Did your Oberammergau Tour cancel? Our tours are all guaranteed!

Good news! If your Oberammergau tour has been cancelled due to low numbers, you are very welcome to join one of ours, which are all guaranteed, with great seats for the Passion Play. We have a variety of quality Christian tours to choose from, including tours to Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

Call us today at (800) 303-5534 or e-mail at info@reformationtours.com and we'll be happy to assist you.

20 years since the Fall of the Wall - how prayer made all the difference

20 years ago the infamous Berlin Wall was torn down, amid great rejoicing. Although many attribute this to political success, it was the prayers and peaceful protests organized by an East German church, that really made the difference.

This church was St. Nikolai church in Liepzig, pastored by Rev. Christian Fuhrer, pictured left with Reformation Tours' president Frank Drinkhouse.

In an interview with Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, Rev. Christian Fuhrer talked about how his church was used.

The church became a very special place, and in particular the Nikolai Church, which we could describe like this: the church was finally on the side of the Lord, on Jesus’ side. In other words, it was on the side of the oppressed and not on that of the oppressors, with the people and not with those who had the power. The special experience we had here was that the people accepted Jesus’ message, especially the message of the Sermon on the Mount.

He went on to talk about how the Lord often answers prayer in a much larger way than we can ever imagine.

The most important thing for us was the power of prayer, which is still true today. We are not praying to the air or to the wall, but to a living God. We did not pray for the wall to come down. It was more comprehensive: [We were praying] for peace, justice, and the preservation of our creation. We addressed the very specific needs of human beings in our prayers, and God has blessed those prayers in such a way that nobody could have predicted.

Click here to read the full translation of the interview. By the way, these prayers meetings are still continuing every Monday and we are happy to include a visit there on any of our tours.

Looking for a Baptist Tour including the Oberammergau Passion Play?

Are you a Baptist considering a trip to Europe to see the Oberammergau Passion Play?

You are invited to join Dr. Paul Enns, from Idlewild Baptist Church in Tampa, FL on a tour of Austria and Germany featuring a study on the life of Christ, with an optional extension to Prague. The highlight of the tour is the once-in-a-decade opportunity to attend the Oberammergau Passion Play in Bavaria.The tour also includes Rothenburg, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Vienna and Prague.

The deadline to sign up for this tour is November 18, 2009 to have guaranteed tickets, so call Wanda, the tour coordinator at (813) 968-4837 or Rowena, the tour operator at (800) 303-5534 as soon as possible to reserve your space.

New Oberammergau website in English

The next season of the Oberammergau Passion Play is approaching and the German National Tourist Office has just launched an exciting new website all about the play.

The website lists the tour operators who are operating tours there (yes we are listed!) as well as useful maps and information about the cast and play.

You might also like to watch the short video "Oberammergau - 4 Centuries of Faith" that's on the site.

We do have space on some of our tours, so if you've not got your brochure yet, either visit http://www.reformationtours.com/ or call us at 1-800-303-5534 and we'll be happy to chat with you.

Our quality Christian tours combine seeing the Passion Play with visiting Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, and the Czech Republic.

Oberammergau Passion Play tickets going fast!

This time next year, the Oberammergau Passion Play will be up and running and you won't want to miss out! We've already sold out some of our tours and several more are close to being waiting-list only. Below are the tours that still have some room and I invite you to call 1-800-303-5534 to reserve your space.

If you have a group and would like a custom tour, then it's not too late to call. Tickets are still available and we'd love to help.

2010 Luther Land and the Passion Play June 4-15, 2010
Combine seeing the Passion Play with a tour of Germany including Wittenberg, Eisleben, Erfurt, Eisenach, Worms, Mainz, Heidelberg, Rothenburg, Augsburg, Munich and a Rhine Cruise. The tour is hosted by Rev. Randy Prabst and Gail Vachon. 12 days priced from $3,595 land only.


I. N. Network Oberammergau 2010 June 9-19, 2010
Join the I.N. Network on a tour designed to not only connect you with the history and reality of the church in Europe, but also to experience the Passion of Christ for the whole world. The tour includes Prague, Vienna, Oberammergau, Salzburg and Munich. 11 days priced from $3,595 land only.

The Art of the Passion - A Word & Image Tour 2010 June 14-19 /25, 2010
Pastor Caroline Satre and Pastor Brad Davick of St. Paul's Lutheran Church invite you to join them on a tour of Germany, Switzerland and Italy. The tour begins in Bavaria and also includes Lucerne, the Swiss Alps, Torino, the Cinque Terra, Florence and San Gimignano. 6 days from $2,299, 12 days from $3,499 land only.

Oberammergau Tour F: Splendors of Bavaria and Italy June 22-July 5, 2010
Join Frank Drinkhouse, President of Reformation Tours on a fabulous tour from Bavaria to Rome, featuring Munich, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Venice, Florence and Rome. Along the way we'll enjoy Alpine scenery and cultural delights. 14 days priced from $3,749 land only.

