St. Paul’s Journey in Greece 10 days
- Greece
- 10 days - 9 nights
- 0 Review
- St. Demetrius Basilica and St. Sofia church in Thessaloniki, – Kavala Town – Philippi – Lydia Springs – Famous mosaics of St. Paul in Veria – Meteora Byzantine Monasteries in Kalambaka – The Athenian Treasure, the Temple of Apollo, the world famous Oracle and the Museum of Delphi – Acropolis (Propylae, Temple of Athena Nike, Erechteion with porch of Maidens, Parthenon) and the new Museum of Acropolis in Athens – Ancient Agora and Temple of Apollo in Ancient Corinth, where St. Paul lived and preached – Cruise (Mykonos & Kusadasi/Turkey & Patmos & Heraklion/Crete & Santorini)
- Daily breakfast & dinner – 3 lunches (on board while cruising)
St. Paul’s Journey in Greece 10 days
Day 1: Saturday
Welcome to Greece! Our escort and driver will greet you at the airport of Thessaloniki, the co-capital of Greece. You will be driven to the hotel in the city of Thessaloniki . Check in and rest of the day at leisure to relax. Dinner at the hotel and overnight
- Thessaloniki, Greece
Day 2: Sunday
Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel in Thessaloniki.
Departure for Lydia Springs, Philippi and the beautiful city of Kavala, where St. Paul landed with his disciples Timothy and Sillas. We will see the small church that marks the traditional site of landing. Lucas the Evangelist also came to the city from Troas. Kavala once named Christoupolis, as it was the first city in Europe to accept Christianity.
We will continue to Philippi, where St. Paul preached his first Evangelical sermon and early Christians were baptized on European soil. We will visit the baptismal site where Lydia converted to Christianity. Our tour will continue with a visit to a crypt from the Roman period, that is believed to have served as a prison for St. Paul, the Market Place, the famous Acropolis and the Theatre. Then, we will drive back to Thessaloniki for dinner at the hotel and overnight
- Kavala, Kavala Prefecture, Greece
Day 3: Monday
Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel in Thessaloniki.
Check out and visit of the second-largest city in Greece, renowned for its festivals, events and vibrant cultural life in general. It is home to numerous notable Byzantine monuments, including the Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as several Roman, Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish structures.
Our tour will include the churches of St. Demetrius and St. Sofia. We will then depart to the town of Veria, with the famous mosaics of St. Paul and the Jewish Synagogue. We will continue to Kalambaka town, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly. Check in, dinner at the hotel and overnight
- Veria, Greece
Day 4: Tuesday
Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel in Kalambaka.
“Meteora” is a rock formation in Central Greece, hosting one of the largest and precipitously built complexes of Eastern Orthodox Monasteries, second in importance only to the Mount Athos. The six (of an original twenty four) monasteries are built on immense natural pillars and hill-hike rounded boulders that dominate the local area.
We will visit one or two (depending on time available) of the 14th Century Byzantine Monasteries of Meteora
After our visit, we will continue to the town of Delphi. Check in, dinner at the hotel and overnight
- Meteora, Kalabaka, Greece
Day 5: Wednesday
Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel in Delphi
Delphi is the ancient sanctuary that grew rich as the seat of Pythia, the oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classic world. The Ancient Greeks considered the center of the world to be in Delphi, marked by the stone monument known as “the omphalos” (the navel).
We will visit the Archaeological Site and Museum in Delphi, which exhibits the history of the town, with rich collections of architectural sculptures, statues and other minor objects donated to the sanctuary.
Departure to Athens, through the valleys of Central Greece. Upon arrival, check in, dinner at the hotel and overnight
- Korinthos, Corinthia, Greece
Day 6: Thursday
Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel in Athens.
Our tour in Athens will begin with the visit of the city’s landmark, the Acropolis. It is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historic significance, the most famous of which is the Parthenon.
We will continue with a climb of the Mars Hill (AreosPagus), which, in classical times, functioned as the court for trying deliberate homicide, wounding and religious matters and cases involving arsons. On this cliff St. Paul is said to have delivered the famous speech “Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of Heaven and Earth and does not live in temples built by hand”.
Our next visit is to the Acropolis Museum, at the slopes of Acropolis Hill, with its marvelous collection of statues and architectural masterpieces.
Next, our driver will make us a tour of the city center, passing by some of the most important sites, such as the Parliament, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Old Parliament and the Olympic Stadium, where the first Olympic Games took place in 1896.
