Frequently Asked Questions

An update from the TLE Team

Fellow beer drinkers and globe trotters,

The past several weeks have been a trying time for tourists and the tourism industry alike. The Coronavirus has brought with it a lot of uncertainty about the future for local and international communities. We have been closely monitoring the situation in Munich, Bavaria and around Europe to reach informed and responsible decisions regarding our operations.

For the past 9 years The Local Experience has brought together people from all different walks of life, cultures, nations and languages over delicious Munich beer, food and laughter. The COVID-19 was declared a pandemic on the 11^th of March 2020 by the World Health Organization and this has, and will continue to, affect tourism in Germany. We feel that it is also our shared social responsibility to try to flatten the curve and encourage everyone to #StayHome. This will help stop the rapid spread of the virus, ease the strain on our hospitals and clinics and ultimately save lives.

It is with this notion that we have decided to halt our operations from March 14^th until May 15^th. Our guided tours will not operate during this time and there will be no staff on site at any of our offices or start locations with immediate effect.

As the situation develops, we will keep all of you informed and take measures to adapt our policies and tours as needed or required (Check our FAQ for detailed info). We look forward to the time when this will become a distant memory and we can once again welcome all our thirsty travellers on one or more of our beloved tours.

In conclusion, our thoughts and prayers go out to all those being affected by illness. We are thankful to our governments, local health authorities and emergency response units working tirelessly around the clock to look after the greater well being of us all. Please remember to stay home and only travel if it is absolutely necessary. Thank you for your understanding during this difficult and challenging time. Stay safe and we will see you all on the other side, once we can once again share some beers and laughs together.

With kind regards from the beer capital of the world,

John Jahns & Tim Muutuki

Founders of The Local Experience Tours

FAQ Covid-19

The best way is by email to [email protected]

You can also call the following number from Mon-Sat between 11am and 5pm (Munich time):

+49 1577 574 8886
Yes! We are currently accepting bookings from May 15^th onwards. If the status of the pandemic on hand has not changed until then we will honour those bookings for later dates, exchange for gift cards or issue full refunds at no extra cost. Click here to find availability and reserve now!
Yes. We will assess the situation once the government lifts the “stay at home order” currently in place. Once it is again safe and permitted to we will operate our tours as expected. Our tours will be suspended from March 14^th to May 15^th. From May onwards we believe we will once again be able to offer our tours in a safe and enjoyable environment for our guests, guides and tour locations.
Any bookings that have been made will remain valid until you are able to travel again! Alternatively, we can also issue Gift Cards or Vouchers in the same value to honour your commitment. Gift cards can also be purchased on our website and are valid from the time of purchase for up to one year.
Yes. At the time of writing (March 30^th) Bavaria has seen some 13,000 infections and therefore non-essential travel has been banned. Hotels which are not “business hotels” have all closed and travelling for tourism is currently not permitted in Bavaria by law.
We have suspended all operations until the 15^th of May. We find it to be our social responsibility to help flatten the curve, save lives and stop the rapid spread of the virus. We will restart offering the tours that thousands of past tourists have come to love from May 15^th. We will continue to take measures to provide safe and clean environments to everyone as we have done in the past.
It is looking increasingly likely that Oktoberfest 2020 may be cancelled. With an average attendance of 6.5 – 7 million visitors from around the globe coming to Munich in the span of two weeks, Oktoberfest would be an ideal location for a resurgence of the virus. As of writing (April 17^th), there has been no decision to cancel this year’s Oktoberfest. They will reach a decision on whether to cancel or not by the end of April. We will keep you informed on any major changes.
It doesn’t hurt. The Local Experience still believes that this is one of those events that should be booked in advance to avoid disappointment. In the event that travel advisories have not been lifted by then or if the Oktoberfest 2020 is cancelled there are a couple of options for you. We are happy to exchange your booking for a gift card in the same amount, redeemable at any time on any tour. This would include reserved seats at the fest in 2021. On request, we can also issue full refunds for tours that do not take place.
You can count on that! 🙂 We truly hope that the public health concerns will have been resolved by the end of April so that the summer season can go ahead as planned. Tours can currently be booked from May 15^th onwards. We will also be relaunching our Instagram and Facebook accounts to keep you all up to date on happenings, and also to lighten the mood a little where we can.
First and foremost: Stay informed, stay home for now, be responsible, keep calm and practise stringent personal hygiene. Flatten the curve.

