Click this link to print a general Tour Brochure: Lands of Martin Luther – General Brochure
Day 1: Depart US
Day 2: Arrive Berlin – On arrival in Berlin, we will meet our coach driver and tour guide. A local guide will join us for a guided tour of Berlin including stops at the famous Brandenburg Gate for photos. We will also see the Cathedral, the Reichstag building and the lively boulevards, and Cold War Check Point Charlie Museum. Dinner is at our hotel in Berlin this evening.
Day 3: Berlin to Wittenberg – After a relaxed breakfast, we will visit Sanssouci Palace and Gardens in Potsdam, the summer residence of Frederick the Great and his retreat from the challenges of war and diplomacy. Sanssouci was built between 1745 and 1747, in an Italian rococo style. The gardens were created by Peter Joseph LennĂ©, Prussia’s greatest landscape gardener. We will arrive in Wittenberg mid-afternoon and join the Wittenberg English Ministry service, where we will worship with believers from all over the world. We will dine at our hotel this evening.
Day 4: Tour Wittemberg – Our guided tour of Wittenberg will take us to the main sites connected with Martin Luther, including the Schlosskirche (Castle Church) where he nailed his famous 95 Theses to the door in 1517. Although the original door was destroyed in a fire, the replica has all 95 Theses in bronze, which is magnificent. We will visit St. Mary’s Church and tour the Lutherhalle (Luther House) Museum, where Luther lived for 35 years. It was here that he had his pivotal “Tower Experience” while reading Romans 1:17.The afternoon is at leisure and we will meet up again for our evening meal at our hotel.
Day 5: Erfurt – After breakfast we will drive to Erfurt, where Luther spent time as a monk. Our guide will take us on a walking tour including St. Mary’s Cathedral where Luther was ordained. We’ll also tour the Augustinian Monastery and its Luther exhibition, including a typical cell from Luther’s time. We will end the tour with a special service in the chapel. We will dine at our hotel this evening. Our guide will lead an optional evening walk to see the floodlit cathedral and lively cafes
Day 6: Erfurt – Day Trip to Eisenach – Our day trip today is to nearby Eisenach, beginning with a tour of Wartburg Castle. In 1521, while fleeing from the wrath of the Pope, Luther took refuge in the castle after a fake kidnapping staged by his friend and protector, Frederick the Wise. We will tour the Wartburg and see where Luther finished translating the New Testament into German in just 11 weeks. Luther spent time in the nearby town of Eisenach at as school boy and sang in the choir of St. George’s Church, where the Bach family also worshiped. The afternoon is free to explore the town or tour the Bach Museum and Luther House Museum. We will return to Erfurt at the end of the day.
Day 7: Worms / Heidelberg – Drive to WORMS for a walking tour to see the Reformation Monument; it was here, during the Imperial Diet in 1521 that Martin Luther challenged the entire Roman Catholic establishment by his refusal to recant the great doctrines of Protestantism. Continue to Heidelberg for dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Heidelberg Castle and Tour – Enjoy Heidelberg, a gorgeous town on the Neckar River. The castle, once a royal residence, was the capital of the Rhineland Palatinate. It was destroyed in 1671 and is now a fascinating ruin. During the Reformation, the local rulers embraced Protestantism, then turned to Calvinism and the Heidelberg Catechism was finalized here in 1563. We will dine in our hotel this evening
Day 9: Black Forest Open Air Museum – After a leisurely breakfast, we will drive through the scenic Black Forest region. We will visit the Black Forest Open Air Museum where we can see impressive, fully furnished Black Forest farm houses built from the 16th to the 19th century. We will have time to walk around the museum and purchase regional delicacies in the on-site restaurant. In the afternoon we cross over in Switzerland and check into our hotel in Zurich. We will dine in our hotel this evening.
Day 10: Reformation Tour of Zurich / Luzern sightseeing – We will take a tour of Zurich today, to learn about Zwingli and the Anabaptists on a tour of the key Reformation. We will tour the GrossmĂĽnster, the Helferei (where Zwingli lived) and see the Zwingli Statue. Other notable sites are the FraumĂĽnster (the famous Catholic Cathedral) with its Marc Chagall windows. After a stroll through the historic Auld Stadt (old city) we will have free time before we continue to Lucerne; Lucerne has a picturesque lakeside setting against an impressive mountain backdrop and is often referred to as “the essence of Switzerland; dinner.
Day 11: Reformation Tour of Geneva – Our short morning tour of city will include the 14th century Chapel Bridge, which is the most photographed monument in Switzerland. Mark Twain described the Lion Monument as “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world” We continue to Geneva. where Calvin, Knox, Farel and others brought Christ’s teachings to eager listeners. Our tour will begin at the impressive Reformation Monument. Four statues of four Reformation leaders stand as sentinels to truth and courage inspired by godly faith. We will see Calvin’s church, the Auditoire de Calvin, (Calvin’s Academy, also known as The Protestant Lecture Hall), where the inspired theologian himself taught. Next door is St. Pierre’s Cathedral, where John Calvin preached. We can see his chair and a restored section decorated as it would have been before Calvin. Our final stop is an audio guide tour through the incredible Reformation Museum. Below the museum and the Cathedral, we can see the ruins of a Roman sanctuary, a 4th-century basilica, and a 6th-century church. We have free time this afternoon to experience these key sites before we dine at a local restaurant this evening.
Day 12: Departure