St Paul’s Walk of Mission Tour in Turkey

St Paul’s Walk of Mission Tour in Turkey

Tour Highlights
On the St Paul’s Walk of Mission tour in Turkey you will find yourself in a epic and spiritual story. When you following footprints of St.Paul you’re not only share he’s mission also you are going to discover Anatolian’s first Christians wealths.Hundreds of years old churches, altars,monasteries and tons of untold history. “Lift a stone, and you will find me there.! (Thomas 19-77)”.

15 Days Private St Paul’s Walk of Mission Tour in Turkey – Turkey Biblical Sites
Day 1: Arrive in Istanbul
Upon arrival to Istanbul Met on arrival and transfer to hotel. Check into hotel. Today is your first day of St Paul’s Walk of Mission tour in Turkey. Rest of the day. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 2 : Istanbul
Breakfast. A full day city tour of Istanbul starts to visiting the Hippodrome, you will visit the Mosque of Sultan Ahmet. Beautifully decorated with 21, 000 blue Iznik tiles, it is commonly known today as the “Blue Mosque”. The next visit is to the world famous Hagia Sophia, the church of Divine Wisdom and once the biggest church of the Christian World. You will certainly be astonished by the unique mosaics and marble decorations. Right after lunch the magnificent Topkapi Palace, the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans, will be waiting for you. Do not ever miss the “Spoon maker’s Diamond” in the treasury section. After the tour, drive back to hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 3 : Istanbul – Adana – Antakya (Antioch) – Adana
Early morning transfer to airport and flight to Adana. Arrival to Adana and a ride to Antakya (Antioch) where the people of The Way were first named Christians, is bound to make you feel home, in the heart of holliness as Antakya served as the home base for St. Paul’s missionary journeys. Peter was the first to establish a church in Antioch (Acts 9:32 and Galatians 2:1 1.) Visit the cave church where St. Peter first celebrated mass. Enjoy the Hatay Museum, which is the home for the richest, most varied collection of Greek and Roman mosaics. Then continue to Seleucia Peria mentioned in the New Testament as the port, from which Paul and Barnabas set sail for Asia Minor on their first missionary journey. Check into hotel and Overnight in Adana.

Day 4 : Adana – Tarsus – Cappadocia
After breakfast and a short drive to Tarsus, where  St. Paul was born, pay a meaningful visit to St. Paul’s well, believed to have healing properties. After a short visit to the gate of Cleopatra, continue to Cappadocia. Check into hotel in Cappadocia. Overnight in Cappadocia.

Day 5 : Cappadocia
Breakfast at hotel. Full day sightseeing of the villages of Uchisar with panoramic views of the Cappadocian valleys, Pasabaglari valley of the fairy chimnies and the Goreme Valley. There are several hundred churches in this area, some of which are decorated with inscribed frescoes depicting scenes from the Bible or the Apocrypha. Return to the hotel. Overnight in Cappadocia.

Day 6 : Cappadocia- Konya
Start to the tour after breakfast. Visit the Underground City, created for defensive purposes by the early Christians. Drive to Konya. Paul preached here on his first missionary journey. Konya today is famous for its Mevlevi Dervishes (Whirling Dervishes). Visit the Mevlana Mausoleum and museum. Overnight in Konya.

Day 7 : Konya (Iconium) – Antioch of Pisidia – Antalya
After breakfast drive to Antioch of Pisidia. Paul and Barnabas visited Antioch on their first missionary journey, going to the synagogue on the Sabbath (the Jewish day of worship), and Paul was asked to speak to the congregation. In the Bible this is Paul’s first recorded sermon. Visit the Church of St. Paul, the Roman Bath, Temple of Augustus, and museum. Continue to Antalya. Check into hotel. Overnight in Antalya.

Day 8 : Antalya (Perge- Aspendos) – Pamukkale
Breakfast & Check out from the hotel. Ruins of Perge are 18 kms to the east of Antalya. This is where St. Paul began preaching after arriving from Cyprus. Highlights are the Theater, the Gymnasium, the Bath, the Agora, the Stadium and the beautiful Hellenistic Gate. Another one of the Pamphilian cities is Aspendus. The Theater is the best preserved in the world with its incredible acoustics. Drive to Pamukkale. Check into hotel. Overnight in Pamukkale.