We are a young tour company that will naturally struggle through a world event such as this one. While we are aware that we will not be a part of creating any new memories for our beloved guests over the next month, the old memories will not be quickly forgotten. We know that many of you will remember your time with us fondly and we would like to take this opportunity to reach out to you to leave us a review on TripAdvisor or Google. This is very rewarding for us and (y)our and will help keep us on the map for tourists once they do trickle back into the city. Thank you for taking the time to support us in this way.

GENERAL FAQ

Yes! We welcome all guests that would like to book at location for our beer tours. All other tours that we offer must be booked online though. If you are interested in Pedal & Pints or any of our Day Experiences you must book online.
All the tours on offer begin at different times. We would always recommend arriving at the starting location at least 10 minutes before the tour begin. Germans are “famous” for their punctuality, and since we operate here, we cannot keep the guests that were on time, and our vendors waiting. It is especially important that you are punctual if you have booked a day trip in Bavaria since some of these operate using trains.
It really depends which tour you are running late for. You also have the option of sending a WhatsApp message to +49 1577 574 886. Phone numbers to call for respective tours will be posted on your booking confirmation.

Beer tours, tend to be a tiny bit more flexible. The tour starts at 6:45pm and does not leave the first bar until around 7:15pm. If available or on location, a TLE staff member can still point you in the right direction of the group. However, this is still not guaranteed. You also have the option of rebooking for the next available tour or opting for a voucher that may be redeemed up to a year later. A no-show will be treated as such with no option of a refund. Cancellations with a full refund may only be made 24 hours in advance of the tour start time.

Bike tours, operate on time. Unfortunately, there is no way to catch up with the group once they departed. Usually the tour will leave within 5 to 10 minutes after the stated start time. You may opt to take a tour on another date, but no refunds will be issued for late comers or no-shows. Cancellations with a full refund may only be made 24 hours in advance of the tour start time.

Day Trips & Experiences, are the most unfortunate tours to be late for. There is absolutely no way to meet up with the group after the tour has left! Many of these tours use private coaches or regional trains to travel. Since these, along with entry times into sights, are on strict timelines we cannot accommodate any requests to hold back the group. Cancellations with a full refund may only be made 24 hours in advance of the tour start time.

How can I contact somebody if I will not make my tour OR would like to find out the status of my tour?

There are numerous ways to get in touch with us when you really need to.
- When it comes down to the wire and is last minute, send us a WhatsApp or SMS to
+49 1577 574 8886. This is especially useful for our beer tours.
- Email is a little slower to get an immediate response to, but effective for re-booking, finding out the status and cancelling tours.
- Day Experiences are best controlled over the phone or by email. Please call our partner operator (Radius) on +49 (0)89 54 3487 7740 for the following tours:
  - Neuschwanstein Castle Experience
  - Salzburg Day Experience
  - Herrenchiemsee Day Experience
  - Nuremberg Day Experience
This rarely happens. We will cancel tours if there are not enough people to operate. We will also cancel a tour if we deem the conditions not to be safe for our guests, guides and/or vendors.
Luckily this has not been an issue that we have often had to deal with. Our guides have been trained to professionally handle every possible scenario and the safety of our guests is paramount.

