Depart from selected port of departure in USA. Overnight flights to Madrid, no hotel accommodation. Meals are on your own, or provided by the airline(s).

*For those participating in the Netherlands Pre-Extension, you will be traveling to Madrid this evening, or the next morning.

Welcome to Madrid!! Breakfast will either be provided by the airline before your arrival, or it will be on your own upon arrival. When you arrive at the Madrid airport, our assistant will be waiting with a Ruaj Ministry sign at the exit door of the international terminal.

Explore the historic district of Madrid de los Austrias, including Plaza Mayor and the exterior of the Royal Palace, while learning how Charles V and Philip II became leading defenders of Catholicism during the Protestant Reformation. This introduction provides the political and religious context for understanding why Spain became one of the strongest opponents of Protestant reform. Following the tour site visits, you will transfer to the hotel with the group for check-in. 

Travel to Valladolid, once the principal center of Protestant activity in Spain. Visit the Plaza Mayor, the site of the famous 1559 Auto-da-Fé, San Pablo Church, the Cervantes House, the Christopher Columbus House, and the National Museum of Sculpture. Throughout the day, examine the rise of the Spanish Reformers and the severe persecution that nearly eliminated the Protestant movement within Spain.

Journey south to Seville to study the life and martyrdom of Julián Hernández (“Julianillo”), one of Spain’s most courageous Protestant witnesses. Continue to Santiponce and visit the Monastery of San Isidoro del Campo, where reformers Casiodoro de Reina and Cipriano de Valera helped shape the future of Spanish Protestantism through the publication of the Bear Bible (1569) and the Pitcher Bible (1602). Later, travel to Barcelona for a brief walk through the historic Gothic Quarter before continuing into France.

Travel through the beautiful Provence region while exploring the history of the French Huguenots. Along the journey, learn how Reformed ideas spread throughout France despite increasing persecution and political opposition. Discussions throughout the day will focus on the growth of Protestant communities and the challenges they faced under the French monarchy.

Travel through Belgium to discover how the Reformation spread through scholarship, commerce, and the revolutionary technology of the printing press. In Brussels, learn about Charles V, Philip II, the execution of the Counts of Egmont and Horn, and the beginnings of the Dutch Revolt. Continue to Antwerp to visit the remarkable Plantin-Moretus Museum, home of one of Europe’s greatest printing houses, where biblical scholarship and printed Scriptures played a crucial role in advancing the Reformation throughout the continent.

Return to Edinburgh for a day devoted to understanding the lasting influence of the Reformation on Scottish society. Through lectures and discussions, study the Scots Confession of 1560, the development of Presbyterian church government, the importance of biblical preaching, public education, and the relationship between conscience, faith, and civil authority. This concluding academic day brings together the major theological and social themes explored throughout the tour.

After the visit, transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Edinburgh, or late-night transfer to the airport for departure flights to USA (depending on flight itinerary).

For those with overnight flights, you will be traveling throughout the day on this day to return to the USA. 

For those with early morning departures, you will have a transfer to the airport and depart on your return flights back to the USA. 

Depart from selected port of departure in USA. Overnight flights to Amsterdam, no hotel accommodation. Meals are on your own, or provided by the airline(s).

Arrive into Amsterdam and transfer to hotel. Spend the afternoon and evening exploring Amsterdam’s historic canals and old city center while discovering its role as a major hub of trade, religious tolerance, and Protestant influence during the Reformation era. Visit key landmarks and experience the city’s cultural heritage shaped by commerce, printing, and religious migration.

Travel along the iconic Dutch sea defenses and coastal landscapes, learning how the Netherlands was shaped by its relationship with the sea. Experience historic engineering works and coastal communities that reflect the resilience and innovation of Dutch society during the early modern period.

Visit the historic harbor of Delfshaven, one of the most significant departure points connected to the Pilgrim Fathers. Explore the area where early Separatists prepared for their journey to religious freedom in the New World, marking a key moment in the broader story of Protestant migration and conscience-driven faith.

You will depart on a late flight to Madrid, or stay overnight in the hotel and depart the following morning to Madrid, to join the other passengers on the tour itinerary.