20-Day St.Paul Missionary Tour
You will not just be visiting the major attractions in Turkey on the path to Saint Paul’s Missionary but will be crossing borders to neighboring country of Greece that is full of legends and myths to explore further from one capital to another.
ItineraryDay 1: Ankara - Arrival DayPass By: Ankara, Ankara
Arrive in Ankara (Capital of Turkey), Meet your guide who will transfer you to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay in Ankara.
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Radisson Blue Hotel
Day 2: Ankara - CappadociaStop At: Cappadocia, Cappadocia
After breakfast, sight - seeing of Ankara: see the Anatolian Civilization Museum, the Temple of Augustus and Ataturk’s Mausoleum. Continue to Cappadocia with a lunch / rest stop in Aksaray before a short ride to Ihlara Valley, where early Christians carved some 3, 500 cave churches from the tufa rock. The beauty and quaintness of these chapels, with numerous wall paintings and Christian symbols, is astonishing. Persecuted Christians - tens of thousands of them - escaping into the earth to flee Arab invaders in the tenth century, tunneled out more than twenty underground cities of refuge here in Cappadocia. Such cities, with carved rooms for kitchens, sleeping quarters, stables, and chapels for worship, descend five to ten stories into the earth. Enjoy your dinner and overnight stay in Cappadocia.
Duration: 9 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Antique Cave House Hotel or 5 Star Suhan Hotel
Day 3: Cappadocia City TourStop At: Cappadocia, Cappadocia
Full Day excursion of Cappadocia to see the surreal landscapes of volcanic ash, formed 3 million years ago: spectacular red rock cones, troglodyte churches and homes dating from 4000 BC Now visit UCHISAR, GOREME and ZELVE, then AVANOS, to visit one of its famous, pottery workshops. Later return to your hotel for overnight stay.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Antique Cave House Hotel or 5 Star Suhan Hotel
Day 4: Tarsus - AdanaStop At: Tarsus, Tarsus, Mersin Province, Turkish Mediterranean Coast
After breakfast visit Ozkonak Underground City, one of the best preserved of these cities, you will enjoy your own guided tour into this amazing region. Then drive to drive to Tarsus, birthplace of St. Paul. See St. Pauls Well, Cleopatras Gate and the Ancient City. It was near here that a Great Fish "vomited out Jonas upon the dry land". Later return to your hotel. Dinner and overnight in Adana.
Duration: 6 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Ramada Adana Hotel
Day 5: Antakya - Antioch - Mersin Stop At: Mersin, Akdeniz/Mersin, Türkiye
Full Day excursion to Antakya (Antioch). Here Jesus followers were first called Christians (Acts 11:26) Peter, Paul and also Barnabas preached here. Visit St. Peters Grotto and the exquisite Mosaic Museum. View the old city of Iskenderun before beginning the return, driving to Mersin for dinner and overnight stay.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Ramada Mersin Hotel
Day 6: Anamur - Antalya Stop At: Antalya, Antalya, Turkish Mediterranean Coast
Depart westward along the Mediterranean shoreline, a famous coastal road. Take a lunch break in Anamur. See City of the Monophystie Archbishop of Seleucia. Dinner and overnight in Antalya.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Best Western Khan Hotel
Day 7: Antalya Side/Perge and Aspendos Ancient CityStop At: Antalya, Antalya, Turkish Mediterranean Coast
Continue to the ancient city of SIDE, the old port where Paul, Barnabas and Mark landed during their missionary journeys. Later they sailed from here to Antioch. Than visit PERGE, where St. Paul preached when arriving from Cyprus (Acts 13 - 14), and to ASPENDOS with its magnificent theater. Next, drive to Antalya for dinner and overnight stay.
