Itinerary
DAY 1: Departure
DAY 2: Frankfurt - Worms Arrive at Frankfurt airport. Meet and greet by your English speaking Tour Escort and transfer to your hotel in Worms, a city with a unique culture and history. After check in, enjoy a walking tour and see the Luther Monument, the Emperors`and Bishops`Palace, the Imperial Cathedral and more. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Worms.
DAY 3: Worms- Erfurt After breakfast the journey goes on to the Wartburg Castle towering 560 feet above the valley, where Luther, disguised as a nobleman, took shelter from the wrath of the Pope when he translated the New Testament from Greek into German. Afterwards head on for excursion to Eisenach in the Thuringian Forest. Little has changed since the Middle Ages. Visit the Luther House where Luther was educated from 1498 to 1501. Your final destination for today is Erfurt, the historical capital of Thuringia. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Erfurt.
DAY 4: Erfurt After breakfast enjoy a walking tour of Erfurt, the historical capital of Thuringia. Visit Cathedral Hill with the impressive twin churches and the Augustinian monastery, where Luther lived as a monk from 1505-1507. In the afternoon an excursion to Weimar will show you the hometown of such luminaries as Bach, Goethe, Schiller, and Herder; and in music the piano virtuosi Hummel (a pupil of Mozart) and Liszt. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Erfurt.
DAY 5: Erfurt-Eisleben-Halle-Leipzig After breakfast we continue our journey to Eisleben, where Luther was born and died. Afterwards we travel to Halle, where we walk around the lovely market place. Afterwards your travel goes on to today’s final destination Leipzig – the city where you can find the oldest universities of whole Germany.
DAY 6: Leipzig-Wittenberg-Berlin After city tour Leipzig travel to Wittenberg where Luther lived and worked from 1508-1546. Wittenberg is known as the Cradle of the Reformation. It is here where Luther first published his German translation of the New Testament. Enjoy a walking tour of this charming town. On your journey in the footsteps of the great Reformer you should not miss the Palace Church with its Theses door, the graves of Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchton, St. Mary’s Paris Church with it’s Cranach altar and of course the Melanchthon House. Continue to Berlin – the capital city of Germany B / D. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Berlin.
DAY 7: Berlin After breakfast the city tour shows you the city of Berlin and how it has changed in the last three centuries. Besides its unique historic sights, such as the Brandenburger Tor and Reichstag building, famous squares such as Gendarmenmarkt and Potsdamer Platz, grand boulevards like Unter den Linden and Kurfuerstendamm, you will pass Charlottenburg Palace and former Checkpoint Charlie, a symbol of the formerly divided city. You will also see the Memorial Church as well as the Museum’s Island with an interior visit to the Pergamon Museum. Balance of the day will be at leisure. Of course you should not miss a stop at Berlin’s most famous “Curry Bratwurst” stall, a very typical Berlin institution. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Berlin.
DAY 8: Berlin-Potsdam-Dresden After breakfast excursion to the historic and cultural city of Potsdam. Potsdam, the former seat of the Prussian kings and with a past covering more than 1000 years, presents itself as the capital of the federal state of Brandenburg. Tour the marvellous gardens of Sanssouci Palace, and visit Sanssouci itself or one of the other famed Potsdam palaces. The 18th- and 19th-century castles, palaces, churches and parks are significant architectural monuments of the Wold Cultural heritage and give you the opportunity of experiencing Prussian and German history. Afternoon continue bus drive to Dresden. Dinner and overnight in a hotel in or around Dresden.
DAY 9: Dresden After breakfast enjoy a tour starting on the right bank of the Elbe River, with an introduction to the most beautiful aspects of the city: the Neustadt Quarter with Baroque and period townhouses and the Elbe palaces. Cross to the historical centre of Dresden on the left bank of the Elbe, at the peak of a graceful river bend. Stroll across Theaterplatz, through the Zwinger Coutyard, passing the cathedral, the Procession of Princes, the Semper Opera and the Bruehl Terrace. In spite of past destruction during the Second Wold War, the people of Dresden have joined together over the past years to rebuild their city. Visit one of these buildings – the Frauenkirche with its incredible baroque architecture. Afternoon at leisure. Dinner and overnight at hotel in or around Dresden.
DAY 10: Dresden-Coburg-Nuremberg After breakfast travel to Coburg. It is here where Luther found refuge in the Veste Coburg fortress during the Imperial Diet in Augsburg in 1530. Visit the Veste Coburg and continue to Nuremberg. During Reformation Nuremberg was Germany's most important city in the centre of religious developments, which Luther visited several times. Afternoon walking tour of Nuremberg. Here one will find the marks of a 900- year history at every turn: the Imperial castle, the Gothic church of St. Lorenz and St. Sebald church, the carillon of the Frauenkirche on the central market square and the home of Albrecht Duerer. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Nuremberg
DAY 11: Nuremberg-Augsburg After breakfast take a drive to your next destination Augsburg - the over 2000 years old city founded by the Romans at the confluence between Lech and Wertach. The face of Augsburg has been shaped by its 2000-year history and within it the styles of all the major architectural periods are to be found. Fine spacious streets, monumental fountains and distinctive public buildings recall the profound thought and planning of the earlier citizens of Augsburg. The merchant Jakob Fugger, the composer Leopold Mozart and the writer Berthold Brecht are famous sons of the city. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Augsburg.
DAY 12: Augsburg-Oberammergau Drive on the Romantic Road to Royal Castle Neuschwanstein for a visit of this incredible fairytale fortress, built by Dream-King Ludwig II. On the way make a stop to visit the Church in the Meadow (Kirche in der Wies), a jewel among rococo churches in Europe. Particularly with regard to the Passion Play this visit is especially memorable because one can recognize many of the performed scenes in the various mural paintings and ceiling frescos. En route you will see the Benedictine Monastery at Ettal. Dinner and overnight in or around Oberammergau.
DAY 13: Oberammergau Passion Play The history of the Passion Play at Oberammergau goes back to 1634, when the quaint alpine village of Oberammergau was threatened by the deadly and contagious disease known as the Black Plague that scourged Europe, killing two-thirds of the population of Germany. The people of Oberammergau vowed that if the village could be spared, a re-enactment of the life and suffering of Christ would be performed.The village was miraculously saved from the ravages of the Black Death. Since that date, the play has been performed every ten years. Spend a leisure morning in Oberammergau. After lunch take seats in the theater to attend the performance of the world-famous Passion Play. This Play is performed by local villagers – often roles are handed down from generation to generation within families. Dinner is included during a 3 hours break in the late afternoon. Performance lasts until 10:30 PM. Dinner and Overnight in or around Oberammergau.
DAY 14: Oberammergau-Munich Board your motorcoach and enjoy the fascinating trip to the Bavarian capital of Munich, passing Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which is situated right at the foot of the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest peak. Enjoy the scenic route while driving along Lake Kochelsee and Lake Walchensee. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Munich.
DAY 15: Munich Start the day with a morning sightseeing tour of Munich. First visit the Palace of Nymphenburg, former residence of Ludwig I, King of Bavaria. It is famous for its “Gallery of Beauty”, a collection of paintings of the most beautiful women of Ludwig’s day. Pass the former Olympic grounds, see the classical buildings and many other interesting places as Royal Square (Koenigsplatz), Ludwigstreet, the University etc. Take a walk through the traditional center of the city with the Church of the Lady (Frauenkirche Cathedral) and Marienplatz where you can view the famous Glockenspiel. Afternoon at leisure. Enjoy farewell dinner with Bavarian folklore show in the evening. Overnight at hotel.
DAY 16: Munich Transfer to Munich airport for return flight.