Itinerary

• DAY 1:

  DEPART USA

  Depart for your overnight flight to Istanbul, Turkey.

• DAY 2:

  CITY TOUR IN ISTANBUL / ARRIVAL IN THESSALONIKI

  Upon your arrival at the airport in Istanbul, you will be greeted by your Homeric English-speaking guide, who will take us to Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome and Topaki Palace to view the relic arm of John the Baptist. Return to the airport for our flight to Thessaloniki. Here, we will be met by our English-speaking Christian Tour Escort and transfer to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
  Dinner included

• DAY 3:

  THESSALONIKI / AMPHIPOLIS / KAVALA / PHILIPPI / THESSALONIKI

  After breakfast sightseeing of Amphipolis (Acts 17:1). Visit part of the extensive site, including the North Wall. See both Beta and Gamma gates, and the remains of the Strymon Bridge. View the 4th century B.C. Lion Statue that was prominent on the ancient Egnatian Way that St. Paul would have traveled. Kavala - Acts 16:11. Stop near the harbor of Kavala (biblical Neapolis), St. Paul’s gateway to Europe. See Agia Sofia, the Greek Orthodox seaside church that marks Paul’s landing spot. Stop for lunch. Philippi - Acts 16:12-40. As a prosperous Roman colony, Philippi had a spacious forum and Agora, as well as a theater that was also a gladiator arena. Nearby, a crypt, has been honored since the 5th century as the place of St. Paul’s first imprisonment. Here in Philippi, St. Paul first preached the Gospel in Europe. Outside the ancient city, the River Gangites still flows where St. Paul addressed his first European congregations and the businesswoman, Lydia, was the first to be baptized by him. Return to Thessaloniki for dinner and overnight accommodations.
  Breakfast and Dinner included

• DAY 4:

  THESSALONIKI / PELLA / BEREA / VERGINA / KALAMBAKA

  After breakfast depart for a full day of sightseeing tour of Thessaloniki (Acts 17:1-9). See the Church of George (Rotonda), built at the 3rd - 4th century AD. It is an important monument of that era, built with bricks and part of the palace complex of Galerius (293-310 AD). Its original use is not clear, possibly was a mausoleum or a temple of eastern deities. In Byzantine times, emperor Theodossios (379-395 AD) was christened in Thessaloniki and turned the building into a Christian church. Rotonda was the cathedral church of Thessaloniki for more than 1,100 years. At St. Dimitrios, descend to the crypt where St. Paul preached and Dimitrios was martyred. Visit the cave and well of St. Paul at the Monastery of Vlattadon and the ‘House of Jason,’ built where St. Paul stayed. We head west to Pella, birthplace of Alexander the Great. Visit the House of the Lion Hunt view the preserved mosaics in its museum. Free time for lunch then continue to Berea, Acts 17:10-15. Mount Vermion and Veria, (biblical Berea) see the Hellenic tower and walls, St. Paul’s Steps, commemorating the willing audience the apostle found amongst Jews and Gentiles. Visit Ayios Christos Church, which marks the growth of the gospel. Continue to Vergina, visit the local museum and see the Macedonian Tombs before continuing to Kalambaka for dinner and overnight accommodations.
  Breakfast and Dinner included

• DAY 5:

  KALAMBAKA / METEORA / DELPHI

  As the Pindus Mountain Range begins to form, one comes upon 24-perpendicular rocks on which Byzantine monks chose to worship God and built Meteora, their monastic community. The ‘Monasteries Hanging in the Air’ is known for their ancient icons. We will visit two of these stunning mountain locations and then have free time for lunch. We continue to Delphi for dinner and overnight accommodations.
  Breakfast and Dinner included

• DAY 6:

