Suggestion on where to stay with the Passion Play in Oberammergau next year.

Hmm?

I'm familiar with Schongau, having stopped there for a few hours on the first day of my 2007 car-less (i.e., public transportation only) trip on the Romantic Road.

Although Schongau has an impressive wall, which sometimes seems to be serving more as a retaining wall to keep the town from sliding off it's hillside perch, I found it to be an otherwise nondescript place. Architecture is middle 20th century blah.

But it might serve as a base for exploring other parts of southern Bavaria. I was impressed to find how many places with overnight accommodation there are in and near Schongau.

Nevertheless, as a base to see the Passion Play, I'm not so convinced.

I understand that Oberammergau originally promised to do the play every 10 years to thank God for sparing them from the plague, but at 150-180€ ($180-216) for most of the seats in the nearly 5000 seat playhouse, they should be thanking God for getting the world to bring them money.

Not considering the cost, looking at their website, it appears that the best deal is the combination tickets that combine one or two nights accommodations (with breakfast, I'm sure) with tickets for the play, a pass for local transportation, and dinner during the 3 hour break between the first and last 2½ sessions. I would not want to be in Oberammergau trying to find a restaurant with seats during the break.

You can get ticket without accommodation through the Oberammergau website, but looking at the tickets still available, it's obvious that someone, either the local hotels or tourism agencies (or both) have already cornered all of the good seats. The first three blocks in the middle of the playhouse, all tier one seats, are virtually sold out.

So, if you could find tickets on your own, despite the difficulty finding somewhere to eat between sessions, where do you stay?

I've traveled extensively (months, maybe) in upper Bavaria (the part of Bavaria south of Munich). The one thing I've loved about it was that it wasn't necessary to have a car - In all that time, I've never rented a car. There would be no choice in Schongau; you would have to have a car. That's why I would look elsewhere first.

The play is over at 10:30 (nominally) and there is no public transportation to Schongau at that time (except maybe a taxi). The next to the last train leaves Oberammergau for Murnau at 10:38, just barely enough time, if the play is really over at 10:30, to walk the ½ km to the Bahnhof. But what if the play lasts longer (well, ok, I've read the book, I know how it ends, but I'm not going to ruin it for those of you who haven't.). If you caught that train, which goes to Murnau, where there are connecting trains south to Garmish-Partenkirchen or north to Munich. But for the 11:34 train, there is only one connecting train south from Murnau to GaP. The train to Murnau makes eight stops on the way. Many of these towns have accomodations (some of which participate in the package program, but not all). I would start by looking at Google Maps for places in these towns that are not participants and trying to find rooms in them before giving up and renting a car.

PLEASE NOTE:
My original post was not to suggest a base from which to see the Passion Play -- it was to suggest a place to stay because all the hotels, B&Bs, pensions, etc are already booked in and around Oberammergau next year if the passion play goes forward. I searched for weeks to find a place to stay in the area and finally came up with Schongau. We are not going to the play, so the person who posted in response did not get my message.
Also know that about 3 weeks prior to a specific date, the festival will release the rooms back to the host that are not being utilized by people attending the passion play.

Schongau is not a spectacular place to stay, but it is convenient for a base to enjoy the area outside of the Passion Play congestion.

ah, that clarifies the post.

I read the question (not actually a question but it turns out to be advice) the same way Lee did.

I thought you were trying to get to the event in Oberammergau and had found Schongau and hoped that others would have alternate thoughts....

I guess this is what threw me:

Suggest trying Schongau - - - it is less than an hour drive north of Oberammergau.

By the way, Schongau does have rail service. It's on the end of a spur line to Weilheim, which is on the main line from Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 15 minutes north of Murnau, and it is a hub for some bus lines in the area. The Bavarian rail map shows a dotted line for a "tourist excursion" line between Schongau and Landsberg, but it has reportedly been abandoned, and using Google Maps satellite view I can see places that look like the rails have been paved over at some crossings and the rails may have been removed in other places. Still, there are a lot of public transportation possibilities from Schongau; it just wouldn't be possible to get there from Oberammergau using public transportation after the end of the play, at 1030.

Maybe 2022 is just not a good year to be visiting the Pfaffenwinkel.

After I visited Schongau, I went to Landsberg am Lech, where I spent my first night. Landsberg would be a good choice for a base. There are a few good hotels there. In 2007 I stayed at Augsburger Hof, and I was rather pleased with it. Landsberg is a very scenic town, located on the Lech River. It has rail service to Kaufering, on the Munich to Bodensee line and a short line connects Kaufering to Augsburg, on the Ulm to Munich main line.

If you are not to determined to stay within the Pfaffenwinkel, there are other good places in Oberbayern. Pfronten is pretty town, on the Ausserfernbahn from Kempten to Garmisch-Partenkirchen (just over the border from Reutte), only a short bus ride to Füssen, and rich in places to stay overnight.

There is also Immenstadt, on the rail line to Bodensee. From Immenstadt a spur line goes up the Iller Valley to Oberstdorf and the Austrian Kleinwalsertal. From there it's a short train ride to Oberstaufen, a little farther to Lindau on Bodensee.

I know nothing about this part of Germany, but who wouldn't want to visit an area called "Pfaffenwinkel"?

Pfaffenwinkel, literally translated, means "Priest's corner". Might be so named due to many churches (zB, Wieskirche) in the area.

For anyone wanting to plan travel by public transportation in Bavaria, here is a rail map showing all of the lines in Bavaria, and here is a map of bus routes in the eastern part of Oberbayern.

This webpage will help you find rail and bus schedules from any town with rail or bus service in Germany (for buses you will need to put in the actual bus stop (Haltestelle, zB Rathaus, Post, or Straße) name in the town.

Any advice for a newbie traveller here? My husband and I want to plan a trip to Germany next year for the passion play and spend some time in my old home of Wiesbaden (Army Brat here). Where do I even begin? Is the play sold out? Absolutely not tour people but might have to do a package deal to get to the play. Definitely want to do small local if possible for all accommodations. Any insight on places to stay from Frankfurt Wiesbaden area to Garmich?

If you want to go to the Passion Play, visit the official website. Here you will find tickets and hotel rooms for various budgets. Make sure you get the meal that comes with the package deal of hotel and play ticket, because you will be hard-pressed to find a meal anyplace else.

https://www.passionsspiele-oberammergau.de/en/home

Consider Augsburg, north of Oberammergau.