Andechs

Andechs is a destination for anyone interested in pilgrimage, monastic traditions and the distinctive details of a place. The Andechs pilgrimage has been documented since the 12th century and is considered Bavaria’s oldest pilgrimage. Other highlights include the pilgrimage church on the Holy Mountain, an annual festival with a procession, and the herb garden in the monastery’s sculpture park.

Pilgrimage and the Pilgrimage Church

The Andechs Pilgrimage Church stands at the highest point of the Holy Mountain, more than 700 metres above sea level. Its distinctive onion dome makes it a prominent feature of the local skyline. The church is dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra and Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia. Visitors who choose Andechs for its religious and cultural history will find a good starting point here for exploring the town’s long pilgrimage tradition.

Pilgrimage is not just a matter of history: more than 30,000 organised pilgrims from around 120 parishes come to Andechs each year. These numbers show how important the tradition is to many communities. When planning your trip, it is worth distinguishing between an interest in the history of the pilgrimage and a wish to attend a particular religious festival.

The Three Hosts Festival in September

The Three Hosts Festival is linked to the Andechs pilgrimage and is celebrated on the church’s consecration day, the last Sunday in September. The festive service is followed by a solemn procession in which the monstrance containing the three hosts is carried around the mountain. The festival brings together worship and community tradition in a clearly defined programme. If you would like to experience this particular event, you can plan your stay around the last Sunday in September. For a trip where pilgrimage is not the main focus, the town’s history remains an important theme even outside the festival.

Monastery Beer and Herb Garden

Another distinctive tradition is the monastery beer, which is brewed exclusively in Andechs using the traditional multiple-mash process. This method is part of the beer-making process and offers a different way to explore monastic culture than the pilgrimage. It adds a local brewing tradition to the religious and historical aspects of Andechs.

The Andechs herb garden is located in the monastery’s sculpture park and was created as an educational garden for visitors. Its raised beds were developed in collaboration with Steierl-Pharma GmbH in Herrsching, a manufacturer of natural medicines. The garden combines an interest in herbs and plants with a visitor experience expressly designed for learning. Together with the sculpture park, it appeals to travellers who would like to discover a garden as well as the pilgrimage and monastic traditions.

Andechs Monastery also has a nature playground for families with children. Families travelling with children can include it as a family-friendly activity in their selection of possible experiences; it complements the cultural and religious themes with an offering specifically intended for families with children.

Choose Andechs as Your Destination

When looking for a holiday apartment, it can help to decide first what you would like to focus on during your trip: pilgrimage and church art, monastery beer and brewing traditions, or the herb garden and nature playground? This makes it easier to assess Andechs based on which of the town’s described features interest you most. If you would like to experience the Three Hosts Festival, you should also take its date—the last Sunday in September—into account.

You can also explore other destination pages: Krailling, Herrsching Am Ammersee, Gilching, Allmannshausen, Starnberg, Tutzing, Berg and Seefeld.

Go to the main travel overview: Starnberg.