11 Days
Specific Tour
30 people
English
DAY 1 Wednesday: Departure
Depart for your overnight flight to Greece. Meals will be served on board!
DAY 2 Thursday: Athens
The trip will start with your arrival in Athens airport where we will meet and transfer you to your hotel. Rest of the day at leisure, dinner and overnight in Athens.
DAY 3 Friday: Athens / Piraeus (Embarkation) / Mykonos
Embark on a wonderful 3-night cruise to the Greek Islands and Turkey. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served daily while on board. Mykonos, the whitewashed jewel of the Cyclades Islands, is your first stop. This charming, mountainous island is known for the hundreds of tiny chapels, white-washed buildings and beautiful windmills that dot its landscape. Don’t miss taking a stroll down Mykonos Town, where mazes of narrow streets link the whitewashed buildings and traditional life continues amidst the bustling activity. Enjoy free time to explore this little paradise in the middle of the Aegean Sea.
DAY 4 Saturday: Kusadasi / Ephesus / Patmos
Breakfast and stop at the Turkish port of Kusadasi for an included excursion to the ruins of Ephesus where Paul the Saint spent three years during his ministry and where its inhabitants were the recipients of Paul’s famous epistle. Ancient Ephesus was the Roman capital of Asia Minor and an important center for Christianity from AD 50s. During AD52-54 Saint Paul lived here working with the congregation and organizing his missionary activity and taught the Word of God (Acts 20:31) and this is where he wrote the Epistle to Corinthians I. Additionally this was one of the seven cities found in the Book of Revelation(Acts 2:1-7), indicating a strong church. We will visit the house of Virgin Mary where she lived with John, on the hill behind the city. After this amazing experience we will have lunch and then visit the Basilica of St. John as well as the ruins of the famous Diana’s temple with the Baths of Scholastica, the Library of Celsus, the Odeon, the Arch of Hercules, the Temple of Hadrian, the Agora and the Greco-Roman theater. Continue your cruise to the island of Patmos, a beautiful and spiritual island where In 95 AD, St. John the Theologian – one of the twelve disciples of Jesus – was sent into exile. St. John remained on the island for eighteen months during which time he lived in a cave below the hilltop temple of Diana. In this cave exists a small hole in the rock wall, from which derived a series of oracular messages that Prochoros, a disciple of St. John, transcribed as the Biblical chapter of Revelations. During his time in the sacred cave, now known as the Holy Grotto of the Revelation, St. John also composed the Fourth Gospel. During our time there we will visit the Monastery of St. John the Theologian UNESCO World Heritage Site where we will see the Holy Grotto as well as priceless icons and manuscripts. Afterwards, drive back to the port of Scala and enjoy some free time in this quaint and picturesque harbor.
DAY 5 Sunday: Heraklion (Crete) / Santorini
In the morning the ship will dock at the port of Heraklion on the island of Crete. In Heraklion Paul met the owner and captain of the ship, who warned him about continuing his journey to Rome. You can take a tour (optional) to the Palace of Knossos, the center of the Minoan civilization. After lunch, the ship will travel to the most beautiful island in the Aegean Sea known as the “Black Pearl of the Aegean”, the volcanic Santorini where we will enjoy the breathtaking Panoramic View. Latest excavations have suggested that Santorini might be the lost sight of Atlantis.
DAY 6 Monday: Piraeus (Disembarkation) / Corinth / Cenchrea / Athens
This morning, you will arrive in Piraeus will travel along the Sacred Way of Eleusinian Mysteries, passing the Island of Salamis. You will then cross the Corinth Canal into Corinth, the most important city in the days of St. Paul. The mostly Gentile Church he founded here in 50 AD caused him much grief and prompted him to write at least four letters to them. You will visit the ruins of the ancient city where St. Paul worked with Aquila and Priscilla. You will also see the remains of first-century shops, the agora where St. Paul was tried by Gallio, the Fountain of Peirene, the Temple of Apollo, and the Bema. Afterward, you will return to Athens and enjoy some free time. Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Athens.
DAY 7 Tuesday: Athens City Tour
After breakfast we will go on a city tour where we will visit the main points of interest in the city: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Royal Palace, Pan-Athenian Stadium, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and visit the world famous Acropolis, with its new Museum as well as Monastiraki (the Old Flea Market) and Mars’ Hill (Areopagus) where Paul preached the truth to the Gentile Nation. The tour will continue on a walk around the historical churches found in Athens. We start from what is known to Athenians as the Russian Church, the Holy Church of Lykodemos Sotira is one of the oldest and largest Byzantine churches in Athens. The next stop will be located on Monastiraki Square, the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, or Pantanassa, was once called the Great Monastery, and today is known commonly as Monastiraki. This 10th-century arched basilica was first mentioned in a 17th-century document when the church was managed as part of the Kaisariani Monastery. Kapnikarea Church will be the final stop and it stands out as a major landmark in Athens’ Byzantine past. Dating from the 11th century, the church lies in the middle of Ermou Street and is dedicated to the Presentation of the Virgin Mary. The church was built atop an older, Christian temple, commissioned in the fifth century AC by the Byzantine empress Eudokia, wife of Theodosius the Younger. Constructed on foundations of the ancient temple of Athena or, perhaps, Demeter, Kapnikarea Church is today owned by the University of Athens. The rest of the day is at leisure. Dinner and Overnight in Athens.
DAY 8 Wednesday: Athens / Delphi / Kalambaka
This morning, you will arrive in Piraeus and drive along the national highway through Thebes, Levadia, and Arachova to Delphi. At the museum, you will see the famous Bronze Charioteer and other statues. This afternoon, you will visit the Temple of Apollo, the Theatre, the Athenian Treasury, and the Castalian Spring. Next, you will drive to Kalabaka via Larissa, Lamia, and Trikala. Dinner and overnight accommodations will be at your hotel in Kalabaka.
DAY 9 Thursday: Kalambaka / Thessalonica
Today, you will visit the incredible “Hanging Monasteries” of Meteora. Afterward, you will continue through Kozani to Veria, then on to Vergina to visit the tomb of Philip of Macedonia. You will then continue via Edessa to Thessalonica, where you will see the Rotonda, the Triumphal Arch of Galerius, and the White Tower on the seafront promenade. Dinner and overnight accommodations will be at your hotel in Thessalonica.
DAY 10 Friday: Thessalonica / Philippi / Kavala / Thessalonica
After breakfast we depart for our one day Philippi Christian tour. Philippi is the town where Paul delivered his first sermon in Europe, sowing the seeds of Christianity. “And from there (He went) to Philippi, which is the leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman Colony. We remained in this city some days…” (Acts 16:12-18). Paul arrived here with Silas and Luke on the winter of AD 49 to AD50. There the first Christian baptism was performed, of a woman named Lydia. Although they were prosecuted and arrested, they received God’s help to escape from prison (Acts 16: 11-23) where there was the conversion of the jailer (Acts 16: 23-26). We will visit the Roman Theatre, probable site of the prison where Paul and Silas were arrested. We will continue towards the city of Kavala and the ancient city of Neapolis (Acts 16:11) where Paul landed with his disciples, Timothy and Silas. It was later renamed Christoupolis, meaning city of God, because it was the first European city to accept Christianity. We will visit the Roman Aqueduct and the ruins of the Acropolis. Dinner and overnight in Thessalonica.
DAY 11 Saturday: Thessalonica Airport
According to the schedule of your return flight you will be taken to the airport of Thessalonica.
