Oberammergau Passion Play Pilgrimage
FAKECODE
Your trip includes
- Round-trip airfare from your desired Airport
- *
- All airport taxes & fuel surcharges
- Centrally located First Class Hotels:
- ~ 2 nights: Heidelberg, Germany
- ~ 2 nights: Weggis, Switzerland
- ~ 2 nights: Oberammergau area
- ~ 2 nights: Salzburg, Austria
- ~ 1 night: Munich, Germany
- Breakfast and Dinner daily
- Wine with dinners
- Lunch (on the day of Passion Play)
- Whisper Headsets
- Transfers as per itinerary
- Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach
- Assistance of local guide throughout
- Sightseeing and admissions fees as per itinerary
- Catholic Priest available for Spiritual Direction
- Tickets to the Passion Play (Theater Seating Area 1)
- Official Passion Play Program in English
- Mass daily & Spiritual activities
- Luggage handling (1 piece per person)
Not included
- Beverages, Meals not mentioned, Tips to your guide & driver, Items of a personal nature.
Itinerary
Day 1, USA - Frankfurt
Depart USA for your overnight flight(s) to Frankfurt. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board.
Day 2, Frankfurt - Heidelberg
Upon arrival in Frankfurt you will find your luggage and exit the baggage claim into the arrivals hall where you will be greeted by your tour escort and/or driver. After a warm welcome to Germany, you will be escorted to the vehicle which will take you to your Hotel to check-in, and then spend the afternoon exploring all the landmarks of Heidelberg. We will visit the ruins of Heidelberg Castle that rise majestically on the site of the medieval castle complex, high above the lanes, and the picturesque jumble of roofs of the old town. The architecture contains elements of the Gothic and Renaissance periods. See the castle gardens, the Great Vat (the world's largest wine barrell), and the remarkable Pharmacy Museum. Then make our way to the old town. With its romantic charm, featuring the old quarter and maze of little streets. The Hauptstrasse is one of Europe's prettiest pedestrian precincts and shopping streets, along with the medieval bridge gate, as well as Germany's oldest University, the lion fountain, and the university square. We will then celebrate Mass at a local Church before returning to the Hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 3, Heidelberg - Rudesheim - Rhine Cruise - Heidelberg
After breakfast, we will take a tour of Koblenz. We will board a boat that will bring us down the Rhine Koblenz, passing the town of Boppard, the famous Lorelei Rock, as we make our way to the wine country town of Rudesheim, with its lovely Drosselgrasse of taverns and restaurants. We will visit Schonestatt Monastery that is dedicated to the Divine Mercy, and then celebrate Mass at the Shrine, You will have free time on your own, with some free time to spend at your own leisure. Return to our Hotel in Heidelberg for dinner and overnight.
Day 4, Heidelberg - Rhine Falls - Lucerne (Weggis)
Follow breakfast, we will depart for Switzerland. Before you cross over, you will view the famous Rhine waterfalls, and have the chance to take pictures. You will stop for lunch on your own, and then visit Einsiedlen, Switzerland's famous Marian. With its majestic baroque edifice, with elaborately decorated pastel ceilings, marble side altars, and a large high altar in the east end. The interior is typically baroque fest for the eyes, gleaming white with elaborate gold and pastel decorations. The most important part of the Basilica is the Lady Chapel, located near the entrance. The Lady Chapel is a free-standing, square marble edifice that recalls the shelter over Christ's tomb in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was destroyed in 1798 by invaders, and rebuilt in 1817. Above the Chapel's altar is the Black Madonna, resplendent in rich robes and surrounded by gold clouds. A short walk from the Abbey is the world's largest nativity scene, the Diorama Bethlehem, with more than 500 carved wooden figures. The justifiably famous Panorama, a circular painting more than 300 feet long, and 30 feet high, depicting Jerusalem and the Crucifixion. It is open from Easter, until the end of October. We will celebrate Mass at the Shrine, and then continue on to Weggis, a charming little town on Lake Lucerne, where we will check-in, dinner, and then overnight.
Day 5, Weggis - Lucerne - Weggis
Breakfast in the morning, and then we will start the day by celebrating Mass at the local Catholic Church in Weggis. We will take an excursion of Lucerne, and then take a tour. While there, you will visit the Chapel Bridge, Water Tower, Jesuit Church, Franciscan Church, Water Spike, Spreuer Bridge, and Musegg Wall amid many other sites. You will have some free time to have lunch on your own free time. From this point on, you will have free time to spend at your own leisure. You can do some shopping, visit the Lake, or take the world’s steepest Cogwheel Railway to the top of Mt. Pilatus and have lunch. You can also choose to return to the Hotel and relax before dinner and then overnight.
Day 6, Weggis - Vaduz - Innsbruck - Oberammergau
Meet downstairs for breakfast, and then we will board our bus for a tour of Vaduz (capital of Liechtenstein), and then on to Innsbruck. The tour will include visits to the Annasaule, little golden roof, Helbinghaus, Cathedral of St. Jacob, the Hof Kirche, and Maximilian Mausoleum. We will continue along the Zugspitze towards Oberammergau. We will stop to celebrate Mass at the Ettal Monastery, and then check-in to your Hotel, 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 scenesand 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.
Act I : 2:30pm - 5:00pm
Intermission: 5:30pm - 7:30pm; enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.
Act II: 8:00pm - 10:30pm
Day 8, Oberammergau - Neuschwantstein - Salzburg
After breakfast, we will check-out of the Hotel and travel to Wieskirche. We will celebrate Mass at the Shrine, and then continue on to Neuschwanstein. Once there, we will take a bus to Marianbrucke, and walk down the hill (75 steps) to Neuschwanstein Castle, and take a guided tour. Walk back to the bus, have lunch on our own, and then continue to Salzburg, the lovely birthplace of Mozart, Salzburg the city of great houses, mansions, Festival Hall, and the Mirabelle Gardens. Hear the bells of the great Glockenspiel Tower, performed to a melody of Mozart's. Check in to your Hotel, and then have a Special Mozart dinner at Peterskeller Restaurant.
Day 9, Salzburg
After breakfast, our full day tour begins with Mass at St. Peter's Churchyard. Salzburg is compact and best explored on foot. Narrow, winding lanes and secluded passageways are evidence of its medieval roots. The heritage of the Catholic Church is evident in the Archbishop's Residence and the decoration of the State Rooms, available for viewing. Visit the mighty Romanesque Cathedral, the Nonnberg Convent of Benedictine nuns, and the Fortress Hohensalzburg. We stop at Hellbrunn Palace to enjoy its gardens and hidden trick fountains. Dinner and overnight.
Day 10, Salzburg - Munich
Following breakfast, we will depart for Munich. Upon arrival, we will takea guided tour, including visits to "Marienplatz", the world famous "Glockenspiel", and the twin towered "Frauenkirche" (Church of Our Lady), and the most familiar landmark of old Munich. Continue to see the Town Hall, and the magnificent boulevard, Feldherrenhall 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. Mass will be celebrated at Fraunekirche, followed by lunc on your own. You will have the remainder of the afternoon free to spend at your own leisure, and then check-in to your Hotel for overnight.
Day 11, End of Pilgrimage
Stop for breakfast, and then board the bus that will bring the group to Munich Airport for the return flights home. You will bid farewell toy our new friends by fondly saying, Guten Tag Germany, and to a Pilgrimage which will be in your memories and hearts for a long time to come.