To Avoid Lodging Flap, Try Tenting in Munich : Germany’s southern metropolis, famed for its Oktoberfest, offers shelter for only $4.60 a night from June 30 to Aug. 31.

It might not be everyone’s ideal type of accommodation, but this summer the city of Munich will again provide lodging for young visitors--in a 400-person tent on the outskirts of the city--for 7 German marks (about $4.60 U.S.) per night.

From June 30 to Aug. 31, the tent will be open daily, 5 p.m.-9 a.m., and officials expect about 20,000 young travelers to make use of it. Guests are provided with blankets and mattresses, and hot tea in the morning. On-site, they’ll find an information bureau plus washrooms, showers and food facilities.

Travelers can find the tent by taking the U-Bahn 1 from the main train station to Rotkreuzplatz, and then streetcar 12 to Botanischer Garten. The address in Munich is Franz-Schrank-Strasse 8, from U.S. telephones 011-49-89-120060.

Another helpful service is a 20-page publication, “Young People’s Guide to Munich,” available free by request from tourist information offices before you leave home. It’s sold for a small fee at information offices in Munich, including the one in the main train station at the Bayerstrasse exit.

The guide includes simple maps; a more detailed map, with information in English, is available at this information office for about $3.25.

Further assistance is available between May and October at the EurAide office in the main rail station near Track 11. EurAide is operated by German Rail to help English-speaking rail travelers.

You can find more details on budget accommodations in Munich in the “Young People’s Guide.” It includes addresses and information on three youth hostels, youth hotels and pensions.

The booklet also covers entertainment, bike rentals, medical services, public transportation and do-it-yourself tours, and includes helpful suggestions on cutting costs--such as reducing your meal expenses by eating at youth hostels, taking your own food to beer gardens (which is acceptable), or (if you are a student with identification) eating at school facilities such as the Technical University at Arcisstrasse 17 or the Olympic Village at Helene-Mayer-Ring 9.

You’ll also find details on Munich’s public transportation and complicated ticketing system. The simplest fare is a single ticket that allows you to travel all day--on the U-Bahns, S-Bahns and streetcars--until 4 a.m. for about $5.30. There is a fine of about $40 for traveling on the system without a ticket.

If you are traveling on a Eurailpass, you can ride free on the S-Bahn (part of the German Federal Railroad), which reaches out into the countryside in all directions.

As you tour the city, keep in mind that many museums offer special rates to students with identification and many are open free to everyone on Sundays.

Munich’s Oktoberfest takes place between Sept. 18 and Oct. 3. The Oktoberfest grounds are in the center of the city, and there is no entrance fee. The festival provides an atmosphere for visitors and local residents to mix easily; participants share long tables while singing, eating and drinking.

Travelers under 22 and students under 26 who arrive in Germany without transportation passes can buy special Tramper Tickets at $200 for one month of second-class travel on German Rail.

For the “Young People’s Guide to Munich,” contact the German National Tourist Office, 11766 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 750, Los Angeles 90025, (310) 575-9799.