Austria, Reformation Prague with Oberammergau Passion Play

These Oberammergau Passion Play suggested itineraries are available to groups of 10 + guests.

Specific inclusions may vary depending on your specific chosen travel dates/day of the week and availability of attractions/special events.

TENTATIVE SUGGESTED ITINERARY

Depart home for your overnight flight to Prague

Arrival Prague

Upon arrival in Prague you will be met by your tour manager (Gerard on request) and depart on an orientation tour. Prague – also known as the Golden City, the city of one hundred-towers and the Jerusalem of Europe, the Czech capital is also justifiably considered to be one of the forerunners of the Lutheran Reformation, where Jan Hus, Rector of the University preached against the sale of indulgences one hundred years before Martin Luther.

Welcome dinner at local restaurant.

Prague

Our expert local guide will join us this morning for a walking tour focused on Jan Hus, the leading personality of the Czech Reformation movement. We’ll visit Bethlehem Chapel where he preached, and see the Hus monument outside Tyn Church. Hus was a contemporary of John Wycliffe and was heavily influenced by his writings. They both agreed that all Christians are members of Christ's church and that Jesus is the head. We’ll also visit the Prague Castle, which is a complex of palaces, courtyards, streets and churches including St. Vitus Cathedral, which took 600 years to complete. We will then take a stroll across Charles Bridge, past the famous statues.

In the afternoon we will visit the Strahov Monastrey which is nowadays a library of rare and old Czech literature; Located at the Premonstratensian monastery at Straho, it is one of the most valuable and best-preserved historical libraries – its collection consists of approximately 200,000 volumes. The oldest part of the library, the Baroque Theological Hall, was established between 1671 and 1674; the main Classicist vaults of the Philosophical Hall date from 1794 and are two storeys tall. Both halls are dominated by ceiling frescoes by Siard Nosecký and Anton Maulbertsch.

Overnight in Prague.

Tabor & Chlistov

After breakfast we will leave Prague for the day and head towards Tabor & Chlistov.

Our first stop today is Tabor; this small town became the centre of the radical Hussite movement after Jan Hus death. Under the priest of Nicholas, the Taborites established the first truly independent church in Europe in 1421. We will visit the impressive Hussite Museum, which features displays commemorating Hus, the Hussites and the reformation and churches that resulted from their presence.

Before we are returning to Prague we will stop in Chlistov: After Hus was expelled from preaching in Prague for his radical views he fled to South Bohemia where he preached in the countryside and on occasions under a large Linden Tree. The outer shell of the tree still stands with a large tree growing up inside – the tree is marked as national landmark.

Return to Prague for overnight.

Husinec & Prague

This morning we will drive to Husinec: The birthplace of Jan Hus. See his small humble apartment where Hus lived as a child which is part of new museum. This Gothic-Renaissance house on number 36, his birth house, was rebuild in the first half of the 20th century into its original state. In 1952 the house was given the purpose as a memorial to the life and work of Jan Hus. In addition to the museum you can also find a library and a reading room in the house. In the year 1991 the monument was expanded with the opening of the gallery of Joseph Krejza, a painter who was also born in Husinec. Before we leave for Prague we will visit the monument of Jan Hus from 1958 on Husenecka square.

Upon arrival in Prague mid afternoon we will visit the Old Town Hall which was established in 1338 as the seat of the Old Town administration. The oldest part of the complex of a beautiful Gothic tower with a bay chapel and a unique astronomical clock – known as the Orloj – where, every hour between 9am and 11pm, the twelve apostles appear. The Gothic Revival eastern wing of the Town Hall was destroyed during the Prague Uprising on May 8 1945 and was never rebuilt. The guided tour includes the historical halls, the tower and the underground areas.

OR

Day excursion from Prague :

Mlada Boleslav: see the largest house of worship built by the Unity in the Czech Republic. Constructed in the 1500s, it now serves as a museum . Mlada Boleslav was an important centre for the Unity and was home to the printing office and other church activities in the 16th century. Chalice Rock: Boarding Germany, the sandstone mountain refuge where members of the Unity hid among the large stones and worshiped in secret to avoid persecution.

