Days / Nights
11 days / 10 nights
ATHENS
ANCIENT CORINTH
METEORA
VERIA
THESSALONIKI
PHILIPPI
KAVALA
ISTANBUL
PERGAMUM
SARDIS
PAMUKKALE
LAODICEA
EPHESUS
1st Day: ATHENS AIRPORT (ARRIVAL)
Arrival in Athensand direct transfer to our hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.
2nd Day: ATHENS – ANCIENT CORINTH
After breakfast, we will admire the architectural miracles of ancient Athens, as we follow our guide to the world famous Acropolis, to see the Propylaea, the Erechtheum and the Parthenon. We will visit Mars Hill where Apostle Paul delivered his speech and walk around Agora, the ancient centre of the economic and public life of the city. During the bus tour that will follow, we will see Constitution Square with the House of Parliament and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Temple of Zeus, the Old Olympic Stadium, known as Kallimarmaro and the Neoclassical buildings of Athens. Then, we will continue our trip to Ancient Corinth. This is the once glorious city near the Isthmus (Paul met Aquila and Priscilla and spent a year and a half preaching the Gospel). We will visit the Archaeological Museum, the Forum, the Temples and the famous Step, where ApostlePaul stood before Gallio, accused by the Jews of Corinth. Then, we will return back to Athens.Dinner and overnight stay.
3rd Day: ATHENS – METEORA – KALAMBAKA
Our journey through the mainland of Greece will begin after breakfast, with a drive from Athens to Kalambaka, in central Greece, where there is a scenery full of unique and striking beauty: on top of huge granite pinnacles, we see the ageless Meteora Monasteries, which are full of treasures of Christian art. We will visit the main Monasteries and we will depart forour hotel in Kalambaka.Dinner and overnight stay.
4th Day: KALAMBAKA – VERIA – THESSALONIKI
After breakfast, we will get a taste of the beautiful countryside of Central and Northern Greece, as we drive from Kalambaka to Veria, where we will visit theStep of Apostle Paul. Our next station is Thessaloniki, where we will visit the White Tower, the Roman Arch of Galerius, the Byzantine Acropolis, as well as the most famous church of Thessaloniki, the Basilica of St. Demetrius. Dinner and overnight stay.
5th Day: THESSALONIKI – PHILIPPI – KAVALA
After breakfast, we will follow the route Via Egnatia and visit (as Paul and his companions did once) the area of Amphipolis, wherewe will see the famous funerary Lion of Amphipolis, the Site of Philippi and also the Baptistery of Saint Lydia near the river,where Apostle Paul baptized her. We will alsovisit the ruins of the Forum of Philippi, the Christian Basilicas, the “Prison of Paul” and the Theatre. Our trip will continue to Kavala (Neapolis), a picturesque city-port, in order to view the Byzantine Castle and the Roman Aqueduct. Dinner and overnight stay.
6th Day: KAVALA – ISTANBUL
After breakfast, we will depart from Kavala and we will drive through Thrace, passing by the towns of Xanthi, Komotini and Alexandroupoli. Arrival at the bordersand cross over toTurkey. Our final destination is Istanbul, the city which straddles two continents. Istanbul is famous for many beautiful places and museums, which we will have the opportunity to visit the next day. Dinner and overnight stay.
7th Day: ISTANBUL
After breakfast, our “Istanbul Guided City Tour” will start with the Blue Mosque, the most splendid mosque in the city. Then, we willhave a walk through the Hippodrome, the centre of Byzantine civic life housing three ancient monuments. We will visit St. Sophia, one of the greatest churches in the world. After the conquest of the city in 1453, it was transformed into a mosque by Mehmet the Conqueror and in 1934 into a museum by Ataturk. In the afternoon, we will visit the famous Topkapi Palace, where the rich collection of Ottoman Treasures can be seen. Nowadays, it is one of the world’s greatest museums. Dinner and overnight stay.
8th Day: ISTANBUL – PERGAMUM – IZMIR
After breakfast, but early in the morning, we will depart for Izmir. We will visit St. Polycarp’s Church and afterwards, we will depart north to Pergamum, which was one of the principal political and cultural centres of the Hellenistic and Roman world, as well as home of one of the Seven Churches. Among the most impressive structures of this city are the Altar of Zeus, the Temple of Dionysus and of course the great Library, which was the second best of ancient times after the one in Alexandria. The Asklepieion of Pergamum was a famous healing centre. On our way back to Izmir, we will visit the city of Thyatira, to see the remains of the Church, which was one of the Seven Churches of the Book of Revelation. Arrival at our hotel in Izmir. Dinner and overnight stay.
9th Day: IZMIR – SARDIS – PHILADELPHIA – PAMUKKALE
After breakfast, we will visit Sardis, a place that holds a prominent place in the heart of the Christians, since this was also one of the Seven Churches, which we will visit. We will also visit the Gymnasium and the Temple of Artemis. Next stop on our itinerary will be Philadelphia, another one of the Seven Churches of the Book of Revelation, which was a very important Christian centre during Byzantine Empire. Arrival at our hotel in Pamukkale. Dinner and overnight stay.
10th Day: PAMUKKALE – LAODICEA – APHRODISIAS – KUSADASI
After breakfast, we will visit Laodicea, where the remains of the city are found on a flat-topped hill. Christianity was introduced to this area during the time of Apostle Paul, by Epaphras of Colossae. Laodicea, one of the Seven Churches of the Book of Revelation, became the seat of a Bishop and hosted an important Ecumenical Council in the 4thcentury AD. Our next stop will be Aphrodisias, named by and dedicated to the Goddess of beauty and love. The city was known as a centre of art, science, sculpture and festivals; this city boasts of well preserved ruins, among which are the Theatre, the Stadium, the Baths and the “Bishop’s Palace”. Arrival in Kusadasi. Dinner and overnight stay.
11th Day: KUSADASI – EPHESUS – IZMIR AIRPORT (DEPARTURE)
After breakfast, we will start our trip at the Ancient city of Ephesus, where Apostle Paul spent three years during his 3rdmissionary journey. The impressive remains of Ephesus include the Agora, the Theatre (in which Apostle Paul preached), the Stadium, the Library of Celsius, the ruins of the Temple of Artemis (one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World”) and many more. After that, we will be transferred to Izmir airport from where we will take our flight with the best memories.
We present you various proposals of excursions but also we can customize our services “depending on your needs”.
