Bavaria is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful regions in Germany, and the Oberammergau Passion Play was certainly a highlight!
We started our tour by flying into Munich and then drove to the charming town of Füessen. Füessen is located on the banks of the Lech River, which flows into the Forggensee lake. This quaint town is surrounded by mountains of the Ammergau Alps and the castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau are located nearby.
Our next visit was to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. This city played host to the Winter Olympics in 1936 and is known for its charm and beauty. Here we traveled to Germany’s highest peak, the Zugspitze, and took a train ride and gondola ride to the top.
The next day we traveled the scenic drive to Salzburg, one of the most beautiful cities in the world and famous as the setting for the movie “The Sound of Music.” Our day tour started at the Mirabell Palace and Gardens. (This is where the “Do-Re-Mi” portion of the movie was filmed.)
Next, we visited the birthplace of Mozart. (Insert from Dani: This place really touched my heart. My mom played the piano well enough to be a concert pianist. I grew up playing with my dolls under the baby grand while my mom played. She would have loved this visit.)
For our last stop, we went up to the fortress Hohensalzburg for a panoramic view of the city and surrounding countryside.
On day four, we took a short drive to Innsbruck. This city played host to two Winter Olympics. Our first stop was the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum. There were over 20 unique Nativity scenes here. Though most often considered during the Christmas seasons, the Tyrolean Nativity Museum invites patrons to experience the special Nativities all year round. Crib art from the 18th century to the present can be seen here made of different materials like wood, clay, wax, or cardboard.
We then took a walking tour of the city. Did you know Innsbruck has a famous roof? It’s one of Innsbruck’s top attractions—located right in the heart of the Old Town—is the Golden Roof or Goldenes Dachl in German.
The roof on the balcony was originally created at the end of the 15th century by the famous Emperor Maximilian. Its purpose was to impress travelers who were stopping by the medieval city—and did it ever work! In total, there are 2657 gold-plated shingles on the roof and several painted figures on the exterior, too. We also had the opportunity to visit the museum inside, but there were no pictures allowed.
Our last stop of the day was the famous Neuschwanstein Castle, residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Few places on Earth look more like storybook illustrations than Neuschwanstein Castle. With its towers, turrets, frescoes, and throne hall, Neuschwanstein (or Schloss Neuschwanstein, as it is called in German) looks like it was plucked straight from your favorite fairy tale.
On day five we visited the Linderhof Palace. This was another residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. An eccentric recluse, Ludwig depleted the treasury of his country building extravagant castles and died in mysterious circumstances. Linderhof is certainly the most elaborate “hunting lodge” you will ever see!
In the afternoon, we traveled to the fabulous Rococo Wieskirche. From the outside it looks somewhat plain and simple, but just wait until you see the inside! Such a surprise! We did not expect this! It was beautiful! The Wieskirche’s ornate style, called Rococo, is like Baroque that got shrunk in the wash—lighter, frillier, and more delicate, with whitewash and pastel colors. Where Baroque uses oval shapes, Rococo twists it even further into curvy cartouches.
After our visit at the Rococo Wieskirche, we drove to our hotel in Oberammergau for the passion play, the highlight of our tour.
Time to explore Oberammergau, a delightful town that has been home to skilled wood carvers since the 12th century. There are many interesting things to see in this quaint town. Scenes from the scriptures and from fairy tales are painted on the walls of the buildings.
In the afternoon we attended the first half of the marvelous passion play, which is performed by the town’s inhabitants every ten years since 1634—when the thirty-year war and the deadly bubonic plague killed almost half the population of Germany. The people of Oberammergau vowed to produce this play each decade if they could be spared. They were, and here we are 350 years later.
After the first half of the play, we ate dinner as a group. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to take pictures during the play, so I had to get some from the internet. The play is spoken in German, but the program has the exact wording so you can follow along. It was a wonderful experience to witness the Oberammergau Passion Play.
After a week, we departed Germany and made our way to Switzerland. It was a beautiful drive! Upon arrival we enjoyed a walking city tour of Zurich. There is no better way to get THE BEST TASTE OF ZURICH!
We departed for home after a great tour, but we plan to come back to Germany again as soon as possible. We loved it there and can’t wait to see more. We hope you can join us in 2030 on one of our Oberammergau Passion Play tours!
I have specialized in operating LDS Church History Tours since May 1990. As a Group Travel Consultant, I wear many hats and am responsible to create, plan, and operate these escorted tours.
I am no stranger to the travel industry. I began my travel career in 1996. Not only am I a trusted and award-winning consultant, I have traveled all over the world, including Hawaii, Bahamas, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, New Zealand, Fiji, Mexico, Europe and China.