Our next stop will be the city of Corinth, after a short photo stop at the Corinth Canal to enjoy the magnificent view. Our visit to Corinth will include the Archaeological site of Ancient Corinth, which was part of St. Paul’s missionary travels and where he is said to have written his most familiar letters in the New Testament, First and Second Corinthians.
We will also visit the Museum, the Bema, the Market Place and the Temple
Return to Athens late in the afternoon , dinner at the hotel and overnight
- Athens, Greece
Day 7: Friday
Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel in Athens
After check out ,you will be escorted to the port of Piraeus to embark on our cruise ship for 4 Days / 3 Nights cruising around the Greek islands and Turkey.
The ship will depart frat 11:00am local time. In the afternoon, the cruise will arrive in Mykonos. The island of Mykonos is a marvelous cosmopolitan holiday hotspot that combines an international jet set atmosphere and stimulating nightlife. We can recommend that you take a non-chalant stroll in Mykonos town to admire the whitewashed houses and flowered balconies and to visit the beautiful church of Panagia Paraportiani. Other attractions in Mykonos town include the island’s trademark, the windmills and the charming area of Mykonos Little Venice.
Departure to Kusadasi in Turkey.
Overnight on board (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included)
- Mýkonos, Greece
Day 8: Saturday
Enjoy your breakfast on board
In the morning, the cruise will dock at Kusadasi port. Our shore excursion to the Ancient city of Ephesus will set off from here.
At Ancient Ephesus you will find Immortal relics of the Hellenistic, Roman and Early Christian era. At the archaeological site you will be given a guided tour among the Agora, the Odeon, the Library of Celsus, the marble-paved main Street of Kouretes, the Baths of Scholastica, Trajan’s Fountain, the Public Latrines, the Residences of the Patricians, the Prytaneum, the Temple of Hadrian…
The Great Theatre, built in the 4th century B.C., could accommodate 24,000 spectators and it is famous even nowadays for its acoustics. The finds from the excavations, which have yet brought to light only 13% of ancient Ephesus, reside in the Archaeological Museum of Ephesus, in the city of Selcuk.
During the excursion you will have the opportunity to do some shopping such as carpets, jewelery, leather and other souvenirs.
Departure from Kusadasi to the island of Patmos, one of the most interesting and famous islands for the Christianity. Tour of the Monastery of St. John and the Holy Grotto of Apocalypse.
Departure for Crete. Overnight on board (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included)
- Kuşadası, Aydın, Turkey
Day 9: Sunday
Enjoy your breakfast on board.
The ship will dock at the port of Heraklion, where our shore excursion will start. The ancient city of Knossos, with constant habitation from the Neolithic era until the 5th century A.D., is beyond doubt the land that “gave birth” to the first civilization of Europe, the Minoans.
Visit the Minoan palace , which was, according to tradition, the residence of the wise King Minos. The palace of Knossos spreads around the large Central Court. You will reach the awe inspiring Throne Room, the fresco of the “Prince of the Lilies”, the imposing Grand Staircase, the Queen’s Megaron in the east. Walking through the apartments of the Knossos palace and observing the finds even as passers-by, you will feel part of this cultural heritage.
We will stop in Heraklion on the way back to the ship.
Heraklion was founded in 824 and is an important homeland of many contributors to Literature and Art, some examples of which are the Nobel winning poet Odysseas Elytis, the Renaissance painter Domenikos Theotokopoulos (El Greco) and the writer Nikos Kazantzakis.
Heraklion is also endowed with some wonderful edifices: the “Koules” fortress, the award winning Venetian structure of the Loggia, the Morosini Fountain, the Basilica of Saint Mark, and the Church of Agios Titos.
Afternoon departure to Santorini Island, famous for its volcano. The islands that form Santorini came into existence as a result of intensive volcanic activity; twelve huge eruptions occurred, one every 20,000 years approximately, and each violent eruption caused the collapse of the volcano’s central part creating a large crater (caldera). Tour to Thira and Oia villages.
Departure back to Piraeus port. Overnight on board (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included)
- Santorini, Greece
Day 10: Monday
Enjoy your breakfast on board.
Early in the morning and further to the instructions of the crew, you will disembark the ship in Piraeus port where our escort and driver will drive you to the airport for your flight back home
- Athens, Greece