Turkey and Greece Biblical Tour - 13 Days - 12 Nights

Arrival at Istanbul Airport. Our assistant will be waiting for you at the exit point. Transfer to the hotel and check-in. You’ll have the rest of the day free. Take your time to rest or discover Istanbul in your free time. Overnight stay in Istanbul.

After breakfast, you will meet your tour guide and start your Istanbul tour at 08.45 am.

First, we visit the Topkapı Palace, home to many Ottoman sultans (15th-19th century AD). Here, you will see the legacy of the Ottoman sultans, which includes the Imperial Treasury, gold objects, the famous Spoonmaker’s Diamond, swords, vases, clothes of the sultans, and war tools decorated with precious stones and diamonds.
Hagia Irene Churh Topkapı Sarayı'nın  Doğu Roma İmparatorluğu'nun (Bizans) en eski kilisesidir Topkapı Sarayı Avlusunda bulunur. İstanbul'da hiçbir zaman Camiye dönüştürülmemiş Bizans kiliselerinden biridir.

Hagia Sophia (Saint Sophia) was built by the emperor Justinian in the 6th century A.D. as a church and later converted into a mosque. Beautiful mosaics and frescos depicting Christian icons and the Byzantine Emperors will be seen.

Take a lunch break in a local restaurant.
Blue Mosque: After lunch, we will visit the legendary Blue Mosque, known as the Sultanahmet Mosque, featuring six beautiful minarets. Built-in the 17th century by the Architect Sedefkar Mehmet Aga, it takes its name from more than 20,000 blue Iznik tiles used for interior decoration.
Then, we will stroll the historic Hippodrome Square, which was used as a meeting place for chariot races during the Byzantine period. Here, we will see the Serpent Column from Delphi, the Egyptian Obelisk, and the German Fountain of Wilhelm ll.
Next, visit the Grand Bazaar, which has over 4000 shops full of hidden treasures and authentic items.
Overnight stay in Istanbul.  ( Breakfast - Lunch ) 

After breakfast, we will depart early for Akhisar (approx. 390 km - 5 hrs). Upon arrival, we will have lunch in a local restaurant.
Thyatira - the fourth of the seven Churches of Revelation, at Akhisar town.

We will visit the Church of Thyatira, now called Akhisar, one of the Seven Churches of Asia [Rev. 1:11; 2:18 - 24; Acts 16:14]. Paul's sermons in the city of Philippi of Macedonia mention Akhisar (Thyatira) and the church here. He describes Thyatira as the hometown of a wealthy purple dye merchant named Lydia, who worshipped God. (Acts 16:14)

Afterwards, we will continue on our way to Izmir (approx. 100 km—1 hrs 30 mins ). Izmir is modern and the third biggest city in Turkey.  Visit the ruins of the Church of Smyrna, one of the Seven Churches where the Apostle John relays God's promise: “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev 2:10).
Visit the oldest church of Izmir, the Saint Polycarp Church, which was the bishop of Smyrna and a student of St. John, who was martyred here in the 2nd century.
Overnight stay in Kuşadası or Izmir  ( Breakfast - Dinner )

After breakfast, we will visit the famous ancient city of Ephesus. We will tour the spectacular ruins, where excavations continue in this once-great and important city founded in the 10th century BC. 
Ancient Ephesus is on the World Heritage list and one of Rome's best-preserved ancient cities. We will walk through marble streets lined with wonderful public buildings, including the Baths of Scholastica, the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian, and the Grand Theatre, which has a capacity of 25,000. The Church of Ephesus is the most important of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. It is thought that the Gospel of John was written here. (Acts 18: 19-24; 19: 1-35) Moreover, Apostle Paul preached to the Ephesians and lived here for three years. The Church of Ephesus also received an epistle from Saint Paul.
Visit the House of the Virgin Mary, a small, modest stone house in the forest on the side of a mountain 7 km from Ephesus, where she spent her final years.  Lunch break in a local restaurant. 
Artemis Temple one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the Basilica of St. John were built on the tomb of Saint John the Evangelist, who is considered to be the writer of the Book of Revelation and the Gospel of John. The Church of St. John was built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian and his wife Teodora on John's tomb in 565 B.C.

