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Tips for seeing the Oberammergau Passion Play – Germany

The Oberammergau Passion Play is a once in a lifetime experience, a six hour spectacle of music and drama that recreates the last months and days in the life of Jesus and his passion and death on the cross. The entire cast of hundreds is drawn from the village of Oberammergau in Bavaria, Germany and the play takes place only once every ten years with the last occasion of the Oberammergau Passion Play in 2022 (postponed from 2020).

If you’ve researched the many Oberammergau Passion Play reviews, already booked to see visit Oberammergau in 2022, or are hoping to get a last minute place on a tour, you may find some useful tips from my visit in 2010 to the Passion Play Oberammergau when it last took place ten years ago.

The Crucifiction - Oberammergau Passion Play Photos: Oberammergau Passion Play 2020
The Crucifiction – Oberammergau Passion Play Photos: Oberammergau Passion Play

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History of the Oberammergau Passion Play

The Oberammergau play dates back to 1632 when the Plague was sweeping through Europe and reached the town claiming many lives. The people of Oberammergau gathered to ask God to spare their village and made a vow that they would perform a Passion Play every ten years. From that time there were no further deaths in the village and since then the Passion Play in Germany has been regularly performed at Oberammergau, becoming especially popular for visitors in the last century.

Crucifiction - Oberammergau Passion Play 2020 Photos: Oberammergau Passion Play 2020
Crucifiction – Oberammergau Passion Play 2020 Photos: Oberammergau Passion Play 2020

The Oberammergau Passion Play is an incredible community effort as all the performers are amateurs and in order to take part you must have been born in the town or have lived there for 20 years. In order to nurture the talent for the Passion Play, there is heavy emphasis within the community and education in drama, choirs and orchestras in order to train each generation for the performances of the future.

Listen to my Podcast from this 2010 visit: Oberammergau Passion Play and Altötting in Bavaria

Are you wondering if the Oberammergau Passion Play is in English? Don’t worry, you’ll be provided an English text but the Oberammergau Passion Play language is German. Being Germany everything works like clockwork, and I was impressed that the play organisers seemed to have thought through everything to ensure your enjoyment of the play.

The Way of the Cross - Oberammergau Passion Play 2020 Photos: Oberammergau Passion Play 2020
The Way of the Cross – Oberammergau Passion Play 2020

For each speaking part there are two actors and the playing of different parts often runs in families, with actors taking the same parts that their fathers and grandfathers performed before them.

Oberammergau

Buy the Book and Music CD for the Oberammergau Passion Play 2022

Oberammergau Passion Play tickets – how to book

If you book through a specialist travel company as we did, they will have purchased a package of tickets, meal and accommodation from the play organisers. When booking a package, each of the Oberammergau tickets includes a bed and breakfast stay for 1 or 2 nights in or around Oberammergau, a ticket to see the play performance, lunch and dinner on the day of the play and free shuttle buses to take you to and from the performance.

The Last Supper - Oberammergau Passion Play 2020 Photos: Oberammergau Passion Play 2020
The Last Supper – Oberammergau Passion Play 2020

You’ll want to consult a Oberammergau Passion Play seating chart, as there are different grades of package available. The lower priced package will get you a lower grade of theatre seat, meal and modest B & B accommodation, while a higher priced one may get you a seat in the front section of the theatre with higher grade of accommodation in a hotel that may be more centrally located.

Read more from this trip: Painted houses and wood carving at Oberammergau – in Bavaria, Germany

If you are looking to book one of the Oberammergau tours, you should enquire what level of package you will be getting. Since it’s such a unique experience, I would personally prefer to pay more to get the best seats for the Oberammergau Passion Play and to stay in a centrally located accommodation.

Pilate condemns Jesus to death Photos: Oberammergau Passion Play 2020
Pilate condemns Jesus to death Photos: Oberammergau Passion Play 2020

We also discovered that some packages on certain days allow you to stay 2 nights in the villages, while others like ours were only for one night. Given the choice I would definitely stay for 2 nights to be able to look around Oberammergau at a more leisurely place.

