Apostle Paul’s Missionary Journey and St. John’s Book of Revelation 10 days
DAY 1
Arrive in Athens, where you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 2
In the morning, admire the architectural miracles of ancient Athens, as you follow your guide to the world renown Acropolis, to see the Propylea, the
Erectheum and the Parthenon. Visit Mars Hill where Paul delivered his speech on the “Unknown God”. View the Agora, the ancient center of the economic
and public life of the city, where Paul preached to the skeptical Athenians. During the bus tour, you see Constitution Square with the House of Parliament and
the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Temple of Zeus, the Old Olympic Stadium and Neoclassical buildings of Athens like the National Library, the National
University and Academy. Then you continue your trip to Ancient Corinth. This is the once glorious city near the Isthmus, where Paul met Aquilla and Priscilla
and spent a year and a half preaching the Gospel. You visit the Archaeological Museum, the Forum, the Temples and the famous Bema, where Paul stood
before Gallio accused by the Jews of Corinth. Then you drive to Cenchreae, the little harbour Paul sailed back to Asia from, thus ending his second missionary
journey. Back to Athens for dinner and overnight.
DAY 3
This morning you get a taste of the beautiful countryside of Central and Northern Greece, as you drive from Athens to Veria, where you visit the Bema of the
apostle Paul. Continue to Thessaloniki and get acquainted with the city of Jason and Paul. See the White Tower, the Rotonda, the Roman Arch of Galerius, the
Byzantine Acropolis and visit the most famous church of Thessaloniki, the Basilica of St. Demetrius. Dinner and overnight in Thessaloniki.
DAY 4
Follow the route of the Via Egnatia and visit, like Paul and his companion, the area of Amphipolis to see the famous funerary Lion of Amphipolis and the site of
Philippi. There, you visit the Baptistery of Lydia near the river, where Paul baptized her. Lydia was the first convert of Paul on European soil, followed by the
jailer. Also visit the ruins of the Forum of Philippi, the Christian Basilicas, the “Prison of Paul” and the Theater. Drive to Kavala (Neapolis), a picturesque city-
port, and view the Byzantine Castle and the Roman Aqueduct. Dinner and overnight in Kavala.
DAY 5
Depart from Kavala and drive through the Greek part of Thrace, passing by the towns of Xanthi, Komotini and Alexandroupolis. Arrive at the border between
Greece and Turkey and cross over to the Turkish part of Thrace. Your final destination is Istanbul (Constantinople), the city which straddles two continents. The
capital of the Byzantine Empire for more than one thousand years and of the Ottoman Empire for more than five hundred years, Istanbul is famous for many
beautiful places and museums which you will have the opportunity to see the next day. Dinner and overnight in Istanbul.
DAY 6
Begin your “Istanbul City tour”. The tour starts with the Blue Mosque, the most splendid mosque in the city distinguished by six slender minarets and the
interior decorated with blue Iznik tile, and continues with a walk through the Hippodrome, the center of Byzantine civic life housing three ancient monuments.
See the Obelisk of Theodosius, the Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine. Visit St. Sophia (Divine Wisdom), one of the greatest churches in the
world built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. After the conquest of the city in 1453, St. Sophia was transformed into a mosque by Mehmet the Conqueror,
and in 1934 it was transformed into a museum by Ataturk. In the afternoon, visit the famous Topkapi Palace, where the rich collection of Ottoman Treasures
can be seen. The palace with a base area of 700.000 sq m is spread over the promontory called the Seraglio Point, from where you can view the Bosphorus, the
Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara. This legendary maze of buildings was the residence of the Ottoman sultans and the administrative heart of the Empire.
Nowadays, it is one of the world’s greatest museums. Dinner and overnight in Istanbul.
DAY 7
Early in the morning, you fly to Izmir. From Izmir airport, you visit St. Polycarp’s Church and then drive north to the ancient city of Ephesus, where Paul spent
three years during his 3 rd missionary journey. The impressive remains of Ephesus include the Agora, the Theater, the Stadium, the Library of Celsius, the ruins
of the Temple of Diana (one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World”) and many more. Later, you embark on your cruise ship and sail for the island of
Patmos, where you can choose to visit the Monastery of St. John, on one of the island’s highest points. From there, you will walk down to the Grotto of the
Apocalypse, the site of the apocalyptic Revelations of St. John the Divine. Overnight on board.
DAY 8
You will spend the day on the island of Rhodes, where you can walk around the medieval city with its impressive walls and the Palace of the Grand Master,
which was built by the Knights of St. John. You will also have the option to drive to the picturesque town of Lindos to see the Acropolis and the little Bay of the
Apostle Paul.
DAY 9
Today, we wake up to discover that we have arrived at the island of Crete and in this morning’s port of call, Heraklion. Crete is the largest of the Greek Islands
and is known, in legend, as the birthplace of Zeus, father of the gods. Places of interest include the site of Knossos, with its restored Palace of King Minos
(legendary home of the Minotaur) and the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion. Then we depart for our final and perhaps most scenic port, Santorini. Take a
donkey or cable car up to the whitewashed village of Fira, or perhaps join an excursion to one of the other towns on the island. In the evening, we sail to
Athens.
DAY 10
Today, you disembark at the port of Piraeus after your breakfast. You will be transferred to Athens airport for your flight back home. Fly back home with a new
insight into Paul and John’s life and teachings.