  DELPHI / ATHENS

  Morning visit to the ancient sanctuary of Apollo. Visit the impressive archeological site associated with the mythology and history of the ‘Oracle’. See the Sanctuary of Apollo, the Doric Temple of Apollo, the Sacred Way, the 5,000 seat theater, where the Delphic Festivals were held, the Sta-dium, where the Pythian Games took place, the Castalian Fountain, the Sanctuary of Athena and the Tholos Rotunda. Visit the museum and the amazing ‘Charioteer,’ an ancient bronzed statue. Stop for lunch then continue to Athens. Dinner and overnight.
  Breakfast and Dinner included

• DAY 7:

  ATHENS / ANCIENT CORINTH / ATHENS

  After breakfast our Athens City tour begins with the Dipylon Gate near the ancient Roman Market and then the Temple of Hephastos, spending time exploring the Ancient Agora and the rebuilt Stoa of Attalus and its museum, visiting the water-clock of Andronicos and Hadrian’s Library. We will then climb Mars Hill, associated with Paul’s address to the councilors and philosophers of the Areopagus, view St. Paul’s Well and the foundations of the church dedicated to Dionysius the Areopagite, one of St. Paul’s converts (Acts 17:16-34). After visiting the famous Acropolis and the Parthenon, we will continue the tour by visiting the Acropolis Museum and its many artifacts, then continuing on to view the Filopapou Monument, Hadrian’s Arch and the Olympic Stadium. After lunch, travel to Ancient Corinth (Acts 18:1-18), where St. Paul arrived in A.D. 50-51 to preach the teachings of Christ. Visit the archeological site housing many statues and artifacts, such as the Temple of Apollo, the Roman Agora, and the Bema Courthouse, where St. Paul’s enemies brought him before Gallio, the pavement inscription of Erastus, the Roman Lechaion Road and the Lower Fountain of Peirene. It was here in Corinth that St. Paul wrote First Thessalonians and also, most likely, his Epistle to the Romans. Continue to Athens and cross the Corinth Canal, stopping briefly to learn the history of this famous man-made construction - one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Then return to Athens for dinner and overnight.
  Breakfast and Dinner included

• DAY 8:

  ATHENS / PIRAEUS / MYKONOS / SAILING

  After breakfast board the ship and set sail to Mykonos. Beneath its sophisticated surface, lays a quintessential Greek island. Hundreds of tiny chapels dot the island and sheep graze in the shadow of whitewashed windmills. Find a table on the waterfront and bask in the serenity of sunset over the picturesque harbor. Be sure to send your regards to Peter the Pelican and then board the ship to sail through the night.
  Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included

• DAY 9:

  PATMOS / KUSADASI (EPHESUS) / SAILING

  Morning arrival on the island of Patmos. This serene island is known as the site of the apocalyp-tic revelations of St. John the Divine, written here during his exile from the Roman Empire. The cave where he is said to have lived is now the site of the Monastery of the Apocalypse. In the 11th century, the Abbot Christodoulos founded the Monastery of St. John on one of the island’s highest points. Here, priceless icons and manuscripts are on display for all to see. This afternoon, we will arrive into Kusadasi. A shore excursion to nearby Ephesus is included. Walking towards the ancient harbor, down a marble road rutted by the wheels of countless chariots, we will pass architectural masterpieces like the Magnesia Gate and the Library of Celsus before arriving at the Great Amphitheater where St. Paul was arrested and cast out of the city. We then continue on to the House of the Virgin Mary, where she spent the last years of her life before turning to the ship and sailing through the night.
  Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included

• DAY 10:

  CRETE (HERAKLION) / SANTORINI / SAILING

  After breakfast onboard and just 3-miles away are the fantastic ruins of the Palace of Knossos. Discovered in 1899 by Sir Arthur Evans and partially reconstructed, the elaborate palace is believed to be the mythical Labyrinth of King Minos and the seat of Ancient Minoan culture. Return to the ship. In the afternoon, arrive on the island of Santorini, perhaps the most breath-taking of all Greek islands. Visit to Akrotiri, where recent Minoan excavations support the theories that Santorini might be the fabled lost continent of Atlantis. Return to the ship.
  Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included

• DAY 11:

  RETURN TO THE USA

  After breakfast, we transfer to the airport for our return flight.
  Breakfast included