Duration: 6 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Best Western Khan Hotel
Day 8: Pamukkale City TourStop At: Pamukkale, Pamukkale
After breakfast drive to Laodicea then drive to Hierapolis (Pamukkale) and explore incredible excavations; including a Byzantine church, the Great Theatre, the Temple of Apollo, and the Plutonium, which pagan cults once called “the entrance to hell.” Examine the intriguing sites of the Churches of Revelation. At Hierapolis (Pamukkale), enjoy the “Cotton Castles” of brilliant white calcium rock formations and hot - water travertines, where hot mineral waters emerge from the earth and cascade over cliffs. As the water-cools, the calcium precipitates and clings to the cliffs, forming snowy white travertines, which give credence to the name Pamukkale, meaning “cotton castle”. This enchanting place is one of the natural wonders of Asia Minor. The churches here in Hierapolis, Colossae, and Laodicea once flourished under the ministry of Epaphras.Dinner and overnight in Pamukkale.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Pam Thermal Hotel
Day 9: Philadelphia - Sardes - KusadasiStop At: Kusadasi, Kusadasi, Turkish Aegean Coast
After breakfast drive to Philadelphia. Philadelphia was rebuilt with help from Emperor Tiberius. At Sardis (Rev. 3:1 - 5), your thoughts will turn to the Old Testament period following the 586 B.C. destruction of Jerusalem. The fabled Royal Road connected Sardis with the Persian cities to the east. Sardis was the hardest hit of the twelve cities destroyed in the earthquake of A.D. 17. Emperor Tiberius, according to the Annals of the historian Tacitus, gave much relief towards its rebuilding. Your visit to Sardis will include the imperial court and the ancient Jewish synagogue. You will rest in the shade of the Temple of Artemis, while studying in the light of prophetic Scripture. Dinner and overnight in Kusadasi.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Comfort Ada Class Hotel
Day 10: Ephesus - Kusadasi Stop At: Kusadasi, Kusadasi, Turkish Aegean Coast
After breakfast drive to Ephesus (Rev. 2:1 - 7), major port city on the Aegean, was the commercial, political, and religious center of all of Asia Minor. Walk the marble - paved street with grooves made by chariot wheels. See the Fountain of Trojan, the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre. Visit the Chapel of the Virgin Mary (Double Church), where the Third Ancient Council convened. We visit The House of Virgin Mary where she spent her latest years. Enjoy St. Johns Basilica (built on the site of the Apostle John’s tomb) and ponder the remains of the Temple of Diana. Overnight in Kusadasi.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Comfort Ada Class Hotel
Day 11: Izmir (Smyrna) Stop At: Izmir, Izmir, Izmir Province, Turkish Aegean Coast
This morning take a beautiful drive to Izmir (ancient Smyrna), After visiting the St. Policarp church in Izmir. Continue to in Akhisar, ancient commercial place in connection with TROY and Sardes. Dinner and overnight in Izmir.
Duration: 6 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Karaca Hotel
Day 12: PergamonStop At: Izmir, Izmir, Izmir Province, Turkish Aegean Coast
After breakfast early departure to Pergamum, with its Acropolis and Great Theatre, the steepest of the ancient world. Revelation 2:12 - 16 describes the city as “where Satan’s seat is,” a reference to the altar of Zeus, where we pause for reflection on the fulfillment of Scripture. Nearby, visit the Red Basilica; once a pagan temple, it later converted into a Christian church. Finally, walk through the Pergamum Asclepion, the famous medical center of antiquity. Dinner and Overnight in Izmir.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Karaca Hotel
Day 13: Pergamon - Nicea – Istanbul Half Day City TourStop At: Istanbul, Istanbul
After breakfast long drive to Nicea through Bursa. At Nicea, you will see remains of Constantine’s palace, now covered by the water at the shore of Lake Iznik. It was here in this palace chapel that the First Ancient Church Council convened in A.D. 325 to produce the Nicene Creed. Enjoy Nicea’s St. Sophia Church, where the Seventh Church Council convened in 787. Continue to Istanbul. We visit Hippodrome and the Obelisk brought from Egypt. Then our next visit is the Blue Mosque with its six minarets. Overnight in Istanbul
Duration: 9 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Pullman Hotel or Ramada Hotel Golden Horn
Day 14: Istanbul Half Day City Tour/Bosphorus CruiseStop At: Istanbul, Istanbul
Our journey begins in Istanbul, the only city in the world situated on two continents. Today we wdiscover the Byzantine and Ottoman treasures of Istanbul. We visit St. Sofia, the (church of the sacred wisdom), converted to a mosque from a Christian basilica after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. We will visit the Topkapi Palace, which was the residence of the Ottoman sultans, with its fabulous treasure chambers. Lunch break at 13:00 pm. After the lunch, Murtis Tour will take you to the Grand Spice Bazaar which is a unique atmosphere with reasonable prices for your shopping. Here you will find; Exotic Spices and Herbs, Turkish Baklava, Turkish Delights, Turkish Coffee, nuts and fruits, small souvenirs such as Ceramic Handicrafts, Evil Eyes totems, all naturel olive oil, soaps and many other goods in Souvenir Shops and stores. BOSPHORUS BY BOAT; a traditional excursion by boat along the waterway separating Europe and Asia. Return to the hotel for overnight.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Pullman Hotel or Ramada Hotel Golden Horn
Day 15: Istanbul to Kavala - Border Crossing Pass By: Kavala, Kavala, Kavala Region, East Macedonia and Thrace
After breakfast we will start our journey to border of Greece. At noon we are meet by our Greek guide as we drive from the Greek/Turkish borders to Kavala passing by Alexandroupolis. Dinner and overnight at Hotel in Kavala.
