Seven Churches Religious Tour of Turkey
Seven Churches of the Revelation - Religious/Biblical/Pilgrimage Tour
Explore Turkey's Seven Churches of Asia Minor, as mentioned in the New Testament Book of Revelation - Journey the route around the West Aegean and learn of the religious and social context of ancient biblical times. As well as visiting all major religious sites, the tour also includes those of cultural and tourist significance. From Istanbul to Izmir by return flight, explore the 7 churches at ancient Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamon, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia (Lydia), and Laodicea (Phrygia)...
Brief Itinerary - 7 days / 6 nights
Day 1 - Arrive Istanbul. Day 2 - Istanbul Old City Tour. Day 3 - Istanbul Bosphorus Tour.
Day 4 - Fly to Izmir/Smyrna Churches of Pergamon & Thyatira.
Day 5 - Churches of St. Policarp, Sardis & Philadelphia.
Day 6 - Church of Laodicea, Pamukkale & Aphrodisias Tour.
Day 7 - Church of Ephesus, Ephesus Tour. Fly back to Istanbul.
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Route Map
Full Detailed Itinerary
All of our tours can easily be customized to suit individual preferences - This is a suggested itinerary only:
Location of the Seven Churches:
Pergamon - Thyatira – Smyrna - Sardis - Philadelphia - Laodicea – Ephesus
Day 1 - Istanbul
Transfer from the airport to your hotel. Free day. Overnight in Istanbul.
 Day 2 - Istanbul (B, L)
Full Day Old City Tour:
Pick up from your hotel to visit Topkapi Palace, with royal treasury and elegant four courts. After lunch, proceed to the Hagia Sophia, a great Byzantine architectural masterpiece, whose interior is resplendent with golden mosaics.
Then admire the delicate design and Iznik tiles of the Blue Mosque. Explore the ancient Roman Hippodrome with Egyptian Obelisk and Serpentine Column. Finally, stop off at the dazzling Grand Bazaar with over 4000 shops. Drop off to hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 3 - Istanbul (B)
Half Day Bosphorus Cruise Tour:
Pick up from your hotel to visit the bustling Spice Market - a colorful bazaar heaped with various sweets and spices. Stop into the beautifully tiled tiny Rustem Pasha Mosque before taking a relaxing Bosphorus boat cruise between the continents of Europe and Asia - gliding past Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi Palaces, ornate wooden Ottoman mansions and mosques, Rumeli Fortress and the Bosphorus Bridge. Free afternoon at your leisure. Drop off to hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.
 Day 4 - Izmir (B, L)
Church at Pergamon - Church of Thyatira, Akhisar:
Transfer from the hotel to Istanbul airport. Fly to Izmir (Smyrna). Drive to Pergamon, site of one of the Seven Churches. Visit the Asclepion - the first medical center of the ancient world, the Acropolis, Library, Theatre, Temples of Trajan & Dionysus, the site of the monumental Altar of Zeus, Gymnasium and Lower Agora. After lunch, proceed to Akhisar to visit the Church of ancient Thyatira, one of the 7 churches, set in an ancient commercial town with strong ties to Troy and Sardis. Drop off to hotel.
Overnight in Izmir.
Day 5 - Pamukkale (B, L, D)
Churches of St. Policarp, Sardis & Philadelphia:
Pick up in the morning for an excursion to the Church of St. Policarp in Izmir/Smyrna, part of the Seven Churches. Proceed to the site of Sardis - the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia. Walk the Royal Avenue and see the site of the Church of Sardis built on the foundations of the Temple of Artemis. Then we proceed to the ancient Philadelphia Church at Alasehir, one of the last cities to fall to the Ottomans. Drive to Pamukkale for a leisurely bath in the hot spring pool of your hotel.
Overnight in Pamukkale.
Day 6 - Kusadasi (B, L)
Pamukkale - Hierapolis - Church of Laodicea - Aphrodisias:
Pick up to visit Pamukkale with snow-white terraced cliff pools. Then visit the ancient city ruins of Hierapolis, where St. Philip was martyred in 1AD. See the Necropolis, Avenue of Tombs and Thermal Baths. Drive to Eskihisar, site of the Church of Laodicea, to which St. John addressed his letter concerning the city’s waning faith. After lunch, proceed to Aphrodisias, renowned for its aestheticism - See the Temple of Aphrodite, Tetra Pylon Gateway and Gladiator Stadium. Drop off to hotel.
Overnight in Kusadasi.
 Day 7 - Istanbul (B, L)
Church at Ephesus - House of Virgin Mary - St. John's Basilica:
Pick up from your hotel to visit the House of Virgin Mary, where she is said to have spent her final years. Continue on to the marble white ancient city of Ephesus, site of one of the Seven Churches. See the great Library of Celsus, Agora, Odeon, Trajan Fountain, Domitianus Temple, Roman Latrines, Theater and Stadium in which St. Paul preached the gospel. Also see St. John's Basilica, a Byzantine church ruin marking his burial place. Transfer to Izmir Airport. Fly to Istanbul. End of the tour.
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