Visit the beautiful Sirince Village with delicious wine and 300 years of houses.  End of the tour, return to our hotel.
Overnight in Kuşadası. (Breakfast - Dinner)

After breakfast, we depart for Pamukkale early in the morning (210 km—3,5 hrs). Upon arrival, we will visit Hierapolis. Here, we will visit the Martyrium of the Apostle Philip, where he was martyred during the persecutions ordered by Domitian. We will also see the Gate of Domitian, the Arcadian Street, the ancient 2nd-century Roman Theater, the Nymphaion, the Temple of Apollo, the Plutonium, and the Necropolis.
We will pass through the Roman Gate, admire the ancient Pamukkale Theater, and walk around the grave monuments built to honour heroes. Each tomb is a miniature work of art telling a different story. We will finish our tour here by relaxing on the travertine terraces.
Afterwards, we will have a lunch break in the restaurant.
Laodicea, another of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor [Rev. 1:11; 3:14; Col. 2:1; 4:13 - 16]. Here, we will see the ancient theatre, the remains of a basilica, and ancient stone water pipes. Laodicea thrived as a major centre of worship for the pagan goddess Aphrodite for about 500 years after Christ. The Christians of Laodicea, one of the Seven Churches (Rev. 3: 14-22), were chastised for being lukewarm, "You are neither cold nor hot" (Rev. 3: 15), and for being too comfortable incorporating pagan and Christian beliefs. In the famous scripture from Revelation (3: 20-21), Jesus says to the Laodicean church: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock..."
Overnight in a Thermal Hotel in Pamukkale  (Breakfast - Dinner)

After breakfast in our hotel, we will continue our journey to Philadelphia, now called Alaşehir, another church of the Seven Churches of Asia [Rev. 1:11; 3:7], and the only church that wasn’t censored. There, we see the remains of a Byzantine basilica built of brick, with a bit high arch and some 11th-century frescoes.  We will continue to Salihli  (Sardis). This was the capital of the ancient Lydian kingdom of the 6th century BC, portrayed as a dying church. We will visit the great Temple of Artemis and the Temple of Cybele, which was turned into a Byzantine Church. We will also see the restored Sardis Gymnasium and reconstructed Synagogue. The church at Sardes had a few devoted members, but it was essentially a dead church (Revelation 3: 1,4).
The Christian community of Smyrna, mentioned in the Apostle John's Book of Revelation, Smyrna Church was one of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor.
Smyrna is the second city in the Seven Churches of the Book of Revelation to receive messages from St. John (Rev. 1:11;2:8). We will observe the remains of basilicas and architectural works from the Roman period.
Visit the oldest church of Izmir, the Saint Polycarp Church, the bishop of Smyrna and a student of St. John, who was martyred here in the 2nd century.
Overnight in Izmir (Breakfast - Dinner)

Our tour starts with a drive to Pergamon (approx. 90 km). We’ll visit the Pergamon Acropolis and the ruins of Pergamum that cascade down from the ancient city centre. Here, we will explore the Temple of Trajan, Athena, and the Altar of Zeus. The Great Theatre of Pergamon is among the steepest of its kind and an acoustic phenomenon; it could entertain up to 10,000 spectators, and nearby are the remains of the famous Library of Pergamon. Although the city benefited from immense wealth, in the Book of Revelations, the risen Christ instructs John to convey that the people of Pergamon, the site of “Satan’s Throne”, needed to repent (Rev 2:13-16). Temples in the Acropolis were the worship centres of Dionysus, Zeus, and other pagan gods, and the first Christians were executed here by the Romans. For this reason, it is defined as "The Seat of Satan" (Revelation 2: 12-16).
We will have lunch in a local restaurant and continue to Çanakkale. 
Assos, one of the significant settlements of the Ancient Age, was founded in Behramkale Village (3000-1200 BC). The Temple of Athena, built on a hill, offers a magnificent view and a mystical atmosphere. On the last leg of his third missionary journey, St. Paul travelled from Alexandria Troas to Assos (Acts 20:5-6, 13-14) and met his companions advancing by sea. St. Paul and his companions set sail from the port of Assos to the island of Lesbos on their way to Jerusalem.
Then, we continue our exploration of the other ancient city, Alexandria Troas.
Alexandria Troas is located in the Dalyan village of Çanakkale's Ezine district. It holds significance in Christian history as St. Paul visited during his second missionary journey (Acts 16:9) and delivered sermons during his third journey (Acts 20:6-10).
Overnight in Canakkale. (Breakfast – Dinner) 

After breakfast, visit ancient Troy.
Troy is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is 27 km away from Çanakkale. We will visit the real-life location of the legendary Trojan War described in Homer's Iliad. Visit the Troy Museum, ancient ruins, and city walls, where the legendary iconic wooden Horse and modern and rich ancient artefacts are exhibited. 
Afterwards, we will cross the Dardanelles and continue on our way to the Greek border (approx. 345 km), where we will cross the Ipsala Customs Station and arrive at Kipou on the Greek side.

