New Year's Silent Retreat at Ottobeuren Abbey — Embracing the New in Silence

The rooms are simply furnished and feature a window offering a view of the outdoors.
Cost of lodging, meals, and visitor’s tax: €372

The room and the monastery grounds offer just the right atmosphere to help you reconnect with yourself and strengthen your sense of connection—whether to yourself or to all of creation.

Meals at the Benedictine Abbey of Ottobeuren are typically served as full board in a home-style setting, featuring many products grown in the abbey’s own garden. They are usually enjoyed together in the dining hall of the guest wing, often as a buffet or set menu, with vegetarian options and special dietary accommodations available upon request.

It is home-style cooking—often vegetarian—that emphasizes fresh, regional ingredients, some of which come directly from the monastery itself.

In summary: It is hearty, monastic dining in a communal setting that relies on tradition and homegrown produce, often in very beautiful surroundings.

Thursday: Rooms are available starting at 3:00 p.m.
Arrival and orientation in the house and the surrounding area
Dinner together to get to know one another
Introduction to the retreat and the practice of silence

Friday: The day alternates between mindfulness exercises, meditations, and personal time.

Saturday: Mindfulness exercises, meditations, and personal time. Personal coaching is available at any time as needed.

Sunday: The day begins with mindfulness exercises, and practice continues until shortly before lunch—followed by the breaking of the silence. Group lunch with discussion and closing remarks.

Whenever possible, mindfulness practice will also take place outdoors.

Guidance on transitioning from the retreat (a safe space) back to everyday life. A gentle re-entry into reality to maintain relaxation and inner stability for as long as possible.

The days begin at 7:00 a.m., and after dinner, there is an evening practice session until approximately 9:15 p.m.

Ottobeuren, a Kneipp spa town in the picturesque valley of the western Günz River, is located 11 km southeast of Memmingen.

By car:

From the A7 (Ulm–Kempten), take the Memmingen-Süd exit and then follow the signs to Ottobeuren.

From the A96 (Munich–Lindau), take the Erkheim-Ottobeuren exit and then follow the signs to Ottobeuren.

By train:

From the Memmingen train station (Ulm–Kempten line) or Sontheim (
Munich–Memmingen line), there are regular bus connections to Ottobeuren.