Arnavutköy Trip Overview
Following the footsteps of Saint Paul, this trip will be a great opportunity to visit the major landmarks from Istanbul to Ankara, Cappadocia to Adana, Antakya to Antalya and finally the wonders of Aegean Region.
Additional Info
Duration: 15 days
Starts: Arnavutköy, Turkey
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Arnavutköy Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Arnavutköy, İstanbul, Turkey
Following the footsteps of Saint Paul, this trip will be a great opportunity to visit the major landmarks from Istanbul to Ankara, Cappadocia to Adana, Antakya to Antalya and finally the wonders of Aegean Region.
Itinerary
Day 1: Istanbul – Arrival Day
Pass By: Istanbul, Istanbul
Upon our arrival at Istanbul International Airport, your guide will meet, assist and transfer you to the hotel. Istanbul’s original name is Byzantium then Constantinople. It is a most fascinating city, which actually crosses two continents Europe and Asia. It is a city of amalgamation of bazaars, minarets, mosques, churches, palaces, and restaurants catering to every one’s taste, museums, customs and twelve million people. Overnight in Istanbul.
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight in Pullman Hotel or Ramada Hotel Golden Horn
Day 2: Istanbul City Tour
Stop At: Istanbul, Istanbul
Our journey begins in Istanbul, the only city in the world situated on two continents. Today we wdiscover the Byzantine and Ottoman treasures of Istanbul. We visit Hippodrome and the Obelisk brought from Egypt. Then our next visit is the Blue Mosque with its six minarets. Afternoon we will visit the Topkapi Palace, which was the residence of the Ottoman sultans, with its fabulous treasure chambers. We will take you to the Grand Spice Bazaar which is a unique atmosphere with reasonable prices for your shopping. Here you will find; Exotic Spices and Herbs, Turkish Baklava, Turkish Delights, Turkish Coffee, nuts and fruits, small souvenirs such as Ceramic Handicrafts, Evil Eyes totems, all naturel olive oil, soaps and many other goods in Souvenir Shops and stores. After the tour, transfer back to your hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in Pullman Hotel or Ramada Hotel Golden Horn
Day 3: Ankara City Tour
Pass By: Ankara, Ankara
After breakfast, we drive to Ankara. Arrive in Ankara (Capital of Turkey), sight – seeing of Ankara: see the Anatolian Civilization Museum, the Temple of Augustus and Ataturk’s Mausoleum. Drive to our hotel for dinner and overnight stay in Ankara.
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in Radisson Blue Hotel
Day 4: Ankara – Cappadocia
Stop At: Cappadocia, Cappadocia
After breakfast, Continue to Cappadocia with a lunch / rest stop in Aksaray. We will travel to Cappadocia scenic Ihlara Valley, where early Christians carved some 3, 500 cave churches from the tufa rock. The beauty and quaintness of these chapels, with numerous wall paintings and Christian symbols, is astonishing. Persecuted Christians – tens of thousands of them – escaping into the earth to flee Arab invaders in the tenth century, tunneled out more than twenty underground cities of refuge here in Cappadocia. Such cities, with carved rooms for kitchens, sleeping quarters, stables, and chapels for worship, descend five to ten stories into the earth. At Ozkonak Underground City, one of the best preserved of these cities, you will enjoy your own guided tour into this amazing region. Overnight in a Cappadocia.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in Antique Cave House Hotel or 5 Star Suhan Hotel
Day 5: Cappadocia City Tour
Stop At: Cappadocia, Cappadocia
Full Day excursion of Cappadocia to see the surreal landscapes of volcanic ash, formed 3 million years ago: spectacular red rock cones, troglodyte churches and homes dating from 4000 BC Now visit UCHISAR, GOREME and ZELVE, then AVANOS, to visit one of its famous, pottery workshops. Later return to your hotel for overnight stay.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in Antique Cave House Hotel or 5 Star Suhan Hotel
Day 6: Tarsus – Adana
Stop At: Adana, Adana, Turkish Mediterranean Coast
After breakfast drive to Tarsus, birthplace of St. Paul. See St. Pauls Well, Cleopatras Gate and the Ancient City. It was near here that a Great Fish “vomited out Jonas upon the dry land”. Later return to your hotel. Dinner and overnight in Adana.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in Ramada Adana Hotel
Day 7: Antakya – Antioch – Mersin
Stop At: Mersin, Mersin, Mersin (Icel), Turkish Mediterranean Coast
Full Day excursion to Antakya (Antioch). Here Jesus followers were first called Christians (Acts 11:26) Peter, Paul and also Barnabas preached here. Visit St. Peters Grotto and the exquisite Mosaic Museum. View the old city of Iskenderun before beginning the return, driving to Mersin for dinner and overnight stay.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in Ramada Mersin Hotel
Day 8: Anamur – Antalya
Pass By: Antalya Province, Antalya Province, Turkish Mediterranean Coast
Depart westward along the Mediterranean shoreline, a famous coastal road. See City of the Monophystie Archbishop of Seleucia. Dinner and overnight in Antalya.
