Apostle Paul’s Missionary Journey to Greece & Turkey and the Seven Churches of Revelation
DAY 1
Arrive in Istanbul and board our domestic flight to Adana. Adana has been an important city for many civilizations for centuries
dating back to the Hittites due to its being in the heart of a fertile center. The precious River Seyhan is spanned by the ancient
Taskopru (Stone Bridge) which was built by Hadrian and then repaired by Justinian. After our orientation tour we drive to our
hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 2
Breakfast will be served at the hotel and we begin our tour in Tarsus – the birthplace of St. Paul. It’s believed that the water of
the well in the house of St. Paul is holy. We head to Derbe, one of the famous cities where St. Paul and St. Barnabas preached
Christianity (Acts 14:21). Derbe is famed today for the Manazan Caves, where the neglected ancient city with its churches lie at
the foot of Karadag. Then on to Konya where St. Paul and St. Barnabas had to flee due to persecution. Visit the tomb of
Mevlana, the great mystic poet and Islamic spiritual leader who founded the sect of “Whirling Dervishes”, Ince Minare Medrese
(Muslim theological school) and the Karatay Medrese museum. Continue to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 3
After breakfast we travel to Antioch in the province of Pisidia. Antioch became one of the first Anatolian cities to accept
Christianity. St. Paul came to Antioch in the 1st century AD and chose it as a center for his missionary activities. St. Paul gave
his first sermon to the congregation of a synagogue, on the site of which the first and largest church dedicated to St. Paul was
later constructed. Then continue to Colossae, known from the letters of St. Paul. On to Pamukkale, the cotton fortress, which
rises above the fertile Menderes valley. Upon arrival visit the ruins of ancient Hierapolis. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 4
We begin this morning with a tour of Laodicea, one of the seven churches of Revelations. Then on to ancient Miletus, once a
harbor city but today inland because of the silting process of the Meander river. Miletus was home to many ancient scientists
and philosophers, among whom Thales was first to set the principles to understand the world. Continue to Kusadasi, a lively
Turkish port and gateway to ancient Ephesus. Our tour takes us to visit Ancient Ephesus, the Greek colony founded by the
Athenians. Here history truly comes to life, walking towards the ancient harbor down a marble road rutted by the wheels of
countless chariots. You pass architectural masterpieces like the Magnesian Gate and the Library of Celsus before arriving to
the Great Amphitheater where Paul spoke to the Ephesians. Some time at leisure here. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 5
In the morning, transfer to the harbor for a tour of Patmos. Patmos is a sacred island for the Christian religion. It was here that
St. John lived and wrote the Book of Revelations. In the afternoon return back to Kusadasi and transfer to the hotel. Dinner and
overnight at our hotel.
DAY 6
After breakfast we begin in Sardis, which was the capital of Lydian Empire. Referred to in the Book of Revelations, with Sardis
remaining “one of the most picturesque of any of the Seven Churches”. Then on to the city of brotherly love,
Philadelphia, founded by Pergamon King Attalos II for his brother Eumenes. Attalos wanted his new city to become the center of
the Greco-Roman Civilization. The sixth letter of the Apostle John to the Seven Churches of Asia Minor was the letter to
Philadelphia. Continue to Thyatira, the fourth of the seven Churches of Asia Minor to receive an epistle from the Apostle John
(Rev. 2:18-29). The letter written to this church is the longest letter of 7 letters. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Izmir.
DAY 7
Drive to Smyrna which holds a significant place in early church history. It was the home of several early martyr-saints including
Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna. Continue to Pergamum. Here we will visit Asklepion and the Acropolis. Continue to Troy, the
immortal city of the legendary Helen of Troy and Trojan House which was destroyed and rebuilt nine times. Then on to
Canakkale along the straights of Dardanelles for dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 8
After breakfast, we depart to Philippi, which was a Roman garrison town and the chief city in the province of Macedonia. It was
here that Paul won his first European convert, a woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods. Visit the
Baptistry of Lydia, the marketplace (where Paul and Silas were brought before the rulers) and the cistern which tradition
identifies as the place where St. Paul was imprisoned. We then continue to the beautiful city of Kavala for a short visit and
afterwards to Thessaloniki for dinner and overnight.
DAY 9
Today we begin our travels with a short tour of Thessaloniki, the “Queen of the North”, where Paul wrote two epistles to the
ancient Thessalonians. Built by King Cassandros and named after the sister of Alexander the Great, the city flourished under
the Byzantine Empire and its most important buildings date from those days. We depart through the beautiful countryside of
Northern Greece, going through Veria where Paul stopped and preached. Arrival in Athens in the late afternoon and on to our
hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 10
Your sightseeing will begin with an Athens city tour. Athens is one of the most glorious cities in the world and the cradle of
western civilization as we know it today. For twenty-five centuries, the panorama of this city has been dominated by the rock of
the Acropolis, where we see the ruins of the Parthenon, the Erectheum and the Propylae. Thereafter, we will ascend Mars Hill
where Paul spoke to the ancient Athenians about the one and only God. From here we have an excellent view of the Ancient
Agora, the former center of the Athenian public life. We continue for a drive through the city to see the House of Parliament on
Syntagma Square, the “evzones” in their picturesque uniforms guarding the Presidential Palace and Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier. We also see the National Library, the National University, the Academy, the Panathenaic Stadium where the first
Olympics of the modern era were held, the temple of the Olympian Zeus and Adrian's Arch. Afternoon is at leisure for shopping
or time on your own. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 11
We board our coach for Corinth, taking the coastal road along the Saronic Gulf to the Corinth Canal, which connects the
Aegean Sea with the Ionian Sea. Short stop for pictures and continue to the site of ancient Corinth, Paul's beloved city and site
of his most extensive ministry. Dominated by the Acro-Corinth rising 1,700 feet above the ruins, the marketplace is laid out
exactly as it stood in the days of the great Apostle. We see the bema (the judgement seat) where Paul stood before Galilo and
preached (Acts 18). The museum contains a superb collection of artifacts portraying life in ancient Corinth. Return to Athens for
dinner and overnight.
DAY 12
Transfer to the airport for our flight home - the end of a wonderful journey!
