Overview
Travel to Germany and Austria with your ensemble to perform in some of the world’s most iconic music cities. Germany’s rich cultural heritage is apparent in Leipzig, where Wagner and Mendelssohn lived. Visit the Bach Museum and perform at a venue like Peterskirche, the city’s largest church. In Salzburg, tour Mozart’s birthplace and the Hohensalzburg Fortress. Vienna, with its incomparable music heritage, offers singular performance venues like St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the site of Mozart’s funeral, in addition to the immersive exhibits at the Haus der Musik.
Itinerary
Day 1
Overnight flight to Germany (Berlin)
Day 2
Meet your Tour Director, travel to Leipzig via Halle and check into hotel
Your 24-hour Tour Director will meet you at the airport and remain with your group until your final airport departure.
Halle city walk
Enjoy a visit to Halle, a beautiful city in Saxony and home to one of the oldest universities in Germany. It also boasts Germany's oldest chocolate factory and numerous other sights.
Leipzig city walk
Leipzig is a city that flourished from the 16th century onwards thanks to the wealth it created from the rich nearby silver mines. Leipzig enjoys a reputation for outstanding excellence in music, with the likes of Bach, Wagner, Mendelssohn, and Schumann all having lived here, and literary work with Germany’s greatest poet, Goethe, setting a fundamental scene of Faust in the Auerbachs Keller.
Day 3
St. Thomas Church visit
It was built in 1212 and originally established as a place of worship for Augustinian Canons. Highlights of the church are the Baroque-style turret and the magnificent main entrance. It is also the final resting place of Johann Sebastian Bach, who was organist and cantor here for 27 years.
Bach Museum visit
Take a look to the largest collection of Bach archives in Germany.
Leipzig performance
Potential venues include (but not limited to): Peterskirche, Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirsch, Thomaskirsche or an exchange with a local school, university or community group.
Day 4
Travel to Nuremberg via Bayreuth
Bayreuth city walk
Enjoy a visit to Bayreuth to explore the various sights and sounds of the city. It is most famous for its connection to composer Richard Wagner. Each year, the city hosts the Bayreuth Festival, a world-famous music festival.
Nuremberg city walk
Nuremberg (Nürnberg) is a vibrant Bavarian city with a visible history of almost 1,000 years. In the Middle Ages it was the preferred residence of German emperors. It later became burdened with the legacy of the Nazis, but although it was bombed to rubble during World War II, the medieval city center has undergone significant reconstruction, using the original stone. Led by your Tour Director, explore the the Old Town featuring the ruins of the ramparts that once surrounded the city.
Day 5
Travel to Salzburg
With its elegant squares and quaint streets, Salzburg is a delightful introduction to the sophisticated world of the classical genius, Mozart.
Salzburg city walk
Old Town Square, Residenz Castle, Glockenspeil
Free time on Getreidegaße
Spend free time on Salzburg's most famous street, the Getreidegaße, which is lined with small shops, interesting houses and wrought-iron signs.
Day 6
Salzburg Residenz guided visit
Visit the Residenz, Salzburg’s opulent palace, which was the seat of the Salzburg princearchbishops. The child prodigy Mozart often played in the Conference Room for guests, and in 1867, Emperor Franz Joseph received Napoléon III in the palace. Enjoy a tour of the richly decorated State Rooms, and the Residenzgalerie Salzburg, an art gallery that contains European paintings from the 16th to the 19th century, displayed in 15 historic rooms.
Mozart’s birthplace visit
Feel the rhythm of Salzburg’s Old Town Square as you enter the unassuming yellow home at Getreidegasse 9, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Inside, view an impressive collection of the young composer’s first instruments and immerse yourself in the captivating story of his early life.
Hohensalzburg Fortress visit
Take the funicular up to the Hohensalzburg Fortress, the former stronghold of the ruling prince-archbishops. We will visit the elegant State Apartments; the Burgmuseum, with a magnificent collection of medieval art and many Gothic artifacts; the Rainermuseum, which exhibits arms and armor; and the beautiful late Gothic St. George's Chapel, with intricate marble reliefs of the Apostles. From the Watchtower view the panoramic sweep of the Alps and from the Kuenberg Bastion, views of the domes and towers of Salzburg.