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in Best Western Khan Hotel
Day 9: Antalya Side/Perge & Aspendos Ancient City
Stop At: Antalya, Antalya, Turkish Mediterranean Coast
Continue to the ancient city of SIDE, the old port where Paul, Barnabas and Mark landed during their missionary journeys. Later they sailed from here to Antioch. Than visit PERGE, where St. Paul preached when arriving from Cyprus (Acts 13 – 14), and to ASPENDOS with its magnificent theater. Next, drive to Antalya for dinner and overnight stay.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in Best Western Khan Hotel
Day 10: Pamukkale City Tour
Stop At: Pamukkale, Pamukkale
After breakfast drive to Laodicea then drive to Hierapolis (Pamukkale) and explore incredible excavations; including a Byzantine church, the Great Theatre, the Temple of Apollo, and the Plutonium, which pagan cults once called “the entrance to hell.” Examine the intriguing sites of the Churches of Revelation. At Hierapolis (Pamukkale), enjoy the “Cotton Castles” of brilliant white calcium rock formations and hot – water travertines, where hot mineral waters emerge from the earth and cascade over cliffs. As the water-cools, the calcium precipitates and clings to the cliffs, forming snowy white travertines (waterfalls of white stone), which give credence to the name Pamukkale, meaning “cotton castle”. This enchanting place is one of the natural wonders of Asia Minor. The churches here in Hierapolis, Colossae, and Laodicea once flourished under the ministry of Epaphras (Colossians 4:12 – 13). Dinner and overnight in Pamukkale.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in Pam Thermal Hotel
Day 11: Philadelphia – Sardes – Kusadasi
Stop At: Kusadasi, Kusadasi, Turkish Aegean Coast
After breakfast drive to Philadelphia,This city was located along the important trade route that linked Pergamum in the north with Laodicea to the south. Croesus (560 – 546 B.C..) was the king of Lydia, and Sardis was his capital. Gold was discovered in the Pactolus River at Sardis and it was here that coinage began, as we know it. Cyrus and the Persians defeated and captured Croesus for all his wealth and made Sardis the administrative center for the western part of their empire. The fabled Royal Road connected Sardis with the Persian cities to the east. Sardis was the hardest hit of the twelve cities destroyed in the earthquake of A.D. 17. Emperor Tiberius, according to the Annals of the historian Tacitus, gave much relief towards its rebuilding. Your visit to Sardis will include the imperial court and the ancient Jewish synagogue. You will rest in the shade of the Temple of Artemis, while studying in the light of prophetic Scripture. Dinenr and overnight in Kusadasi.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in Comfort Ada Class Hotel
Day 12: Ephesus – Kusadasi
Stop At: Kusadasi, Kusadasi, Turkish Aegean Coast
After breakfast drive to Ephesus (Rev. 2:1 – 7), major port city on the Aegean, was the commercial, political, and religious center of all of Asia Minor. After a lunatic completely burned, the Temple of Diana (Artemis) on the night that Alexander the Great was born in 356 B.C. the Ephesians worked for 120 years to complete a magnificent reconstructed temple, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.The Apostle Paul’s first visit to Ephesus was brief—during his second missionary tour (Acts 18:19 – 21). His second visit lasted about three years—during his third missionary tour (Acts 19:1 to 20:31). See the Fountain of Trojan, the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre. Visit the Chapel of the Virgin Mary (Double Church), where the Third Ancient Council convened. We visit The House of Virgin Mary where she spent her latest years. Overnight in Kusadasi.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in Comfort Ada Class Hotel
Day 13: Izmir (Smyrna) – Pergamon
Stop At: Izmir, Izmir, Izmir Province, Turkish Aegean Coast
This morning take a beautiful drive to Izmir (ancient Smyrna), After visiting the St. Policarp church in Izmir, continue to Pergamum, with its Acropolis and Great Theatre, the steepest of the ancient world. Revelation 2:12 – 16 describes the city as “where Satan’s seat is,” a reference to the altar of Zeus, where we pause for reflection on the fulfillment of Scripture. Nearby, visit the Red Basilica; once a pagan temple, it later converted into a Christian church. Finally, walk through the Pergamum Asclepion, the famous medical center of antiquity. Overnight in Izmir.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in Karaca Hotel
Day 14: Pergamon – Nicea – Istanbul
Stop At: Istanbul, Istanbul
After breakfast long drive to Nicea through Bursa. At Nicea, you will see remains of Constantine’s palace, now covered by the water at the shore of Lake Iznik. It was here in this palace chapel that the First Ancient Church Council convened in A.D. 325 to produce the Nicene Creed. Enjoy Nicea’s St. Sophia Church, where the Seventh Church Council convened in 787. Continue to Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul
Duration: 9 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in Pullman Hotel or Ramada Hotel Golden Horn
Day 15: Istanbul – End of Tour
Pass By: Istanbul, Istanbul
After breakfast, check out from the hotel. We hope your tour was a memorable one and we look forward to seeing you in the future .Have a safe trip back home and thanks for choosing us.
Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.
