What
will we see each day?
Our
itineraries are designed to be not too full - or too empty! Each
day we'll have breakfast at our hotel, followed by the day's activities.
In the evenings, you'll have the opportunity to join the devotional
time. Enjoy browsing the proposed itinerary.
Back to top
IF = In flight
meals, B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner
Day
1: Depart
Our adventure will begin as we depart on our transatlantic flight
to Geneva, Switzerland. Please note that flights are not included
in the price, but can be added in 2009. Group rates are available
for groups of 10 or more flying from the same departure point.
IF/D
Day
2: Geneva
Upon arrival in Geneva, we’ll transfer to our hotel. The
afternoon is free to enjoy this delightful Swiss city. Possible
optional tours to the World Council of Churches, Red Cross or
United Nations on our own; not included. This evening we’ll
enjoy a welcome meal at the hotel and a DVD presentation on John
Calvin and the Swiss Reformation. We will overnight in Geneva.
IF/D
Day
3: Geneva’s Reformation sites
This morning we will begin with the Reformation Wall, featuring
John Calvin, Martin Bucer, William Ferrel, Ulrich Zwingli and
other heroes of the Swiss Reformation. We will have a walking
tour up to Geneva’s historic old town and tour the Reformation
Museum. 
This paints a comprehensive picture of the Reformation from its
origins to the present day, using the latest museum technologies.
We'll also have a guided tour of St. Peter's Cathedral and the
amazing Roman and ancient church ruins underneath. Following this
tour, we'll visit two other key churches of the Reformation, associated
with John Calvin and Martin Bucer. Lunch will be on our own in
the charming old town. Our afternoon will be free to explore Geneva
further and maybe shop, take a train to France for a coffee or
perhaps take a boat ride on Lake Lausanne. In the evening, we
are invited to an optional lecture by a local Reformation scholar
on the Swiss Reformation. We will overnight in Geneva for a second
night. B/D
Day
4: Chillon Castle, Bern, Interlaken, Alps at Grindelwald
Driving past verdant vineyards and views of gorgeous Lake Geneva,
we will go to the magnificent Chillon Castle, the inspiration
for Lord Byron's poem, "The Prisoner of Chillon." We'll
take tour this impressive fortress and then continue on to Bern
where we’ll enjoy a guided city tour of this Swiss Reformation
city. Then we will drive through magnificent scenery to Interlaken
and up to alpine Grindelwald in the Swiss Alps; where we’ll
be based for two nights. B/D
Day
5: Grindelwald, Klein Scheidegg, Jungfrau, Lauterbrunnen Falls
& Alps
Today
we’ll enjoy the beauty of God’s creation with a cog-rail
train trip up to the famous Alpine railway station of Kleine Scheidegg,
with views of the Eiger (Bear), Mönch (Monk) and Jungfrau
(Maiden) peaks. On this two-valley round trip we'll pass from
Grindelwald up to the summit at Kleinscheidegg and down the other
side to Lauterbrunnen, some of Switzerland’s most beautiful
scenery. We’ll have a walking tour up inside the Lauterbrunnen
Falls, seeing the glory of God’s creation in alpine majesty.
We will return to Grindelwald for dinner on our own, giving us
a chance to sample local cuisine. This evening will be free to
take an Alpine walk, or meet local Christians. B/D
Day
6: Lucerne, Zwingli’s Kappel Monument, Zurich
Today
we will drive to Lucerne for a short tour of the city, seeing
the classic sites, starting with the amazingly ornate Jesuitenkirche,
or Jesuit Church. This is baroque masterpiece, was dedicated to
Francis Xavier, and constructed in 1666 and is one the most beautiful
Baroque churches in Switzerland. We’ll walk across the covered
Kapellbrucke Bridge and Spruerbrucke Bridge. We’ll also
see the Lion of Lucerne monument. Next is a short drive to an
important place in the Swiss Reformation, Ulrich Zwingli’s
death memorial at Kappel. We’ll watch a fascinating DVD
on Zwingli while we drive. Here at Kappel, our guide will explain
who Zwingli was, why he fought and died, and why it still matters
today. Next will be Zurich, voted the world’s most livable
city, and after a brief drive-by orientation tour, we’ll
settle into our centrally-located hotel. B/D
Day
7: Ulrich Zwingli’s Zurich, Anabaptist sites, leisure time
We will explore Zurich, with our expert guide who will teach about
Ulrich Zwingli, the Swiss Reformation and the Anabaptists and
the Catholics of that time. Highlights will include the Zwingli
Memorial, the Frauenkirche and the Grossmünster Cathedrals,
both churches key to the Reformation. We’ll see the Anabaptist
Memorial beside the Limmat River, site of Felix Manz’s martyrdom
due to his beliefs on baptism. Our guide will share about the
struggles in the early Swiss Protestant movement. We’ll
the tour nearby St. Peter’s Church The rest of the day will
be at leisure to enjoy Zurich. B/D
Day
8: Liechtenstein, Austria, Linderhof Castle, Wieskirche Oberammergau.
We
will have a beautiful drive through Liechtenstein and Austrian
valleys en route to Bavaria, where we tour Linderhof Castle, the
glitziest of King Ludwig II’s castles. We’ll then
tour the Wieskirche, a historic Bavarian church, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. We will finish our exciting day with our arrival
in Oberammergau, home to the world famous Passion Play, depicting
the story of Christ, acted out for hundreds of years by the villagers.
We’ll check into our hotel and have a delicious dinner,
followed by a stroll through the village. B/D
Day
9: Oberammergau
Today is the highlight of the tour, the world famous Passion Play,
which has been regularly performed since Whitsun 1633. In the
middle of the Thirty Years War, after months of dying and suffering
from the plague, the people of Oberammergau took a vow to perform
the "Play of the Suffering, Dying and Resurrection of our
Lord Jesus Christ" every ten years. In the afternoon and
evening we will be watching the performance of the play, with
excellent, pre-reserved seats. Almost half of the inhabitants
of the town perform in the play on the large open-air stage. (B/L/D)
Day
10: Salzburg
This morning we will continue to the “City of Music”,
Salzburg, Austria, watching “The Sound of Music” film
along the way. We’ll drive by some of the locations used
in this classic film. Our walking tour will introduce us to this
city, visiting the Mozart’s birthplace, we’ll stroll
through Mirabell Gardens, and tour the Salzburg Cathedral, the
Getreidegasse shopping area, the market area, Peter’s Church
and more. This evening we will have a Mozart Concert during dinner
at the famous St. Peter’s Restaurant. In Baroque opulence
we’ll savor the cuisine of Mozart’s day while musicians
play some of his most famous compositions. We will overnight in
Salzburg. B/D
Day
11: Vienna
We will drive to beautiful Vienna, full of gorgeous baroque architecture.
We will have a city tour of the major sights of the city, the
Belvedere Palace, the elegant Kärntner Ring, St. Stefan's
Cathedral, the Lippizaner Museum and more. In the afternoon, we
visit Schönbrunn Palace, the beautiful palace of the Hapsburgs,
with lovely gardens. We’ll dine at our hotel and this evening
experience some of the special music Vienna has to offer, with
many optional live music performances available. B/D
Day
12: Vienna
Our day will be free to explore Vienna, where we can shop, have
coffee and a piece of Sacher Torte, a local delicacy or visit
some of Vienna’s wonderful museums. This evening we will
gather together for a farewell dinner at our hotel, with time
to reminisce about the places visited and the new friends made
along the way. B/D
Day
13: Depart from Vienna
A transfer to the airport will be included for our return flight
home. B/IF