If I went to the play again, I might consider trying to book a package directly and then organising my own holiday around it, although you would probably need to book as soon as the tickets are released around one year before the play.

Visiting the Oberammergau Passion Play in 2010
Visiting the Oberammergau Passion Play in 2010

Many of the packages are taken by travel companies, who then build a holiday touring the region around it, but overall the tours do tend to be expensive and you may not have the time for a long trip. It does seem that most overseas visitors book their visit to Oberammergau as part of an organised tour from a specialist travel company.

Explore more of the region on this day-trip to the splendid castles of Neuschwanstein and Linderhof, lunch in Hohenschwangau, and through the little town of Oberammergau

Oberammergau

Buy the Book and Music CD for the Oberammergau Passion Play 2022

How to get to Oberammergau

Oberammergau is about 3 hours journey time by train or road from Munich, which is an ideal airport to fly into. Many visitors will arrive by coach as part of a tour and our coach was directed into a large car park on the edge of the town. From there our group was appointed an English-speaking local guide to assist us and some of our party were transferred into minibuses for a free transfer to our local accommodation.

The Village of Oberammergau Photo Heatheronhertravels.com
The Village of Oberammergau

This prevented coach congestion in the village of Oberammergau and the guide then stayed on the coach to assist the driver to deliver others of the party who were staying in accommodation outside the village. During the performance there were free shuttle buses available to take everyone in allocated accommodation into the centre of Oberammergau or to the restaurants where they would eat lunch and dinner.

Read more from this trip: An introduction to the Oberammergau Passion Play in Germany

The Passion Play Oberammergau theatre and performance

The Oberammergau Passion Play is performed in a large, modern, purpose built theatre that seats 4500 people and there are entrances all along each side to get the audience in and out relatively quickly. The wide stage at one end is open to the elements and there are trees and mountains in view behind the stage set.

The theatre auditorium is covered over for the audience of 4500 people and seats rise on a gentle incline from the stage giving everyone a good, clear view even at the back. However it is a large theatre, so you will be able to see more detail of the performance if you are seated in the front half of the theatre.

Passion Play theatre daytime Photos: Oberammergau Passion Play 2020
Passion Play theatre daytime Photos: Oberammergau Passion Play 2020

The performance is divided into two halves of 2.5 hrs each with a meal in between. In previous years the performance was divided into a morning and afternoon session with lunch in between, but in 2010 the timing changed with the first half starting after lunch at 2.30pm with a 3 hour break for dinner and the second half starting at 8.00pm.

Passion Play Theatre night time Photos: Oberammergau Passion Play 2020
Passion Play Theatre night time Photos: Oberammergau Passion Play 2020

Even though it was long, I enjoyed every moment of the Passion Play – it was truly an amazing spectacle. The dialogue in German in interspersed by music and singing from a choir and the orchestra, often with a background of living tableaux with scenes from the Bible, making a colourful picture behind the choir who were dressed in long white robes.

Jesus enters Jerusalem Photos: Oberammergau Passion Play 2020
Jesus enters Jerusalem Photos: Oberammergau Passion Play 2020

The other unique element was created by the crowd scenes involving all ages including children and babes in arms as well as the occasional sheep, donkey, and even a small camel. At times there must have been at least 200 people on stage at one time, all acting their socks off.

Oberammergau

Buy the Book and Music CD for the Oberammergau Passion Play 2022

What to bring to the Oberammergau Passion Play performance

You may like to bring a tiny pencil torch to read the English language text as it gets dark in the second half of the performance. As the evening becomes chilly in the Alps, even if the day has been warm, you will want to have warm clothing with you as the theatre is covered but open at one end. A small pair of field binoculars is useful if your seat is towards the back of the theatre, although all seats have an unrestricted view and perhaps a small bottle of water to ward off tickly coughs.

