Day 1: Depart For Germany

Make your way to your local airport where you will board your flight(s) to Munich, Germany with complimentary meals and beverages served onboard your international flight.

Day 2: Munich - Salzburg
Arrival in Munich airport where you are greeted by your English-speaking Tour Manager who will be with your group during the entire trip. We are transferred to Salzburg for a walking tour of the charming city of music and Mozart. We see the Basilica and stroll along the Getreidegasse, to see the house where Mozart was born, and take in many familiar sights from the Sound of Music film. We explore the religious heritage of this town, including Nonnberg, believed to be the oldest nunnery in existence, founded by St. Rupert in the 8th century, plus the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter, also founded by St. Rupert.
Celebrate Mass at the Shrine of Maria Plain. The 17th century hilltop shrine overlooking Salzburg has a painting of the Virgin Mary that miraculously survived a bakery fire. The Shrine became a Minor Basilica in 1952 and was visited by Pope John Paul II in 1983.Dinner & Overnight in Hotel: Salzburg

Day 3: MARIAZELL, MONDSEE, LAKE   DISTRICT, TO SALZBURG

Aftet breakfast, we depart to Mariazell. Celebrate Mass at the Shrine of Mariazell which dates to the 14th century. The Chapel of Grace is considered the National Shrine of Austria. Miracles are attributed to its statue of the Virgin, giving rise to fame that has spread all over Europe.

Following lunch, we continue towards Salzburg. Our in-route stop will be in Austria’s Lake District at St. Michael’s Church in Mondsee, where the famous wedding scene in movie “The Sound of Music” was filmed. Dinner and overnight in Salzburg.

Day 4: DAY EXCURSION EAGLES    NEST, BERCHTESGADEN,    LAKE KÖNIGSSEE

This morning, we make a visit to the hillside town of Berchtesgaden. East of Berchtesgaden is the little village of Obersalzberg, the site of Hitler’s Berghof (mountain retreat). This ‘Eagle’s Nest’ retreat was built as a teahouse and given to Hitler by the NSDAP party as a 50th birthday present. The Eagle’s Nest remained unscathed from the bombing of the Allied Forces during WWII. Since 1952, it has been open to the public as a mountain top restaurant with a spectacular view. The three-part tour includes the construction and use of the Eagle’s Nest (a unique mountaintop conference center), a driving and educational tour of the Obersalzberg area, and a visit to a portion of the museum known as Dokumentation Obersalzberg, giving us access to the underground bunker system.

After the Eagle’s Nest visit, we relax and enjoy ourselves on a 2 hour cruise at the Königssee. It’s Germany’s third deepest lake, formed by glaciers, and in midst the most wonderful nature of the Bavarian Alps, a thin fjord-like lake that hooks itself around the Watzmann, Germany’s second highest mountain. Lake Königssee is known throughout the world for its emerald green water and unique mountain landscape.

We’ll cruise silently across the lake on electric-powered boats and hear the famed Königssee echo. We continue on to the peninsula of St. Bartholomew with the unmistakable red onion domes atop its ancient pilgrimage church where we celebrate Mass.
Dinner & Overnight in Hotel: Salzburg

Day 5: LAUFEN - MARKTL -     ALTÖTTING

After breakfast, we departure to Laufen. We stop to admire the twin-towered Stiftskirche (Abbey church) with its treasury; to the Jerusalem Panorama of Christ’s Crucifixion, the Pilgrimage and Local Heritage Museum as well as a diorama show. We then continue to Marktl am Inn (“Little Market on the Inn River”), the birthplace of Pope Benedict XVI. We visit his birth house which now has a little museum and his baptistery.

