2nd & 3rd Missionary Journeys of Paul Cruise | Oct. 11, 2024
Join us on a 2nd & 3rd Missionary Journeys of Paul Cruise aboard Azamara Pursuit starting at $4,299 from New York on October 11, 2024. You will see Istanbul, Troy, Troas, Ephesus (Kusadasi), Miletus, Didyma (Bodrum), Santorini, Greece (On Your Own), Corinth, Epidaurus (Nafplio), Athens (Piraeus), and more!
What’s Included
- All Inclusive Pricing
- Cruise
- Fuel Surcharges and Gov't Taxes
- International Airfare from NY
- Overseas Airport Transfers
- Port Charges
- Select Shore Excursions
- Cruise Gratuities
- Meals as listed in the itinerary
- Cruise Taxes
- Current Fuel surcharges
^ Additional Baggage & Optional fees may apply.
† If air purchased through EO.
Daily Itinerary
Day 1 October 11 – Depart the USA
Depart the USA.
Day 2 October 12 – Welcome to Istanbul
Arrive in Istanbul, Turkiye, the next day. Transfer through beautiful Istanbul to the Azamara Pursuit for your cruise.
Day 3 October 13 – Istanbul, Turkiye
The bejeweled capital of Istanbul sits between two continents and is home to 450 mosques. You will visit the famous Blue Mosque with its six minarets and sparkling interior. Walk through St. Sophia (Hagia Sophia), which was the largest church in Christendom for 1,000 years, built by Justinian (532-537 AD). The church has 107 columns, fossil-embedded, white marble floors, and beautiful glass mosaics. Today, it is the Museum of Byzantine Art. Enjoy the aroma of cinnamon, cloves, thyme, and other exotic spices as you explore the Spice Market. Shops sell everything from herbs to gold. Sail from Istanbul this evening on your way to Canakkale, Turkiye.
Day 4 October 14 – Troy and Troas (Canakkale), Turkiye
Not far away is Troas. On his second missionary journey, Paul had a vision in which he was called to Macedonia (Acts 16:8-13). Later, during his third journey, Paul spent a week in Troas preaching. On one occasion, he also resurrected Eutychus, who fell to his death from a window while sleeping (Acts 20:6-12). In Troy, history is buried in myth and mud. Nine layers of the fabled city have been excavated. Homer’s Iliad relates the legendary story of the Trojan War.
Day 5 October 15 – Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkiye
Today, you will be visiting Ephesus, where Paul had a two-year ministry and where the disciple John and Jesus’ mother, Mary, are buried. With a population of more than 250,000, Ephesus was the fourth-largest city in the world. View the Library of Celsus, initially built in 125 AD, which once held nearly 12,000 scrolls. Visit the temples of Hadrian and Domitian and the great theater where Paul witnessed. Visit the terrace houses, which give us great insight into family life during the Roman period.
Day 6 October 16 – Miletus and Didyma (Bodrum), Turkiye
Dock in the spectacular city of Bodrum where the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, was located. Drive to Miletus to see the ongoing excavations of where Paul bid farewell to the church elders at Ephesus at the end of his Third Missionary Journey (Acts 20). See the ruins of Didyma, whose oracle was considered second only to Delphi in the ancient Greek world.
Day 7 October 17 – Santorini, Greece (On Your Own)
Explore Santorini, one of the most beautiful of the Greek islands. Its picturesque whitewashed villages with brilliant blue domes dot the cliffs above the Aegean Sea. The island itself perches on the edges of a volcano whose eruption 3,500 years ago is thought to have led to the collapse of the Minoan civilization. Shore excursions are booked through Azamara.
Day 8 October 18 – Corinth and Epidaurus (Nafplio), Greece
Visit the seaport town of Nauplion, which was the first capital of modern Greece from 1829 to 1834. See the Venetian fortress of Palamidi as you travel inland to Corinth. The Apostle Paul met fellow tentmakers Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth. He received a vision from the Lord saying, “I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city” (Acts 18:10). As Paul spoke, Crispus (chief ruler of the Synagogue) and many others believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8), establishing the church at Corinth to whom Paul later wrote his two epistles. Tour the city of Corinth and the Museum of Corinth. Couples will have the opportunity to renew their wedding vows. Take the optional hike to the top of Acrocorinth. On your way back to the ship for your final overnight, enjoy a panoramic tour of Athens to see the House of Parliament, the Presidential Palace, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Continue to the ancient city of Epidaurus. The theatre at Epidaurus is the best-preserved example of a classical Greek amphitheater in the Mediterranean. The theatre can hold 14,000 people, and it has been said that you can ‘hear a pin drop’ in the center of the theatre stage from the top row.
Day 9 October 19 – Athens (Piraeus), Greece
Disembark today and enjoy the rich architectural splendor of the ancient city of Athens as your guide introduces you to the world-renowned Acropolis, the Propylaea, the Parthenon, and the Erectheum. Stand on Mars Hill as the Apostle Paul did when he proclaimed, “I found an altar with the inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom, therefore, ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you” (Acts 17:23). As you stroll the agora (ancient marketplace and center of Athenian public life), recall that this was where the Apostle Paul preached “Jesus and the resurrection” to the skeptical Athenians. Enjoy the afternoon and evening on your own to shop, dine, or experience the Acropolis by night. Stay overnight in Athens.
Day 10 October 20 – Return to the USA or enjoy an extension.
Return to the USA or enjoy an extension.
