Peter Greenberg: Visiting Oberammergau

Q: Peter, what is the best way to visit Oberammergau, Germany?
–Joanne, Fairburn, Ga.

A: Oberammergau is a small Bavarian town famous for its once-per-decade performance of the Passion Play. It was first performed in 1634, a year that the bubonic plague was sweeping through Europe. The inhabitants of the village vowed that if God spared them from the plague, they would perform the Passion Play every 10 years.  And ever since then, the town’s inhabitants have made good on their promise.

The entire village is involved in the production of the play, the next of which is scheduled for summer 2010. Performances take place between mid-May and early October. You can travel there on an organized tour or independently. Be aware, however, that the tickets available for independent travelers went on sale months ago and may already be sold out. However, authorized tour companies are each allotted a certain number of tickets, and most are still taking bookings.

The official Oberammergau Passion Play Web site links to more than 70 U.S.-based tour operators. These offer package tours that include airfare, accommodation, and tickets to the performance.

For example, Go Ahead Tours offers a 13-day trip that starts at $4,449. It includes round-trip air transportation, 11 nights of accommodations, tickets to the Passion Play, entrance to the Oberammergau Museum, daily breakfasts, four dinners of three-courses each, guided sightseeing, entrance fees, and side trips to historical locations in Berlin, Dresden, Bamberg, and Munich.

If you are looking for a shorter trip, Pilgrim Travel has a four-day tour that includes round-trip flights, hotel rooms, sightseeing in Munich and Oberammergau, and the Passion Play performance. Prices start at $1,299 per person.

If you do decide to go it alone, the closest German airport to Oberammergau is in Munich, which is about 60 miles away. From there, you can either drive or take the train from Munich central station. Be aware that hotels in the area book up months in advance and often charge outrageous rates during the performance months.