Pilgrimage Itinerary

Day 1 - Friday 3rd June
Check in at Dublin airport for Aer Lingus flight to Vienna departing Dublin at 06:10am and arriving into Vienna at 10:00. Upon arrival we will meet our coach and take in a panoramic city sightseeing tour of the Viennese highlights including the monuments, museums and palaces. See the Schoenborn Palace, State Opera House, St. Stephen's Cathedral where we will celebrate Mass, and the Hofburg Imperial Palace. Vienna is the home of Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven, Brahms, Strauss and Vienna Boys Choir. Check into our hotel for 1 night with dinner, bed & breakfast. This evening we have the opportunity to take in an optional for Strauss Concert in Kursalon.

Day 2 - Saturday 4th June
This morning we drive to Krems, where we take a cruise on the River Danube . We will experience the beauty of the Austrian countryside while we cruise through Austria's Wachau region. We will board our boat in Krems, and set off on our tour through the valley�a UNESCO World Heritage Site�and cruise all the way to Melk. Along the way, we will pass though the valley and see stunning sights from the water, including ancient abbeys and churches, castle ruins, and even seasonal fruit trees in bloom. On arrival in Melk you will have some time for lunch (optional) and a little free time for sight seeing before we continue to drive to Salzburg and check into our hotel for 2 nights with dinner, bed & breakfast.

Day 3 - Sunday 5th June
Today we will follow the Sound of Music trail. See Leopoldskron Palace and the Hellbrun Palace with its famous water fountains. Our walking tour through the city includes Mozart's birthplace and the Cathedral which was built by Feargal or Virgil who was born in Ireland. He became a monk and probably Abbot in the monastery of Aghaboe. In 743 he is said to have left Ireland and became the Abbot of St. Peter's at Salzburg. He died on 27th November 784. When the Salzburg cathedral was destroyed by a fire in 1181, the grave of Feargal was discovered and this led to his canonisation by Pope Gregory IX in 1233. His feast is celebrated in Ireland and Austria. We will celebrate Mass here at his tomb.

Day 4 - Monday 6th June
After breakfast we will have Mass in the Old Town of Salzburg. After Mass we have a guided tour of Salzburg. On this walk of the Old Town we visit the Cathedral and St. Peter's Abbey, the Residence and the Fortress, Mozart's Birthplace, the Festival-Theatres, the oldest pharmacy and the oldest caf�, Salzach river, the mountains in town and many other sights.. This afternoon we will drive to the Oberammergau area and check into our hotel for 2 nights.

Day 5 - Tuesday 7th June
This morning is free to explore the lovely village of Oberammergau and visit the Museum & celebrate Mass at a local church. Enjoy some time to explore Oberammergau's colourful frescos known as �Luftlmalereien� on house facades and to visit wood carving shops with amazing array of nativity scenes and 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.

Your Tickets are Category 2

The Play is approximately five and a half hours long and is performed in two acts.
Act I : 2:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Intermission: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm; enjoy dinner at a local restaurant which is included in your price. The following drinks are also included: water (carbonated and non-carbonated), soft drinks, open beers, open wines, coffee and tea.

Act II (May 16 - Aug 16 ): 8:00 pm - 10:30 pm

Day 6 - Wednesday 8th June
This morning we have some free time in Oberammergau until our transfer to Munich airport for Aer Lingus flight to Dublin departing at 20:35 and due to arrive in Dublin T1 at 22:10