Individuals that arrive to the starting point of a tour already intoxicated or under the influence of substances will not be allowed to participate. They will be expelled from the location and no refund will be issued.
All our tours offered are informal. That means you can dress how you like (within reason 😊). We recommend checking the weather forecast. Layers never hurt. Wear comfortable walking shoes for any tour that we offer since there will be either a little bit of walking or bike riding involved depending. No tours will not be cancelled due to weather so please dress appropriately.
Some. There is a litre and a half of beer included in the beer tour. This may be dispersed between 1 to 3 different venues depending on the tour that evening. You will have to pay for your own beer at the last venue.
The beer tours are walking tours. Bike tours include the rental price of a bicycle. All day trips use a form of either public or private transport and this will be included in the price of your tour.
We do not accept group bookings from one group of friends of more than 6 people on any of our tours. We discourage groups for the sole reason that we don’t want a single group of friends to dominate the group. This changes the dynamic of a tour for the general folk that have booked. Imagine you are a solo traveller and you are on a tour with 6+ other people that you don’t know, but they know each other. You would feel like an outsider or even slightly out of place. This is one of the reasons we don’t want to take group bookings. This includes stag or bachelor parties.

Moreover, we visit traditional venues that frown upon rowdy groups and no bachelor parties are allowed at these venues. From our experience larger groups of friends tend to be very familiar and often act in a way that we do not want to portray ourselves to our partner locations.

That does not mean we don’t want to show you a good time! We would love for you to inquire about a private custom-made tour with us for groups. This also helps us to cater to the individual needs of a group and custom the tour for that specific group. For your personal private tour quote and itinerary please use our online form or email us.
The best way to get a personalised quote is to use our online form or email us directly.

Our team will take all your requests and wishes into consideration and create the best night you will never remember. 😉
Beer tour: In short, the answer is no. Unless you are accompanied by your biological parent or legal guardian you will not be allowed to take part in any beer tours.

Bike tour: All ages are permitted granted you are able to comfortably and confidently ride a bike in, and alongside, road traffic.

Day Experiences: Ages 6+
Yes! We custom tailor entire stays in Munich as well. We have partners in everything Tourism related and can handle everything from Airport transfer and hotel bookings to tours and skip the line tickets for events.

Email us for any inquiries.
We understand that everyone comes from different backgrounds and cultures. A very popular question we get is regarding what the tipping culture in Munich is. We do encourage tips when service has been satisfactory. The way to go about it varies depending on the scenario.

In the beer gardens, there is usually self-service. When you collect your beer and food you proceed to a cashier to pay. All the cashiers will have a little glass or basket with coins in it next to the register. This is where thankful guests will throw a few coins in as a tip. The tip then gets split amongst all the staff working on that particular day.

At a bar, where you pay as you go. We say, “Take care of the bartender and the bartender will take care of you.” This is particularly useful in busy bars. It is not uncommon for a bartender to have a cheeky shot or give out a free drink if he like the “gratitude” he is receiving from a guest.

In restaurants or beer halls, where you have a waiter. First, you must ask for your bill. They will not bring you a bill unless you ask for it. (This has left many tourists baffled and feeling ignored when they are ready to pay). A waiter will not assume that you have finished your meal and drinks you must inform them. It is not uncommon for people to finish a meal and sit around for another 15 minutes before ordering an additional schnapps or espresso. We belong to a social culture here. Once your waiter brings your bill they will usually lay it on the table, open a wallet and then kind of stand there awkwardly. As you pay the waiter you should include your tip right there and then. For example, If your bill is €35 and you give the waiter €50. Tell him how much change you would like back. We do not leave tips on tables here.

As is very common in Northern America, we do not have set percentages that are expected either. Whatever you feel like that service was worth is what you should give.
We are a relatively young company in Munich. Reviews help us get noticed. Most people are quick to jump online as soon as they have a negative experience. They want the whole world to know! However, very few people take the time to leave a review when they have a positive experience. We are very appreciative of all feedback.
Beer tours may be cancelled up to 24 hours before start time

Day trips may be cancelled up to 48 hours before start time

Any later than those cut off times and you will forego the option of rebooking or receiving a refund on your tour. Please note that all our tours take place regardless of weather conditions.