Benedictine Pilgrimage and Parish Choir Tours
Praise the Lord as a choir or individual singer
1st day / Arrival Munich - Andechs
Arrival at Munich airport. Meet your tour manager and coach. Drive to Andechs to
your accommodation and check-in.
Welcome to Andechs
The Benedictine abbey of Andechs is a place of pilgrimage on a hill east of the
Ammersee in the Landkreis of Starnberg (Upper Bavaria) in Germany, in the
municipality Andechs. Andechs Abbey is famed for its flamboyant Baroque church
(1712) and its brewery. Composer Carl Orff is buried in the church.
2nd day / Andechs - Munich
Breakfast
Start the day with a private mass in Andechs.
Followed by a guided tour of the monastery.
Transfer to Munich for a guided city tour.
See among others the medieval gates, the Frauenkirche (Cathedral), the
Viktualienmarkt (Fruit and Vegetable Market), the Königsplatz, University, the
English Garden and the garden of Nymphenburg Palace.
Free time to explore Munich on your own before you drive back to Andechs.
3rd day Andechs / Ettal
Breakfast.
This day make a full day excursion to the Bavarian Alps.
On your way to Neuschwanstein castle make a stop at the famous Wieskirche, a master
piece of Bavarian Rococo and pilgrimage church.
Afterwards, you'll drive to Neuschwanstein for a tour of the famous Neuschwanstein
Castle with English speaking guides.
Neuschwanstein, lying in a truly idyllic setting, is one of the most popular
castles or palaces in Europe. It was opened to the public only seven weeks after
the death of King Ludwig II in 1886, and now the castle that the shy king built as
a refuge from public life is viewed by vast numbers of people every year.
Continue to Ettal monastery and celebrate a mass at the basilica of Ettal
monastery
Situated in a narrow mountain valley of the Alpine Oberbayern foothills on the road
from Garmish-Partenkirchen to Oberammergau one comes upon the still active
monastery at the Basilica of Ettal Abbey, a magnificent example of Southern
Bavarian baroque style art and architecture.
Drive back to Andechs.
4th day / Andechs - Salzburg
Breakfast and check-out.
After breakfast drive via lake Chiemsee to Salbzurg.
Make a stop in Prien. Take the boat to the Fraueninsel. Explore the famous women's
Benedictine abbey Frauenwoerth.
Celebrate a mass.
The island Frauenchiemsee (often called Fraueninsel) is the second largest of the
three islands in Chiemsee, Germany. The 15,5 ha large and car free Fraueninsel
houses 300 permanent residents as well as an active Benedictine convent, which was
founded in 782. Frauenchiemsee is also famous for the Clostre Liquor spirit, which
is produced by the nuns.
Take the boat back to Prien and drive to Salzburg to your accommodation and
check-in.
Welcome to Salzburg - the city of Mozart's birth!
Salzburg - is located in the Salzach River Valley. Unique during the Holy Empire,
it was called the northern Rome, due to the importance of the Prince Archbishops
and the Baroque.
Salzburg's reputation is based on a living musical tradition.
Its beauty and vibrant musical life have made Salzburg one of Europe's foremost
cultural centres.
5th day / Salzburg
Breakfast
Start the day with a private mass at St. Peter's church.
Enjoy a comprehensive guided tour visiting the birthplace of Mozart, Salzburg's
most famous son and Benedictine prayer sites, like Stift St. Peter, an abbey in the
oldest quarter of Salzburg, containing elements from Romanesque to Rococo. Step up
to Nonnberg abbey and visit the abbey's church for a silent prayer.
Free time to explore Salzburg on your own.
6th day / Salzburg - Vienna
Breakfast and check-out.
Leave Salzburg and make a stop in Mondsee to visit the church. Visit the church of
the former Benedictine monastery and celebrate a private mass.
Continue to Melk abbey
Melk has been a spiritual and cultural center of the country for more than 1000
years, first as a castle for the Babenbergs, then from 1089 as a Benedictine
monastery, founded by Leopold II.
Since the 12th century a school has been connected with the monastery, and valuable
manuscripts have been collected and created in the library. In the course of the
monastery's history, members of the Melk monastic community have achieved
significant success in the fields of natural science and the arts.
Enjoy an exclusively private guided tour at Melk abbey - Europe's Great Cultural Ensemble.
Continue to Vienna to your accommodation and check-in.
Welcome to Vienna - the capital of Austria!
Vienna is now included into the list of UNESCO heritage of mankind because of its
unique appearance. The historic centre of Vienna is rich in architectural
Ensembles, including Baroque castles and gardens, as well as the late 19th century
Ringstraße lined with grand buildings, monuments and parks. Vienna developed from
early Celtic and Roman settlements into a Medieval and Baroque city, the capital of
the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Since the 16th century, Vienna has been universally
acknowledged to be the musical capital of Europe.
