Overnight flight from the USA.
After your arrival in Istanbul, you will have a domestic Antakya flight; once you arrive in Antakya we will meet and transfer you to your hotel.
Today we will visit the Archaeological Museum, famous for its mythological themes and impressive mosaics beautifully displayed in natural light. We will also see the Church of St. Peter, the site where he first preached and the followers of Jesus were first called "Christians". Later we will visit Samandag where Paul, Silas, Barnabas, John, and Mark set out on their ministries.
This morning we depart to Tarsus, the birthplace of St. Paul. Ancient spring in the center of the city is called St. Paul's Well for reportedly the saint often drank there; we will also see St. Paul's Church.
We continue along the beautiful Mediterranean coast to Kizkalesi (Maiden's Castle) to view this impressive Crusaders' Castle, and then to Silfke (ancient Seleucia) where we visit the cave and Church of St. Thecla before we check in at our hotel in Anamur.
Today we will continue driving through charming Mediterranean banana growing villages and towns and end up in Perge, which was visited by St. Paul and Barnabas on their first journey on the way to Antioch.
In the afternoon we will drive along the beautiful Mediterranean coast to Myra to visit the sites which are on the agenda today: Lycian rock-cut tombs and the Church of St. Nicholas, where the legend of our beloved Santa Claus began.
Today our first stop will be in Patara, the birthplace of Santa Claus and the famous Roman harbor city.
One of the most scenic drives we will take is the route through the beautiful Taurus (Toros) Mountains to Aphrodisias, the city of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. This interesting site has very impressive ruins and beautiful marble statuary.
Pamukkale (ancient Hierapolis) is a unique site with cliffs covered with white mineral deposits, which made it a health spa in Roman times. Its thermal baths are still in use today. The ruins of Hierapolis contain an intriguing martyrdom of St. Philip, theater, Temple of Apollo, and necropolis. You may enjoy a relaxing soak in the pools with beautiful marble columns lying at the bottom. Later we will also stop at Laodicea, one of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor mentioned in the Book of Revelation and Colossae, home of the citizens to whom St. Paul addressed with his letters.
This morning we drive to Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, founded during the reign of Attalus II. Then we continue to Sardis, the capital of ancient Lydia with its impressive Roman ruins, synagogue, gymnasium-bath complex, and Temple of Artemis, temple of Cybele and Artemis (which later became a Church). The fact, that Sardis was the home of one of the Seven Churches, testifies its religious significance. It is known as the residence of King Croesus (the expression "as rich as Croesus" comes from the legendary wealth of this king who reigned from 560 to 546 BC over Lydia), and also the place where gold and silver coins first appeared. After Sardis we continue on to Thyatira where the members of the church were commended for their steadfastness against libertarianism, a constant threat to the Christian church. In the evening we will arrive in Pergamum.
In the morning we will explore Pergamum, another site of the Seven Churches. Once a beautiful city, Pergamum had the most dramatic acropolis in Asia Minor, and the library second in size only after the one in Alexandria, Egypt. Its ancient medical center performed research that laid the foundation for modern Western medicine.
We will also visit ancient Smyrna, birthplace of the poet Homer, and the site of one of the Seven Churches. Today it is known as Izmir, and is Turkey's third largest city.
This day will be dedicated to the fascinating Hellenistic and Roman city of Ephesus, home to another of the Seven Churches. This was the place where St. Paul condemned idolatry and set up a Christian community. St. John also lived here, as well as Virgin Mary who spent the latter part of her life here. We will visit the Basilica of St. John and Mereymana, the House of the Virgin Mary. In the evening we will take a flight to Istanbul.
We will have a day trip to ancient Nicaea or modern Iznik, famous for its beautiful tiles dating back to the 13-17th centuries and as the site where the Nicaean Creeds were founded. In the evening we will return to Istanbul.
Today we will visit St. Sophia, the largest Christian church in the world for more than 1,000 years. Then follow the ancient city walls of Istanbul to the Chora Museum, which has the most beautiful mosaics in Turkey. Afterwards we will have a ferry cruise on the Bosphorus to see the impressive palaces and villas that line the shores between the two continents, followed by a tour of the old and new sections of Istanbul.
This morning we will have a tour of the old and new city, including the Galata and Pera districts. We will also visit Grand Bazaar and Kum Kapi suburb where the residence of Armenian Patriarch and his church are located.
Then we will go to Balat which was a Jewish suburb for centuries and where the famous Ahrida synagogue is located. We will continue to walk to Fener, a Greek Orthodox suburb housing the Greek church and Patriarch's residence.
Transfer to the airport for departing flight to the USA.
We recommend travel insurance.
