Depart today on board our overnight transatlantic flight to Vienna International Airport (VIE), arriving the following day. Enjoy a full meal service as well as in-flight entertainment such as movies, music, etc.

Upon arrival in Vienna, we will collect our luggage at baggage claim and continue to the arrivals hall to meet our pilgrimage director. We will then be escorted to our deluxe motorcoach for our hotel transfer to the city. After arriving at our accommodations, we will have time to unpack and freshen up, followed by a brief orientation. We will then begin our pilgrimage with a walking tour of the city. Lunch on our own followed by a visit to the magnificent St. Stephen’s Cathedral for Mass. This majestic church, a tribute to Gothic architecture, is the most important religious building in Vienna and has borne witness to centuries of history, symbolic of where East meets West. Enjoy a relaxing afternoon and evening with a festive group welcome dinner (included), served with local cuisine. Don’t forget to try the local beer! Overnight in Vienna. (B, D)

Following breakfast and hotel check out, we will depart the imperial city of Vienna, the capital of the Hapsburg Empire. First we will stop for a break in the alpine city of Graz on the beautiful Mur River. Free time to explore and enjoy lunch in the city’s historic centre with time to window shop. After, we will continue our scenic motorcoach drive across the Julian Alps into the beloved land of Slovenia. In the afternoon we will arrive at Ljubljana, the nation’s capital, once an ancient Roman settlement. We will check into our hotel and set out for a leisurely stroll through the cobbled streets where we will admire beautiful churches and boutique shops. Our walk will lead us to the mighty cathedral of St. Nicholas, a Baroque gem of great artistic merit. Here we will have Mass in the same church where Bishop Baraga, a missionary to America, was ordained priest in 1823. Ljubljana has been called a “Little Vienna” in reference to the architectural influence of the Habsburg dynasty. On our guided walk, we will admire the Baroque and Art Nouveau elements of the enchanting city. The evening is scheduled free time to enjoy dinner on our own. Overnight in Ljubljana. (B)

After breakfast we will take an excursion into mountains and forests to see the beloved Shrine of Our Lady of Brezje. Here is found the beautiful Basilica of Mary Help of Christians, the national shrine of Slovenia and the largest pilgrim church in the country. In a side chapel is kept a magnificent icon of Our Lady Help of Christians (Mariahilf), a popular devotion of the Austro-Hungarian people. In 1996 Pope John Paul II visited here and the annual feast day is celebrated on May 24. This is a place of miracles. Bring your prayer intentions. We will have Mass with time to walk the grounds. After, we will continue our drive to the immensely popular Lake Bled, where aquamarine waters glow and a chapel arises from an island in the middle of the lake. Here we will have lunch on our own and take a boat ride to the island to visit the church dedicated to the Assumption, admiring its precious Gothic frescoes. The Baroque stairway to the church, built in 1655, has ninety-nine stone steps leading up from the boat launch. The visit and boat ride are a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The flat-bottomed wooden boats, called a pletna, seat twenty each. The boats are propelled by oarsmen, who employ an ancient technique to navigate them by hand using two oars. The guild of oarsmen dates back to 1740, the days of the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, who granted local rights to 22 local families to ferry pilgrims to the shrine. Following our return boat ride to the shore, we will continue to Vintgar Gorge, an enchanting landscape along the Radovna River. Here we will walk the mile-long boardwalks along the stone walls that cradle the crystal-clear waters of the majestic river. Lastly, we return to our hotel for dinner on our own. Overnight in Ljubljana. (B)

Following breakfast, we will enjoy the scenic drive to Predjama Castle, the largest cave castle in the world and one of Slovenia’s unique sites. This impressive medieval castle was built at the mouth of a cave. We will tour the castle and visit the Skocjan Caves, an enormous subterranean world and a marvel of geology. Here we will take a guided tour in the caves, an UNESCO World Heritage Site and Europe’s largest underground canyon. Bring a jacket as it can be chilly! Lunch on our own at the visitor centre. Afternoon visit to Koper, another enchanting seaside town on the Adriatic. We will visit the historic city centre and the medieval Cathedral, very much influenced by Venetian architecture. Early dinner on our own (we suggest you enjoy the local seafood). Return to Ljubljana for overnight. (B)

After breakfast we will make our way to the beautiful Soča River and valley for some relaxed sightseeing and light hiking. We will visit the Franciscan monastery in Kostanjevica where the tombs of the Bourbons who lived here in exile are buried – members of the French royal family. From here we will drive to the Shrine of Sveta Gora, where in 1539 a shepherd had a vision of Our Lady who commanded that a church be built in her honor on the site. In the afternoon we will return to Ljubljana for dinner on our own. Overnight in Ljubljana. (B)

We will start the morning with breakfast, hotel check-out, and a scenic drive across the countryside to the Adriatic coast. Enjoy the panoramic view of untouched rural countryside and centuries-old farms. Our first destination is the port of Piran, Slovenia’s colorful coastal town on the Adriatic. Here we will enjoy a walking tour of the city centre with lunch on our own. Next we will continue to Trieste, an enchanting seaport that long exemplifies the historic connections between Slovenia and Italy. With Slovenia five miles to the east, this beautiful city is part of a vast region that belonged to the Habsburg monarchy from 1382 until the end of the First World War. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was one of the great powers of Europe, a multinational state that included Slovenia, with Trieste as its main port on the Adriatic and the Empire’s fourth largest city. It remains a city of great beauty, art, architecture, and culture. Here we will visit the cathedral, an ancient church consecrated in 1385 with original mosaics that reflect the beauty of Byzantine influenced late Medieval art in Italy. We will then check in to our hotel with dinner on our own. Overnight in Trieste. (B)

After breakfast and hotel check-out, we board our bus and enjoy the scenic drive to Aquileia, an ancient Roman city with an incredible archaeological site. It is the largest Roman city yet to be excavated. This city was an early Christian metropolis with many examples of early Christian art and architecture. Pope Pius I was born here and St. Chrysogonus was martyred here. We will have Mass in the Cathedral, tour the archaeological site, and enjoy lunch on our own. Upon our arrival in Venice we will make our way to the Cathedral of San Marco, where the relics of St. Mark are kept. Here we will celebrate Mass with time to pray at the tomb of the apostle. Following Mass, pilgrims are free to explore and shop in Piazza San Marco with dinner on our own. Overnight in Venice. (B)

Following breakfast, we will make our way to the Cathedral of St. Mark for Mass. Afterwards, we will embark on a guided tour of the Doge’s Palace, one of the main sites in Venice and a major city landmark. Built in the Venetian Gothic style, this is where the Doge lived and worked, the civic official who was the supreme authority of the government in the days of the Republic of Venice. Since 1923 the palace has been a museum. Here we will admire some of the most important works of visual art in this region of the world. In the afternoon we will enjoy lunch and take a leisurely stroll through the heart of downtown Venice, admiring the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge with stops at major churches, including the Sanctuary of St. Lucy. Final farewell group dinner (included), served with local dishes and overnight in Venice. (B, D)

Following breakfast, with fresh memories of our time together, we check-out of our hotel, board our motorcoach, and transfer to the airport (VCE) for our return flights home. (B)