Kiss of Judas - Oberammergau Passion Play 2020 Photos: Oberammergau Passion Play 2020
Kiss of Judas – Oberammergau Passion Play 2020

Accommodation in Oberammergau during the Passion Play

Our accommodation was in a local house that provided Bed and Breakfast, in a pleasant residential area and was a short walk to our allocated restaurant and a 15 minute shuttle bus ride into the centre of Oberammergau. For the duration of the play the residents of Oberammergau open their doors and make room for the large influx of extra visitors. Guests are allocated the accommodation by the play organisers depending on the level of package, so it is difficult to determine the specific place you will stay.

The Village of Oberammergau Photo Heatheronhertravels.com
The Village of Oberammergau

If you are in this kind of accommodation you should expect a room that is clean and comfortable, with a warm welcome but not necessarily the latest decor – ours was in shades of 1970s browns and greens. Our group were dispersed in different accommodation and ate in different restaurants and some found that they were staying on outlying villages.

This meant that they were quite rushed and had very little time to look around the town before the play. Luckily, the arrangements were changed so that we had a couple of hours to look around Oberammergau on the morning after the play.

Explore more of the region on this day-trip to the splendid castles of Neuschwanstein and Linderhof, lunch in Hohenschwangau, and through the little town of Oberammergau

Hotels in Oberammergau

If you are booking your accommodation independently or visiting outside the period of the Oberammergau Passion Play, here are some hotels in Oberammergau that we recommend, but if none of these suit you, look at other hotels in Oberammergau.

Hotel Maximilian in Oberammergau – A 5 star Alpine design hotel that’s centrally located in the heart of Oberammergau, with a spa and sauna, a traditional Bavarian bar and upscale restaurant.

Hotel Maxmilian in Oberammergau
Hotel Maximilian in Oberammergau

Stay at Alpine-style Hotel Maximillian located in the centre of Oberammergau

Landhotel Böld Oberammergau – located by the river Ammer, on the edge of Oberammergau town centre, this 4 star hotel offers contemporary Bavarian decor and scenic views of the Alps.

Romantik Hotel Bold in Oberammergau
Landhotel Bold Oberammergau

Stay at the Landhotel Böld in Oberammergau with scenic views of the Ammergauer Alps

Parkhotel Sonnenhof in Oberammergau – A 55 room 4 star Alpine style hotel with spa and indoor swimming pool, that’s on the edge of Oberammergau, just across the river from the old town.

Parkhotel Sonnenhof in Oberammergau
Parkhotel Sonnenhof in Oberammergau

The Parkhotel Sonnenhof Oberammergau offers Alpine-style rooms with private balconies

Is the Oberammergau Passion Play worth it?

I felt the play really did live up to expectations and is well worth making the effort to see the play once in your lifetime. The play is as much about the passion of the people of Oberammergau to remain true to their vow.

Enormous effort and thought had clearly gone into putting on the play, which was a credit to the village and made the play a memorable occasion for us visiting Oberammergau.

Way of the Cross - Oberammergau Passion Play 2020 Photos: Oberammergau Passion Play 2020
Way of the Cross – Oberammergau Passion Play 2020

More articles about Oberammergau and the Passion Play

Painted houses and wood carving at Oberammergau – in Bavaria, Germany
An introduction to the Oberammergau Passion Play
Podcast – The Oberammergau Passion Play – listen to the live sounds

More articles about our visit to Altötting from this trip to Bavaria

A pilgrimage to see the Black Madonna at Altötting in Germany
Hotels in Altötting – Review of Hotel Zur Post
Bavarian Lake swimming in the Badesee near Altötting
Delicious Bavarian Food – Wiener Schnitzel and cherries

Oberammergau Passion Play – Visitor Resources

To plan your visit to Oberammergau check out the official Oberammergau Passion Play Passionsspiele website and the Oberammergau official tourism website

You can also get ideas for visiting Germany on the Germany Travel official tourism website and on the Bavaria tourism website.

