Tour members depart on our flight for Germany. After boarding our flight, we will be served meals according to airline schedules. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the on-board entertainment.

We arrive in the morning at Berlin Airport, meeting our tour escort and embarking on our journey. First, we go on a sightseeing tour of all the highlights Berlin has to offer, visiting the grand Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of union and peace, as well as the magnificent “Reichstag”, where most important decisions are being made by the German government. If available, we will explore this politically essential building with a guide and take a walk around the spacious glass-dome, enjoying a fantastic view of the city. Then we stroll down the lovely boulevard “Unter den Linden” and visit the picturesque Museum Island, which marks Berlin’s historical center. Located here is one of the capital’s most famous buildings, the Berlin cathedral. It took a while, but by now Protestantism is well and truly rooted in Berlin. The vivid church life of the cathedral’s congregation and in the twin city Berlin-Cölln demonstrate this perfectly. Today’s final stop is the city’s most beautiful plaza, the Gendarmenmarkt, gorgeously framed by the German and French cathedrals. Dinner and overnight are in Berlin.

This morning we leave Berlin and drive to Lutherstadt Wittenberg. When it comes to Luther, there is almost no city more important than this one. The legend of the 95 theses nailed to the door of the Castle Church, though not accurate, still gets told across the world. Here, we visit this famous door, as well as the Luther House, the town hall, the historic center and the Town and Parish Church St. Marien, the oldest building in Wittenberg. Dinner and overnight are in Wittenberg.

After breakfast, we make our way to the concentration camp Buchenwald and its permanent exhibit. In the early afternoon, we continue to Erfurt. Here, we start by exploring the historic center of Erfurt on a guided walking tour and marvel at the Merchants’ Bridge – the longest continuous bridge with inhabited buildings in Europe - the Luther Memorial, the Town Hall and the Merchant’s Church. Then we explore the Fish Market, St. Mary’s Cathedral, and the ‘Anger’, the city’s central square. It was here, in this beautiful city, that Luther decided to become a monk. Afterwards, we visit the Augustinian Monastery, a place that shaped and taught the young Reformer for six years. We will take a glimpse at the small “cell”, where Luther lived during his stay in the monastery. Dinner and overnight are in Erfurt.

Today we leave Erfurt behind and travel to Eisenach where we have the chance to visit the UNESCO World Heritage site Wartburg Castle. Here, Luther found refuge during his exile and translated the New Testament from Greek into German. Then we take a look at the spartan room he lived and worked in. Afterwards, we stroll the city of Eisenach and admire all its beautiful sights, such as the Luther House and St. Georg’s Church, where Luther preached while “on the run” and later, in 1685, Johann Sebastian Bach was baptized. In the afternoon, we travel to Bad Homburg for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, we continue to Worms, one of the oldest towns in Germany. Here, we visit St. Peter’s Cathedral, an exquisite example of Romanesque architecture. In 1521, Martin Luther was summoned by Emperor Charles V to recant his teachings before the Diet of Worms. We also see where Luther made his famous “Here I Stand” declaration. We then visit the world’s largest memorial to the Reformation along with Europe’s oldest Jewish cemetery, the Holy Sands. Another Reformer named William Tyndale, finished his printing of the English Bible in Worms, escaping persecution in England. After lunch (not included), we visit Heidelberg, a gorgeous town on the Neckar River where romanticism is both past and present. Our walking tour includes the Old Town, the famous Stone Bridge over the Neckar River, the Heidelberg Castle (where the Heidelberg Confession was written in 1653), the Castle Church, German Apothecary Museum, and the Church of the Holy Ghost. After an amazing day of touring, we end the day by making our way to Strasbourg, France, for dinner and overnight.

We begin sightseeing today with a walking tour of Strasbourg. The ideas of the Reform Movement spread in Strasbourg as early as the beginning of the 16th century. These ideas helped to lay down a structure for theological education. In 1532, Martin Bucer started courses on the exegesis of Biblical books in German and in Latin, and along with others like Capiton that followed the reformed ideas, they began teaching ancient languages and many other courses that were added to the exegesis course. We will see the Statue of the Reformers at the University and also visit the Historic quarter known as La Petite-France. After our walking tour, we take a short ride to a beautiful town trapped in time, Riquewhir. Here, we have time to wander through the small streets and enjoy a delicious lunch (not included). In the afternoon, we cross into Switzerland for dinner and overnight in Zurich.

We start the day exploring the beautiful city of Zurich. During a walking tour, we will see and visit several churches, including Wasserkirche, Fraumunster and Grossmunster (where the preaching of Huldrych Zwingli initiated the Swiss-German Reformation in Switzerland). In the afternoon, we have time at leisure to explore some more or do some shopping. Dinner and overnight are in Zurich.

This morning, we make our way to the city of enjoy of Lucerne. We visit the town’s landmark, the Chapel Bridge along with the water tower. The tower was built in 1300 as part of the city wall and used as an archive, treasury, prison, and torture chamber. We see the Dying Lion of Lucerne-monument, which was carved out of natural rock in memory of the deaths of Swiss mercenaries at the Tuileries in 1792. After lunch (not included), we will continue our journey and travel through the beautiful landscape of Switzerland. We reach Lausanne in the late afternoon for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, we travel into the French-speaking Swiss Alps to the village of Huémoz where the Swiss L’Abri Fellowship is located. During our visit, we learn all about their work and their residents. It was founded in 1955 by Francis and Edith Schaeffer and is today an international study center and residential community. In the early afternoon, we continue along the picturesque Lake Geneva to our last stop during this wonderful trip, Geneva. Dinner and overnight are in Geneva.

This day is dedicated to exploring Geneva. We start with a visit to the International Museum of the Reformation. Here, we will be submersed in 500 years of Reformation history. We have the opportunity to see how the Reformation impacted lives, from their faith to their education, even how it affected areas economically. Located right next to the museum, we will have the chance for an individual inside visit of St. Peter’s Cathedral. It is here that John Calvin preached every other week from 1536 – 1564. Next, we will walk to the Reformation Wall. This memorial is built into the area that would have been the old city wall, a representation of the reclaiming and protection of the Gospel that happened here. Some of the Reformers represented in the Wall are John Calvin, William Farel, Theodore Beza, and John Knox. In the afternoon, we will have some leisure time to explore the city some more or do some shopping. Dinner and overnight are in Geneva.

Today it is time to say goodbye to Europe. We leave with a lot of great memories and fascinating experiences.