We celebrate the Virgin Mary and the life and ministry of Pope Benedict XVI. The Shrine of Our Lady of Altötting has been mentioned in Europe side-by-side with other great places of pilgrimage – such as Lourdes, Fatima and Czestochowa ( we celebrate Mass at the Shrine). The ongoing miracles are manifested by countless conversions and a return to renewed faith of the pilgrims. Over 2000 votive paintings, that cover the outside walls of the chapel, speak of the trust in the intercessions of the Black Madonna of Altötting. In November 1980, St. Pope John Paul II visited the Shrine. Starting at the pilgrimage center of Altötting in the afternoon, we will first visit the Gnadenkapelle (Chapel of Grace), an octagonal chapel which keeps a much-venerated statue of the Virgin Mary. One of the most visited shrines in Germany it welcomes more than 1 million pilgrims a year. The tradition of Bavaria calls for the heart of the deceased king to be placed in an urn and kept there. Dinner & Overnight in Altotting.

Day 6: SCHWANGAU – ETTAL     OBERAMMERGAU

Following breakfast, we will depart to explore King Ludwig II of Bavaria’s majestic castle, Neuschwanstein Castle. Neuschwanstein is more beautiful than the lower castle of Hohenschwangau, also located in Schwangau. Enjoy lunch on your own before we continue on to the Ettal. When approaching Ettal you will see the majestic dome of the Ettal Basilica . The huge dome is the symbol of the sanctuary of “Our Lady in Charity”. The monastery was built around the church. After Mass, we will continue to Oberammergau. The beautiful village of Oberammergau is home of the famous Passion Play of the life of Christ. The play dates back to 1633 when the plague, the “Black Death”, took a severe toll of lives in the small village. In their distress, the inhabitants turned to God and vowed that if the pestilence was taken from them, they would perform a play every year, depicting the suffering and death of the Savior. Their plea was heard and there were no further plague victims in Oberammergau. The first performance of the Passion play took place in 1634 in the village cemetery. As the Passion Play gained popularity more performances were implemented and in 1680 is was the start of the first ten-year to host the Passion Play. Dinner and overnight.

Day 7: OBERAMMERGAU – PASSION    PLAY : PERFORMANCE DAY

Celebrate Mass at local church. Enjoy some time to explore Oberammergau’s colorful frescos known as “Luftlmalereien” on house facades and to visit wood carving shops with amazing array of nativity scenes and religious figures. Following lunch, we will make our way to the world famous theatre to attend the performance of a lifetime, the 42nd Oberammergau Passion Play. The sleepy village springs to life every ten years to put on a play that draws the world upon it! We, too, will become part of mission of the Passion of Christ, the greatest story ever told. We all share His message of faith and love! The Oberammergau Passion Play tells the story of the Passion of Christ, beginning with His entry into Jerusalem, followed by His trial, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. The play is held in a beautiful open air theatre that is praised for its superb acoustics. There are 2,000 actors (and live animals), they include local wood carvers, hotel owners, students, teachers, children, all of them interrupt their schedules to become actors, singers, orchestra members and stagehands. Requirements are strict: all actors must be born in Oberammergau, or have lived there 20 years, or be married to a villager and a resident for 10 years. All natural makeup, such as men let their hair and beards grow a year before the play. Female roles are limited to single women under age 35. The Play is approximately five and a half hours long and is performed in two acts.

Part I: 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Part II: 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Day 8: OBERAMMERGAU - MUNICH

After breakfast, we will leave Oberammergau behind and drive north to Munich (city of the monks), the capital of Bavaria. Upon arrival, your local guide will take you on a guided tour which will include: Our first place to visit is Nymphenburg Palace, visit the twin-towered Frauenkirche where we will celebrate Mass today. The Frauenkirche; the Church of Our Lady, is the most familiar landmark of old Munich. Step foot on Marienplatz with its world famous “Glockenspiel”. Continue on to view the town hall, and the magnificent boulevard Feldherrenhalle Ludwigsstrasse Siegestor, created by King Ludwig I in the middle of the 19th century. Pass by the Residenz, the palace of the kings of Bavaria, and the Hofgarten. Enjoy some free time for lunch, shopping or perhaps enjoy a stein of bier at the famous Munich Hoffbrau. Dinner and overnight in Munich.

Day 9: MUNICH - USA

We are transferred to nearby Munich airport for our homebound flights.