Footsteps of St. Paul in Anatolia Tour (7 nights/8 days)
Key Information
Tour Duration: 7 nights / 8 days
Days of Operation: Private Tour -
Regular Tour
Destination's: Turkey
Hotel's Class: 5, 4, 3 Stars Hotel or Tourist Class
Season: All Year
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: Yes
*Overnight Place:
1 night Istanbul, 2 nights Adana, 1 night Cappadocia, 1 night Konya,
2 nights Antalya.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Istanbul.
Program Transfer to Hotel
Day 2: Adana.
Program Meet at the airport, transfer to your hotel. Dinner and
overnight in Adana.
Day 3: Adana - Antioch - Adana.
Program After breakfast we will continue to Antioch-on-the- Orontes,
Daphne and Seleucia Pieria. Antioch has been founded in 300BC.
Antioch offered the most ferric ground for new ideas, philosophies
and religions. First to preach here were St. Paul and Barnabas whose
extensive efforts proved to be very fruitful for Christianity.
Incidentally, the word Christians was first used in Antioch. The
strong and wealthy community of Antioch contributed financially to
the Christian community of Jerusalem. Highlights include the museum
which houses a superb collection of mosaics from Antioch,
Daphne
and Seleucia Pieria, St. Peter's Grotto, the cave church came to be
known as the meeting place of the early Christians. Visit Daphne.
The next site we will visit today is Seleucia Pieria, which was the
port city of Antioch in ancient days. The most interesting monument
here is the Tunnel of Titus, which is a tremendous canal, dug for
the purpose of diverting waters of Orontes River. Another highlight
here will be the rock tombs with their impressive facades pertaining
to the Hellenistic period. Return to Adana for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Adana - Tarsus - Cappodocia.
Program After breakfast we will drive straight to Tarsus, the
birthplace of St. Paul. During St. Paul's time Tarsus was a
University City surpassing Athens and Alexandria. Cicero was a
governor here in 51-50 BC and the romantic meeting between Cleopatra
and Mark Anthony took place in Tarsus. Highlights here will be St.
Paul's well, Tomb of Sardanapulus and Cleopatra's Gate. Then we
drive north to Cappadocia and first stop at Derinkuyu. This is an
underground city, carved into soft rocks resembling a huge labyrinth
of tunnels, rooms, kitchens, wine cellars and passageways. A huge
chimney ventilates this 8-levelled dwelling, which was used by
Christians hiding from there Roman and Byzantine persecutors. Their
colorful frescoes remain as vibrant as when they were first made.
Fascinating place... Derinkuyu. Further on we come to Cappadocia
whose effect on t
he
visitor is like that of a village out of Grimm's Fairy Tales. What
Turks commonly call "Fairy Chimneys" are jutting pieces of volcanic
rocks that have been beaten and shaped by the wind and rain.
Highlights will be The Apple Church, The Church of St. John the
Baptist and the Church with a Buckle in Goreme. Dinner and overnight
in Cappadocia.
Day 5: Capoddocia - Derbe - Lystra - Konya.
Program Right after breakfast, we begin our drive to Konya or
ancient Iconium, which became an important Christian city following
St. Paul's preaching. A Phyrigia legend says that Konya was the
first city to be founded after the flood. St. Paul and Barnabas came
here in 47 A.D. and their preaching was accompanied by many
miracles. St. Paul made two more stops here
on his second and third journeys. Today's Konya is quite new but the
center of the city is very old. Visit Derbe and Lystra where St.
Paul visited on his journeys. Dinner and overnight in Konya.
Day 6: Antioch of Psidia - Antalya.
Program Early morning we will drive to Psidian Antioch (Yalvac)
where St. Paul opened Christianity to the world. Yalvac's history
goes back to 280 B.C. During St. Paul's time the population was a
mixture
of Jews, Romans and Greeks. Very little is left of Psidian Antioch
today. There is the propylaea of the acropolis with a number of
carved stones and the remains of a Byzantine church. We pass by
Egirdir Lake and arrive in Antalya for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Antalya - Side - Perge - Aspendos.
Program After breakfast, we take a private boat to Perge, where St.
Paul began preaching after arriving from Cyprus. Visit the
Gymnasium, the Bath, the Agora, the Theater, the Stadium and the
Hellenistic Gate. Continue to Another the Pamphilian city of
Aspendus. The Theater is the best preserved in the world with its
incredible acoustics. Visit Side, which is built
exactly
on top of the ancient city. See the Temples of Athena and Apollo,
the State Agora, the Theater and the Museum. Afternoon return to
Antalya. Dinner and overnight in Antalya.
Day 8: Antalya Departure.
Program Transfer to airport for departure.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Tour package includes:
- 7 nights 4 star hotels including.
- All transportation in Turkey by private a/c tour coach.
- All meals as stated on the itinerary.
- All entrance fees to the sites and to the museums mentioned on the
above program.
- Comprehensive sight-seeing as itinerary.
- Special pre-departure information pack.
- English speaking professional guide throughout.
- Tips to the restaurants.
- All Portage.
Excludes:
- Tips to guide, driver, and hotel porters.
- Telephone calls.
- Laundry.
- Things not mentioned as included and things of personal nature.
- Foreign airport taxes & security charges, passport and visa fees,
travel insurance.
- Domestic flight from Istanbul to Adana Antalya to anywhere.
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