Christian & Historical Tours

Steps of Paul

10-Day Coastal Cruise Throughout Greece & Turkey                                                    Print PDF
November 4-14, 2010
From $1,698 per person

NOV 04(Thu): DEPART USA

NOV 05(Fri): ARRIVAL ATHENS - Arrive in Athens. Meet and greet at the airport. Drive to Piraeus Port and board your cruise ship.

NOV 06(Sat): THESSALONIKI - VERIA - When Paul was unable to go in person to the new church at Thessalonica he wrote the letters to the Thessalonians.  Visit the Byzantine Walls, the House of Jason where Paul lived and the agora, an open marketplace, where he preached. Travel to Veria - ancient Beroea. In 54AD, on Paul's second journey, he taught in the local synagogue that Jesus was the hoped for Messiah (Acts 17:10-14).

NOV 07(Sun): KAVALA - PHILIPPI - On his first voyage to Europe, Paul landed in Kavala (ancient Neapolis).  We visit the river location where Paul met a group of women to whom he preached the gospel.  Lydia, a merchant, believed Paul's message and was baptized with members of her household, making hers the first baptism on European soil.  Visit the jail where Paul and Silas were held. Perhaps not the exact location, but it represents the flogging and imprisonment they endured. During the night, a violent earthquake shook the prison and the jailer feared they might have escaped.  After learning neither had fled, the Philippian jailer put his faith in Christ and was baptized with his family.

NOV 08(Mon): ISTANBUL - Formerly Byzantium, the center of the Eastern Roman Empire, Istanbul is built on seven green hills and situated astride two continents. We visit the Topkapi Palace, the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans for 400 years. See its harem and fabulous treasure chambers, the Sultan Ahmed (Blue) Mosque with its six minarets, and St. Sofia, converted to a mosque from a Christian basilica after the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

NOV 09(Tue): DIKILI - PERGAMON - Arrive at the port of Dikili and tour of the antique city of Pergamon. Pergamos was one of the Seven Churches of Asia mentioned in the Book of Revelation and is one of the best-preserved ancient sites in Turkey. We will visit Sardis, the most picturesque of the Seven Churches.

NOV 10(Wed): KUSADASI - EPHESUS - MILETUS - Arrive at Kusadasi. Visit Ephesus, an impressive archeological site in Turkey, and home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  It took 120 years to build. We visit the Great Amphitheater where Paul spoke to the Ephesians. An afternoon tour to Miletus, where in 57 AD Paul met with the elders of the church of Ephesus near the end of his Third Missionary Journey andpredicted his death (Acts 20:15-38). It is believed that Paul stopped by Great Harbour Monument and sat on its steps. He may have met the Ephesian elders there and then bid them farewell on the nearby beach.

 NOV 11(Thu): PATMOS - Patmos, the "Holy Island" for the Christian faith.  Visit the Monastery of St. John “The Theologian” and the Cave of the Apocalypse, believed to mark the spot where John of Patmos received his visions that he recorded in the Book of Revelation. Both sites were declared World Heritage Sites in 199 by UNESCO.

NOV 12(Fri):  ATHENS - CORINTH - Disembark the cruise ship and begin the tour of Athens. Visit among other masterpieces of the "Golden Age" the Acropolis, the agora and the Mars Hill where Paul taught. Continue to ancient Corinth. Visit the ruins of the ancient city where Paul worked. See the remains of first-century shops, the agora where Paul was on trial at the Bema, the Fountain of Peirene, Temple of Apollo and visit the museum. Overnight Athens.

NOV 13(Sat) Return to Airport for flight home or start of extension tour.

Who was Paul? - a brief synopsis

A few years after the death of Jesus, the persecution of believers, who were regarded as heretics, caused them to disperse abroad and preach.  Paul (then called Saul) was a Roman citizen who studied Jewish law in Jerusalem under the famous rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). Afterwards he planned to persecute Christians, even abroad. He obtained letters to the synagogues in Damascus from the high priest in Jerusalem, and set out to bring Christians from there to Jerusalem. While on the road to Damascus, described in Acts, chapters 9, 22 and 26, he saw a light and heard Jesus say, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" His conversion and belief in Jesus Christ was immediate.  The Lord told him to continue into Damascus where he would be told what to do. Paul lost his sight and did not eat or drink for three days. In Damascus, the Lord sent a disciple called Ananias to him, who restored his vision, filled him with the Holy Spirit and baptized him. He then began to preach about Jesus in the synagogues, first in Damascus and later throughout the Mediterranean.

Paul’s journeys through the ancient world were extraordinary.  Imagine the logistical difficulties of traveling in those times, plus the persecutions he faced.  His Roman citizenship saved his life many times during his ministry since Romans could not be imprisoned without a trial. He made three great missionary journeys before his arrest in Jerusalem and subsequent death in Rome, where he was beheaded in AD 62.

Category 1 Cabin - $1,698 per person. Inside cabin, 2 beds, bathroom/shower, TV

Category 5 Cabin - $2,298 per person. Outside cabin, window, 2 beds or queen, bathroom/shower, TV, sofa