Arrival at Berlin International Airport. Reception by our representative and assistance with immigration procedures, visa, and customs. Transfer to hotel and overnight.

Today we begin our tour in the city known as the birthplace of the Reformation. Luther lived here from 1512 until his death. Upon arriving, he lived in Lutherhalle (Luther House) with other Augustinian Monks. Later, Luther and his wife raised six children here. We will visit All Saints Castle Church where Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door launching the Protestant Reformation and which contains the graves of Luther and Philip Melanchthon, a life-long collaborator with Luther to reform the Catholic Church. Visits to Wittenberg University where reformers Luther and Melanchthon taught and the temporary exhibition from Luther House, which is the largest and greatest museum of Reformation history in the world. (Luther House is undergoing renovation). We will also visit the Stadtkirche of St. Marien (Town Church of St. Mary) where Luther married, preached, baptised his children, and where the bread and wine of communion was first distributed to the congregation. It is considered the mother-church of the Protestant Reformation.

We start the day in Halle, visiting the Market Church to see the special exhibition showing Luther's death mask and a collection of Luther Bibles, many with his own handwritten notes. We later drive to Lutherstadt Eisleben, where Luther was born and where he died. This charming medieval town remains much the same as in Luther’s time. Enjoy visiting where Luther was born, St. Peters Church where he was baptized and St. Andrews church where he preached his last sermon shortly before he died in 1546 at the age of 62. Enjoy visiting the birthplace of composer Georg Frederick Handel as well. A short drive takes us to Erfurt for dinner and overnight.

This morning our tour begins at the important Augustinian Monastery and Church built in 1277 and where Luther was a monk from 1505 until 1511. Luther studied at the university here but took a break from his education to serve as representative in Rome for the German Augustinian monasteries. See the austere cell where Luther spent his formative years as he struggles with his theological demons. Our tour includes a visit to the Cathedral, the Church of St. Severin, and the famous merchant’s Bridge. A special “Luther Meal” with dishes from the area and live music will be a special treat for dinner tonight!

Leaving Erfurt this morning, we soon arrive at Wartburg Castle overlooking the town of Eisenach. This castle provided a refuge for Martin Luther for 10 months where he completed a translation of the New Testament into German. When Luther spoke out against corruption in the Catholic Church, he was declared an outlaw and needed to hide. His friend, German prince, Frederick the Wise, helped him into disguise and gave him a refuge here. After our visit, we continue to Eisenach, not only where Luther spent some formative years but also is birthplace of composer Johann Sebastian Bach! Some free time here to visit the Luther House or the Bach House before we drive to Maintz on the Rhine River.

We begin today driving to Worms, one of the oldest cities in northern Europe.In Worms, Martin Luther appears before the assembly (Diet) of the Holy Roman Empire to answer questions of heresy. Standing before the Roman Emperor Karl V, he uttered his faith-affirming, death defying proclamation – “Here I stand, I can do no other. God help me. Spend the afternoon in the beautiful city of Heidelberg. Visit Heidelberg University where Luther put forth his “theology of the cross” which advanced the growing realization that Luther’s Biblical theology was fundamentally and essentially at odds with late Medieval Roman Catholicism.