8 DAY REFORMATION TOUR
to
GERMANY
With an option to extend your time
in Germany
Day 1 - Monday - NEW YORK / BERLIN
We begin our adventure by leaving our respective cities, and joining together in New York where we will receive a warm welcome from our tour hosts and meet our fellow travelers. We will depart via Wide body aircraft and arrive in Berlin the next morning. Meals will be served on board.
Day 2 - Tuesday - BERLIN
Upon arrival we will be met and taken to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 3 - Wednesday - BERLIN
This morning our guided tour of Berlin includes a stop at Charlottenburg Palace and Museum, the Berlin Wall Museum, and the infamous Checkpoint Charlie. We then depart for Potsdam, to view some of the most extravagant architecture of the 18th century. We will tour Sansoucci Palace and Park, built by Frederick of Prussia in 1745, before returning to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 4 -Thursday - BERLIN / WITTENBERG / LEIPZIG
Today we drive south to Wittenberg, the birthplace of the Reformation. We will visit the All Saints Castle Church where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door, and where both Luther and Melancthon, another great reformer, are buried. We will also visit the Luther House, acclaimed as the best of all the Reformation museums in the world. Continue on to Leipzig where we see the famous Thomas Church, where Martin Luther preached in 1539 and Johann Sebastian Bach served as organist and choirmaster. We will also visit the Bach House and museum as well as the home of composer Felix Mendelssohn. Continue to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 5 - Friday - LEIPZIG / EISLEBEN / ERFURT
We depart this morning for Eisleben, one of the most significant places in Martin Luther's life. We will visit the houses of his birth and death, as well as the Church of St. Peter and Paul, where he was christened. We will also see St. Andrew's church where he preached his last sermon, and the lovely St. Anne's Church with its famous Biblical scenes hewn in stone. Then it's on to Erfurt, where Luther studied at the University before becoming a monk. We will visit the beautifully restored Augustinian monastery including the Luther memorial, and see the magnificent Cathedral and Church of St. Severi's. Check into our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 6 -Saturday - ERFURT / EISENACH / FRANKFURT
This morning we visit the imposing Wartburg Castle where in 1521 Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German. In Eisenach, we will tour the Luther House Museum and see the birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach. Enjoy our scenic ride this afternoon as we make our way to Frankfurt. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 7 - Sunday - FRANKFURT - MAINZ / RHINE TRIP
Our day begins with a short drive to Mainz, home of the Cathedral where the selling of indulgences was the catalyst for Martin Luther's writing of the "95 Theses" and the start of the Reformation. We will visit the Cathedral as well as the Gutenberg Museum, where will see the first moveable type press and the Bible it produced. We then travel north to St. Goar, where we board our steamer for a delightful cruise on the Rhine River, passing castle ruins and pastoral countryside along the way. After disembarking, we head back to Frankfurt to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 8 - Monday - FRANKFURT / ZURICH / NEW YORK
This morning we transfer to the airport where we board our flight home full of fond memories of the places we have seen and the friends we have made.
OR CONTINUE ON WITH THE OPTIONAL EXTENSION IN GERMANY
Day 8 - Monday - FRANKFURT / WORMS / HEIDELBERG / ROTHENBERG
Our day begins with a short drive to Worms, site of the famous Diet of Worms in 1521. We will visit the Cathedral where Martin Luther refused to recant his beliefs before the leaders of the church and the state. We will also visit the impressive Reformation Monument, which honors many of the reformation leaders. Next we travel to Heidelberg, the location of Germany's oldest university. We will visit the ruins of Heidelberg Castle, and view the beautiful Stone Bridge. Then we travel south to Rothenberg, where we will check into the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 9 -Tuesday - ROTHENBERG / AUGSBURG / MUNICH
This morning we tour this scenic village where time seems to have stood still. We will see the main points of interest, and also have time to explore the cobblestone streets and quaint shops on our own. Next we drive the Romantic Road to Augsburg, where at St. Anne's Church, Luther made his most impassioned defense against the Church of Rome in 1518, and the signing of the Augsburg Confession took place in 1530. We will visit St. Anne's Church with its intimate Luther courtyard, see the Renaissance-style Town Hall, and view the impressive Augustus fountain as well. Continue on to the Bavarian capital of Munich for dinner and overnight.
Day 10 -Wednesday - MUNICH
This morning our tour of the city features the Marienplatz, the Glockenspiel, and the Olympic Park. Traveling through the beautiful countryside our last stop will be at Bavaria's most famous castle, Neuschwanstein. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 11 -Thursday - MUNICH / ZURICH / NEW YORK
We continue our journey home today, cherishing our memories of the wonderful times we had and the new friends we made.
