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.

After arriving in Berlin, we are met by our tour guide and board our motor coach to begin touring the city. Our sightseeing tour includes the citycenter with the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Nicolai quarter, the boulevard Unter den Linden, Checkpoint Charlie, Charlottenburg Castle and Brandenburg Gate. We also will visit the Holocaust Memorial before having some time have lunch (on our own) shop and find time to visit some of the amazing chocolate shops in Berlin. If time permits, we visit the Reichstag Building, which offers spectacular views of the surrounding sights. Dinner and overnight are in Berlin.

After our plentiful German breakfast, we have a short drive through the German countryside to Wittenberg, which was the main workplace of Martin Luther from 1508. We visit Luther Hall, the Augustinian monastery where Luther lived as a monk and again in 1525 as owner with his wife and family. Luther Hall is the largest museum of Reformation history in the world. We visit the Market Square and Town Hall. We have a break for lunch (on your own) then we tour All Saints Church, the famous site where Luther posted his 95 Theses on the Castle Church door, sparking the beginning of the Reformation. It is here that Luther is buried alongside his fellow reformer, Philipp Melanchthon. We tour St. Mary’s Church, where Luther did the majority of his preaching. In the evening, we enjoy a scenic drive to visit the majestic city of Leipzig for dinner and overnight.

In the morning, we visit St. Nicholas Church, the home of the faithful “Pray for Peace” Christians and the powerful force that transformed Germany’s East and West. We visit the magnificent St. Thomas Church where Luther preached and Johann Sebastian Bach performed and directed the famous St. Thomas Boys’ Choir. It was here that Schiller wrote his immortal “Ode to Joy,” later to be adopted as the principal theme of “Beethoven’s 9th Symphony” (which was also written in Leipzig). Next, we drive to Eisleben and tour the house where Luther was born in 1483 and the house where he died in 1546. We then continue to the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul where Luther was baptized, then on to St. Andrew’s Church, where Luther preached his last four sermons and where his body was laid in state. In the afternoon, we continue to Erfurt, the spiritual home of Martin Luther. It was here that Luther obtained a Bachelor’s degree in 1502 and a Master’s in 1505. He also took the decisive step here to turn to theology and the monastic life, when he was caught in a violent thunderstorm nearby and took a vow to become a monk. Before we check into our hotel, we visit the Augustinian Monastery, with a permanent exhibit depicting Luther’s life as a monk. Dinner and overnight are in Erfurt.

Today we start with a walking tour and see the city highlights, like Krämer Bridge, Fish Market and Town Hall, as well as the historical section of the city including St. Mary’s Cathedral, where Luther was ordained as a priest, and Church of St. Severus. After we drive to nearby Eisenach and tour the magnificent Wartburg Castle where Luther, disguised as “Junker Jörg” (the Knight George), translated the New Testament into German. Then we enjoy a city tour, including a visit to the famous Luther House and the St. Georg Cathedral. We also visit the Bach House. Housed at this museum is an extensive collection of instruments from the 16th to 19th century and a permanent exhibition on the life and work of J.S. Bach. Here we enjoy a musical performance on historical instruments. We stay in Eisenach for overnight and dinner.

This morning we make our way to Coburg, here we visit Veste Coburg, one of the largest and best-preserved medieval castles in Germany. Next, we continue on to the charming wine village of Rüdesheim, which dates back to before the Roman era. We enjoy a relaxing sightseeing cruise along the Rhine River, one of the most picturesque stretches of this majestic waterway. We’ll sail past magnificent castles and the famous Loreley rock. After, we learn about the history in wine-making in Rüdesheim and the history of the city. We conclude our day with a dinner including a wine-tasting. Overnight is in Rüdesheim.

After breakfast, we drive to Worms, thought to be one of the oldest towns in Germany. Here we visit St. Peter’s Cathedral, situated on the highest elevation of the inner city. This cathedral is one of the most exquisite examples of Romanesque architecture. The cathedral was also the scene of several milestones of European history: In 1521, Martin Luther was summoned here by Emperor Charles V to recant his teachings before the Diet of Worms, a historic assembly that was to change the course of Christianity. Here we see the marker where Luther made his famous “Here I Stand” declaration. We continue to visit the world’s largest Memorial to the Reformation and then Europe’s oldest Jewish cemetery, the Holy Sands. Then we travel to Speyer to visit the Imperial Cathedral of Speyer, the biggest historic architectural monument of its time and burial place of eight Holy Roman emperors and German kings. There is a wonderful display of ancient relics here. We will tour this fantastic town by foot through the Altportal (old gate). Finally, we reach Heidelberg the gorgeous town on the Neckar River, where romanticism is both past and present. Our walking tour includes the Heidelberg Castle (where the Heidelberg Confession was written in 1653), Castle Church, German Apothecary Museum, Old Town, and the famous Stone Bridge over the Neckar River. Dinner and overnight are in Heidelberg or nearby.

After breakfast, we cross the border of France and visit the city of Strasbourg, known as one of Europe’s most beautiful cities and home of the European Union’s Parliament. We tour the Cathedral of Strasbourg, featuring carvings as delicate as lacework. We stop in the historic La Petite Strasbourg, a riverfront neighborhood that appears to be straight out of a fairytale book. Afterwards, we cross back into Germany for our visit to Triberg in the Black Forest region. Triberg is also the world capital for cuckoo-clocks and if time permits, we will visit a cuckoo-clock factory. Dinner and overnight are in Triberg.

Today we visit what is said to be Germany’s highest waterfalls. Foaming and thundering, the water masses of the Gutach River take a headlong plunge into a depth of 163 meters. We take some time to enjoy this magnificent spectacle of nature. The falls follow the course of the river over seven cascades. Our day continues to be filled with breathtaking sights as we cross over the border and visit the spectacular natural beauty at Rhine Falls in Switzerland, Europe’s largest waterfall. Dinner and overnight are in the Lake Bodensee area.

Today we drive around Lake Bodensee back into Germany, and through the Bavarian Alps. We stop for a guided tour and spectacular photo opportunity to see Neuschwanstein Castle, the famous fairytale castle of King Ludwig. This fantastic castle was the inspiration for Walt Disney’s castles. Next, we visit Linderhof Castle, one of King Ludwig’s personal residences with its ornate suites and Venus grotto. We enjoy dinner and overnight nearby.

Today we visit Munich, the fun-filled capital of Bavaria. Our sightseeing tour highlights the Old Pinakothek Museum, Olympic Park, Deutsches Museum, Nymphenburg Palace, the Town Hall and its famous Glockenspiel. We have free time in the afternoon to stroll through the Marienplatz with its numerous shops or visit the fresh produce and flower markets. You could also visit the world famous Hofbrauhaus, complete with authentic Bavarian food and entertainment. This evening we gather for our Farewell Dinner and our final overnight in Munich.

We transfer to the Munich Airport this morning for our flight to the U.S.A. We arrive home the same day.