Vilshofen dock
Our Final Thoughts
Wow—Octoberfest in March. This is a win-win for all—an AmaWaterways exclusive that involves the locals, is sustainable, and captures the spirit year-round of the famous Munich celebration.
We hope you enjoyed this report—it was fun to write, and share—Prost!.
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ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 51+ years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent
