7 Churches of the Book of Revelation

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Day 1: Istanbul (D)

Arrival in Istanbul where we will meet up at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. Rest of the day is at leisure, dinner and overnight in Istanbul.

Day 2: Istanbul (B/D)

Breakfast and full-day city tour of Istanbul. Visits include monuments of the Ottoman and Byzantine Empire, the Roman Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar with over 4000 shops. Lunch will follow at a local restaurant and we will return at dusk. Dinner and overnight in Istanbul.

Day 3: Istanbul / Troy / Canakkale (B/D)

Breakfast and visit to the legendary city of Troy, whose fame derives from Homer’s Iliad and the Trojan War and after we will continue to Canakkale for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Canakkale / Pergamum / Thyatira / Izmir (B/D)

Breakfast and departure from Canakkale to explore three of the cities that received the letters of John: – Pergamum (Revelation 2: 12-17), now called Bergama, was the rival city of Alexandria in the arts and letters. On a visit to this city we will see its Greco-Roman Theatre, the Temple of Trajan and altar of Zeus. The Pergamum church characterizes the church from the time of Constantine (313-600 AD). At that time Christianity became the official religion of the Roman state. In this way, the church began to spread around the world.
– Thyatira (Revelation 2: 18-29), which was an important trade center in ancient times, is now called Akrisar meaning White Castle. A letter to this Church was the longest of all the letters of the Apocalypse and the message it delivers is also among the toughest. We will have lunch at a local restaurant, return in the evening for dinner and spend the night there.
– Izmir (Revelation 2: 8-11), at the time it was called Smyrna, which means bitter. The origin of the word Smyrna derives from Β«myrrhΒ», which was one of the components that served to embalm the dead (John 19:39). In this city, we will enjoy a panoramic visit and then visit the church of St. Polycarp. We will gather for dinner and spend the night there.

Day 5: Izmir / Sardis / Philadelphia / Pamukkale (B/D)

Breakfast and set off for the city of Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6), whose ruins bear near the present village of Sarte and Philadelphia (Revelation 3: 7-13). There, we will visit their respective churches. Philadelphia lies in a valley at the foot of a mountain plateau. The location of the city is now occupied by a small Turkish village name Shehr Allah, meaning “city of God”. Pamukkale is one of the most breathtaking places in the world, stunning for its white waterfalls and natural swimming pools, where will indulge in its beauty. The day will conclude with dinner and we will stay overnight.

Day 6: Pamukkale / Hierapolis / Laodicea / Kusadasi (B/D)

Breakfast and visit to the ancient city of Hierapolis. We will continue to Laodicea (Revelation 3: 14-22) that was located at the site of the modern city of Denizli, where we will visit one of the seven churches. The hot springs of Hierapolis, mentioned by Paul in his letter to the Colossians (Col 4:13), meaning “Holy City”, a UNESCO world heritage site, classified for its hot springs and the ruins of the ancient capital of Phrygia, where Saint Philip is buried and Colossus (now known as the village of Honaz), whose church was mentioned in the Epistle to the Colossians. The hot springs of Hierapolis helped in the treatment of health problems, while the cold waters of Colossi were good to drink. Then we will move to Kusadasi where we will enjoy dinner and spend overnight.

Day 7: Kusadasi / Ephesus (B/D)

Breakfast and move to Ephesus. 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, theOdeon, the Arch of Hercules, the Temple of Hadrian, the Agora and the Greco-Roman theater. The day will conclude with dinner and we will stay overnight.

Day 8: Kusadasi / Izmir Airport (B)

According to the schedule of your return flight you will be taken to the airport of Izmir to take the flight home.