Faith & Heritage Tour
8 days
per person
Meeting point
Istanbul Airport
Included
Meals as written in the programme: lunch only on day 2, breakfast and lunch on days 3, 4, 6 and 7, breakfast only on days 5 and 8
An 8-day, 7-night tour of the seven churches named in Revelation: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. Pamukkale, Priene, Miletus, Didyma and a Patmos ferry are on the route.
The tour starts at Istanbul Airport. The next day you fly to Izmir. That day is Smyrna in Izmir, Pergamon in Bergama and Thyatira in Akhisar. The night is in Izmir. Day 3 is Sardis, Alaşehir and Laodicea, with the night in Pamukkale. Day 4 is the travertines and Hierapolis, then a night in Kuşadası. Day 5 is a round-trip ferry to Patmos. In winter, if there is no ferry, the day is free in Kuşadası. Day 6 is Priene, Miletus and Didyma. Day 7 is Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artemis, 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: Smyrna (Izmir), the Agora, Pergamon and Thyatira. You are picked up and taken to the airport. The flight to Izmir takes about an hour and is in the package. Breakfast is not included. In Izmir you are met at the first exit door, where a sign with your name is held. The first stop is ancient Smyrna. The church of St Polycarp is seen from the outside only. You visit the ruins of the Agora. The day continues 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. You are taken to the hotel in Izmir. The night is in Izmir. Lunch is included.
3
Visited sights: Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. 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. The last stop is Laodicea, an early centre of Christianity and one of the seven churches of Revelation. You are taken to the hotel in Pamukkale. The night is in Pamukkale.
4
Visited sights: the calcium terraces, the Hierapolis museum, the Hierapolis theatre, the Roman bath, the Temple of Apollo, and the Cleopatra thermal pool. Swimming in the pool is optional. 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 are taken to the hotel in Kuşadası. The night is in Kuşadası.
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1–16 people
5
After breakfast you are taken to Kuşadası port. Round-trip ferry tickets to Patmos are bought for you. When you return you are met at the port and taken back to the hotel in Kuşadası. No guided visit on Patmos is written. Lunch is not included. Patmos is in Greece. There is no ferry in winter. If there is no ferry, the day is free in Kuşadası. The night is again in Kuşadası.
6
After breakfast you drive to Priene. The city sits at the foot of a sheer mountain and looks over the Meander. It is about 2,500 years old. The text says it was among the first Ionian cities laid out on a grid of streets. Miletus was one of the cities of the Ionian League and rivalled Ephesus. Three legends tell of its founding. The city is said to take its name from a hero called Miletos. Didyma was known for a colossal Temple of Apollo and for an oracle. The name means the twins. It is told as the place where Zeus and Leto met, and where Apollo and Artemis were born. In its prime it was not a city but a sanctuary, linked to Miletus by the Sacred Way. You are taken back to the hotel in Kuşadası. The night is again in Kuşadası.
7
Visited sights: Ephesus, the Temple of Artemis and the House of the Virgin Mary. After breakfast you drive to Ephesus. In the ancient city you see the Temple of Hadrian, the Library of Celsus, the theatre, the baths and the old harbour. After lunch you visit the House of the Virgin Mary, held to be where she spent her last days. You then see the site of the Temple of Artemis, counted among the seven wonders of the ancient world. 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.
8
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.
100% ticket guarantee
The tickets you need for the experience are delivered to you on time.
100% satisfaction guarantee
If the experience does not happen as promised, you receive a refund.
100% support guarantee
Before, during, and after the trip, support is available in Turkish and English.
