Faith & Heritage Tour
13 days
per person
Meeting point
Istanbul Airport
Included
Meals as written in the programme: hotel breakfast and lunch on the tour days. Day 1 has no meal. Day 13 is breakfast only
A 13-day, 12-night tour through Antioch, Tarsus, Cappadocia, Konya, Lystra, Pisidian Antioch, Antalya, Pamukkale, Ephesus and Izmir. Stops from Paul’s journeys are on the route.
The tour starts at Istanbul Airport. Day 2 is the Old City on foot, then a flight to Adana. Day 3 is Antakya. Day 4 is Tarsus and an underground city in Cappadocia. Day 5 is the fairy chimneys, Göreme, Avanos and Uçhisar. Day 6 is the Mevlana Museum in Konya and Lystra. Day 7 is Yalvaç and Kaleiçi in Antalya. Day 8 is Perge, Aspendos and Side. Day 9 is Pamukkale and Laodicea. Day 10 is Sardis and Alaşehir, with the night in Kuşadası. Day 11 is Ephesus and Miletus, with the night in Izmir. Day 12 is Izmir, Pergamon and Akhisar, then a flight back to Istanbul. The tour ends at Istanbul Airport for the international flight.
1
You are met at the first exit door of Istanbul Airport and taken to the hotel. The rest of the day is free. There is no sightseeing and no meal. The night is in Istanbul.
2
Visited sights: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, the Hippodrome, the Obelisk of Theodosius, and the Grand Bazaar. After breakfast the guide picks you up for a full day in the Old City on foot. You see the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, once home to the Ottoman sultans, the Hippodrome, and the Obelisk of Theodosius. The Hippodrome is where the crowds of old Constantinople gathered; the obelisks are still standing. The last stop is the Grand Bazaar. Shopping is a personal expense. At the end of the day you fly from Istanbul Airport to Adana. The flight is in the package. In Adana you are met at the first exit door and taken to the hotel. The night is in Adana.
3
After breakfast you leave for Antakya, ancient Antioch. This is where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). Peter, Paul and Barnabas preached here. You visit St Peter’s Grotto and the mosaic museum. You return to the hotel in Adana. The night is again in Adana.
4
After breakfast you drive to Tarsus. You visit the well known as St Paul’s Well, Cleopatra’s Gate, and the excavations that are under way. You then go by road to Cappadocia. The last stop is an underground city carved into the rock. The text says the first three floors were probably carved by the Hittites around 2000 BC, and that early Christians sheltered in underground cities while escaping Roman persecution. The programme does not name which city is visited. You are taken to the hotel in Cappadocia. The night is in Cappadocia.
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1–16 people
5
After breakfast you visit the valley of the fairy chimneys, the Göreme Open-Air Museum, the pottery workshops in Avanos, and Uçhisar. The night is again in Cappadocia.
6
After breakfast you drive to Konya, ancient Iconium. You visit the Mevlana Museum. It is the 13th-century lodge of the Mevlevi dervishes. The text names the museum and the monastery as separate stops. They are the same place. You then continue to Lystra. Acts says a crowd stoned Paul here on his first journey (14:19), and that Timothy joined him here on the second (16:1). The programme names no separate building. You are taken to the hotel in Konya. The night is in Konya.
7
After breakfast you drive to Yalvaç, ancient Antioch of Pisidia. Acts says that on his first journey Paul addressed the synagogue congregation here on the Sabbath, and that they were then driven out of the city (13:14-51). You see the excavations and the Yalvaç Museum. The objects in the museum were found in this city. You then go to Antalya. Kaleiçi is the old town inside the walls. The programme names no separate building there. The night is in Antalya.
8
Visited sights: Perge, the theatre at Aspendos, and Side. After breakfast you visit Perge, capital of Pamphylia. The text calls it one of the largest ancient cities of the region. You see the Roman baths, the agora, the colonnaded street, the nymphaeum and the stadium. The theatre at Aspendos was built in the 2nd century. The text gives it a capacity of 15,000. It is still used for festivals and concerts. After lunch you see Side. The text calls it a port that served the largest slave market of the region. You visit the Roman theatre, the baths and the Temple of Apollo. The night is again in Antalya.
9
After breakfast you drive to Pamukkale. You see the white travertine terraces left by the hot springs. They are called Pamukkale, the cotton castle, for that look. After lunch you visit Hierapolis, a UNESCO World Heritage site. In antiquity people came here to be healed. You then visit Laodicea, an early centre of Christianity and one of the seven churches of Revelation. The night is in Pamukkale.
10
After breakfast you drive to Sardis, capital of the kingdom of Lydia. You see the gymnasium, the marble-paved synagogue, the Temple of Artemis and a Christian chapel of the 4th century. You then go to Alaşehir, ancient Philadelphia. The text calls it a city favoured by Paul and John. You are taken to the hotel in Kuşadası. The night is in Kuşadası.
11
Visited sights: the ancient city of Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary, the Basilica of St John, and Miletus. You are picked up from the hotel in Kuşadası and go to Ephesus. The programme says Paul stayed in the city for a time. You visit the ancient city, then the House of the Virgin Mary, held to be where she spent her last days, and the Basilica of St John. The day continues to Miletus. The Acts of the Apostles places Paul’s farewell address to the elders of Ephesus there. You are taken to the hotel in Izmir. The night is in Izmir.
12
After breakfast, in Izmir, ancient Smyrna, the church of St Polycarp is seen from the outside only. You visit the ruins of the Agora. You then go to Bergama, ancient Pergamon, a cultural and political centre the Romans used as the administrative centre of the province of Asia. You see the Acropolis and the Asclepion with its theatre. The last stop is Thyatira. The text says the city was founded by the Lydians. At the end of the day you fly from Izmir Airport to Istanbul. The flight is in the package. In Istanbul you are met at the first exit door and taken to the hotel. The night is in Istanbul.
13
You are taken to Istanbul Airport 4 hours before your international flight, according to the flight time. Check-in is yours. That is the end of the service.
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If the experience does not happen as promised, you receive a refund.
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Before, during, and after the trip, support is available in Turkish and English.
