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Avoiding Oberammergau Play crowds?

Posted by on

I may be over using this board since this is my 4th question but the prior answers and all the old threads have been so helpful so giving this a shot and apologies if I am breeching board protocol by over imposing!

Our trip to Garmisch in June 2022 will be during the Oberammergau play season by coincidence - we are not going to the play. I do not want to change areas since I want to go to here for other reasons, but I am looking for tips from anyone familiar with the crowd patterns during a play year to see how to best structure our time / plans.

I had put the alpine coaster and Therme in Oberammergau as maybes before I realize the play was 2022 and not 2021. Should I rule those out entirely as likely to be mobbed?

Any other timing tips or suggestions on the least frequented (even if less stunning) cable car routes to get away from the crowds that time?

I figured there may be some here that did the 2010 play or had researched his question back in 2020 pre Covid. I’ve done a search of the forum but this topic does not seem to have been talked about all that much.

Posted by
4850 posts

You'll probably escape the worst of the crowds if you time your visit right. Yes, the town gets mobbed. But the play is 5 hours long, so everyone is inside the playhouse while it's on. Plan to visit in the afternoon on days when the play is being performed. The Therme is on the other side of town from the playhouse, and has its own parking lot. The Kolbensattel lift and coaster are just outside and on the other side of the highway from town. If you have kids, be aware that this is a chairlift, not a cable car.

Oh, yes - about food while there: getting lunch is almost impossible without a reservation made well in advance. So either eat before you go there, or eat in the restaurant at the top of the chairlift.

One last thing. If you want a stunning view, the Zugspitz beats anything, and it's right in Garmisch.

Posted by
1412 posts

Shawna. Don't worry about asking too many questions!!

C jean has given you excellent advice, my limited exposure was "just" attending the play as part of a bus tour w our luncheon and housing prearranged, but c jean is right, you do NOT want to be fighting those theater goers for restaurant space. Eating on top of mountain sounds lovely

Posted by
70 posts

Thank you! This is just the type of advice I was looking for.
Are advance lunch and dinner reservations as key in the surrounding towns too or just in Oberammergau itself?

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