Oberammergau Passion Play, Munich and Salzburg Tour Package

Day 1

Arrive in Munich

On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your four star superior hotel in Munich for the next two (2) nights with bed and breakfast included.

Day 2

Munich Sightseeing and afternoon at leisure

After breakfast and accompanied by a local guide, enjoy a sightseeing bus tour of Munich’s top sights including the Olympic Park and the gardens of King Ludwig’s fairytale Royal Nymphenburg Palace. See and hear stories of the Kongisplatz, the English Garden many of Munich’s museums and galleries and iconic landmarks. After the bus tour, enjoy a walking tour of the old city centre including views of the Residenz, Opera House, Marienplatz, the Rathaus with its famous clock, and a visit of either St. Peter’s Church or the Frauenkirche, Munich’s Cathedral. The rest of the day is free to explore Munich old town at your leisure before returning to the hotel.

Munich has a wide variety of churches offering daily and Sunday masses. The city’s most prominent Catholic cathedrals and historic parishes host morning and evening services in German, as well as English-speaking masses and traditional Latin rites for visitors and expats.

Optional suggested visit:  The Residenz – the largest city palace in Germany is located in central Munich and was originally built as a fortress but became the official residence of the Bavarian Royals for over 400 years with grand guest rooms, courtyards, a concert hall and stables. This is now open as a museum and you can admire the frescoes, antique collections and luxurious interiors. The complex of buildings contains ten courtyards and displays 130 rooms.  Entrance fee is not included (pay locally) and tours are self-guided.

Day 3

Travel to Oberammergau with Lake Cruise, Ettal Abbey and Linderhof Palace

Depart Munich after breakfast, by coach, travelling through the Bavaria countryside to Oberammergau. Enroute we will have a leisurely one (1) hour cruise from Starnberg to Tutzing on the picturesque Starnberger Lake. We continue to the small village of Ettal for some free time and lunch (not included). Optional visit for prayer or contemplation at the spectacular Ettal Abbey, founded in 1330 and restored in the Baroque style in the 18th century. The monastic buildings include the basilica, monastery, school, restaurant, shop and brewery.

In the afternoon, we visit the amazing fairy-tale Linderhof Palace including an official palace guided tour. Renovated in the style of a 19th century French chateau by the eccentric King Ludwig II, this spectacular Baroque palace is also known as ‘Little Versailles’. The interior features lavish furnishings and decor and the spectacular gardens offer fountains, lawns and symmetric flower arrangements.

After we will continue to the Oberammergau region, check in to our hotel for the next two nights. Dinner in the hotel is included this evening.

Day 4

Oberammergau Passion Play

After breakfast, we have a full day in Oberammergau with an optional morning visit to the Passion Play Theatre for an introduction talk by one of the cast members to learn about the production process of the Passion Play. After, there will be free time to explore this picturesque village with the beautifully painted houses, shops and buildings, as well as the Rococo church and many wood-carving shops.

Lunch will be included in one of the local restaurants before we take our seats for the first half of the Passion Play performance which is followed by a 3-hour interval during which time we will enjoy a 3-course dinner with drinks before the second half commences. At the end of the play, which is around 10.30 pm, we return to the hotel (either on foot or by private transfer).

Day 5

Depart Oberammergau, travel to Salzburg via Benediktbeurn Monastery

After breakfast and check-out of the hotel, board the coach for the transfer to Salzburg, Austria.  En-route a stop will be made at the Benediktbeurn Monastery, one of the oldest and best preserved in Upper Bavaria and has been a religious centre for more than 1250 years.  On a guided tour, which lasts about 1 hour includes the Gothic Cloister, baroque Chapter House, Monastic Wine Cellar, Gothic Hall, Old Library/Dining Room and the Basilica of St. Benedict.  There is an on-site shop and cafe where you can get drinks and snacks.

Continue to our 4* hotel in Salzburg for the next three (3) nights.

Day 6

Salzburg Sightseeing – Mozart, Mirabell Palace , Old Town and Cathedral

After breakfast, meet up with a local guide for a walking tour to discover the highlights and history surrounding this magical and musical city. Walk in the footsteps of Mozart, relive iconic scenes from The Sound of Music, and uncover the hidden gems of this Baroque jewel.  Take a stroll through the ornamental gardens of the Mirabell Palace where the “Do-Re-Mi” scene from the ‘Sound of Music’ was filmed. Continue over the river to the historic Old Town to see Mozart’s Birthplace and his former residence. The tour will finish with a visit of  the massive Baroque Cathedral which stands on the site of a church from 774 and admire breathtaking frescoes, an enormous organ, and the font where Mozart was baptized.

After the tour the rest of the day is at leisure.  Maybe take the funicular up to the medieval Hohensalzburg Fortress that overlooks the city and offers wonderful views of the surrounding mountains or visit the University Church (Kollegienkirche).

Optional evening Mozart concert at Mirabell Palace

Enjoy a unique evening in the stunning Baroque Marble Hall at Salzburg’s Mirabell Palace. Listen to chamber music by great composers, performed by renowned ensembles and soloists. This is one of the most beautiful concert halls in the world. In fact, Leopold Mozart and his children Wolfgang and Marianne have performed in this very room.

Day 7

Optional excursions by coach

Optional morning tour to Hallstatt – a picturesque lakeside village in the Austrian Salzkammergut (Lake District).  On the tour you will pass by the beautiful villages of Fuschl, St. Gilgen and Strobl.  There will be plenty of time to explore this quaint village independently.  Admire the Mullbach waterfall and, a must see attraction, the Bone House which is located behind the Catholic Church (admission not included).  Take a leisurely walk along the lake and marvel at how the houses above you seem to cling onto the mountainside. Halstatt is one of the most photographed places in Austria and the views across the lake are superb. The return journey will take you via Abtenau and Russbach to Gosau where you can admire the views of the Dachtsein mountains

Optional afternoon ‘Sound of Music’ Tour – which takes you to some of the original filming locations of the ‘Sound of Music’ movie such as Leopoldskron Palace, whose exterior was used as the Trapp family home and where the children were seen boating on the lake and jumping into the water.  Maria was a novice at Nonnberg Abbey, the oldest convent in German-speaking Europe, and also  Hellbrunn Palace with the gazebo where the famous duet ‘Sixteen Going On Seventeen’ was filmed and the buttery-yellow church in Mondsee was where Baron von Trapp and Maria married  After dropping you off in Salzburg at the end of the tour you can visit the Pegasus Fountain in Mirabell Gardens where Maria and the children were seen dancing through the Gardens singing Do-Re-Mi.   Follow in the footsteps of the von Trapps and find out more about the family’s true story and hear the anecdotes about the filming of this international hit movie and listen to songs from the soundtrack as you go.

Note:  The above 2 options can be combined to make a Full Day Tour.

Day 8

Transfer to Munich Airport and Excursion to Freising

Depart Salzburg and drive to Munich Airport.

For those with later or next day early flights, the coach will make an optional round trip excursion to the nearby picturesque town of Freising, one of the oldest in Bavaria and famous for its Romanesque Cathedral, returning to the airport or your airport hotel later in the day.