Day 9 : Laodicea- Hierapolis in Pamukkale – Sardis – Philadelphia – Kusadasi
Pick up from hotel and start to visit the ancient city ruins of Hierapolis, where St. Philip was martyred in 1AD. See the Necropolis, Avenue of Tombs and Thermal Baths. Enjoy a break at Pamukkale with snow-white terraced cliff pools. Then we proceed to the ancient Philadelphia Church at Alasehir, the youngest of the Seven Churches of Revelation, visiting the remains of an early church and the city walls. After lunch, visit the site of Sardis – the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia. Walk the Royal Avenue and see the site of the Church of Sardis built on the foundations of the Temple of Artemis. Drive to Kusadasi. Check into hotel. Overnight in Kusadasi.

Day 10 :  Didyma
We start early as we will see two sights today. Our first stop is Didyma that served as a religious sanctuary to god Apollo. Oracular inscriptions in Didyma indicate dates as far back as 6th.BC. Legend tells us that with the arrival of Alexander the Great, the sacred spring of the Temple that had dried up began to flow again. Highlights will be the Temple of Apollo. Further north we arrive in Miletus whose history dates back to 800 BC. Famous Philosopher Thales comes from Miletus and he is credited with the theory that all things come from water. Highlights here are the Lion Harbor that St. Paul sailed in, the Main Colonnaded Street, the Theatre, Baths of Faustina and the Council Chamber. Overnight in Kusadasi.

Day 11 : Ephesus – Smyrna – St. Polycarp – Izmir
Drive to famous ancient city of Ephesus. Our tour will begin with the Basilica of St. John “the Evangelist” who came here with the Virgin Mary and wrote his Gospel in Ephesus. The Temple of Artemis, considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was located here. Ephesus, as you will see, is in very good state of preservation and the overall existing view of this ancient city will make it evident that she was a wealthy, cultural and commercial center in the past. St. Paul’s preaching in the area resulted with the uproar of the Guild of Silversmiths and eventually the whole population of Ephesus. Highlights include the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian, the Fountain of Trajan, the Brothel and the Theater. We will also stop by the House of Virgin Mary close by where she is reputed to have spent her last years. You will be able to collect some holy water from the Sacred Spring. Continue to Izmir, proceed to Smyrna (Izmir), whose early faithful were praised in a letter from St Paul. Finally visit the Church of St. Policarp and enjoy a short tour of Izmir city. Overnight in Izmir.

Day 12 : Izmir – Thyatira & Pergamon – Canakkale
After the breakfast drive to Akhisar, we visit the Church of ancient Thyatira, another one of the 7 churches, set in an ancient commercial town with strong ties to Troy and Sardis. Drive to Pergamon, site of one of the Seven Churches, where St. John wrote of Satan’s throne being sited. Visit the Church of Pergamon, the famous Red-Court and the Acropolis. Drive to Canakkale. Overnight at hotel in Canakkale.

Day 13 : Assos & Alexandria Troas – Istanbul
We leave our hotel and proceed to Assos and Alexandria Troas before heading towards Istanbul. Assos perches high on a cliff overlooking the Aegean and the Island of Lesbos is breathtaking. Its Acropolis carries the impressive Temple of Athena. Arriving in Assos on foot from Alexandria Troas, St. Paul preached here and went down to the little port on the shore to board the boat on his return journey to Jerusalem. Recent excavations revealed a dozen different cities covering 3000 years of human occupation. Drive to Istanbul. Check into hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 14 : Istanbul
Breakfast at hotel. Free Day in Istanbul. Overnight at hotel.

Day 15 : Transfer to Airport & Fly Home
Breakfast & Check out from the hotel before 11:30 am. According your international flight, we escort you to the airport for your flight home. It is end of the St Paul’s Walk of Mission tour in Turkey.

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