Faith & Heritage Tour
11 days
per person
Meeting point
Istanbul Airport
Included
Meals as written in the programme: hotel breakfast and lunch on the tour days. Day 1 has no meal. Day 11 is breakfast only
An 11-day, 10-night tour through Istanbul, Antioch, Tarsus, Cappadocia, Ephesus, the seven churches and Pamukkale. St Peter’s Grotto, St Paul’s Well and Göreme are on the route.
The tour starts at Istanbul Airport. Day 2 is the Basilica Cistern, the Galata Tower, the Bosphorus and Istiklal. Day 3 is the Old City on foot, then a flight to Adana. Day 4 is Antakya, with the night again in Adana. Day 5 is Tarsus and an underground city in Cappadocia. Day 6 is the fairy chimneys, Göreme, Avanos and Uçhisar, then a flight to Izmir and a night in Kuşadası. Day 7 is Ephesus and Miletus, with the night in Izmir. Day 8 is Izmir, Pergamon and Akhisar. Day 9 is Sardis, Alaşehir and Laodicea. Day 10 is Pamukkale, then a flight from Denizli back to Istanbul. The tour ends at Istanbul Airport for the international flight.
1
You are met at the first exit door of Istanbul Airport and taken to the hotel. The rest of the day is free. There is no sightseeing and no meal. The night is in Istanbul.
2
Visited sights: the Basilica Cistern, the Galata Tower, the Spice Bazaar, the Bosphorus, Rumeli Fortress, Taksim, Istiklal Street, the French Cultural Institute, Hagia Triada, Ağa Mosque, and Çiçek Pasajı. After breakfast the guide picks you up. You visit the Basilica Cistern, the largest of the hundreds of ancient cisterns under Istanbul, then the Galata Tower and the 17th-century Spice Bazaar. Shopping is a personal expense. There is a cruise on the Bosphorus. You see the strait that links Europe and Asia, and Rumeli Fortress, built to control the entrance. The day ends on Taksim and Istiklal, one of the busy pedestrian streets of Pera. The stops are the French Cultural Institute, Hagia Triada, the largest Greek Orthodox church in Istanbul, Ağa Mosque, and Çiçek Pasajı. The night is in Istanbul.
3
Visited sights: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, the Hippodrome, the Obelisk of Theodosius, and the Grand Bazaar. After breakfast the guide picks you up for a full day in the Old City on foot. You see the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, once home to the Ottoman sultans, the Hippodrome, and the Obelisk of Theodosius. The Hippodrome is where the crowds of old Constantinople gathered; the obelisks are still standing. The last stop is the Grand Bazaar. Shopping is a personal expense. At the end of the day you fly from Istanbul Airport to Adana. The flight is in the package. In Adana you are met at the first exit door and taken to the hotel. The night is in Adana.
4
Package departing from Istanbul.
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1–16 people
After breakfast you leave for Antakya, ancient Antioch. This is where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). Peter, Paul and Barnabas preached here. You visit St Peter’s Grotto and the mosaic museum. You return to the hotel in Adana. The night is again in Adana.
5
After breakfast you drive to Tarsus. You visit the well known as St Paul’s Well, Cleopatra’s Gate, and the excavations that are under way. You then go by road to Cappadocia. The last stop is an underground city carved into the rock. The text says the first three floors were probably carved by the Hittites around 2000 BC, and that early Christians sheltered in underground cities while escaping Roman persecution. The programme does not name which city is visited. You are taken to the hotel in Cappadocia. The night is in Cappadocia.
6
After breakfast you visit the valley of the fairy chimneys, the Göreme Open-Air Museum, the pottery workshops in Avanos, and Uçhisar. At the end of the day you fly from Cappadocia Airport to Izmir. The flight is in the package. In Izmir you are met at the first exit door and taken to the hotel in Kuşadası. The night is in Kuşadası.
7
Visited sights: the ancient city of Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary, the Basilica of St John, and Miletus. You are picked up from the hotel in Kuşadası and go to Ephesus. The programme says Paul stayed in the city for a time. You visit the ancient city, then the House of the Virgin Mary, held to be where she spent her last days, and the Basilica of St John. The day continues to Miletus. The Acts of the Apostles places Paul’s farewell address to the elders of Ephesus there. You are taken to the hotel in Izmir. The night is in Izmir.
8
After breakfast you visit the church of St Polycarp in Izmir, ancient Smyrna. The day continues to Bergama, ancient Pergamon. You see the Asclepion, the ancient hospital, and the Acropolis. The Red Basilica stands on the site of the Serapeum and is linked with St John. The text names the church and the Red Court as separate stops. They are the same building. The last stop is Akhisar, ancient Thyatira, a commercial city once tied to Troy and Sardis. The night is again in Izmir.
9
Visited sights: Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. After breakfast you drive to Sardis, capital of the kingdom of Lydia. You see the gymnasium, the marble-paved synagogue, the Temple of Artemis and a Christian chapel of the 4th century. You then go to Alaşehir, ancient Philadelphia. The text calls it a city favoured by Paul and John. The last stop is Laodicea, an early centre of Christianity and one of the seven churches of Revelation. You are taken to the hotel in Pamukkale. The night is in Pamukkale.
10
After breakfast you drive to Pamukkale. You see the white travertine terraces left by the hot springs. They are called Pamukkale, the cotton castle, for that look. After lunch you visit Hierapolis, a UNESCO World Heritage site. In antiquity people came here to be healed. At the end of the day you fly from Denizli Airport to Istanbul. The flight is in the package. In Istanbul you are met at the first exit door and taken to the hotel. The night is in Istanbul.
11
You are taken to Istanbul Airport 4 hours before your international flight, according to the flight time. Check-in is yours. That is the end of the service.
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The tickets you need for the experience are delivered to you on time.
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If the experience does not happen as promised, you receive a refund.
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Before, during, and after the trip, support is available in Turkish and English.
