Oberammergau
Oberammergau is in the German state of Bavaria. It is famous for its Passion Play staged every 10 years, and for the "Luftmalerei" (when they paint mural-type illustrations on their houses and buildings).
Get in
By train
- 1 Bahnhof. From Munich central station (München Hauptbahnhof): take the train headed to Innsbruck (a regional train that departs on daily basis) and switch trains at Murnau train station (the train to Oberammergau is the only other train in the station). The trip from Murnau to Oberammergau shouldn't be a problem, since Oberammergau is the last station to be reached.
By car
Go south from Munich and take the Autobahn A-95 south to the Ettal exit. From there on the B-23 to Oberammergau.
Get around
Getting around Oberammergau shouldn't be a problem since it's a relatively small town. You can get around (as most locals do) walking, but you can also take the bus (there are a couple of bus stops in town); you could also get around by car, and like most of youth by bicycle.
See
- Most of the buildings in Oberammergau have beautifully detailed murals on them, mostly of Biblically significant tableaux.
- There is one beautiful Catholic church in Oberammergau built in a baroque style. Although Oberammergau is known for being a Catholic town there's also an Evangelical Church.
- 1 Ettal Abbey, Kaiser-Ludwig-Platz 1, Ettal (near Oberammergau ca. 5-7 km), ☏ +49 8822 740. A beautiful abbey, school, boarding school, and — believe it or not — a brewery.
- 2 Linderhof Palace (Schloss Linderhof), Linderhof 12, Ettal, ☏ +49 8822 92030. There are tours between April and 15 October from 09:00 to 18:00 and between 16 October to March from 10:00-16:00, the castle is open daily except on 1 January, Shrove Tuesday, 24, 25 and 31 December.. One of King Ludwig II's dream castles. It is one of the few finished castles the King actually used (at least as a holiday residence). The admission fee for the palace and park buildings tour is €7; in winter only the palace can be visited with the admission fee being €6..
- Kreuzigungsgruppe (Cruxifixion Group). A monument in the Oberammergau Mountains. The monument was a present from King Ludwig II, after witnessing the town's Passion Play in 1870.
- 3 St. Peter und Paul (Oberammergau).
Do
- Take a tour near Oberammergau in Linderhof Castle.
- Walk the 7-km walk to the village of Ettal to visit the fantastic, working monastery that still operates its own brewery.
Events
- Every 10 years, the Passion Play is performed. The next performance will be in May 2022 (postponed from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and you can also visit the Passion Play theater where you can take a tour, in which many different aspects of the play are explained. The tour is usually available from May to October, Tu-Su 10:00, 10:30, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 14:00, 15:00, 15:30, 16:00, 16:30, 17:00. The tour is also available on Mondays during the Holidays.
Buy
If there is something that anybody who has been to Oberammergau should have it is a wooden souvenir. Wood carving is an ancient art practised in Oberammergau (there's even a couple of schools in town), a usual Oberammergau souvenir is a wooden crucifix. The best place where you can find fully handmade wood carvings is at Lang seel. Erben in the Dorfstraße. It is the oldest woodcarving company in Oberammergau where toys for King Ludwig II and Sissi has been produced. Also you will find here handmade nativity sets which will make unique Christmas decorations.
There are two kinds of wooden clocks that can be purchased, the first is a cuckoo clock (which may vary in size and price) and the second one is a Bavarian clock, which goes in the opposite sense of conventional clocks with the inscription "In Bayern gehen die Uhren anders" (In Bavaria the clocks run differently).
Eat
For a small town Oberammergau offers a great variety of places to eat. If you don't wish to spend too much money in food you can try eating at one of the Imbiss (bars in which food is also served). You can also eat at one of the many hotel and guest houses (where among international food, local food is also served). Desserts are to be found not only in the restaurants but also in some cafés.
- 1 El Puente, Daisenbergerstraße 3, ☏ +49 8822 945777. A Mexican restaurant.
Drink
Hot beverages are served in the small cafés in town. There are also cafés/ice shops in which coffee and ice creams are sold all year round. But if you'd like to have a nightcap then you probably would want to go to some of the town's bars.
- Kino Cafe. A movie theatre with a café. If you're young and just want to relax among young people you should go, you'll find any kind of cocktail you want and also some good food.
Sleep
For such a small town Oberammergau presents quite a variety of hotels, with prices between €45 per night to €200 per night. Location is really irrelevant since the town is quite small. Some of the hotels are pretty basic in what the offer. You can stay in places like bed and breakfasts (which have a more "family oriented" feeling) or you can stay at a 5-star hotel. You may also want to consider which hotel is adequate to your needs — for instance if you're traveling alone, if you're bringing children or even pets — because some hotels are more suited than others.
- 1 Youth Hostel (DJH Jugendherberge Oberammergau), Malensteinweg 10, ☏ +49 8822 4114. Backpacking travelers may want to check out. It has 29 rooms, conference rooms, winter sport equipment rental, and you can have breakfast (buffet), lunch (buffet), dinner and packed lunches in the hostel (they will take into consideration the nutritional requirements of different cultures and religions, if such requirements are cleared when the booking takes place). The hostel closes over the winter, so check whether it is open when you plan to go. The price of a hostel room varies from €17 to €25 per person, per night (the variation comes from including meals in your accommodation)..
- 2 Maximilian Hotel, Ettaler Str. 5, ☏ +49 8822 948740. A 5-star hotel with restaurants with local food. It has a very nice atmosphere too.