Paul in Asia Minor - Kairos University

March 8-23, 2024

Douglas Buckwalter

Mar 8 Fri DEPART New York, JFK– FLY ATHENS

Mar 9 Sat Upon arrival at the Athens Airport, our representatives
will meet you after the customs and baggage claim with a sign “Kairos University- TUTKU ” on it. Transfer to your hotel in Athens for dinner and overnight. (D)

Mar 10 Sun ATHENS
Follow your guide to the world renowned Acropolis, the Propylaea, the Parthenon, and the Erectheum. View Mars Hill where the apostle Paul stood spoke to the Athenian people and shared the Gospel (Acts 17:15-34). See the Agora, the ancient market place and center of the Athenian public life, where the apostle Paul preached “Jesus and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18) to the skeptical Athenians. Also see the House of Parliament, the Presidential Palace and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Overnight in Athens. (B,D)

Mar 11 Mon CORINTH, CENCHRAEAE and ELEUSIS – ATHENS
In Corinth, see the ancient city where Paul met Aquila and Priscilla, the tent makers, and where the apostle spent eighteen months sharing the Gospel (Acts 18: 1-18). Visit the Archaeological Museum, the Market Place and Temples. Walk among the ruins and stand on the Bema where Paul stood before Gallio facing charges brought by the Jews. Visit the ancient port of Cenchrea where Paul departed when he returned to Syria (Acts 18:12-18). Later we will visit the site of Eleusis where the sacred rites of the Eleusinian Mysteries were performed. Overnight in Athens. (B,D)

Mar 12 Tue DELPHI – KALAMBAKA
Travel to the scenic and historic oracle at Delphi, the religious center of the ancient Greek world. Walk the Sacra Via to the Athenian Treasury, the Theatre, and the Temple of Apollo where the oracle enacted its prophetic rituals. Visit the Museum at Delphi. Drive to Kalambaka. Dinner and overnight in Kalambaka. (B,D)

Mar 13 Wed Meteora - THESSALONIKI
We start our morning visit the rock forest of Meteora in western Thessaly and ponder the rough terrain through which the apostle Paul walked during his missionary journey. See the famous Byzantine monasteries perched precariously on the summits of soaring sheer cliffs. Visit one of these monasteries. We continue our journey to Thessaloniki, the city where Paul shared the gospel message and experienced much opposition (Acts 17: 1-9). Here Paul established a church to which he addressed his Thessalonian epistles. Visit St. George’s Basilica, which tradition claims is built over the synagogue where Paul preached. View the Old City Ramparts, and the Galerius Arch that rises over the Via Egnatia. Visit the Archaeological Museum and the ancient agora. See two of the most beautiful basilicas in the city, visit St. Demetrios, dedicated to a distinguished member of the Roman army and a martyred Christian convert. Dinner and overnight in Thessaloniki. (B,D)

Mar 14 Thu AMPHIPOLIS – PHILIPPI – KAVALA
Drive to Amphipolis, a city that Paul visited on his second mission. Continue to Philippi, where Paul met and converted Lydia, a woman from Thyatira who sold purple garments (Acts 16:13-15). Lydia was the first Christian to be baptized on European soil. See the theater, agora, latrines and several early Byzantine basilicas of the city. Also visit a cistern, which was thought to have served as a prison for the apostle Paul. Overnight in the Kavala area. (B,D)

Mar 15 Fri KAVALA - TURKEY BORDER – DRIVE ISTANBUL
Depart Kavala. Walk a portion of the Via Egnatia, the great Roman road traversed by Paul and Silas as they traveled from Neapolis to Philippi, Thesslonica and onward. Drive to the Greece-Turkey border. Transfer to your Turkish bus and guide, and continue to Istanbul (about 5 hours drive after the border) for dinner and overnight. Istanbul is the only city in the world spanning on two continents. Overnight in Istanbul. (B,D)

Mar 16 Sat ISTANBUL
Full day Istanbul tour; visit the Roman Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque with its beautiful blue tiles, the Hagia Sophia, the great basilica built by Constantine the Great and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, one of the world’s greatest architectural marvels and a designated World Heritage site. Then visit the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight. (B,D)