7th day / Vienna
Breakfast
Start the day with a private mass at the chapel of Schönbrunn Palace.
Afterwards explore Vienna with a guided city tour.
You will see the historical centre, as St. Stephan's Cathedral, the Karlskirche,
the State Opera, the Hofburg and Schönbrunn Palace.
Schönbrunn Palace is one of the most important cultural monuments in Austria. Soon after the end of the monarchy the population of Vienna discovered the park as an attractive recreational area. 6.7 million guests from all over world visit the imposing palace complex each year. At the 20th session of the World Heritage Committee held in December1996 Schönbrunn Palace was put on the list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites, an institution founded in 1972. Inclusion in this list confirms the importance of the palace and its gardens as a Baroque work of art.
In the afternoon visit the Schottenstift for a guided tour.
The Schottenstift or Scottish Abbey (full name: "Benedictine Abbey of Our Dear Lady
to the Scots") is a Roman Catholic monastery founded in Vienna in 1155 when Henry
II brought Irish monks to Vienna. The monks did not come directly from Ireland, but
came instead from St Jakob's, the Irish monastery in Regensburg, Germany. Since
1625, the abbey has been a member of the Austrian Congregation, now within the
Benedictine Confederation.
Free time in the afternoon to explore the city on your own.
8th day / Vienna - Mariazell
Breakfast and check-out.
Leave Vienna and continue to Mariazell.
Mariazell is a small city in Styria, Austria. It is picturesquely situated in the
valley of the Salza, amid the north Styrian Alps.
It is the most important pilgrimage site in Austria and also has great meaning for
Catholics in the neighbouring countries to its east. The object of veneration is a
miracle-working image of the Virgin, carved in lime-tree wood. This was brought to
the place in 1157, and is now enshrined in a chapel lavishly adorned with objects
of silver and other costly materials. The large church of which the chapel forms
part was erected in 1644 as an expansion of a smaller church built by Louis I, King
of Hungary, after a victory over the Turks in 1363.
Most notable about the Mariazell Basilica, built in the 14th and 15th centuries but with a superb baroque interior, are the three towers on its western front. The church houses the Magna Mater Austriae ("Great Mother of Austria") in its so-called Gnadenkapelle. The holy image is a small wooden Marian statue from the 13th century, which is clothed in a splendid garment and plays a great role in the popular devotions of many Austrian Catholics.
Have the full day in Mariazell. Visit the basilica and attend the masses.
9th day / Mariazell - Admont - Salzburg
Breakfast and check-out.
Leave Mariazell and continue your tour to Benedictine abbey of Admont.
It is the oldest existing monastery in Styria. It was founded in 1074 by archbishop
Gebhard of Salzburg. Today the monastery of Admont is a spiritual, cultural and
economic centre of international prominence.
The abbey church is the first Neo - Gothic Church in Austria (erected in 1869).
Enjoy a tour with English speaking guide of the monastery's library:
The library of Admont, the biggest monastery library of the world.
For almost 1000 years, since its foundation in 1074, the Benedictine monastery of
Admont has been collecting and preserving cultural assets. The abbey's library is
probably its best-known treasure.
The library is ranked among Austria's most important cultural monuments and is one
of Europe's great baroque pieces of art. Since the early 19th century aficionados
have been calling it the "eight world-wonder". Over-enthusiastic? Maybe.
Well-deserved? Definitely. The library guards the knowledge of centuries and allows
for a glimpse on the history of books, from manuscripts of Admont's medieval
writing school to a collection of early prints and finally letter-prints.
On your way to Salzburg make a stop at the famous pilgrimage church Frauenberg.
Leaving behind the daily stress, meditating on essentials and finding inner peace - pilgrims can still find a place for spiritual reflection in Frauenberg, the pilgrimage church of Admont Monastery. The Calvary to the East and the gardens in the West surround the church and invite one to find spiritual strength. The unparalleled view of the surrounding displays the beauty of the Creation.
Continue to Salzburg to your accommodation and check-in.
10th day / Departure
Breakfast and check-out.
Transfer to Munich airport and departure.
Included services:
Deluxe coach throughout as per itinerary
Catholic tour manager throughout as per itinerary
3 nights Andechs: Hotel**** BB
2 nights Salzburg: Hotel**** BB
2 nights Vienna: Hotel**** BB
1 night Mariazell: Hotel*** BB
1 night Salzburg: Hotel**** BB
Daily dinner
Sightseeing and admissions as per itinerary
Mass and spiritual activities as per itinerary
Concerts as mentioned in the highlights on the tour
