TOUR ITINERARY:ESENDAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM
Day 01 Depart from New York – Fly to Istanbul
Day 02 Arrive Istanbul Airport
Your tour guide will meet you after you pass through customs and claim your baggage. You will be transferred to the hotel for dinner and overnight. (D)
Day 03 Istanbul
Today will be a full day tour of Istanbul. Visit the St. Chora Church, Roman Hippodrome , Hagia Sophia Church, and Topkapi Palace Museum. Dinner at an outside Turkish Restaurant. (B,D)
Day 04 Istanbul Airport – Fly Adana – Antioch
Transfer to Istanbul Airport for a morning flight to Adana or Hatay .After we land we will drive to Antioch, the place where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians. Here we will visit the Church of St. Peter, a site discovered by the Crusaders and reputed to be the cave church where the early Christians met and first time the name of Christianity mentioned. At the Mosaic Museum in Antioch we will see an unusually rich collection of Roman mosaics from this area. Antioch was one of the most important, beautiful and prosperous cities in the time of Roman Empire. It was one of the three cities in the Roman Empire which had street lighting, The other two were Ephesus and Rome. Following our visit at the museum, we’ll go to the Seleucia Pieria, the ancient port from which Paul & Barnabas set out on their first journey. Finally, we will check into the hotel in Antioch for dinner & overnight. (B,D)
Day 05 Antioch – Tarsus – Cappadocia
After breakfast we will have an early departure from Antioch. the modern city of Hatay we drive to Tarsus , the city where the Apostle Paul was born. We will visit the Church of St. Paul as well as the recently excavated remains including Cleopatra’s gate or St Paul’s gate of the Roman city in the town centre. We will take a short walk to the site known as the Well of St. Paul, itis said that the Saint often drank water here .Excavations prove that Tarsus existed during the early Bronze Age (between 3000 and 2500 BC). It was on the main trade route on the coast below the Cilician Gate enabled it to control trade from Syria and Egypt to places in south ,east and central Anatolia. Important artefacts found here testify its status on this trade route. In the afternoon, we will continue with a scenic drive through picturesque Toros Mountains to Cappadocia, for dinner and overnight. (B,D)
Day 06 Cappadocia
After breakfast we will have a full day of sightseeing in Cappadocia. We’ll visit Göreme where we will see the remains of some of the several hundred early churches, monasteries, refectories with homes hollowed out of the cones of volcanic ash. Some of them are decorated with frescoes depicting scenes from the Bible. We will drive through the Zelve valley, one of the important dwelling centre inhabited until 1950’s on our way to Kaymaklı, an underground city which was an early Christian centre that extended downward in the earth for at least eight floors and housed several thousand people in the eighth and ninth centuries. We’ll continue to Uçhisar, another of these early
Christian communities, before returning to our hotel for dinner and overnight. (B,D)
Day 07 Cappadocia – Konya
After breakfast we’ll have an early departure and drive to Derbe, Lystra and Iconium cities that Paul and Barnabas evangelized on their first mission. the Paul and Silas visited the churches at these sites again on the second and third missions. At Lystra, Timothy converted to Christianity and began his journeys with Paul. On the way we will visit Sultanhan on the high way between Aksaray and Konya ,it was constructed in 1299 during the Seljuk Turks period, was one of the many public Inns built by Seljuks, testifying to the importance placed on trade and social welfare by this highly cultured society. It was an important lodge for Traders and Caravans on the main trade route. We will visit the Shrine of Mevlana and Museum before going to the hotel in Konya (ancient Iconium) for dinner
Day 08 Konya – Psidian Antioch – Antalya
After breakfast we will depart and drive to Yalvac, the site of the ancient city of Antioch of Pisidia. Paul visited this town on all of his missionary journeys and it is here that he addressed the congregation in the synagogue. Paul later wrote an epistle to the Galatians, including those at Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra & Derbe. We will visit the excavations here and then continue to Antalya with a very scenic drive through the lakes and mountains. Dinner & overnight will be at the hotel in Antalya. (B,D)
Day 09 Antalya
After breakfast we’ll begin with a visit to Perge, an ancient city even when Paul visited there. He and Barnabas went through Perga on their way to Antioch on their first journey. We will visit the Theater, the Stadium, the Agora, Roman Bath, and the columned Streets with the water Canal run through. We’ll also visit Aspendos, the best preserved ancient Roman theater in the world, and Side, a pirate’s haven where we’ll visit the museum, theatre,Agora and temple. Dinner and overnight will be in the port city of Antalya. (B,D)
Day 10 Antalya – Colossae – Pamukkale
After breakfast, we will drive through scenic Toros Mountains to Colossae (the city addressed in Paul’s letter to the Colossians) on the foothills of Mount Honaz. We’ll continue to Laodicea , one of the Seven Churches of Revelation. Laodicea was a magnificent city built on the Valley of Lycus, after 133 BCit fell under Roman Control and toward the end of Roman Republic it became one of the most important and flourishing commercial cities of Asia Minor. Next we visit the nearby Hierapolis where we will visit the monuments, thermal baths, city gates, the colonnaded main avenue of ancient city,, the theatre with its well preserved stage, the tomb and martyrdom of Philip and the Temple of Apollo. After enjoying our walking tour on the cotton look like Lime stone terraces . We arrive in our hotel for d``````inner and overnight in Pamukkale. (B,D)
Day 11 Philadelphia – Sardis – Izmir
After breakfast we will travel to Philadelphia , now called Alasehir. We’ll see remains of a Byzantine basilica as well as some eleventh century frescoes. Philadelphia and Smyrna were the only two churches among the Seven about which nothing bad was said in John’s Revelation. From there we’ll travel to Sardis, one of the most picturesque areas of any of the Seven Churches. We’ll see the remains of the a huge Jewish synagogue, a Roman Gymnasium-Bath complex and the Temple of Artemis. Finally, we will proceed to Izmir (ancient Smyrna ), one of the Seven Churches and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities of the world. We’ll check in to the hotel for dinner and overnight. (B,D).
