The Seven Churches of Asia Minor (4 Nights/5 Days)

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Smyrna - Pergamum
2 stops
1
Old Smyrna
Arrival Izmir Airport meet and assist by English speaking guide and depart for the visit St.Polycarp Church in Izmir ancient Smyrna; (Rev,2:8-11)
2 hours • Admission ticket included
2
Pergamon Ancient City
Continue to Pergamum; a most memorable experience will be Pergamum, with its acropolis (high city) and Great Theatre, the steepest of the ancient world. Revelation 2:12-16 describes the city as "where Satan's seat is", a reference to the altar of Zeus, where we pause for reflection on the fulfillment of Scripture. Nearby, visit the Red Basilica; once a pagan temple, it later converted into a Christian church. Finally, walk through the Asclepion, the famous medical center of antiquity. Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Izmir.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 2
Thyatira – Sardis – Philadelphia
3 stops
3
Visit Thyatira, which is now called Akhisar and is another one of the Seven Churches of Asia [Rev. 1:11; 2:18-24; Acts 16:14] and was a city famous for purple dyes and Lydia, the trader of purple in Philippi, was from Thyatira. We then visit the remains of a basilica and architectural fragments from the Roman period.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
4
Sardis (Sardes)
Visit of the most picturesque areas of the Seven Churches of Asia [Rev. 1:11; 3:1-4], Sardis which was the capital of the ancient Lydian kingdom of the 6th century BC and portrayed as a dying church.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
5
Philadelphia Siesean Kilisesi
Then we continue our travels to Philadelphia, now called Alasehir, another of the Seven Churches of Asia [Rev. 1:11; 3:7], and is the only church that is not censured. Here we see the remains of a Byzantine basilica built of brick, with a high arch and some 11th-century frescoes. Dinner and overnight in Pamukkale.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
Day 3
Hierapolis – Laodicea
2 stops
6
Hierapolis & Pamukkale
Drive to the healing city of Hierapolis and Pamukkale, which is a white cotton fortress where hot mineral water bursts from the ground and cascades over cliffs forming pools, channels and stalactites. The healing waters were known to the founders of Hierapolis and Laodicea in 190 BC. In Hierapolis, we visit the Martyrium of the Apostle Philip where he was martyred during the persecutions ordered by Domitian.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
7
Laodicea
Proceed to Laodicea now known as Denizli, also a Church of the Asia Minor [Rev. 1:11; 3:14] where you will see the ancient theatre, the remains of a basilica and some ancient stone water pipes.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
Day 4
Ephesus - Kusadasi
2 stops
8
Ancient City of Ephesus
Drive to Ephesus where you will visit the ancient city of Ephesus, including the Basilica of St. John and the Ephesus archaeological museum. The Apostle Paul preached to the Ephesians here and lived there for three years, and the church also received an epistle from him. We tour the splendid ruins where excavations continue in this once great and important city, which was founded in the 10th century BC. Walk through the long history along the marble streets lined with magnificent public buildings, among them the Baths of Scholastica, the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian and the Theatre. The Temple of Diana of the Ephesians, another of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was built in this city.
4 hours • Admission ticket included
9
Meryemana (The Virgin Mary's House)
Visit The House of Virgin Mary, which is claimed she spent her last days before a drive to Kusadasi for an overnight stay.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 5
Departure Day
1 stop
10
Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport
Pick up from your hotel and transfer to Izmir airport for flight back home
1 hour • Admission ticket not included

Additional info

• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

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