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).

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.

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.



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.

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.

Go next

 * Garmisch-Partenkirchen
 * Bad Kohlgrub