Day 12 Ephesus – Izmir
After breakfast we will visit the St. Polycarp church in Izmir , then leave Izmir and drive to Ephesus, the largest Greco-Roman city of Asia Minor with a population of 250.000 thousand people , one best preserved ancient cities in Mediterranean and the first of the Seven Churches addressed in the book of Revelation. The city was one the greatest seaports of the ancient world. Three major roads led from the sea port including the silk road to Babylon and Susa in Iran. We will see the amazing ruins of this great city: the theatre, the library, the Temple of Hadrian and the newly excavated Roman Terrace Houses, the two agora /market places , the colonnaded streets, the third largest library of ancient world, the Temple of Artemis considered one of the Seven Wonders of ancient world., Basilica of St. John and House of Virgin Mary. Return back to Izmir for dinner and overnight in Izmir. (B,D)
Day 13 Pergamum – Alexander Troas – Assos-Canakkale
After breakfast today we will leave for Bergama which is the site of ancient Pergamon, another of the Seven Churches of Revelation (Rev. 1:11, 2:17) We will visit the acropolis there and see the impressive theatre, the Temple of Athena, the Temple of Trajan, the base of Alter of Zeus, the 2nd largest library of ancient world and other ruins of the former civilizations. After visiting the Asclepium, the ancient healing centre We will continue The Hellenistic Assos on the last leg of his third missionary journey , Paul walked from Alexandria Troas to Assos (Acts 20:5-6,13-14) where he met his companions. Who had gone ahead of him by sea. We visit the ruins of old city and the Temple of Athena dates from 530 BC. Then we will continue to the port of Alexandria Troas, the Hellenistic –Roman city and port located on the Aegean Sea near the Northern tip of Turkey’s western coast. The port was strategic when travelling between Anatolia and Europe. Paul the apostle sailed for Europe for the first time from Alexandria Troas and he returned there on his journey from Europe. Troas is mentioned in the Bible in Acts 16:8, 11,-20:5. We will then drive to Cankkale for Dinner and overnight . (B,D)
Day 14 Canakkale -Troy – Ferry to Dardanelles – Istanbul
We will begin our day with a visit to the ancient and historic city of Troy, site of the Trojan war and Homer’s Illiad. We’ll cross the Dardanelles Strait by ferry. Drive to the hotel in Istanbul for check–in. We will have a Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D)
Day 15 Transfer to Istanbul Airport for flight back to New York. End of our services.
INCLUDING
- Domestic air fare(Istanbul-Adana or Hatay)
- 3 Nights at 4 star The Marmara Pera hotel or similar in Istanbul
- 1 Night at 5 star hotel in Antakya
- 2 Nights at 4 star Kapadocia Lodge special hotel or similar one in Cappadocia
- 1 Night at 5 star Dedeman hotel or similar in Konya
- 2 Nights at 5 star The Marmara Antalya or similar in Antalya
- 1 Night at 5 star Colossae Thermal Hotel or similar in Pamukkale
- 2 Nights at 5 star Renaissance Hotel or Movenpick hotel or similar in Izmir
- 1 Nights at 5 star Kolin Hotel or similar in Canakkale
- Daily buffet breakfast and 13 dinners at hotels
- Arrival and departure transfers between airports and hotels
- Private land transportation by deluxe A/C motor coach/bus with professional driver
- Government licenced, Bible oriented English speaking Turkish guides throughout the trip(Licenced Turkish guide /s are required by Turkish Law) .
- All entry fees to sites and museums as mentioned in the itinerary in this package
- Handling of baggage at hotels
- All service charges & local tax
- All parking, fuel and toll roads, and bottle water during dinners
EXCLUDING
- International airfare/flights
- Turkish Visa fees to be purchased on line prior to arrival evisa.gov.tr
- Lunches and beverages /drinks at dinners
- All travel Insurances and medical expenses
- Personal expenses such as telephone, internet and entertainment