Mar 17 Sun ISTANBUL – TROY – ALEXANDER TROAS (Acts 16:8-
11; 20:5, 6, II Tim. 4:13, II Cor. 2:12) - ASSOS Drive to Çanakkale. Cross the Dardanelles Strait by car ferry. Proceed to Troy to see the legendary city of Homer’s Iliad. Continue to Alexandrian Troas, the important port founded by Alexander the Great. Paul visited here at least twice (Acts 16:8-11, 20:5-13). Dinner and overnight in Assos. (B,D)

Mar 18 Mon ASSOS – PERGAMON (Rev. 1:11; 2:12) – IZMIR
We will enjoy a morning tour of Assos and then leave for Pergamon where we will visit the Acropolis with the steepest theater of the ancient world and the Temple of Trajan. We will also visit the Red Basilica which was an Egyptian Temple, later converted to a church and the Asclepion, the ancient healing center. Dinner and overnight in Izmir. (B,D)

Mar 19 Tue IZMIR – SMYRNA (Rev. 1:11; 2:8) – IZMIR
Drive to Izmir to see the Smyrna Agora and its latest excavations. We will also visit the graffiti section which is closed to public. Check into the hotel and enjoy a free afternoon in Izmir. Dinner and overnight in Izmir. (B,D)

Mar 20 Wed EPHESUS – KUŞADASI
Visit the famous ancient city of Ephesus (Acts 18:19-24; 19:1-35; 20:16- 17; 21:29, 1 Cor. 15:32; 16:8, I Tim. 1:3 II Tim. 1:18; 4:12, Rev. 1:11, 2:1), with its spectacular Terrace Houses, Basilica of John, the Ephesus Archaeological Museum and the ancient Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Dinner and overnight Kuşadası. (B,D)

Mar 21 Thu SARDIS - HIERAPOLIS (Rev. 1:11; 3:1-4) – IZMIR
Drive to Sardis, capital of the ancient Lydia where first coin of the world was invented. See the remains of another massive Artemis Temple. Then enjoy a visit to Hierapolis, a World Heritage Site. See the Philip’s and Continue to Pamukkale for dinner and overnight. Enjoy the Thermal pools of your hotel. (B,D)

Mar 22 Fri APHRODISIAS - COLOSSAE – LAODICEA (Col 2:1; 4:13-
16, Rev. 1:11; 3:14) – IZMIR Drive to Aphrodisas to visit the archaeological site. Then to Colossae to see the unexcavated site. Drive to nearby Laodicea to see the latest excavations. Continue to Izmir for dinner and overnight. (B,D)

Mar 23 Sat Morning transfer to Izmir airport for departure to NEW
YORK -JFK. End of services.

Including

- Round trip International flights between New York JFK and Athens,
and Izmir-JFK
- 3 overnights on HB basis in Acropolis Hill 3* Hotel in Athens or similar
- 1 overnight on HB basis in Antoniadis 4* Hotel in Kalambaka or similar
- 1 overnight on HB basis in El Greco 3* Hotel in Thes/ki or similar
- 1 overnight on HB basis in Esperia 3* Hotel in Kavala or similar
- 2 Nights Kent Hotel Istanbul or similar
- 1 Night Assos Kervanserary or similar
- 2 Nights Movenpick Izmir or similar
- 1 Night Kusadasi Charisma or similar
- 1 Night Pamukkale Doğa Thermal or similar
- 1 Night Movenpick Izmir or similar
- Daily breakfasts
- 14 Dinners at hotels
- English Speaking Escort for the arrival transfer
- Licensed English Speaking Guide throughout the tour
- A/C motor coach (30/40 seated depending on participants’ number)
- Entrance fees to Acropolis Rock, Agora, Ancient Corinth & Eleusis,
Delphi, 1 Monastery in Meteora, Arch. Museum of Thes/ki, Philippi, and
all entry fees to sites and Museums in Turkey
- Whisper Headsets
- All service charges and local tax, VAT and tax accommodation
- Tips to the hotel and restaurant staf

Excluding

- Lunches and drinks during meals
- Tips to guide, escort and driver
- Any personal expenses, or travel/health insurance
- Anything not mentioned above