Arrival in Istanbul. Transfer to the hotel and free day or tour of the 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. As the last stop of the half day 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.

Early departure from the hotel to the airport. Arriving at Izmir airport, we go directly to Izmir’s historic center, The Agora. The second church of the Apocalypse where the disciple Saint John the Evangelist was born, Polycarp. Unfortunately, few historical remains of the old city remained. After a 3-hour journey, upon arrival in Pergamum, first lunch. Ascent to the Acropolis of Pergamum. We visit the temple of Trajan (it gives us the opportunity to talk about the imperial cult), the steepest theater in the Greco-Roman world, the place of the Altar of Zeus (probably the throne of Satan of Pergamum). Time to talk about the letter of Apocalypse for the church of Pergamum. 45 minute drive to the hotel.

Departure at an appropriate time for Thyatira. Due to the few arceological remains, a short stop that gives us the opportunity to talk about the letter of the Apocalypse in Thyatira. Then, we continue to Sardis – our main stop of the day. Sardis is the fourth church of the Apocalypse where one of the largest synagogues in the ancient world is located. The visit and time to talk about the letter written for the Sardis church. Lunch. Finally, after 40 minutes of travel, we arrive in Philadelphia known as the faithful church. Like Thyatira, there are few archaeological remains but we have time to talk about the Philadelphia letter. A journey of 1 hour and a half, and we arrive at the hotel in Pamukkale.

Very early in the morning, for whoever wants, there is the option of taking the hot air balloon ride in Pamukkale. Departure from the hotel to visit the 3 biblical cities of the Lycus Valley: Hierapolis, Laodicea and Colossae. Arrival at the first biblical city of Hierapolis and the natural wonder of Pamukkale “Cotton Castle”. Next, we go to the seventh and last church of the Apocalypse (The lukewarm church), Laodicea. We visit Syria Street, a 4th century Roman church, two theaters. Time to talk about the letter written for Laodicea. Lunch. The last stop of the day is Colossae. Although the ancient city is not yet excavated, this visit gives us the opportunity to talk about 2 books of the “New Testament”; ‘Colossians’ and ‘Philemon’. After a 3 hour drive, we arrived at the hotel in Kusadasi. Dinner and overnight.

Option 1: PATMOS
From Kusadasi by private ferry to Patmos. A 4 hour trip one way. In 3 hours, we visit the orthodox monastery of Saint John the Theologian and the cave of the Apocalypse (According to the tradition where Saint John received the Apocalypse). Lunch. 4 hour return to Kusadasi. Upon arrival at the port, transfer to the hotel in Kusadasi. Dinner and overnight.

Option 2: MILETUS – DYDIMA
Departure from the hotel to Miletus, another biblical city. According to the Acts of the Apostles, at Miletus, Paul met the old men of Ephesus for the last time. Lunch. In the afternoon, we visit the Temple of Apollo in Dydima (it gives us the possibility to talk about the pagan shrines and the ritual of sacrifice to idols). Return to the hotel in Kusadasi. Dinner and overnight.

Departure from the hotel to Ephesus. Ephesus is the first church in Revelation where Paul lived for almost 3 years. We visit the ancient city, the library of Celsus, the great theater. Time to talk about the first letter of Revelation and one of the most biblical cities in the world (The name of Ephesus is mentioned more than 20 times in the Bible). Lunch. The visit of the tomb of John the Evangelist. Transfer to Izmir airport. Flight to Istanbul for the international flight.