At the end of our journey, we will arrive at Kavala, known as the ancient city of Neapolis (Acts 16:11). Paul came to Kavala with his disciples Silas and Timothy. Also, Luke, the Evangelist, came to Kavala from Troas.  Since Kavala was the first European city to adopt Christianity, it took the name Hristoupolis. We will see the Roman Aqueduct and the ruins of the Acropolis here.
Dinner and overnight in Kavala. (Breakfast –  Dinner)

After breakfast at our hotel, we will visit Philippi, where Saint Paul gave his first sermon in Greece and sowed the seeds of Christianity. He says in the revelation, “We stayed in this city for some days…”(Acts 16: 12-18). He arrived in Philippi with Luke, Timothy, and Silas in 49 AD or 50 AD and performed the first Christian baptism hereof with a woman named Lydia.

The Romans arrested them and escaped prison with God's help (Acts 16:23 -26). We will see the Roman Theater, where Paul and Silas were imprisoned. Then, we will head towards Thessaloniki, also known as Thessalonica. Here, we will see the Arch of Galerius and Rotunda decorated with early Christian mosaics. The Romans initially built it as a mausoleum and converted it into a church and, later, into a mosque.
Dinner and overnight in Thessaloniki. (Breakfast - Dinner)

Breakfast and city tour in Thessaloniki, where Paul preached the gospel on his second and third missionary journeys. He wrote letters known as "The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians" for the first Christians of this city. Here, we will see the White Tower, the symbol of Thessaloniki, the Church of Saint Demetrius, St. Sofia Church, and the Byzantine castle. 
Afterwards, we will have lunch at a local restaurant and head for Vergina, the legendary burial place of Macedonian Kings. The tomb of King Philip II, and the father of Alexander the Great, who had a great contribution to the development of Hellenism on the Greek lands, is located here. 
Our next place to visit is Veria (Berea), visited by Paul (Acts 17.10-14). On his visit to Veria town in AD 50, St. Paul encountered a more "noble" Jewish community. Here, he also met his friend Sopatros on his return trip to Asia from his missionary trip, with whom he travelled together for a long time. 
During our trip, we will visit the ancient synagogue where Saint Paul preached. 
Finally, we will head for Kalambaka.
Dinner and overnight stay in Kalambaka. ( Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner )

After breakfast in Kalambaka, we will visit the Unesco World Heritage Site Meteora in beautiful mountainous geography. In the 14th century, many Monasteries were built on high, steep, And gigantic rocks in Meteora by monks who sought an isolated place away from oppression and occupation. Here, we will visit some of the famous monasteries from the Middle Ages. We will admire the old manuscripts, icons, colourful original frescoes, and unique mosaics in these churches built on rocks and get information from the priests in charge. Access to these Meteora monasteries, most of which did not have stairs, was provided by a manual system made with a rope and pulley system. 
At the end of our Meteora tour, we will have lunch in a local restaurant and continue on our way to Delphi. 
Delphi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Greece's major archaeological sites. Visit the Temple of Apollo, famous for its treasury of the Athenians, the Stoa of Athens, the Argive Kings monument, the Polygonal Wall, the Platea monument, And its Prophecy. At the end of the Delphi tour, we continue to Athens. 
Dinner and overnight stay in Athens.   ( Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner)

We start the day with breakfast at our hotel in Athens and leave for Corinth (approx. 90 km). Here, we will visit ancient Corinth, known from the New Testament's two letters of Saint Paul. During his missionary journeys, he founded a church here. We will see the places where Saint Paul preached (Acts 18.1 18), e.g. the Temple of Apollo, the Agora, the Roman Odeon, the Stairs, and public worship places where Paul preached. Paul taught the Corinthians Christianity in his sermons on his first and second missionary trips here.
We will see the Greek port of Cenchrea (Acts 18:18), which Paul used on his second missionary journey, and the ruins of a 5th-century basilica.
We will have lunch and continue with a sightseeing tour of the Golden Age of Pericles. We will see the Acropolis, the Parthenon, Mar’s Hill, Hadrian’s Arch, the modern Olympic Stadium, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the Royal Palace. We’ll also visit the Agora, which is located near the Acropolis.
Dinner and overnight in Athens.  (Breakfast – Lunch - Dinner)

After breakfast, transfer to the Athens Airport for your onward flight to your country. Our tour concludes here and we hope to see you on another tour. ( Breakfast )

Customized Tours
We can create a tour program upon your request and offer an itinerary that suits your personal, educational, cultural, and budgetary requirements. Please contact us with your requests.