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Featured Tour Programs Journeys of Paul in Greece & Turkey

BIBLE STUDY TRAVEL PROGRAMS

BY EL-PASO HOLIDAYS

JOURNEYS OF PAUL IN GREECE & TURKEY Athens, Corinth, Delphi, Meteora, Thessaloniki, Philippi, Kavala, Istanbul, Troas, Assos, Seven Churches of Revelation & Colossae

Day 01 ARRIVE ATHENS

Upon arrival to Athens Airport, our representatives will meet you after the customs and baggage claim with a sign “YOUR NAME” on it. Transfer to your hotel in Athens for diner and overnight. (D)


Day 02 ATHENS

Follow your guide to the world renowned Acropolis, the Propylaea, the Parthenon, and the Erectheum. View Mars Hill where the apostle Paul stood and said, " I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you" (Acts 17:23). See the Agora, the ancient market place and center of the Athenian public life, where the apostle Paul preached "Jesus and the resurrection" (Acts 17:18) to the skeptical Athenians. Also see the House of Parliament, the Presidential Palace and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Overnight in Athens. (B,D)


Day 03 CORINTH and CENCHRAEAE - ATHENS

In Corinth, the city where Paul met Aquilla and Priscilla, the tent makers, and where the Lord spoke to Paul by a vision saying, "I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city" (Acts 18: 10). Visit the Archaeological Museum, the Market Place and Temples. Walk among the ruins and stand on the Bema where Paul stood before Gallio facing charges brought by the Jews that were dropped. Paul stayed awhile in Corinth before leaving for Syria from the port at Cenchraeae (Acts 18: 12-18). Overnight in Athens. (B,D)


Day 04 DELPHI – METEORA - KALAMBAKA

Travel to scenic Delphi, the religious center of the ancient Greek world. Walk the Sacra Via to the Athenian Treasury, the Theatre, and the Temple of Apollo where the oracle performed his or her prophetic rituals. Visit the Museum. Drive to Kalambaka to visit the rock forest of Meteora in western Thessaly and ponder the rough terrain in which the apostle Paul walked during his missionary journey. See famous Byzantine monasteries perch precariously on summits of soaring, sheer-sided grey rock pinnacles of varied and spectacular shapes. Visit one of these monasteries. Dinner and overnight in Kalambaka. (B,D)


Day 05 VERIA - THESSALONIKI

Short stop at Veria (Berea) (Act 17: 10-12). Continue on to Thessaloniki, the city where Paul was accused of turning the world upside down by his preaching of Christ (Acts 17: 3-6), and the church to which he addressed his Thessalonian epistles, visit St. George's Basilica, where tradition holds it is built over the synagogue where Paul preached. View the Old City Ramparts, and the Galerius Arch that rises over the Via Egnatia. Visit the Archaeological Museum. See two of the most beautiful basilicas in the city, St. Sophia and St. Demetrios, dedicated to a distinguished member of the Roman army and a martyred Christian convert. Dinner and overnight in Thessaloniki. (B,D)


Day 06 AMPHIPOLIS - PHILIPPI - KAVALA

Drive to Philippi, where Paul, intending to find a place to pray by the riverside, spoke to women who had gathered there among whom was Lydia, the seller of purple and whose heart the Lord opened to hear the words that he spoke (Acts 16:13-15). Lydia was the first Christian to be baptized on European soil. Visit the place where this event is remembered and see a crypt dating from the Roman period, which is thought to have served as a prison for the apostle Paul. See the famous Acropolis, the Market Place, the Basilica, and the Theater. Overnight in the Kavala area. (B,D)


Day 07 ALEXANDROPOLIS – TURKEY BORDER – DRIVE ISTANBUL

Depart Kavala. Short visit to Alexandropolis. Drive to the Greece-Turkey border. Transfer to your Turkish bus and guide, and continue to Istanbul (about 5 hours drive after the border) for dinner and overnight. Istanbul is the only city in the world spanning on two continents. Overnight in Istanbul. (B,D)


Day 08 ISTANBUL

Full day Istanbul tour; visit the Roman Hippodrome Square, Blue Mosque with its beautiful blue tiles, Hagia Sophia Church, built by Constantine the Great and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, one of the world’s greatest architectural marvels and a designated World Heritage site. Then visit the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight. Evening, slide show & presentation of the major Biblical sites in Turkey. (B, D)


Day 09 ISTANBUL – TROY - ALEXANDER TROAS (Acts 16:8-11; 20:5, 6, II Tim. 4:13, II Cor. 2:12) - ASSOS

Drive to Çanakkale. Cross the Dardanelles Strait by car ferry. Proceed to Troy to see the legendary city and the replica of the Wooden Horse. Continue to Alexandrian Troas, founded by Alexander the Great. Paul visited here at least twice. Dinner and overnight in Assos. (B, D)


Day 10 ASSOS - PERGAMON (Rev. 1:11; 2:12) – BERGAMA

Morning tour of Assos, Leave for Pergamon. Visit the Acropolis with the steepest theater of the ancient world and the Temple of Trajan. Then visit the Red Basilica which was an Egyptian Temple, later converted to a church. Dinner and overnight in Bergama. (B, D)


Day 11 BERGAMA - THYATIRA – SMYRNA (Rev. 1:11; 2:8) - IZMIR

Drive to Akhisa town to visit the remaining of the Thyatira Church. Then, continue to Izmir to see the Smyrna Agora and its latest excavations. We will also visit the graffiti section which is closed to public. Dinner and overnight in Izmir. (B, D)


Day 12 EPHESUS - IZMIR

Visit the famous ancient city of Ephesus (Acts 18:19-24; 19:1-35; 20:16-17; 21:29, 1 Cor. 15:32; 16:8, I Tim. 1:3 II Tim. 1:18; 4:12, Rev. 1:11, 2:1), its Terrace Houses, Basilica of John, the Ephesus Archaeological Museum. Dinner and overnight Izmir. (B, D)


Day 13 SARDIS (Rev. 1:11; 3:1-4)-PHILADELPHIA (Rev. 1:11; 3:7)-PAMUKKALE

Drive to Sardis, capital of the ancient Lydia where first coin of the world was invented. See the remains of the massive Artemis Temple. Continue to Hierapolis, a World Heritage site and site of the church mentioned in Colossians 4. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Pamukkale. (B, D)


Day 14 HIERAPOLIS - LAODICEA (Col 2:1; 4:13-16, Rev. 1:11; 3:14) – COLOSSAE - IZMIR

Morning tour of Hierapolis. See the Philip’s Tomb. Drive to nearby Laodicea to see the latest excavations. Then, drive to Colossae to see the unexcavated site. Return to Izmir for dinner and overnight. (B, D)


Day 15 TRANSFER TO IZMIR AIRPORT - FLY BACK TO INDIA VIA ISTANBUL


INCLUDING:


EXCLUDING:

  • International Air Fare between INDIA–Athens & Izmir-INDIA
  • Izmir-Istanbul domestic flight ($95 per person)
  • Turkish Visa Fee to be paid online prior to arrival www.evisa.gov.tr
  • Greece (Schengen) Visa
  • Lunches and Drinks (Bottled Water is included)
  • Personal Expenses (Laundry, phone calls, all kind of insurances, etc)