Trip Itinerary

Key: IF = In Flight Meals, B= Breakfast, D = Dinner

• Optional Pre-tour

  Monday, October 23, 2017: Arrival in Mainz

  On arrival in Frankfurt, our driver will meet us in the terminal and take us to the hotel in Mainz, where we will meet up with Frank and Rowena in the hotel lobby. The day is at leisure to explore Mainz. We will have a group dinner this evening. (IF/D)

  Tuesday, October 24, 2017: Cologne, Mainz

  We will take a train to Cologne from Mainz, and see more of the German countryside. Upon arrival, our expert local guide will take us on a walking tour including the Old Town, Cathedral Square, and the city’s majestic 13th -century Gothic Cathedral. We will have lunch together, then the afternoon is at leisure to explore Cologne. We will meet up at the station for our return to Mainz.  (B/L)

  Wednesday, October 25, 2017: Mainz

  We can choose to join Rowena on a foodie tour in Mainz today ($35). The tour is 3 hours long and we will have samples from a variety of restaurants on our private walking tour. We’ll return to our hotel and meet up with the rest of the group. (B/D)

Day 1: Tuesday, October 24, 2017: Overnight Flight to Frankfurt, Germany
Our journey begins with an overnight flight to Frankfurt. (IF)

Day 2: Wednesday, October 25, 2017: Arrival in Mainz
Welcome to Germany! On arrival in Frankfurt we will transfer to nearby Mainz. There will be time to freshen up and relax from our flight. Tonight we will gather together for welcome dinner and orientation meeting. (B, D)

Day 3: Thursday, October 26, 2017: Worms, Mainz
After breakfast we will walk (or take a taxi) to Mainz Cathedral, a magnificent building, dating back to 975. Our locals guides will also take us to Gutenberg Museum, where we can learn more about Bible printing history and the contribution of Johann Gutenberg, who developed moveable type. We’ll be able to see original copies of the Bible in the Gutenberg Museum. We have some free time for lunch then we will drive to Worms. We 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 will hear more about the Diet, when Luther responded “Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me.”  In Worms we will also see the Church of the Holy Trinity, and St. Peter’s Cathedral. Before returning to Mainz we enjoy dinner at an area winery. (B, D)

Day 4: Friday, October 27, 2017: Marburg
Our destination today is the university city of Marburg for a tour of the Old City with the St. Elizabeth Church and the Castle. Through its 800 year history, Marburg has had many famous residents and visitors, among whom are Elizabeth of Thuringia, Martin Luther, and the Grimm Brothers. Dinner is on our own tonight. (B)

Day 5: Saturday, October 28, 2017: Eisenach, Erfurt
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 at as school boy and sang in the choir of St. George’s Church, where the Bach family also worshiped. The afternoon is free to explore the town or tour the Bach Museum and Luther House Museum. Then we will continue on to Erfurt. Dinner tonight is at the Luther Cellar. (B, D)

Merchant’s Bridge in Erfurt

Day 6: Sunday, October 29, 2017: Erfurt
A local guide will take us on a tour including St. Mary’s Cathedral, St. Severin’s Church and the famous Merchant’s Bridge. We will end 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 done when he lived there. At the end of the tour we will have a group worship service in the chapel. (B)

Day 7: Monday, October 30, 2017: Wittenberg
This morning we travel to Wittenberg where our local guide will take us on a tour of Lutherstadt. It was here in 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses and Melanchthon helped forge Reformation Theology. Here the Cranachs painted now famous portraits of Luther. We will spend time in the Lutherhalle (Luther House) Museum, where Luther lived first as a monk, then later with his wife and children. We’ll be able to view some of Luther’s very own personal library, rare manuscripts, and early Bibles. The tour will also include Castle Church, Stadtkirche St. Marien (St. Mary’s church) where Luther preached and where his children were baptized, and the Luther Oak where he burned the edict from Rome, condemning him as a “heretic”. (B, D)

Day 8: Tuesday, October 31, 2017: Wittenberg
Today is a free day in Wittenberg to enjoy the festivities of Reformation Day. (B, D)

Day 9: Wednesday, November 1, 2017: Berlin
We drive to Berlin today for a city tour which will include a stop at the famous Brandenburg Gate for photos. We will also see the Cathedral, the Reichstag building and the lively boulevards, followed by visits to WWII Topography of Terror Museum and Cold War Check Point Charlie Museum. Our afternoon will be free to explore on our own. Tonight we enjoy a farewell dinner at our hotel. (B)

Day 10: Thursday, November 2, 2017: Return
Today we transfer to the airport for our return flight home. (B)

Please note this itinerary is copyrighted.

