Day 1 (Tue.)
Board your overnight transatlantic flight.
Day 2 Arrival in Berlin, Germany. (Wed.)
Transfer to your hotel. Balance of the day is at leisure. Enjoy this evening’s welcome dinner with your traveling companions. (D)
Day 3 Berlin–Wittenberg–Eisleben–Leipzig. (Thu.)
After an orientation drive of Berlin journey to Wittenberg, Luther’s home for 30-plus years and birthplace of the Reformation. Enjoy a guided walking tour and visit the REFORMATION MUSEUM, the LUTHER HOUSE, ST. MARY’S CHURCH where he preached, and CASTLE CHURCH where he hung his 95 Theses. Also visit MARTIN LUTHER’S TOMB. Afterward, travel to Eisleben and visit two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: LUTHER’S BIRTHPLACE and the STERBEHAUS MUSEUM, home of his last residence. Then visit ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH where he preached his last sermon, followed by a visit to the ST. PETER AND PAUL CHURCH where Luther was baptized. (BB,D)
Day 4 Leipzig–Eisenach–Erfurt. (Fri.)
This morning visit ST. THOMAS CHURCH where Johann Sebastian Bach spent 27 years as choirmaster and where Luther preached. Afterward, visit ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH where the 1989 peaceful revolution in Germany began. Continue to Eisenach for a visit to WARTBURG CASTLE where Luther translated the Bible. Also visit the LUTHER AND JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH MEMORIALS as well as the LUTHER HOUSE where he lived during grammar school. Then visit ST. GEORGE’S CHURCH where he sang in the church’s boy choir. Depart for Erfurt. (BB,D)
Day 5 Erfurt–Coburg–Frankfurt. (Sat.)
Today visit the AUGUSTINIAN MONASTERY where Luther lived as a monk. Also visit the MERCHANTS’ BRIDGE. Continue to Coburg where Luther stayed in 1530 for the Augsburg Imperial Diet. Visit COBURG FORTRESS. Continue to Frankfurt for an orientation drive and overnight stay. (BB,D)
Day 6 Frankfurt. Rhine Cruise and Excursion to Mainz. (Sun.)
Two major highlights today: a romantic RHINE CRUISE, as well as a visit to the GUTENBERG MUSEUM in Mainz to see original copies of the Bible. (BB)
Day 7 Frankfurt–Worms–Heidelberg–Rothenburg. (Mon.)
Stop in Worms, where the Imperial Council passed judgment on Luther in 1521. Visit the CATHEDRAL where Luther presented his case, as well as TRINITY CHURCH and the famed REFORMATION MONUMENT. Next, stop in Heidelberg and take pictures of its red-walled castle. Continue to Rothenburg, one of Germany’s bestpreserved medieval cities. (BB,D)
Day 8 Rothenburg. Excursion to Nuremberg. (Tue.)
On the walking tour of Rothenburg discover sites like ST. JACOB’S CHURCH with the renowned Blood Altar. Journey to Nuremberg, the first town to accept the Reformation in 1525. Orientation includes a visit to the famous LUTHERAN LORENZ CHURCH. (BB)
Day 9 Rothenburg–Augsburg–Munich. (Wed.)
Today’s guided sightseeing reveals the city where Luther and his followers proclaimed their beliefs. Continue to Munich and enjoy an orientation tour. (BB)
Day 10 Munich–Zurich, Switzerland–Geneva. (Thu.)
This morning travel through the Alps to Zurich for an orientation tour, including a visit to GROSSMUNSTER CHURCH, the mother church of the Reformation in Switzerland under Ulrich Zwingli. Also see the HELFEREI where Zwingli lived. Visit the GUILD HALL and MUSEUM with displays and art from the Swiss Reformation as well as the FRAUMUNSTER CHURCH, known for Chagall’s stained-glass windows. Then enjoy a comfortable drive to Geneva, where John Calvin and John Knox preached. (BB,D)
Day 11 Geneva. (Fri.)
Your orientation drive this morning features the United Nations Headquarters, the Red Cross Headquarters, and the World Council of Churches Headquarters and a stop at the REFORMATION MONUMENT. Also visit ST. PETER’S CATHEDRAL where John Calvin served. Balance of day is at leisure. Enjoy this evening’s farewell dinner. (BB,D)
Day 12 (Sat.)
Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (BB)