Need a guide book for the Oberammergau Passion Play? We recommend A Pilgrim’s Guide to Oberammergau

Looking for a guide to the Oberammergau passion play? We recommend The Pilgrim’s Guide to Oberammergau. If you need a guidebook for visiting Germany we recommend the DK Eyewitness Germany Travel Guide or the Lonely Planet Germany Travel Guide.

Photo Credits: Passion Play photos are copyright of the Oberammergau Passion Play and other photos by Heather Cowper

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Tips for seeing the Oberammergau passion play

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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MELISSA JAMES

Tuesday 17th of May 2022

HELLO HEATHER, MY HUSBAND AND DAUGHTER AND I ARE GOING TO GERMANY IN JUNE 2022 I WOULD LIKE TO GET TICKETS TO THE PASSION PLAY BUT I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE WEBSITE TO PURCHASE TICKETS. COULD YOU HELP ME?

Heather Cowper

Tuesday 31st of May 2022

Tickets are generally available through many different tour companies who put together packages. The main website for the passion play is https://www.passionsspiele-oberammergau.de/en/home and there would normally be tickets to be purchased directly on here. However I suspect that direct sale tickets may be hard to come by, especially because I imagine that those who had booked for the 2020 performance had their tickets carries over when it was postponed due to Covid.

Caitlin Nicol

Wednesday 13th of April 2022

Hi Heather

I'm looking at going to Oberammagau this year. I'm just wondering what appealed to you about it? Are you religious or was it more the uniqueness of it?

Vicki Gabriel

Friday 4th of March 2022

Hello Heather, Thank you for the valuable information! Do you know if traffic is an issue leaving the village the morning after the performance? We have a 12 noon flight departing Munich and are wondering when we should leave Oberammergau. Thank you in advance, Vicki

Heather Cowper

Monday 7th of March 2022

@Vicki It was over 10 years since the last Oberammergau so it's a been a while, but I don't remember traffic being a huge problem. Ideally you'd spend a day before or after the play to see the town itself which is very pretty. But if you have a flight to catch then of course you need to allow plenty of time. In general I remember that everything was extremely well organised in terms of traffic and parking, but best to take local advice on arrival.

Vlucht volgen

Wednesday 18th of December 2019

I enjoyed reading your great post here! it would be an incredible experience and just wondered if you remember seeing any children around and what their response might have been. Thanks in advance for any info!

Heather Cowper

Wednesday 18th of December 2019

@Vlucht Volgen . I'm racking my brains as it was 10 years ago and can't really remember - I think the audience will be predominantly older - it's a very long performance, your seats might be quite far from the stage and also emotionally demanding in places such as the crucifixion scenes. I think it would be suitable for children who are 12+ or teens that you think would have a genuine interest but probably not younger ones.

Caitlin Nicol

Monday 30th of September 2019

Hi Heather

Thanks for the great article!

I'm looking at going to the Passion Play next September.

Who did you book through? I was looking at going through the official website, if I can avoid any potential hurdles. I also don't want to be staying at the edge of town as I'll be using public transport.

Would someone not particularly religious still find it worthwhile?

Have you been to the Sordevolo Passion Play in Italy or have had any feedback about it? I'm thinking about going to this also.

Thank you!

Caitlin Nicol

Heather Cowper

Monday 30th of September 2019

@Caitlin It was 10 years ago so not quite sure but I think I booked through a UK tour operator that specialises in religious travel. There are many different tour companies who take an allocation of seats and then build tour packages around it. You should bear in mind that due to high demand you only get 1 day and night in Oberammergau and the rest of the package will be visiting other things in the region. I think it's a pretty special event and that you'd find it a great experience even if not especially religious. I'm afraid I don't have any knowledge of the Sordevolo Passion Play. I think the best bet is to do an online search, especially any tour companies that specialise in religious travel. It is also possible to book directly yourself for the play on their website although possibly more convenient and fun to do it as a group trip. Mostly the tickets come as a package with accommodation included as all the hotels get booked up and the local people open all their spare rooms to offer b&b accommodation.