What are accommodations like?

Our hotels are chosen for their quality, amenities and proximity to areas of interest. Whenever possible, we choose hotels in town centers, so that you are able to go off and explore in your free time. It may be necessary for us to substitute hotels for others of equal quality. You will be fully informed of any changes that affect you. Enjoy your stay!

Pre-tour nights are available in Mainz for $100 per person

The Augustinian Monastery in Erfurt

Mainz, Germany
October 25-27, 2017
Advena Europa Hotel
Kaiserstr. 7
Mainz, 55116

Marburg, Germany
October 27-28, 2017
Marburger Hof
Elisabethstraße 12
35037, Marburg

Erfurt, Germany
October 28-30, 2017
Augustinian Monastery
Augustinerstraße 10
Erfurt, 99084

Wittenberg, Germany
October 30-November 1 2017
Best Western Stadtpalais
Collegienstraße 56/57
06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg

Berlin, Germany
November 1-2, 2017
Movenpick Hotel Berlin
Schöneberger Str. 3,
10963 Berlin

Flight Information

Please arrange to be in Frankfurt on the morning of October 25, 2017. If you would prefer to arrive earlier, we can arrange a pre-tour hotel nights in Frankfurt. We can either assist you with flights or you can book your own. Please ensure we have a copy of your flight itinerary for our records as soon as you have booked it.

October 25, 2017: Please arrive in Frankfurt and then we will assist you in transferring to nearby Mainz

November 2, 2017: You can depart from Berlin at any time.

What’s included in the land price of $2,799?

Price based on a minimum of 20 participants

Your Tour Includes

-Transportation: via deluxe air-conditioned coaches
-Accommodations (double-occupancy) in superior 3-star and moderate 4-star hotels
-Meals as indicated in the itinerary
-Frank and Rowena Drinkhouse as tour escorts throughout the tour
-Local step-on guides for city tours and major attractions
-Entrance fees included as per itinerary
-All transfers, as a group
-Baggage handling (1 piece of baggage per guest)
-All taxes and tips except as indicated below

Your Tour Does Not Include

• Air transportation
• Pre-tour ($600 double occupancy)
• Single supplement ($500)
• Meals and beverages not identified in itinerary
• Items of a personal nature, such as passports and visas. Passports must be valid for months beyond return date.
• Passenger trip cancellation insurance (details sent with reservation form)
• Gratuities for tour manager, and driver

Payment Schedule

• Deposit of $350 will secure your place on the tour. Please send all payments to Reformation Tours, P.O Box 854, Belleville, IL 62222.
• Final invoices will be sent in July 2017
• Final payment is due by August 10, 2017
• Reservations will be accepted after August 10, 2017, subject to availability, and will need to be paid in full.

Insurance

We now offer all of our travelers FREE travel insurance on group tours, which is valid throughout the tour. This insurance is through RoamRight, a division of Arch Insurance Company. You have the option to upgrade to the Total Travel Protection Plan to receive full coverage. The price depends on the total land and air cost of the tour.

Included Insurance
The Travel Protection Plan covers you while you are on tour (not before). It includes medical and evacuation coverage, missed travel connections, trip delay, baggage delays, and lost luggage.

Included Travel Protection Description of Coverage

Upgraded Insurance from $137 (land)
You can upgrade to the Total Travel Protection plan, by adding Trip Cancellation coverage. This is valid from the time of purchase until the tour begins. E-mail us to add the upgraded insurance, or request the upgrade when you sign-up for the tour.

Click for pre-tour cancellation insurance quote (additional cost) Total Travel Protection Description of Coverage

This tour is now waiting-list only, but you are welcome to sign up for the Valleydale Reformation Tour, which is an identical tour with the same dates.