Prague – Vienna

This morning we will leave the wonderful city of Prague and journey through the Bohemian Countryside to the border with Austria. We will cross the border and journey to the musical city of Vienna. Arrival in Vienna late afternoon. Vienna was for a long time the capital of a great Empire and is a glorious Imperial city with fine Baroque buildings, palaces and gardens. It is the city of the Waltz ,the capital of the Operetta and the cultural and spiritual home to dozens of famous composers - Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Gluck, Brahms, Hugo Wolf, Bruckner, Mahler Johann Strauss to name but a few. We will have the next two nights in Vienna.

Dinner & overnight in Vienna.

Vienna

We will enjoy a guided tour of Vienna this morning. You will drive along the glorious Ringstrasse, which encloses the old town of Vienna, a wide boulevard which replaced the old walls of the city. You will see many magnificent buildings – the great Opera House, the Hofburg, the neoclassical parliament, the Neo-Gothic City Hall, the Burgtheatre, and the Votivkirche. The morning will include a visit to the wonderful 18th century Schönbrunn Palace, the former summer residence of the Habsburg family. You will see the Great Gallery, the Round Chinese Cabinet and the Vieux-Lacque Room, both exquisitely adorned with lacquered panels, the Baroque gardens and the lavish Neptune fountain sculpted in 1780. The afternoon and evening are at leisure. Make sure to walk around the old town and to visit the mighty St Stephen’s Dom and most importantly while away a little time in one of the Viennese coffee houses enjoying their delicious pastries – an important local tradition.

Vienna – Melk - Salzburg

We will take an exquisite scenic drive this morning through Austria. The panorama is one of vivid green plains and meadows, huge mountains and vast expanses of crystal mirror-like lakes. We will make a stop at the picturesque little town of Melk, which is best known for its massive Benedictine Abbey, one of the most splendid monastic houses in Austria. After the guided out of this remarkable and stunning Abbey we will have lunch in this picturesque place before continuing our journey to Mozart’s beautiful city of Salzburg.

Dinner and overnight in Salzburg

Salzburg & Oberndorf

We will discover this baroque city, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which is dominated by churches, castles and palaces during our morning walking tour. Its picturesque old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our walking tour will finish at a certain house in the Getreidegasse which always draws particular attention: No. 9, the house in which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born. We will visit this historical place and learn more about this most famous composer during a guide tour.

Our afternoon excursion will take us to the nearby Oberndorf & Arndorf; Oberndorf was made famous for the Christmas carol „Silent Night, Holy Night!“. Franz Xaver Gruber, teacher and organist, composed “Silent Night, Holy Night!” to lyrics by Joseph Mohr, an assistant priest in the small town near Salzburg. We will visit both the Silent Night Chapel and the nearby Silent Night Museum (guided tour on request)                   

Return to Salzburg for overnight

Salzburg – Linderhof - Oberammergau

This morning we will commence our journey through Austria and into Germany. The route takes us through the stunning landscape of the Austrian Alps into the mellow undulating green hills and valleys, and lush forests of Bavaria. We will stop to visit one of King Ludwig II’s beautifully ornate palaces – his fine and magical Linderhof Palace. We will continue then to the pretty mountain village of Oberammergau.

Dinner and overnight.

PassionPlay (1 night package)

This morning transfer to the delightful village in the Ammergau Alps, famous for its wonderful Passion Play. The play has taken place every 10 years since 1634 . Time to enjoy the beautiful frescoed houses and its amazing alpine setting. Enjoy the atmosphere in the village as you build up to this once in a lifetime experience – the 2020 Passion Play.

Lunch provided at hotel (approx. timings)

2:30PM-5:00PM Afternoon Passion Play performance

5:00PM-8:00PM Time for dinner at your hotel

8:00PM-10:00PM Evening Passion Play performance

Overnight Oberammergau (B,L,D)

Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau castles

Discovering Bavarian royalty at their fairytale castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau will be the focus of the day. The fit may enjoy a walk around the castles through stunning woodlands. Here be surrounded by grand scenery and rural village life in the district around Fussen and Ruette. What journey to Germany is compete without seeing the famous UNESCO designated World Heritage Site – the fairytale castle at Neuschwanstein completed in 1886 as a private refuge from the world for King Ludwig II! Please note: Although we can include the mini bus ride up to Neuschwanstein castle, there are still 165 steps to climb up and 181 to climb down.

Later make the way into Innsbruck, where the group can have a farewell dinner together.

Overnight: Innsbruck

After breakfast, group transfer to Innsbruck airport for your flight home or extend your stay in Europe independently.