Europe and Oberammergau

If you are planning a trip to Europe, you might be interested in experiencing the once in a decade Passion Play held in the unique Bavarian Alps town of Oberammergau. This magical area is wonderful to explore, and the historic play well-worth planning ahead for. The next Play, which has been performed since 1634, commences in 2030 between May and September.

There are a number of ways that you can incorporate your visit to Oberammergau when touring in Europe. For instance, if you are visiting Italy, you could start in Rome, continuing on to the breathtaking areas of Assisi, Florence and Venice before transferring on to Oberammergau, seeing the Passion Play and returning home via Munich.

Another possibility would be to start your visit with two days in Oberammergau, spending the first day exploring the quaint village, visiting the museum with its woodcarving and wide range of gothic as well as modern art and handcrafts and seeing the Roman Catholic Parish Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. The second day could be dedicated to the famed Passion Play itself. Your pilgrimage tour could then continue in Germany, travelling on to Austria, Switzerland and Italy.

An interesting possibility could be combining the Oberammergau Passion Play with a spiritual journey of the shrines of France together with the beautiful views of Switzerland. Your tour could start after arrival in Paris with visits to Lourdes, Lisieux and Nevers, visiting all the Holy places before continuing on to Zurich and then to Oberammergau to experience the Passion of Christ performed by the villagers of this famous place. Returning to Switzerland you could have a chance to see beautiful Lake Lucerne and tour Zurich before your return flight home.

There are a number of other choices and possibilities. You could combine your Oberammergau visit with a tour of the Holy Land in the following way: after arriving in Israel, you can travel from the modern city of Tel-Aviv to the Galilee area via Caesarea and Haifa, visiting the site of Elijah’s altar at Mukraka through the valley of Armageddon to the excavation of Tel Megiddo and a visit to the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth before arriving in Tiberius.

While in the Galilee one can visit Capernaum, Caesarea Phillipi and the Golan Heights before leaving for Jerusalem and Bethlehem. You can then fly to Munich and travel to Oberammergau where you will join with the people of the village to experience the magnificent performance depicting the last week of Christ’s life. Return to Munich for flight home.

These are just some of the many possibilities that can include the acclaimed Passion Play, which can be incorporated into tours of Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and France. All are worth considering as the Oberammergau Passion Play only takes place every ten years. The choice is all yours.