ON THE STEPS OF ST. PAUL Double Occupancy $ 3,895.00 (Code: TY88). Single Occupancy $ 4,295.00 (Code: TY89) Available from April 01 to October 31 for Group of 2-3 Persons. Discount for Large Groups. The missionary journeys of St. Paul, the first Christian communities, Ecumenical ouncils and ancient civilizations. We will see and experience the cultural richness of Turkey and how the spread of Christianity began, how Christianity became the religion of the state from an illegal sect in East Roman (Byzantine) Empire. Includes hotel accommodation at below-specified hotels, DOMESTIC FLIGHTS, all meals specified in the itineraries (B: breakfast L: lunch D: dinner), air-conditioned minibus or bus depending on the size of the group, English-speaking guide, baggage handling at hotel and airport, entrance fees to the museums, service charge and V. A. Tax. ITINERARY Day 1: Ankara. Arrival in Ankara and transfer to selected hotel. (D)
Day 2: Ankara / Cappadocia. Half-day sightseeing tour visiting the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations famous for its unique collection of ancient Anatolian and Hittite relics, and Ataturk's Mausoleum founder of the Republic of Turkey. Continue to Cappadocia for overnight. (B, L, D)
Day 3: Cappadocia. Full day visit to the area with lunar landscapes; the fairy chimneys, and troglodyte dwellings built by Christian Acohorits and monks who sought refuge. Continue to Goreme Valley, a complex of rock chapels and churches covered with frescoes, the villages of Avanos, Zelve, and the natural Citadel of Uchisar. (B, L, D)
Day 4: Cappadocia / Adana ( Danusas ). Visit the underground city of Kaymaklı made to accommodate several thousands of people with seven subterranean floors. Drive to Adana for overnight. (B, L, D)
Day 5: Adana / Antioch / Adana. Excursion to the Biblical Antioch-on-the Orontes. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called "Christians". (Acts 11:26 ). Visit the Mosaic Museum and the Grotto of St. Peter. Paul VI in 1967 granted a plenary indulgence to pilgrims visiting this church. (B, L, D)
Day 6: Adana / Tarsus / Konya (Iconium). The journey continues to Tarsus, birthplace of St. Paul, visiting the house and well of St. Paul and 1st century Roman ruins. Follow the route of St. Paul through the famed pass of the Cicilian Gates to Karahan, biblical Derbe and on to Konya, biblical Iconium, one of the world's oldest cities. (B, L, D)
Day 7: Konya / Pisidian Antioch / Antalya. After a short visit to Konya, known as the city of whirling dervishes, departure to Hatunsaray, biblical Lystra, where St. Paul cured the man crippled from birth, and to Yalvaç, biblical Antioch, in Pisidia. Here rejected by the Jews, St. Paul said 'we now turn to the Gentiles.' (Acts 13:26). Continue to Antalya for overnight. (B, L, D)
Day 8: Antalya / Perge / Aspendos / Side / Antalya. Drive this morning first to visit Perge walking through the colonnade streets, agora, stadium and theater. Continue to Aspendos, with one of the best preserved theaters of antiquity seating 15,000. In Side, visit the ancient city with a magnificent theater, agora, columns of the Apollo Temple and Roman baths. (B, L, D)
Day 9: Antalya / Laodicea / Hierapolis / Pamukkale. In the morning drive to Pamukkale, visit Laodicea which hosted an important Ecumenical Council in the 14th century. Continue to the Roman spa of Hierapolis. Visit the necropolis and the astonishing petrified waterfalls of Pamukkale. (B, L, D)
Day 10: Aphrodisisas / Miletus / Kusadasi. Drive to the archeological site of Aphrodisias, the Greco-Roman city dedicated to the goddess Aphrodite. Continue to Miletus where St. Paul visited at the end of his third journey and where he said 'for my self I set no story by life, I only want to finish the race and complete the task which the Lord assigned to me...'. After visit, continue to Kusadası for overnight. (B, L, D)
Day 11: Ephesus. Visit Ephesus which is one of the largest and best-excavated archeological sites in the world. It is the site of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. St. Paul lived here, preached and walked through its marble streets. Continue to the 6th-century Basilica of St. John, the site of the tomb of Apostle John and the House of the Virgin Mary; it is believed that St. John brought her here from Jerusalem where she spent her last days. (B, L, D)
Day 12: Sardis / Philadelphia / Izmir (Smyrna). Drive to visit Sardis, the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Lydia with its beautiful gymnasium and marble-paved Synagogue. Continue to visit Philadelphia, one of the Seven Churches and the favorite city of St. Paul and St. John. Overnight in Izmir. (B, L, D)
Day 13: Izmir / Thyatira / Pergamum / Ayvalik. Drive to Thyatira, an ancient Lydian city and one of the Seven Churches of Apocalypse. On to Pergamum, capital of a large and powerful pre-Roman Kingdom, and to the health center of Asclepieion where drug and music therapy was practiced. Overnight in Ayvalık. (B, L, D)
Day 14: Ayvalik / Assos / Troy / Canakkale. Departure to Alexandria. Troas visited by St. Paul visited on his third journey and onto Assos where St. Paul was joined by St. Luke. Visit the city walls, temples and the ancient port. Continue to ancient Troy, famous for the legendary Trojan Horse from the times of the beautiful Helen and Paris. Drive to Istanbul for overnight. (B, L, D)
Day 15 – 16: Istanbul. At least two full days to explore this unique city built on two continents and which was successively the capital of the Byzantine (East Roman) and Ottoman Empires. Visit the Byzantine churches of Saint Sophia, St. Savior in Chora, the imperial mosques such as the famous Blue Mosque and the Suleymaniye Mosque; Topkapı & Dolmabahce Museums, the residential palaces of the Ottoman Sultans, and the historic bazaars. (B, L, D)
Day 17: Istanbul / Departure. Free until transfer time. Transfer to Istanbul Ataturk Airport International Lines for homeward flight. (B)
For specifically interested parties, the program may include a one-day visit to PATMOS, where St. John wrote the book of Revelation. Our quotes do not include domestic air fare. Air fare is (per person - one way) US$ 135.00 for Istanbul / Ankara.
HOTELS TO BE USED:
Ankara - Ickale Hotel or similar (4 star)
Cappadocia - Perissia Hotel or similar (4 star)
Adana - Surmeli Hotel or similar (4 star)
Konya - Dundar Hotel or similar (4 star)
Antalya - Antalya Hotel or similar (4 star)
Pamukkale - Lycus River Hotel or similar (4 star)
Kusadasi - Taksim International Hotel or similar (4 star)
Izmir - Anemon Hotel or similar (4 star)
Ayvalik - Florium Hotel or similar (4 star)
Canakkale - Tusan Hotel or similar (4 star) Top | 
