Your pilgrimage begins as you depart the USA on your international overnight flight.

You will arrive in Thessaloniki, Greece, where you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Follow in the footsteps of Paul and Silas to Amphipolis and explore the ruins of the many Christian basilicas there. In Philippi, see 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 agora, marketplace, the Basilica of Paul, and the 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 continuing to Kalambaka for dinner and overnight.

After your short tour of Thessaloniki today, you travel to Vergina to visit King Philip’s (Alexander’s father) tomb in Vergina, one of the most outstanding archaeological finds in all of Greece. Then we drive to the breathtaking rocks of Meteora. As you visit the rock forest of Meteora (“in the heavens above”) in western Thessaly, 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 gray 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. After a monastery tour, you go to your hotel in Kalambaka for dinner and overnight.

Today you travel south to scenic Delphi, the religious center of the ancient Greek world, which is marked by the conical stone called the omphalos or “navel”. Walk the Sacra Via to the Athenian treasury, theater, and the Temple of Apollo, where the oracle performed her prophetic rituals. Your visit to Delphi will certainly enhance your appreciation of the religious diversity surrounding Paul and his churches. In the museum are many ancient treasures, including the 5th century bronze Charioteer so detailed you can see his eyelashes. Continue to Athens for your overnight stay.

Tour the ruins of Corinth, where the Apostle Paul founded a church that would serve as his base of operations in Greece and Macedonia. Here he lived for months at a time and wrote several letters, including his most famous, Romans. Observe how Corinth sits on a narrow land bridge or isthmus between upper and lower Greece, acting as both a naval and overland hub of travel. In this highly cosmopolitan setting, Paul struggled with his fledgling church, ultimately leaving us two great letters of his pastoral advice. Stop briefly at the port town of Cenchreae from which Paul later departed for Syria (Acts 18:12-18). Return to Athens for dinner and overnight.

Today, visit the ancient city of Epidaurus. The theater at Epidaurus is the best-preserved example of a classical Greek amphitheater in the Mediterranean. It can hold 14,000 people, and it has been said that you can ‘hear a pin drop’ in the center of the theater stage from the top row. Next, visit Mycenae and tour the monumental site that King Agamemnon, a key figure in Homer’s Iliad, called his “home.”  Here, take time to look upon the impressive Lion Gate. Even headless, the lions convey a sense of the power and majesty that was Mycenae. Continue up to the citadel to Grave Circle A, a cemetery of royal tombs dating from the 16th century BC. Return to Athens for dinner and overnight.

Board the ship and sail the blue waters of the Aegean Sea. In the evening, you will arrive at the world-famous Greek island of Mykonos, where gleaming whitewashed buildings seem to climb atop each other to reach the azure sky.

This morning, you arrive in Kusadasi, Türkiye, and journey to Ephesus, where the Apostle Paul spent three years of his ministry. He planted a church here and later wrote to them in his Epistle to the Ephesians. Many of the ruins of Ephesus (known as “the marble city”) have been restored to show the city as it was in the Apostle Paul’s time. Visit the Agora and imagine where Demetrius, the silversmith, sold his silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. Stroll through the great theater where Paul faithfully witnessed for Christ. Not far away is the stadium where chariot races took place and gladiatorial combats were held. Tradition has it that the Apostle Paul himself fought here against wild beasts. Visit the ruins of St. John’s Basilica, where early Christian tradition tells us the “disciple whom Jesus loved” was buried. View one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the ruins of the Temple of Diana (Artemis), before setting sail for the Island of Patmos to visit the Monastery of St. John high on the mountain overlooking the entire island. Walk down to the Grotto of the Apocalypse and the caves where it is believed that the exiled Apostle Paul John lived and was inspired by God to write the Book of Revelation and other letters to the early church. (Excursions to Ephesus and Patmos Included)

Dock this morning in Crete’s port of Heraklion, just three miles away from the fantastic ruins of the Palace of Knossos. Discovered in 1899 and partially reconstructed, the elaborate Palace is believed to be the mythical Labyrinth of King Minos and the seat of ancient Minoan culture. Next, disembark at Santorini, one of the most beautiful of the Greek islands, where picturesque whitewashed villages topped with brilliant blue domes stand in stark contrast to the sheer drop cliffs overlooking the Aegean Sea. The island 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. (Crete Excursion to Knossos included)

Return by ship to Athens. 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 Erechtheum.  Stand on Mars Hill as the Apostle Paul did when he proclaimed, “I found an altar with the inscription, “To an unknown god.” What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.”  (Acts 17:23). As you look upon the agora (ancient market place and center of Athenian public life), recall that this was where the Apostle Paul preached “Jesus and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18) to the skeptical Athenians. Visit the National Museum at the foot of the acropolis. Also see the House of Parliament, the Presidential Palace, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This afternoon, you can enjoy an optional journey to Sounion to visit the famous Temple of Poseidon (additional $75). Dinner and overnight are spent in Athens. 

Enjoy today on your own exploring Athens. The hotel and breakfast are included.

Return home with a new understanding of the Apostle Paul’s life and ministry.