Save $100 on a fabulous Christian tour of Germany

Have you been promising yourself a trip to see the Lutheran sites of Germany? You are warmly invited to join the Celebration of Luther and Bach in September, 2011.

We'll be visiting the main Lutheran sites: Wittenberg, Eisleben, Erfurt, Eisenach, Mainz, Worms, and Augsburg, all with expert local guides.

This tour also highlights the places associated with J.S. Bach, including Leipzig, Dresden and Eisenach. We'll be attending a Bach cantata at St. Thomas' Church in Dresden and there will an optional concert that evening with the Gewandhaus orchestra.

As on all Reformation Tours trips, you will travel by deluxe bus accompanied by an expert tour director, stay in delightful centrally-located hotels and enjoy delicious meals. The real highlight is always the fellowship and joy of traveling with other Christians.

We're offering an Easter special of $100 off for reservations made before May 10th, so click here to visit the webpage today or call us on 1-800-303-5534.

New interactive map of English-speaking churches in Germany

To compliment our extensive list of English-speaking churches in Germany, we have added an interactive map to make finding a local church even easier. If you know of any other fellowships that we can add, please let us know!


View English-Speaking Churches in Germany in a larger map

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!

New Jan Hus DVD from the Christian History Institute

Next month marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of Christian History Institute. Their very first project was preparation of a mimeographed study guide to accompany a film release on 15th century Reformer Jan Hus.
Now they revisit the Hus story and the amazing new appreciation of his life and a public apology by the pope for the wrongful death of Hus.
This new one-hour documentary is titled Truth Prevails: The Undying Faith of Jan Hus.
Jan Hus lived almost 600 years ago and was a forerunner of Luther and the Reformation. A man of deep conviction, he took a dangerous stand against corruption in the church. He stood for the Truth of God’s Word and was put to death for it – burned at the stake.
Learn more about the story in Truth Prevails: The Undying Faith of Jan Hus offered at this special price – Order online at Vision Video for only $15.99 – a savings of 20% off the retail price of $19.99!

Dietrich Bonhoeffer House in Berlin

Frank (on left) was recently at the Dietrich Bonhoeffer House in Berlin, at the end of the Reformation Trails Tour. This house was built in 1935 as the retirement home of Bonhoeffer's parents. Sadly on April 5, 1943, he was arrested in the building.

The house on Marienburger Allee is now a museum about the life and work of Bonhoeffer and his study on the upper floor is restored to how it would have been in 1943.

We include a visit here on many of our tours to Berlin and if you would like to arrange a tour, just let us know. The address is Marienburger Allee 43, 14055 Berlin. (+49) 30 301 9161.

Congratulations to the Reformation Museum in Geneva

Congratulations to the Reformation Museum in Geneva for winning the prestigious 2007 Council of Europe Museum Prize! When I visited the Museum last month I was able to see the

statue and hear more about this award.

Housed on the spot where the people of Geneva voted to adopt Reformation in 1536, the museum features displays on the Bible, the work of Calvin, religious controversy with other Christian traditions, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Protestant resistance to fascism, missionary work and the role of women in the ministry.

It is now planning a special exhibition in 2009 to mark the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth, a commemoration also to be celebrated by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, a grouping of 216 churches with roots in Calvin's Reformation. The alliance has brought together 50 representatives of Reformed churches for a 15-19 April meeting in Geneva to plan for the Calvin Jubilee worldwide.

"People might expect such a museum to be deadly serious, demanding and dogmatic," noted one judge, Mikhail Gnedovsky from Russia. "But this is far from being the case. In fact, the atmosphere of the museum is very relaxed and free," he said, noting touches such as cartoons of Calvinists and a picture of Calvin on a vending machine in the Geneva museum café.

If you are interested in visiting the museum, contact us about joining one of our scheduled tours or let us design a custom tour for you.

Calvin's College in Geneva

Calvin's Academy in Geneva
Originally uploaded by Reformation Tours, LLC.

Calvin College was founded in 1559 by John Calvin. Boys as young as seven were able to learn Latin, Greek, logic, rhetoric and Calvin's catechism. With the huge influx of French Huguenots after the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, Calvin's College played a vital role in their training as pastors, as well as many other young men who flocked to Geneva to receive tutelage there. At the time of the Calvin's death it boasted fifteen hundred students. It's still used for education today.

Need a new passport?

A passport is the first step to exploring the world. We have occasionally had to send ours in for extra pages!

The US Postal Service makes obtaining a passport easy and you can go online to www.usps.com/passport for more information. The National Passport Information Center has a toll-free number 1-877-487-2778 and a website for more information.

We always recommend making two photocopies of your passport photo page. Leave one at home with your emergency contact and pack the other one in your luggage. If you go on any of our tours, we'll also keep a copy of this page and will assist if anything happens to your passport while on tour.

A passport costs $97 for age 16 and older and $82 for age 15 and under, which includes the fees to the U.S. Department of State and the acceptance fee. You can pay extra to have your passport processed more quickly, which is an extra $60.

Need some ideas of where to travel with your shiny new passport??