Oberammergau Passion Play

The Oberammergau Passion Play has been performed in the village for almost 400 years, following a time when the plague swept through the village. The villagers solemnly vowed that if they were spared from the plague, they would perform a passion play every ten years. They were indeed spared, and kept their promise. The world-famous Passion Play will now take place in 2022, returning to the beautiful village of Oberammergau for its 42nd performance. Combine this inspiring once-in-a-lifetime event with a choice of fully escorted holidays featuring Bavaria, Germany, Austria and Italy. On all holidays you will stay around the village of Oberammergau in officially sanctioned accommodation and so can take in the true Oberammergau experience.

8 tours available - from only £1159

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Stories from our extended family

Wonderfully arranged experience.

Mrs Anderson

The History of the Passion Play

Imagine a small Bavarian village nestling in the shadows of the Alps in 1633. The Great Plague descended and many lives were lost to this mysterious illness. The villagers made a solemn vow that, if the lives of the villagers were spared the whole village would perform a play every ten years, depicting the story of Christ’s suffering, dying and resurrection. Miraculously the Plague did not claim any more lives and so true to their vows, the villagers of Oberammergau enacted their first play in 1634.

The tradition, which has continued without interruption every decade since, in spite of wars and other problems, will be continued for the 42nd time in 2022.

Famous throughout the world, it is expected that around 500,000 people will attend the Passion Play in 2022, over half of these will be guests from around the world.

The Play

Due to a play law, the performers of the play all come from the beautiful village of Oberammergau, to maintain the tradition of the solemn vow the villagers made in 1633. Everyone taking part must have been born there, or lived in the village for at least 20 years. At times, the stage also holds small herds of sheep and goats, donkeys, a horse and armoured Roman soldiers.

Altogether, there will be more than 2000 Oberammergau villagers taking part in this world-famous play in 2022.

The play runs from mid May to the beginning of October starting at 2:30pm and finishing at 10:30pm with a break for dinner at 5pm.

The Village of Oberammergau

The picture-perfect Bavarian town of Oberammergau is located in the picturesque Ammergau Alps, and along with the Passion Play, is also known for its wood carvings and colourful frescoes – or Lüftlmalerei – which decorate many of the buildings. The town is a good base to see the impressive Linderhof Palace – favourite of King Ludwig II, and his famous fairy tale Neuschwanstein Castle.

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The Passion Play and Scenic Splendours

We have a collection of tours which combine the performance of the Passion Play and the picturesque town of Oberammergau with visits to some of Europe's most wonderful towns, cities and stunning scenery.

We'll take care of you, all the way

We take great care in looking after all of your tour arrangements. With carefully-planned itineraries and a range of excursions, plus the option of convenience coach joining points or Door-to-Door service on most tours, you can sit back, relax and let us take care of the rest.

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Oberammergau Accommodation & Tickets

There is a choice of accommodation, ranging from lovingly appointed rooms in private houses to luxurious hotels. Tickets for the Passion Play are allocated along with the accommodation, and whilst we can't advise on the exact location of the seats, as a general rule, the higher the grade of accommodation, the better the seats. See the seating plan below which illustrates the location of each ticket category.

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Category D Accommodation: Includes Ticket Category 2. Category D accommodation will be 2-star hotels or 3-star pensions/guest houses in Oberammergeau.

Category C Accommodation: Includes Ticket Category 1 or 2. For Category C accommodation, you will stay in 3-star hotels or 4-star pensions/guest houses in Oberammergau.

Category B Accommodation: Includes Ticket Category 1 or 2. If you choose Category B accommodation, your stay will be in 4-star hotels or 5-star pensions/guest houses in Oberammergau. Details of accommodation will be confirmed closer to the time.