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Egnantia Hotel
Day 16: Kavala - Philippi - ThessalonikiStop At: Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki Region, Central Macedonia
After breakfast at hotel, we drive to Philippi, the site where the apostle Paul came and worked, establishing a strong church. We see the river where Lydia is thought to have been baptized, the ruins of a Prison where Paul and Sylas had been kept, the Agora, 5th and 6th century Basilica and the Theater. Late that afternoon we arrive at Thessaloniki for dinner and overnight.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Capsis Hotel
Day 17: Thessaloniki - Veria - Meteora - KalambakaStop At: Kalambaka, Kalambaka, Trikala Region, Thessaly
In the morning, after a short city tour of Thessaloniki, we drive to Berea. We see the Byzantine mosaic in the monument commemorating his preaching. Lunch on your own. Then we proceed our drive to Meteora where we visit in the afternoon the fantastic and breathtaking Byzantine monasteries. Monks seeking isolation and spiritual salvation first built those monasteries in the 14th century. Dinner and overnight at Kalambaka.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Amalia Hotel
Day 18: Kalambaka - Delphi - Athens Stop At: Athens, Athens, Attica
After breakfast at Hotel drive to Delphi, we visit the archaeological site of Delphi: the Sanctuary of Apollo, the Treasury of the Athenians, and the Museum containing such masterpieces of ancient Greek sculpture as the bronze Charioteer and the famous athlete Aghias. Lunch on your own. Drive to Athens for dinner and overnight at hotel.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Titania Hotel
Day 19: Athens - Corinth Stop At: Athens, Athens, Attica
Our excursion out of Athens takes us by the Saronic Gulf, where in 480 BC history root was changed.We arrive at ancient Corinth. Here, we see all of the sites associated with his ministry: the Agora, the Temple of Apollo, the Roman Odeon, the Bema and Gallios Seat. We see the ruins of early Christian 5th century basilica in Cenchreae before returning to Athens. In the afternoon we enjoy our half - Day sightseeing tour of Athens. We climb up to the marble - capped Acropolis and visit among the other buildings the famous Parthenon and the Erechtheum. We now have become time travelers! Then, we go to nearby Mars Hill (Areopagus) (Acts 17:22) where the Apostle Paul delivered his soul - stirring sermon to the giants of philosophy, logic and learning. Our tour continues with the highlights of modern Athens. In the evening optional dinner in Greek traditional restaurant with music and dance. Return to hotel late at night for dinner and overnight.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Titania Hotel
Day 20: Athens - End of TourPass By: Istanbul, Istanbul
After breakfast, we check out from the hotel. We hope your tour was a memorable one and we look forward to seeing you in the future Have a safe trip back home and thanks for choosing us.
Meals included:
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No accommodation included on this day.
Informacion Adicional
"Wheelchair accessible"
"Stroller accessible"
"Near public transportation"
"Infant seats available"
"Not recommended for pregnant travelers"
"Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level"
"This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate"
"Confirmation will be received at time of booking"
Start Time:
09:30 AM
Duration: 20 Days
Start location: Ankara, Türkiye
Cancellations and refunds:
If you cancel at least 4 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee.
If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.
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