Key: IF = In Flight Meals, B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner
Day 1: Friday, April 26, 2024: Depart
We will depart from the USA. Group flights can be arranged. Reformation Tours can also arrange pre-tour nights in Prague for anyone who wishes to travel before the tour begins. (IF)
Day 2: Saturday, April 27, 202: Arrival in Prague
When we arrive in Prague, our Reformation Tours’ Tour Director will greet and escort us to our waiting deluxe, air-conditioned motor coach. We will have some free time for lunch, then our expert local guide will take us on a walking tour focused on Jan Hus, the leading personality of the Czech Reformation movement. We’ll visit Bethlehem Chapel where he preached (possibly closed for renovations) and see the Hus monument outside Týn Church. Hus was a contemporary of John Wycliffe and was heavily influenced by his writings. They both agreed that all Christians are members of Christ’s church, and that Jesus is the head. We will end the day with our welcome meal at the hotel. (IF/D)
Day 3: Sunday, April 28, 2024: Prague
This morning we’ll have the opportunity to attend an English-language church service or have free time. In the afternoon we will explore Prague Castle, a complex of palaces, courtyards, streets and churches including St. Vitus Cathedral, which took 600 years to complete. We will then take a stroll across Charles Bridge, past the famous statues to the Old Town Square. We will finish by the Jan Hus Monument, built to commemorate the 500th anniversary of his martyrdom. This evening we will have fun at a Czech dinner, including seeing folk dancing. (B/D)
Day 4: Monday, April 29, 2024: Prague, Wittenberg
We will cross the border into Germany this morning and travel to Lutherstadt Wittenberg. It was here in 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church (Schlosskirche). Although the original doors were destroyed in the Seven Years War, we can see Luther’s texts cast in bronze on the new doors. Our local guide will take us to St. Mary’s Church where Luther regularly preached. We can also visit the Old Latin School next door. Luther’s former home, the Lutherhalle, is now a Reformation Museum and we will see where he lived with his family, as well as some of Luther’s very own personal library, rare manuscripts, and early Bibles. We will dine in our hotel this evening. (B/D)
Day 5: Tuesday, April 30, 2024: Erfurt
We’ll drive to Erfurt and have free time for lunch. Our guide will take us on a walking tour including St. Mary’s Cathedral, St. Severin’s Church and the famous Merchant’s Bridge. We will end the tour at the Augustinian Monastery where Luther became a monk on July 17, 1505. We will be able to see his monastic quarters, including one cell furnished to look as it would have when he lived there. At the end of the tour we will have a group worship service in the chapel. We will dine together this evening. (B/D)
Day 6: Wednesday, May 1, 2024 (May Day): Eisenach, Mainz
In 1521, while fleeing from the wrath of the Pope, Luther took refuge in the Wartburg 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 eleven weeks. Luther spent time in the nearby town of Eisenach as schoolboy and sang in the choir of St. George’s Church, where the Bach family also worshiped. The afternoon will be free to explore the town of Eisenach, including the Bach House, the Luther House and St. George’s Church. In the afternoon we will drive down to Mainz and dine in an authentic German restaurant. (B/D)
Day 7: Thursday, May 2, 2024: Mainz, Worms, Strasbourg
What better way to start the day than with a Rhine cruise! We’ll board the boat and sail past magnificent castles and the famous Loreley rock. After the cruise we will tour the Gutenberg Museum and the Cathedral. In the afternoon we will see the site of the Worms Debates (Diet of Worms), now a park, with a plaque commemorating the Diet of Worms and the Reformation Monument. We hear the stories of Luther as he responded “Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me.” We will then continue to Strasbourg and dine in our hotel. (B/D)
Day 8: Friday, May 3, 2024: Strasbourg, Colmar
We will have a morning tour of Strasbourg, including the Cathedral. Strasbourg was an important town for John Calvin. He pastored French Huguenot refugees, got married, and wrote a second edition to his famous book, the Institutes. Strasbourg, as a free imperial town, was a beacon for Protestantism right from the 16th century. During his time in Strasbourg, Calvin was not attached to one particular church, but held his office successively in various local churches. Our tour guide will lead an optional excursion in the afternoon to explore charming Colmar. This picturesque town escaped damage during the war and has numerous half-timbered houses. It was the hometown of Frederic Bartholdi (creator of the Statue of Liberty) and the town includes a small museum. We will have an early evening boat ride on the canals, followed by dinner in a restaurant. (B/D)
Day 9: Saturday, May 4, 2024: Constance, Zurich
Today we will be in three countries: France, Germany and Switzerland. We will drive through the Black Forest region to the border of Switzerland. In Constance, we will pray on the spot where the pre-Reformer Jan Hus was martyred and see the Cathedral where some of the trials were held. Crossing over in Switzerland, we’ll dine in an authentic Swiss restaurant. Overnight in Zurich. (B/D)
Day 10: Sunday, May 5, 2024: Zurich, Geneva
This morning our guide will take us to key Reformation sites in Zurich to learn about Zwingli and the Anabaptists. We will tour the Grossmünster, the Helferei (where Zwingli lived) and see the Zwingli Statue. After a stroll through the historic Auld Stadt (old city) we will drive through Switzerland to Geneva. (B/D)
Day 11: Monday, May 6, 2024: Geneva
Geneva was described by John Knox as “the most perfect school of Christ since the days of the apostles”, 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 the Auditoire de Calvin, St. Pierre’s Cathedral, the archaeological site beneath the cathedral, and the Reformation Museum. We will enjoy a Farewell Meal before we head home or continue our travels in Europe. (B/D)
Day 12: Tuesday, May 7, 2024: Return
We will transfer from the hotel to the airport for our flights. (B/IF)
Please note this itinerary is copyrighted.
