Essential Biblical Experience Plus Tour in Turkey

Day 1 – Meeting at İstanbul Airport and transfer to hotel.

Day 2 – Full day city tour, Lunch included. Morning: St Sophia * Underground Cisterns * Mosaic Museum * St.lrene, Afternoon: Patriarch of Fener * Virgin Mary’s Church, * Golden Horn, St Savior in Chora (Kariye Museum) * City Walls.

Day 3 – Early morning flight or night-before train (sleeper car), or bus to Ankara. Visit Anatolian Civilizations (Hittite) Museum in Ankara and continue to Cappadocia via Salt Lake. Seldjouk Agz.kamhan Caravanserai. View of the “Petrified Valley” from the ancient citadel of Uçhisar. Dinner and overnight.

Day 4 – Full day tour of Cappadocia. Valley of Göreme and Zelve. Underground cities used by the early Christians hiding from Roman and Byzantine persecution Valley of ”Fairy Chimneys”, villages of Ortahisar and Avanos. Dinner and overnight

Day 5 – Early departure for Konya (Iconium), the city of the ”Whirling Dervishes.” Visit the Mausoleum of Mevlana, a world-famous philosopher and poet A short stop at Antioch of Pisidia (Yalvaç), and continue to Pamukkale (Hierapolis), famous for its formation of petrified calcium cliffs and stalactites. Dinner and overnight.

Day 6 – Departure after breakfast and visit Aphrodisias (Geyre), well preserved Greco-Roman settlement. Drive to Laodicea. one of the seven churches. Dinner and overnight at Kuşadası.

Day 7 – Visit the ancient city of Ephesus, The House of the Virgin Mary, and St. John Basilica. Dinner and overnight at Kuşadası.

Day 8 – Early departure after breakfast for Izmir. Visiting St Polycarp Church, Izmir Agora and a short panoramic tour of İzmir, drive to Sardes (Salihli), and Thyatira (Akhisar), Philadelphia (Alasehir) of the ” Seven Churches of Revelation.” Continue to Pergamon, visit Asceplion, Acropolis, Athena and Trajan Temples, Temple of Zeus, Gymnasium, Odeon, Library, and Agora. Dinner and overnight in Ayvalık.

Day 9 – Departure after breakfast Visit Alexandre Troas, Assos and Legendary Troy. Ferry across Dardanelles. Visiting the Anzac Memorials and War Cemeteries of the famous battlefields from World War I, Evening arrival in Istanbul.

Day 10 – Free day in Istanbul.

Day 11 – Transfer to Istanbul Airport for return flight

Tour Code: PLN027