The Footsteps of Saint Paul (10 Nights)
Day 1 : Welcoming
Arrival in Istanbul, transfer to the hotel. Accommodation.
Day 2 : Istanbul - The Old City
Breakfast. Your guide will pick you up from your hotel to start discovering the wonderful old city of Istanbul. We start the tour by visiting the "Roman Hippodrome" to see the symbolic monuments such as the "Egyptian Obelisk", the "Serpent Column" and the "German Fountain". Then, we visit the "Blue Mosque" called "Sultanahmet" in Turkish; one of the most important and famous Ottoman mosques in the city for its thousands of beautiful tiles. The mosque was built between 1609 – 1616 by Sultan Ahmet I and is the first mosque with 6 minarets (towers) in the history of the Ottoman Empire. The tour continues with the visit of "Hagia Sophia" where you can see the mixture of 2 religions that was for more than 900 years the Orthodox Cathedral and for almost 500 years the Mosque. Lunch in a restaurant to eat typical Turkish food. In the afternoon, we continue with a visit to the "Topkapi Palace", which for centuries was the second largest palace in the world. After the conquest of the city by the Ottomans in 1453, it was the main palace until the end of the 19th century. As the last stop of the tour, we walk about 15 minutes to reach the famous "Grand Bazaar" which is one of the largest and oldest in the world with more than 4000 shops, where you can see many kinds of Turkish handicrafts. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and accommodation.
Day 3 : Bosphorus And The Modern Part
Breakfast. Your guide will pick you up from your hotel to see the famous "Bosphorus Strait", the border that separates the continents of Europe and Asia. As the first visit of the day, we arrive at the "Spice Bazaar" (Egyptian Market) where you can get any spices for cooking and take very good typical photographs. We continue after the bazaar to the port to take our ferry (regular) that will take us to the Bosphorus Strait. During the tour, we see the monuments that adorn the banks of the Bosphorus such as the Ottoman palaces of the 19th century (Dolmabahce, Ciragan, Beylerbeyi), two intercontinental bridges, the most luxurious neighborhoods of the city and the typical Ottoman houses, etc. Transfer to the airport for the flight to "Antioch". Upon arrival at the airport, transfer to the hotel. Dinner and accommodation.
Day 4 : Antioch-Tarsus-Cappadocia (460 km)
Breakfast. First, we visit the cave of "Saint Peter". Antioch is the city where Christians began to call themselves “Christians.” For Catholic groups, we celebrate a ritual in the cave. The visit of the "Archaeological Museum" in Antioch. The museum has one of the largest collections of Roman mosaics in the world. A 3 hours journey to "Tarsus" where Saint Paul was born. Lunch. The visit to the "Well of Saint Paul" (very probably the remains of the house where Saint Paul was born are next to it). Departure for "Cappadocia". A 3 hours drive to the hotel in Cappadocia.
Day 5 : Cappadocia
The possibility of taking the "Hot Air Balloon Trip" (optional). Breakfast.We first visit the "Imagination Valley" where we begin to contemplate the lunar landscape of Cappadocia. Next, we continue to "Zelve Open Air Museum" which is an ancient troglodyte abandoned village. And then we pass to an another valley known as the "Valley of the Fairy Chimneys" that has the most famous Fairy Chimneys of the region, which are natural volcanic formations with two different layers. One of the main visits of the day will be the "Göreme Open Air Museum" where we get to know the best preserved monastic cave chapels in the region. In the Cappadocia region, Saint Basil and Saint George were born. With the cave chapels of the museum with the beautiful wall paintings and frescos we also see many caves that were used as cellars, kitchens, dining rooms, houses and etc. Lunch. In "Avanos", we pass over the red river "Kizilirmak", the longest river of Turkey (1355 km). Avanos is an important center of the handcrafts. First, we visit a workshop of the famous Turkish carpets and kilims, and then we pass a pottery factory of a local family of the town. We head on to the hotel. Dinner. The possibility of taking the "Turkish Night Show" in a huge cave that lasts about 3 hours.(optional). Accommodation.
Day 6 : Cappadocia
Breakfast. The second day of the region starts with the underground city of "Kaymakli". The underground cities in Cappadocia were used for the first time by the Hittites. After them, many civilizations used them for different needs such as storing food, wine, water and etc. until the Christians of the 7th century, used them as shelters making huge tunnels. Afterwards, we continue towards the "Uçhisar Castle" which is the highest volcanic formation in Cappadocia to see the best panoramic view of the "Uchisar Castle" first from the "Pigeon Valley" and then from the "Karlık Sokak". Afterwards, we visit another famous handcraft of the region which is a workshop of Onyx, Meerschaum, Turquoise and the traditional jewelry of gold and plate. Lunch. After the lunch we have two more beautiful panoramic views of region. First we stop for the best view of "Göreme Valley" and then the final fantastic view of Cappadocia we stop at "Love Valley". The possibility of taking the "Whirling Dervish Dance Show" that lasts about an hour. (optional). Dinner and accommodation.
Day 7 : Cappadocia-Konya (220 km)
Breakfast. Departure for "Konya". On the way we visit the 13th century Seljukian Caravanserai "Sultanhan" of the famous historical "Silk Road". The next stop will be Konya which is famous with "Mevlana
Museum and the Theological Scholl of Whirling Dervishes". Lunch. Afterwards we visit the "Church of Saint Paul" which is the unique active Catholic Church of the region. Dinner and accommodation.
Day 8 : Konya-Pamukkale (420 km)
Breakfast. Early departure for "Pamukkale". On the way we stop for the lunch. Before Pamukkale we visit in "Laodicea", the last church of the Apocalypse. We visit an ancient church built just after the Edict of Milan (313 AD), the two theaters and Syria Street. And then we head on to the hotel. As you wish you can use the thermal pool of the hotel. Dinner and accommadation.
Day 9 : Pamukkale-Kusadasi (215 km)
Breakfast. We enter through the South gate and visit the ancient city of "Hierapolis" where Epictetus was born, (he was a Greek philosopher of the Stoic School), and the natural pools formed by lime over thousands of years of "Pamukkale", “Cotton Castle”. Then we continue to "Kusadasi". Lunch. On the way we visit a Leather Factory that is the typical product of the region. We head on to the hotel in Kusadasi. Dinner and accommodation.
Day 10 : Kusadasi-Ephesus-İzmir-İstanbul (by plane)
Breakfast. We reach the house of the "Virgin Mary" (the last resting place of the Virgin Mary). We celebrate ritual. Next, we visit the ancient city of "Ephesus", one of the most biblical cities in the world (the name of Ephesus is mentioned more than 20 times in the Bible and Saint Paul lived in Ephesus for 3 years). Lunch. The visit of the "Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist". Transfer to Izmir Airport for the flight to Istanbul. A private transfer to the hotel. Dinner and accommodation.
Day 11 : Hotel-Airport
After the breakfast transfer to Istanbul airport at the appropriate time for the international flight.
What is included in the tour package ?
*Private Airport transfers ( Istanbul-Antioch-Izmir )
*10 nights half board accommodation
*9 lunches
*9 days professional tour guidance in your language with air conditioned van or bus
*Entrance fees to the museums
*The domestic flight tickets
*Tips for the hotels and restaurants
*Taxes
What is excluded ?
*All optional activities
*All personal expenses
*All beverages
*All customary tips to guides and to drivers
*The international flight tickets