The Stams Abbey with its beautiful abbey church and the new museum can be visited all year round
Image gallery: Stams Abbey Museum
The Cistercian monastery of Stams (Lat. Abbatia B. M. V. et Sancti Ioannis Baptistae de Stams) was founded in the 13th century by the Counts of Gorizia-Tyrol, and was meant to become the grave-site of the Counts of Tyrol. Several years later, 12 monks and 5 co-religionists of the Kaisheim Monastery in Swabia settled the monastery. In the 19th and 20th century, it was dissolved twice...
The centre of the entire complex is the abbey church, which in 1984 was raised to a "Basilica Minor". Particularly impressive are the paintings in the vaults and on the murals, as well as the early Baroque high altar in the form of a Tree of Life. In the plain and simple library of the Stams Abbey 60,000 volumes, 379 incunabula, and 61 hand-writings are preserved. The most important document of this comprehensive collection is the foundation document of the Stams Abbey (Stift Stams), issued by Meinhard II in 1275. Furthermore you can visit the Bernardi Hall and the cloister.
A few years ago, the Abbey Museum was added: It shows sparkling items made of gold and silver, chasubles, furniture, paintings, and curiosities such as the Astronomic Table from 1425 AD and the pharmacy from the 18th century. The abbey runs also a distillery, in which since the 16th century schnapps have been distilled: The fruits for the production are cultivated in the own orchards.
Contact info
- Stiftshof 1 - 6422 - Stams
- Guided tours or visits upon reservation.
- +43 5263 6242
- verwaltung@stiftstams.at
Opening times
Despite careful control we cannot guarantee the correctness of the provided data.
Admission
guided abbey tour with admission to the museum:
€ 13.50 adults
€ 11.00 groups
€ 11.00 seniors
€ 7.00 students
€ 7.00 people with disabilities
-------------------------------------------
guided abbey tour without basilica (if closed):
€ 8.50 adults
€ 6.50 seniors
€ 5.50 students
€ 5.50 people with disabilities
More information
The Stams Abbey stays open all year round and is accessible only during a guided abbey tour (basilica, cloister, Bernardi hall and museum): Guided tours are offered every Thursday at 4 pm, for groups of 15 and more persons also outside the opening hours. The tickets are available at the shop in the orangery. Please ask in advance if the guided tour will take place!
In the summer months from June to September, the museum can be visited every day without guide. During these months, guided abbey tours are offered from Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 11 am and from 1 pm to 4 pm, on Sundays and on public holidays from 1 pm to 4 pm.
Autumn-winter season start on October 3, summer season start 2025 on the 1st of June.