Enhance Your Journey
Cappadocia Pre Tour Starting from $1298
October 8 - 12, 2024 • $1,298*
October 8 - Depart the USA
October 9 - Arrive and Overnight in Istanbul (D)
October 10 - Fly to Cappadocia
In Istanbul, enjoy a Bosphorus cruise this morning and see the highlights of the city. Enjoy the aroma of cinnamon, cloves, thyme, and other exotic spices as you explore the Grand Bazaar. Over 4000 shops sell everything from herbs to gold. Return to the airport, fly to Cappadocia Area (Kayseri), and check in to your hotel for dinner and overnight. (B, D)
October 11 - Cappadocia
Drive to Cappadocia and visit the Zelve Valley. As you drive through Cappadocia, enjoy some free time at various photo stops in this magnificent landscape full of fairy chimneys. Visit the Goreme open-air Museum before returning to your hotel. (B, D)
October 12 - Cappadocia
You can take an optional hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia this morning for an additional fee. Fly this afternoon to Istanbul and embark on the Azamara Pursuit. (B, D) Hot air balloon ride is $250 per person additional. Cappadocia
Guests taking an extension may be on a different flight than their group and/or traveling companion.
ISTANBUL PRE TOUR Starting from $445
October 10 - 12, 2024 • $445*
October 10 – Depart the USA
October 11 – Arrive and stay overnight in Istanbul (D)
October 12 – Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace, and Embark the Azamara Pursuit
The bejeweled capital of Istanbul sits between two continents and is home to 450 mosques. Visit the Topkapi Palace, home of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire. Enjoy the aroma of cinnamon, cloves, thyme, and other exotic spices as you explore the Grand Bazaar. Over 4,000 shops sell everything from herbs to gold. Embark the Azamara Pursuit this afternoon. (B, D)
Guests taking an extension may be on a different flight than their group and/or traveling companion.
*A 3.5% Surcharge will be added to all credit card transactions
ROME POST TOUR Starting from $1398
October 20 - 23, 2024 • $1,398*
October 20 – Arrive in Rome
Fly from Athens to Rome, Italy, where you will be met by our representative and travel along the Appian Way. Step beneath the surface into the Catacombs of Callixtus, built along the Appian Way. Here, sixteen popes from the 2nd through 4th centuries were interred, though they have been removed to various churches over the centuries. Check into your hotel this evening and enjoy dinner and rest. (B, D)
October 21 – Vatican City & Christian Rome
Visit the Vatican and explore its museum. Marvel at the beauty of St. Peter’s Basilica and stand in awe of Michaelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Next, see the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. The present structure stands over the place where Constantine built the first church over Saint Paul’s grave. The church features a portrait of every pope who has served the church. Enjoy another night in Rome. (B, D)
October 22 – Ancient Rome
Discover the history woven throughout Rome with a visit to the Colosseum and view of the Forum, Circus Maximus, the Arch of Titus, the Baths of Caracalla, and the Arch of Constantine today. Climb the graceful Spanish Steps and stop at the famous Trevi Fountain before returning to your hotel this evening. (B, D)
October 23 – Return to the USA
Guests taking an extension may be on a different flight than their group and/or traveling companion.
*A 3.5% Surcharge will be added to all credit card transactions.
Northern Greece Post-Tour Starting from $1198
October 20 - 24, 2024 • $1,198*
October 20 - Delphi
Travel to scenic Delphi, the religious center of the ancient Greek world and marked by the conical stone called the omphalos or “navel.” Walk the Sacra Via to the Athenian treasury, theatre, and the Temple of Apollo, where the oracle performed her prophetic rituals. As you consider the incredible amount of pagan influence just in Delphi alone, you will gain a new appreciation for the tremendous spiritual opposition the Apostle Paul faced in preaching the Gospel of Christ here. In the museum are many ancient treasures, including the 5th-century, bronzed charioteer so detailed, you can see his eyelashes. Stay overnight in Kalambaka. (B, D)
October 21 - Meteora and Berea
As you visit the rock forest of Meteora (“in the heavens above”) near Kalambaka, imagine the Apostle Paul walking that treacherous terrain on his missionary journey. Gaze up at the breathtaking Byzantine monasteries spectacularly perched on soaring, sheer-sided grey sandstone pillars. In the 13th century, monks sought refuge in cliffside caves before fleeing higher to build the original wooden shelters that later became these monasteries. Follow the path of Paul to Veria (Berea), where Jews and some honorable Greeks accepted the new faith (Acts 17: 10-12). Stay overnight in Thessaloniki. (B, D)
October 22 - Amphipolis, Philippi, and Neapoli
Follow in the footsteps of Paul and Silas to Amphipolis and explore the ruins of the many Christian basilicas there. In Philippi, there is a baptismal site commemorating where God opened the heart of Lydia (a seller of purple from Thyatira) to hear the words of Paul (Acts 16:13-15). Lydia and her household were the first Christian converts baptized on European soil. View the Roman-era crypt thought to have served as a prison for the Apostle Paul, and explore Philippi’s famous acropolis, marketplace, the Basilica of Paul, and theater. Today’s last stop is Neapolis (Kavala), one of Greece’s most picturesque mainland ports, where Paul landed with his disciples, Timothy and Silas. See the Roman aqueduct and acropolis before returning to Thessaloniki for dinner and your overnight stay. (B, D)
October 23 - Thessaloniki
Discover Thessaloniki, where Paul was accused of turning the world upside down with his preaching of Christ (Acts 17: 3-6). As you explore St. George’s Basilica, believed to be built over the synagogue where Paul preached, reflect on the two epistles the Apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church here. Stroll through the archaeological museum and the beautiful basilicas of St. Sophia and St. Demetrios. Along the Via Egnatia stands the Galerius Arch, and you can look out over the second-largest city in Greece from the Old City Ramparts, some dating back to Roman times. Enjoy free time in the afternoon to explore or shop in the city. (B, D)
October 24 - Return to the USA
Guests taking an extension may be on a different flight than their group and/or traveling companion.
*A 3.5% Surcharge will be added to all credit card transactions.