Footsteps of Luther-6 Days Reformation

Day 1 ARRIVAL BERLIN

Upon arrival in Berlin you will be met by your local guide who will assist with the luggage. Transfer to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 2 BERLIN/ WITTENBERG

Enjoy a half day sightseeing tour of reunified Berlin. Your tour features the highlights of the former East and West parts of the town. Drive past St. Hedwig's Cathedral and Berlin's landmark, the Brandenburg Gate. See Checkpoint Charlie. Continue your tour along "Unter den Linden", the main street of former Greater Berlin. Depart Berlin for Wittenberg situated on the northern shores of the Elbe River. In 1502, the University of Wittenberg was founded and in 1508, Martin Luther received his professorship. Luther had lived in this town for over 30 years and he served both as a professor and pastor. You will first tour the old University and then visit the Luther House where Luther lived and worked, the Castle Church containing Luther's tomb and where he, in 1517, posted his 95 theses on the front door of Castle Church. Dinner and overnight.

Day 3 WITTENBERG/ EISLEBEN/ EISENACH

Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for Eisleben, the 1000-year-old town where Martin Luther was born in 1483 and died in 1546. Visit the birthplace of Martin Luther which now houses Bibles, pamphlets and coins from the Reformation. You will also visit Death Room which includes Luther's Death Mask and the Chamber of Luther with its original letters and portraits of Luther. Another highlight is your visit to St. Andreas Church with its precious Late Gothic altar side-piece (1500) and where the Great Reformer preached his last sermon. Continue to Erfurt, which is older than 1200 years and harmoniously combines the historical buildings of a city center from the Middle Ages with the modern structures of our times. Visit the St. Augustine Monastery where Luther began his studies and was admitted to the Hermit Order in 1505. He lived here until 1507. Admire the Cathedral's late Gothic style windows, then visit St. Severus Church with its five knaves. Your sightseeing tour will be continued with a visit to Krae mer Bruecke, a 600-year-old street on a bridge with 33 framework houses dating back to the Baroque and Renaissance periods. This bridge is preserved as the only one of its kind north of the Alps. Continue to Eisenach for dinner and overnight.

Day 4 EISENACH/ FRANKFURT

See Eisenach, the birthplace of the renowned Johann Sebastian Bach (March 21, 1685). Visit Eisenach's prestigious landmark, the Wartburg Castle, where Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German. In the town's center lies the Old Market Square surrounded by such outstanding historical buildings as the Baroque Castle, the 16th-century Old Town Hall, the late Gothic Residence with its precious Renaissance portal, the house of Luther, the baroque Church of the Crucifixion, and Bach's birthplace. Then leave Eisennach and drive on the fast moving Autobahn pass Frankfurt along the shores of the Rhine River to the little town of Assmannshausen, with its terraced vineyards and where some of Germany's best red wine is produced. Arrive at your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 5 MAINZ/WORMS/HEIDELBERG

Drive to Worms to see the Luther Monument that commemorates Luther's appearance before the Diet. The museum, located in the former church of St. Andrews, gives a deeper insight into the role that Luther played during the Imperial Diet of 1521. Stop in Mainz to visit the Guttenberg Museum-showing the first machine that could print from movable type. Continue to one of the oldest university towns of Europe, Heidelberg. Walk through the twisting cobblestone alleys of the Old City to see the "Witch's Tower," the remnants of the medieval city walls, the Town Hall built in the late 18th Century with its enchanting chimes, the Old University with its world-famous "Karzer" (the cell in which impetuous students were locked up), and the original student taverns. Check into your hotel for dinner and overnight.

OPTIONAL:

Afternoon cruise on "Father Rhine." Sail past lovely hills with countless vineyards and picturesque ruins of old medieval castles. Cruise along the winding shores and admire the tiny romantic towns nestled serenely between the hills. There is not a castle, town or rock along the entire length of the Rhine without its legendary tale of chivalry and romance. You will pass the most famous of these legendary landmarks - the "Loreley Rock" with its esteemed place in German literature. (Not included in the price.)

Day 6 DEPART GERMANY

Leave your hotel after breakfast and drive to Frankfurt International Airport for your flight home enriched with memories of the visit to Germany and "Lutherland".

Tour Host Benefits: ONE FREE FOR EVERY 5 PAYING TRAVELERS