Oberammergau 2010 Passion Play Goes On Sale

The sleepy, pretty farming village of Oberammergau in southern Bavaria is only a few minutes drive from Garmisch-Partenkirchen and a little over an hour from Munich. There isn’t much to do there other than nose around the many shops that sell religious wood carvings. Once every 10 years, however, from mid-May until the first weekend in October, the town attracts thousands of visitors who come from all over the world to see its famed Passion Play. Oberammergau is normally an inexpensive destination; double rooms in most hotels are priced from 60 to 100 EUR. Pensions and private bed and breakfasts are even cheaper. But in the last year of each decade, all that changes.

The next scheduled Passion Play performance series is 2010, and some tour operators are already accepting orders for packages that include tickets and sleeping accommodations. Oberammergau during Passion Play is very much a seller’s market; individual tickets—and there won’t be many—don’t go on sale until 2009. Available now are one and two-night arrangements priced from 238 EUR per person for one night in a private residence, to 1,007 EUR per person for two nights in one of the region’s better hotels. The deals include most meals, a ticket to a performance, shuttle service to your accommodations (which may be in nearby towns), and admission to the local museum. One included meal is dinner served during the play’s three-hour intermission between 5pm and 8pm (this is the first time any portion of the play will be seen at night). Payment of 25 percent of the total package price is due by July 1, 2008. This is a wholesale price offered to travel agents, so you can expect additional service fees.

Strict payment and cancellation policies apply, with cancel penalties ranging from 20 to 90 percent of the total package price.

If you have your eye on Oberammergau in 2010, here are some considerations:
• Few single rooms are available in Oberammergau and there is no guarantee one will be allocated to you. You may find yourself in a twin bedded room with a stranger.
• You might not be given accommodations in Oberammergau itself. You will, however, be provided transportation from your hotel/pension/B&B to Oberammergau.
• When applying for packages/tickets you must provide alternate dates, as you may not get your first choice.

The Germany travel specialists at Gemut.com can arrange your 2010 Passion Play booking. Call 800-521-6722 x 3.