ESCORTED PACKAGE INCLUDES:

• Flights NYC-Munich-Cologne-NYC - Other departure cities available.

• Airline fuel surcharges

• 8 nights First Class accommodations

• 1 night Munich

• 2 nights Regensburg

• 3 nights Oberammergau

• 2 nights Cologne

• All transfers

• 14 meals: 8 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 5 dinners

• Sightseeing per itinerary in modern air-conditioned motorcoach

• Services of English-speaking tour escort/manager throughout

• Services of local guides in all major cities

• Entrance fees per itinerary

• Donations to local churches

• Restaurant tips

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Church of Our Lady, Munich

• Cathedral of Freising, Freising

• Dom Cathedral, Regensburg

• Chapel of Grace, Altötting

• Site of Passion Play, Oberammergau

• Ettal Monastery, Ettal

• Benedictine Monastery & Brewery, Andechs

• Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenschwangau

• Wies Church, Wies

• Dom Cathedral, Cologne

• Kaiserdom Cathedral, Aachen

• Wine, mineral water & coffee with all included dinners

• Soft drink & coffee with included lunch

NOT INCLUDED: airport taxes, fees and September 11th Security Fee, and tips to guides, driver, and tour escort/manager (call for terms and conditions).

TOUR ITINERARY

DAY 1, Tuesday
Depart the USA for Germany. Your flight includes meals, drinks, and in-flight entertainment for your journey.

DAY 2, Wednesday
Arrive in Munich. En route to your hotel, enjoy a scenic drive through the city, passing such sights as the Baroque Nymphenburg Palace, the former summer residence of the Wittlesbach dynasty, and the Marienplatz with it's famous Glockenspiel clock. Arrive at your hotel with the balance of the day at leisure. This evening, enjoy an orientation meeting with your tour escort, followed by a welcome dinner at a local restaurant (D): MUNICH

DAY 3, Thursday
This morning, continue your tour of Munich with visits to two of the city's most important churches Pope Benedict XVI served before being appointed Archbishop. Continue to view the University of Munich, where Pope Benedict XVI studied philosophy and theology. From here, visit the 15th century Church of Our Lady in the city centre. Proceed to Freising, where you will have time for lunch on your own. Afterwards, enjoy a guided tour of Freising city, the seat of bishops since 739 and one of the most important spiritual centers in Bavaria. Visit the Freising Cathedral where Pope Benedict XVI, formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was first ordained as a priest in 1951, along with his brother George. Following a visit to St. Mary's Cathedral, continue to Regensburg this afternoon (B, D): REGENSBURG

DAY 4, Friday
This morning, enjoy a walking tour of Regensburg, one of Germany's best preserved medieval cities. Along the walk, view the University of Regensburg, where Pope Benedict XVI taught theology before being named Archbishop, and later, Cardinal of Munich and Freising. Enjoy visits to the Old Town Hall, the Cathedral of St. Peter (Dom), and the Roman Gates at Porta Pretoria (B): REGENSBURG

DAY 5, Saturday
Depart Regensburg for Marktl am Inn (Diocese of Passau), where Pope Benedict XVI was born and baptized in 1927 as Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger. View the house of his birth, then continue to the small Bavarian town of Altötting. Upon arrival, visit the Chapel of Grace, one of the most visited religious shrines in Germany, where you will find the sacred icon of the Black Madonna housed therein. Celebrate Mass, and afterwards, enjoy time for lunch on your own. After lunch, continue to Traunstein, a small village near the Austrian border, where Pope Benedict XVI spent his childhood and youth. Proceed to the alpine village of Oberammergau (B, D): OBERAMMERGAU

DAY 6, Sunday
Celebrate Sunday Mass at a local church, then enjoy a guided walking tour of Oberammergau, home of the world-famous Passion Play. With performances running every decade since 1634, making it the longest running performance in history, the Oberammergau Passion Play features more than 2,000 Oberammergauers, singers, actors, and instrumentalists who bring to life the very events that powerfully marked Christianity's central source of love and hope. Continue to visit the 14th century Ettal Monastery to observe the active lives of the Benedictine monks residing there. From here, visit the Benedictine Monastery of Andechs and the Baroque church nearby, final resting place of Carmina Burana composer, Carl Orff. Afterwards, be sure to quench your thirst with an Andech's beer, brewed on-site in the monastery's in-house brewery. Return to Oberammergau (B, D): OBERAMMERGAU

DAY 7, Monday
This morning, drive to Hohenschwangau to visit the fairy tale castle of Neuschwanstein, hidden away in the densely forested mountains of southwest Bavaria. Following your castle visit, continue to visit the Pilgrimage Church of Wies, a proclaimed World Heritage Site. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant nearby, before returning to Oberammergau this afternoon (B, L, D): OBERAMMERGAU

DAY 8, Tuesday
After breakfast, transfer to Munich Airport for a short flight to Cologne, the economic and cultural capital of the Rhineland. Upon arrival in one of Germany's largest cities, enjoy a tour of Cologne, including a visit to the 13th century Cologne Cathedral (the Dom). Standing as the city's most famous landmark since its completion in the late 19th century, the cathedral comprises the largest main facade ever erected, making it the second-tallest Gothic structure in the world. Continue on a walking tour through the Old Town, with its narrow streets and beautiful squares. Along the walk, view the Old Town Hall and the Guerzenich. Following your tour of the city, transfer to your hotel with the balance of the day at leisure (B): COLOGNE

DAY 9, Wednesday
Today's sightseeing includes a full day excursion to Aachen. Here, enjoy a visit to the Aachen Cathedral, what is more commonly referred to as the "Imperial Cathedral"(Kaiserdom). Erected atop the site of the Palantine Chapel, first begun by Charlemagne in 786, the cathedral is the oldest church in northern Europe, and is famous for its decorative "glass house." Celebrate private mass within the cathedral, followed by a tour of the historic Old Town. Return to Cologne with the remainder of the day at leisure (B): COLOGNE

DAY 10, Thursday
Transfer to the airport for your return flight home (B).

Click on image above for a larger map

DATES & RATES

2008 - Available only for groups of 20 or more.
Operates April through October, please call to inquire.