8 Days Seven Churches of Revelation MINI Group Tour including Istanbul

Welcome to Turkey. Arrive in Istanbul Airport ( IST ) or to Sabiha Gokcen Airport ( SAW ) , Our representative will meet you at the airport with your name sign and private transfer to the hotel for overnight stay in Istanbul

Our tour starts with Hippodrome Square where used to take place for chariot races and the Byzantine riots during Roman & Byzantine period.

Blue Mosque, has its fame from its beautiful blue Iznik tiles.

We will continue walking to Topkapi Palace, was not only the residence of the Ottoman sultans, but also the administrative and educational center of the state. It was constructed between 1460 and 1478 by Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople. We will visit the Topkapi Palace including weapons section.

After lunch break Only a short walk away, reaches Hagia Sophia built in 532 AD by Roman Emperor Justinian I.

Update for St. Sophia interior visit : 

Live guiding is not allowed in St. Sophia after the 15th January 2024. Guests have to have their smart phones and headphones during their visit. If guests do not have a headphone, they can buy at the entrance at the cost of 3,5-USD

The system is similar to audio guide system. Guests who does not have smart phones will follow the signs and the given informations on the signs .

we will visit Grand Bazaar where is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 1,200 shops which attract between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. Opened in 1461, it is well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops. Then Back to our hotel for overnight stay

08.30 a.m. After breakfast, pick up from hotel. First visit Spice Market then transfer to port for Boat trip on the Bosphorus, a traditional excursion by boat along the waterway separating Europe and Asia. The shore is lined with old wooden villas, palaces of marble, fortresses, and small fishing villages. 

Afternoon visit Underground cistern and transfer to airport.

After the tour , transfer to Istanbul airport for flight to Izmir.

Arrival to Izmir and transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Izmir.

After breakfast we drive to Pergamum, actually called Bergama. It is one of the sites of the Seven Churches of Asia [Rev. 1:11; 2:12]. Here we explore the impressive Acropolis, the steepest theatre in the world, the Asklepion, famous medical Centre of classical times, see the Altar of Zeus which is mentioned as the «Throne of Satan» in the book of Revelation, the marble columns of the Temple of Trajan and the Library which was foremost in the world and was long a rival of the equally famous Library of Alexandria in Egypt. Its wealth of volumes was estimated at over 200,000. It inspired the invention of parchment.

Then we continue our visit to Thyatira, now called Akhisar, another one of the Seven Churches of Asia [Rev. 1:11; 2:18-24; Acts 16:14]. It was a city famous for purple dyes. We visit the remains of a basilica and some architectural fragments from the Roman period. Lydia, the seller of purple in Philippi, was from Thyatira.

Overnight in ızmir 

Today we depart early in the morning to one of the most picturesque areas of any of the Seven Churches of Asia [Rev. 1:11; 3:1-4], Sardis, presently Sart. This was the capital of the ancient Lydian kingdom of the 6th century BC, portrayed as a dying church. We visit the great Temple of Artemis and the restored gymnasium and reconstructed Synagogue. We also see the last several meters of the royal Persian Road from Susa to Sardis built by Cyrus the Great and the «golden» river Pactolus.

Then we continue our journey to Philadelphia, nowadays called Alasehir, another church of the Seven Churches of Asia [Rev. 1:11; 3:7], and the only church not censured. There we see the remains of a Byzantine basilica built of brick, with a bit of high arch and some 11th century frescoes.

Continue to visit to Laodicia. The city established in the C3 BCE by the Seleucid Antiochus II, the city was named after his wife Laodicea. Built on the Lycus Tributary of the Meander River, it was surnamed Laodicea on Lycus, to distinguish it from other similarly named cities. Laodicia is the last of the seven churches. As a crossroad of two important roads, this city had an important commercial and logistical position. 

We drive to the healing city of Hierapolis, actually Pamukkale, the white «cotton fortress» where hot mineral water bursts from the earth and cascades over steep cliffs forming pools, channels and stalactites. The therapeutic waters were known to the founders of Hierapolis and of Laodicea in 190 BC. In Hierapolis [Col. 4:13] Check in at hotel for dinner and overnight in a Thermal Hotel.

Drive to Ephesus visit to the ancient city of Ephesus including the Basilica of St. John. The Apostle Paul preached to the Ephesians and lived here for three years. This church also received an epistle from him. We tour the spectacular ruins where excavations still continue in this once great and important city, which was founded in the 10th century BC. Walk through history along marble streets lined with wonderful public buildings, among them the Baths of Scholastica, the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian and the Theatre. The Temple of Diana of the Ephesians, another of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was built in this city.

The House of Virgin Mary is located on the Aladag Mountains 5 miles away from Ephesus. At the third Ecumenical Council on 431 AD in Ephesus, it was claimed that Mary came to Ephesus with St. John in 37 A.D. and lived there until her death in 48 A.D. After the discovery of the house, the Archbishop of Izmir declared there as a place of pilgrimage in 1892. On July 26, 1967, Pope Paul VI visited this place and prayed there. 

Drive to St. John’s Basilica, it is believed that the evangelist St. John had spent his last years in the region around Ephesus and buried in the southern slope of Ayosolug Hill.

We will stop at Artemission Temple where used to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world as our last stop before drive back to your hotel in Kusadasi.

Sightseing tour of this beautiful resort town called Kusadasi. Pass through Marina, Port of Kusadasi, Ceravanserail, Grand Bazaar. Dinner and overnight.

After breakfast and transfer to Izmir airport for noon flight to Istanbul. Arrival and our representative will transfer to your hotel. Afternoon Free in Istanbul to explore the city on your own. Overnight in Istanbul.

Transfer to Airport to connect to your international flight and leave Turkey.

The end of our services.