Switzerland, Lutherland and Oberammergau Tour June 25-July 8, 2010
Combine seeing the Passion Play with a tour including Geneva, Lucerne, Zurich, Oberammergau, Rothenburg, Heidelberg, Worms, Mainz, Eisenach, Erfurt, Wittenberg, Berlin and a Rhine Cruise. The tour is hosted by Rev. Dan & Cathy Rinderknecht of Trinity Lutheran Church in Billings, MT. 14 days priced from $3,565.

Oberammergau Tour B: Switzerland, Germany & Austria July 17-29, 2010
Join Frank Drinkhouse, President of Reformation Tours for tour through quintessential Switzerland, Germany and Austria. This leisurely trip includes Geneva, Chillon Castle, Bern, a day in the Swiss Alps, Zurich, the Bavarian Alps and castles, Salzburg and Vienna. 13 days priced from $3,549 land only.

Oberammergau 2010 - The Footsteps of Martin Luther July 21-31, 2010
Tour of Germany and Austria hosted by Kaylene Nienhauser of Aur Travel and her husband Jeff. The tour includes Lutherstadt-Wittenberg, Eisleben, Erfurt, Eisenach, two nights by the Rhine in Rudesheim, Mainz, Worms, a night in medieval Rothenburg and a drive down the "Romantic Road" to Bavaria.11 days priced from $3,199.

Celebrate Calvin's 500 anniversary

2009 is the 500 year anniversary of John Calvin's birth and we have a 10 day tour to celebrate. We'll begin in one of Europe's most exciting capitals, Paris and travel through France to Switzerland's Geneva. Along the way we'll visit Noyon (Calvin's birthplace - pictured left), Versailles Palace, Monet's home and garden, Chartres Cathedral, Rheims Cathedral and a Champagne cave, Strasbourg, Bern and Chillon Castle.

Along the way we'll not only have fellowship as a group, but we'll also get to meet Christians in the cities that we visit. You won't want to miss the fellowship we'll share over meals and the Sunday services in Paris and Geneva.

This tour is open for bookings until April 1, 2009 so call 1-800-303-5534 today to order your brochure or send an e-mail to info@reformationtours.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

The Ash Wednesday "Hair Decree"

Today is Ash Wednesday and for the men in the Bavarian village of Oberammergau, that means no more shaving until after the Passion Play performance, unless they are going to play the part of Roman soldiers.

I took this photo when I was on a recent trip to Oberammergau and it shows the official "Hair Decree" that allows men in the police and the military to be excused from the usual rule of being close-shaven. Apparently men have to carry a copy of this as well as their residence cards as they can look a little unkempt as 2009 continues!

In the Footsteps of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Shakespeare

Looking for a trip to England this Spring? For only $1,999 land only, you can take a 10 day trip to England (4 day extension to Scotland is $819). Join Dr. Matthew Heckel and Rev. Chris Baker from Wildwood Christian School in St. Louis on a literary tour of England and Scotland.

During the tour you'll hear about C.S. Lewis, J.R. R. Tolkien, Shakespeare and varous preachers, Bible translators, Reformers, pastors and evangelists. You'll also enjoy two Shakespeare plays and many other cultural delights.

This is an ideal trip for high schoolers, graduates, homeschoolers etc. Call 1-800-303-5534 to request more information or check out the tour on our website.

The tour includes:

• G.K. Chesterton sites in Beaconsfield, including st. Theresa's Church
• C.S. Lewis sites in Oxford, including the Kilns, the Eagle & Child pub, Holy Trinity Church
• Shakespeare sites in London and Stratford-upon-Avon, including two live performances
• J. R. R. Tolkien sites in Birmingham, including Sarehole Mill, Moseley Bog, Edgbaston and the Oratory
• Guided tours of Oxford, Stratford, London, Cambridge, Canterbury
• Extension to Scotland, with guided tours of Stirling, Oban, Mull, Iona and Edinburgh

We're giving away an 8-day first class Swiss railpass for 2

If you are in the St. Louis area this coming weekend (January 31 -February 1, 2009) we invite you to come to the St. Louis Travel Show held at the St. Charles Convention Center.

We'll be at Booth 150 representing Switzerland and you can enter to win a free 8 day first class Swiss railpass for 2!

We'll have special guest Rudy Maxa stopping by our booth on Saturday at 12:30 and he'll be autographing 2 DVDs that we'll be giving away on Sunday. You are all welcome to enter the drawing!

Rudy Maxa is the host and executive producer of the Emmy-winning, 78-episode, public television series, "Rudy Maxa's World." He's an award-winning contributing writer with National Geographic Traveler magazine, and his articles have appeared in Forbes, Travel & Leisure, Vogue, Men's Life, The Los Angeles Times, and dozens of other publications. A former Washington Post investigative reporter, Mr. Maxa's reporting was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. His national, weekend radio show on public radio, "The Savvy Traveler," established him as one of the country's premier commentator on consumer travel issues.

You can also join us for dinner after the travel show on Saturday, January 31st and we invite you to click here for more details.