Salzburg performance
Potential venues include (but are not limited to): Mozarthaus, the Silent Night Chapel (for small choir only) where the song Silent Night was written, Kollegienkirche, an informal lunchtime performance at Salzburg Cathedral, or an exchange with a local school, university, or community group.
Day 7
Travel to Vienna
Beethoven Pasqualati House visit
Beethoven lived here during the majority of his heroic period, between 1804 and 1815. He composed many of his greatest works here, including Symphonies 4, 5, 7 and 8; the opera Fidelio, the 4th Piano Concerto and several string quartets.
Day 8
Haus der Musik visit
This interactive museum is located in the former home of Otto Nicolai, founder of the Vienna Philharmonic. Explore the lives of classical composers, compose your own waltz, and discover the science behind sound and hearing. Step onto a virtual conductor’s podium to lead the Vienna Philharmonic, and receive feedback from the musicians themselves.
The Haydn House visit
Visit Haydn’s House and museum with the Brahms room, which contains many memorabilia and artifacts owned by the composer.
Free time in Vienna
Day 9
Kunsthistorisches Museum
Explore the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Fine Arts Museum), housing one of Europe’s finest art collections compiled by the Hapsburgs. The collection includes great works from some of Europe’s greatest artists, including Bruegel, Rubens, Durer, Hals, Rembrandt, Raphael, Caravaggio, Titian and Velasquez, just to name a few.
Vienna Central Cemetery visit
Spend some meditative time at the Central Cemetery where we will find the tombs of Beethoven, Brahms, Schoenberg, and Schubert, as well as Mozart's Monument. Other notable musicians buried here are Antonio Salieri, Hugo Wolf, Karl Goldmark, and the singer Lotte Lehmann.
Vienna performance
Performance groups may have the opportunity to take the stage at historic venues such as St. Stephen’s Cathedral—closely tied to Vienna’s rich musical heritage—or the beautifully baroque Peterskirche, known for its outstanding acoustics. For those seeking a secular space, the Haus der Musik, Vienna’s renowned Museum of Music, also offers an excellent performance setting.
Day 10
Flight home from Vienna
Already Included
Transportation to & from your destination
Hotel accommodations
Admissions to top attractions (details in itinerary)
Meals (unless otherwise noted on your itinerary)
WorldAssist staff members available 24/7/365 should your group need extra help
Free high school credit for students who choose to complete WorldStrides free online coursework post-program
Guided sightseeing tours & city walks (details in itinerary)
Tips for local guides and drivers
WorldStrides Tour Director: A dynamic destination expert who makes learning come to life by leading your group's activities and discussions
Adjudicated group performances and an optional solo/duo competition
Scenes from Leipzig to Vienna
Health & Safety
Additional health and safety measures may be available within your respective destination. Refer to your program-specific materials for complete details.
Financial Assistance
Financial Assistance
WorldStrides provides over $2.5 million in financial assistance each year to thousands of families. Families with annual adjusted gross incomes of less than $85,000 may qualify. One simple call to Customer Service and you’ll know how much may be available for your trip even before signing up. Please note: financial assistance is given on a first-come, first-served basis.
Payment Plans
Advantage Payment Plan
At program sign-up you can opt to pay in full, or break up the cost of your trip with the Advantage Payment Plan. This plan allows you to pay a small initial deposit, then have your remaining payments spread out into affordable monthly amounts.
EZPay
We offer an EZPay option, which is a simple way to pay for your WorldStrides program by scheduling hassle-free, automatic drafts from your checking account. With EZPay, you'll never be late or miss an installment.
Fundraising Tools
Our easy-to-use tools put students in the driver's seat of their own fundraising efforts. Students can send e-cards, share links on social media, and even send out printed letters through WorldStrides' Gift of Education program. In one click friends and family members can make a direct donation to the trip - with 100% of the money raised going to offset their trip price. Thousands of students pay for their entire trip each year through the Gift of Education.
Also, WorldStrides makes program-specific scholarships available as well as other scholarship resources. Ask your Account Manager for more information about scholarships and fundraising tools.