Christmas Tour To Türkiye

Follow the footsteps of St. Paul as you will visit the "Seven Churches of Asia Minor" referred to in the Revelations. The Christmas Eve service in a rock carved church in Cappadocia is a special once in a lifetime experience. Join us for a very special holiday season.

 

Arrival in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. You will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel . The rest of the day will be recuperation time in readiness for our journey through history and culture that starts the next day. (-/-/D)

Breakfast at the hotel and the sightseeing starts with the morning tour of Ankara. The first sights is the Mausoleum of Ataturk. This magnificent structure serves as a tribute to the founder of modern Turkey. Our next stop will be the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. The museum is located in a historically significant restored bazaar and has the most unique and priceless collection dating back to Prehistoric Era. After a short walk in the old quarter of Ankara. Lunch will be served in a typical old Turkish restaurant within the citadel and the drive for Cappadocia will start after lunch. The drive will enable you to see the famous Salt Lake as you proceed your journey through the Anatolian countryside. Dinner and overnight are at the hotel in Cappadocia. (B/L/D)

Breakfast will be served at the hotel and the full day tour of Cappadocia will begin with the natural citadel of Uchisar which will enable you to get a panoramic view of the volcanic region. We will continue with Avcilar Valley; a rock carved house still inhabited by a local farmer's family, and Goreme Valley which will be the highlight of the day. The valley houses the Goreme Open Air Museum with its churches, monasteries hewn out of rock and colorful frescoes from 6th and 13th century. Lunch in Goreme. Our last sights of the day will be underground city of Kaymakli that was carved as a refuge from persecutors during the early Christian Era, and Zelve Valley. Christmas Eve Service in a rock carved church. Dinner and overnight will be at the hotel in Cappadocia. (B/L/D)

 

 

After breakfast continue on to Konya. Enroute there will be a stop to visit the 1 3th century Caravanserai of Sultanhan which is a authentically kept. The next stop will be in Konya, Biblical Iconium (cited in Revelation 1 3:51 ; 14:1-6 19:16:2) Konya was the capital of Selcuk Turks in the 13th century. This city hosts the mosque and the mausoleum of the great poet Mevlana, the founder of the Whirling Dervishes order. Lunch enroute and afternoon visit to Yalvac, Biblical Antioch of Pisidia (cited in Revelation 1 3:14 -52) in the New Testament Arrival in Pamukkale one of the natural wonders of Turkey with its white fantastic rock formations that are created by the hot spring waters rich in calcareous salts. Dinner and overnight. (B/L/D)

After breakfast, we will begin early in the morning with the view of wonderful formation of stalactites and watch the cataracts falling into the basin at the bottom of the mountain, Our next stop is the magnificent Temple of Apollo. Our journey will continue on with the breathtaking theather, designed with such architectural genius, and with the fascinating Necropolis that is very well preserved. Next, visit the ancient city of Laodicea, home of Zenon. Here, visit one of the seven churches of the Apocalypse (cited in Revelation 3:14-22) and the remains of the Cathedral. Continue on to Philadelphia (Cited in Revelation 3:7-1 3) to visit the remains of the Cathedral. Our next stop is Sardes (cited in Revelation 3:1-6) capital of ancient Lydia. Explore the Temple of Cybele & Diana which later became a church the Golden River (Pactalos) and the Royal Road. Lunch enroute. Continue on to Kusadasi a small town by the Aegean. Dinner and overnight. (B/L/D)

After breakfast visit Ephesus (cited in Revelation 1:1 ; 2:1-7) Ephesus is the best preserved and most often visited site in Turkey. It is the veritable cradle of early Christianity and the dedicated to Artemis who is the Virgin Goddess of Chase. The visits will continue with the House of Virgin Mary, where she spent her last days; the Archeological Museum of Selcuk, the spectacular ruins from the period of St. Paul; St. John Basilica and his tomb. Temple of Artemis one of the seven wonders of the world. Lunch in SelCuk. Dinner and overnight in izmir, ancient Smyrna (cited in Revelation 2:8-11 ) (B/L/D)

After breakfast, our day will begin with the drive to Pergamum (cited in Revelation 2:12-1 7) The first stop will be the Asclepion, the medical center of the ancient world & the Acropolis. These visits will be followed by the Temple of Trajan, the steepest theatre in the world. The Altar of Zeus and the Red Basilica, are the next stops. Continuing on to Thyatira (cited in Revelation 2:18-29), otherwise known as the commercial center between Troy and Sardes. Lunch will be taken enroute. After lunch the tour will continue on to Troy. This is the legendary city of Homeros which had nine principal levels of occupations covering a period of 3000 years It is rich in history to say the least. Dinner and overnight will be at the hotel in CANAKKALE, also known as the city in Dardanelles. (B/L/D)

After breakfast we continue on to Istanbul. Lunch will be served enroute. Transfer to the hotel in Istanbul. In the afternoon, get acquainted with cosmopolitan Istanbul at your leisure, Dinner in Kumkapi, the famous fish restaurants' district of the city. Overnight in Istanbul (B/L/D)

A full day tour of Istanbul will start after breakfast. This will give your the opportunity to explore this magnificent city from its historical sights to its colorful daily life. Our first stop is the Hippodrome. This was the site of the Roman chariot races. Blue Mosque is our next stop, an amazing place to view the fabulous Iznik tiles. Next, comes a great historical site, St. Sophia. Following the St. Sophia museum, we will visit the magnificent Topkapi Palace that houses the imperial treasures of the Ottoman Empire. Lunch will be taken enroute. After Chora Museum, our last stop will be the Covered Bazaar. Return to hotel. Dinner & overnight. (B/L/D)

Free day in Istanbul. (Optional New Year's Eve dinner program) (B/-/-)

After breakfast transfer to the airport for the return flight to U.S. (B/-/-)