“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”Galatians 5:1
“O foolish Galatians!” – no other letter of Paul wrestles so passionately for the gospel of grace. Anyone who reads it soon asks: who were these people, and where did they live? The answer leads to the highlands of Anatolia, where three Celtic tribes settled in the 3rd century BC – the Tolistobogii around Pessinus, the Tectosages around Ancyra and the Trocmi around Tavium.
From Istanbul the route leads via Nicaea, the place of the first council, into this heartland. Then follow the Hittite capital Hattusa, the rock churches of Cappadocia and the pass of the Cilician Gates down to Tarsus, Paul's home city. In Antioch on the Orontes you stand where Paul withstood Peter “to the face”. Along the south coast the route leads via the pilgrimage site of Thekla to Perge and Antalya.
Whether the letter was addressed to churches in the north or in the south of the province is still debated today – along the way both views are presented. A state-licensed, English-speaking tour guide accompanies you; open-air devotions and Bible discussions give the journey its spiritual framework.
To begin, the opening of the letter: Paul, an apostle not of men, greets the churches of Galatia.
Paul goes throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia – here this brief note becomes a tangible landscape.
On his third journey Paul goes over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.
At the worship service in the forest the fruit of the Spirit is read – love, joy, peace.
Peter's letter greets the strangers in Galatia and Cappadocia in one breath.
Over this pass Paul went from Cilicia to Derbe and Lystra to strengthen the churches.
Paul introduces himself as a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia.
The conflict with Peter over table fellowship – and the confession: Christ liveth in me.
Here the disciples were first called Christians.
Paul recalls the persecutions at Antioch, Iconium and Lystra – Thekla's home region.
On their way back from the cities of southern Galatia, Paul and Barnabas preach in Perge.
The closing blessing of the letter concludes the tour at the final worship service.
Tip: bring your own Bible – at each place we open the relevant passage together.
Bible quotations: King James Version.
Istanbul Airport → hotel
At Istanbul airport your local, state-licensed tour guide welcomes you and accompanies you to the hotel. At the welcome drink in the evening there is a first introduction: where did the Celtic Galatians come from, how did their land become a Roman province, and what is Paul wrestling for in his letter? The journey together begins with the first verses of the Epistle to the Galatians and a word of blessing.
Sultanahmet · Hagia Irene · Chora
A day in the city that was the centre of the Christian East for over a thousand years. You visit Hagia Sophia and the Hippodrome with its obelisk and Serpent Column. In Hagia Irene the Second Ecumenical Council met in 381. The Archaeological Museum displays finds from all over Anatolia, including from the world of the Galatians. In the afternoon follow, where accessible, the mosaics and frescoes of the Chora.
Istanbul → Iznik → Eskişehir
In Iznik, ancient Nicaea, you walk along walls and gates and visit Hagia Sophia, where the Seventh Council met in 787, the Roman theatre and the lakeshore with the sunken basilica. At a devotion by the lake you recite the Nicene Creed together at the place where it came into being in 325. Then the drive leads through the Sakarya valley to Eskişehir with its old town quarter of Odunpazarı.
Eskişehir → Pessinus → Ankara
Pessinus was the religious centre of the Tolistobogii, with the sanctuary of Cybele; the temple terrace and canal street can still be seen. In Ankara, ancient Ancyra of the Tectosages, the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations leads you through ten thousand years of history up to the Galatians. At the Temple of Augustus, later a church, you read the emperor's account of his deeds – and remember that when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son.
Ankara → Tavium → Yozgat
At midday you reach the settlement mound of Tavium, capital of the Trocmi, with traces from Galatian and Roman times. Now you know all three tribal centres. In the afternoon you stroll through Yozgat-Çamlık National Park, the oldest in Turkey. In the evening you celebrate an open-air worship service in the pine forest – with a reading from Galatians, songs and prayer.
Yozgat → Boğazkale → Cappadocia
The Bible knows the Hittites as the “children of Heth”, from whom Abraham bought the cave of Machpelah, and Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba. Their capital Hattusa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site: you see the Lion Gate, the King's Gate, the Great Temple and the mighty walls. In the nearby rock sanctuary of Yazılıkaya the gods process past in reliefs. Then you travel through the highlands to Cappadocia.
Derinkuyu · Çavuşin · Paşabağı
The underground city of Derinkuyu leads many storeys deep into the tuff – a refuge for the population in troubled times. At midday the focus is on Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus and Gregory of Nyssa, the Cappadocian Fathers. In the afternoon you visit the rock church of St John the Baptist in Çavuşin and the fairy chimneys of Paşabağı in the Monks' Valley. Cappadocia is already mentioned in the First Epistle of Peter.
Göreme · Uçhisar
If you wish and the weather is good, you can go up on a balloon ride early in the morning (optional, bookable locally). In the Göreme Open-Air Museum you enter the monks' cave churches with their Byzantine frescoes. From the castle rock of Uçhisar the view sweeps over the valleys.
Cappadocia → Cilician Gates → Tarsus → Adana
The old pass route through the Taurus, which Paul himself took on the way to Derbe and Lystra, leads down into the Cilician plain. In Tarsus, where the apostle was born, you visit St Paul's Well, the excavated Roman road, Cleopatra's Gate and the Church of St Paul. Here what Paul says about his origins comes to life. Overnight in the Adana area.
Adana → Issus → Antakya
Past the plain of Issus, where Alexander the Great was victorious in 333 BC, you travel over the Amanus Mountains to Antakya. The Mosaic Museum houses one of the largest collections of Roman mosaics. In the afternoon you visit, insofar as it is accessible after the 2023 earthquake, the Grotto of St Peter on Mount Staurin. In this city the disciples were first called Christians – and here Paul and Peter contended for the truth of the gospel.
Antakya → Narlıkuyu → Silifke
Through the Cilician plain you travel to the coast. In the Corycian Caves you descend into the “Heaven” chasm, at the bottom of which stands a small Byzantine Church of Mary from the 5th century. Near Silifke you visit the cave church of Thekla, Paul's disciple from Iconium, and the memorial on the Göksu, the ancient Saleph, in which Emperor Frederick Barbarossa drowned in 1190.
Silifke → Anamurium → Alanya
The road winds west between the Taurus and the sea – one of the most impressive coastal routes in the country. At midday you reach Anamurium at the southernmost point of Asia Minor: baths, odeon, mosaics and an extensive necropolis tell of life in the ancient port city. In the evening you arrive in Alanya, where the hotel lies by the sea.
Alanya · optional Manavgat
After so many impressions, this day is free. You can rest by the sea, stroll through Alanya with its castle and Red Tower, or take part in an optional boat trip on the Manavgat river to its mouth, bookable locally. In the evening the group gathers for a Bible discussion: what does the liberty to which we have been called mean for our life together in the church?
Alanya → Side → Aspendos → Perge → Antalya
In the morning you stand at the Temple of Apollo in Side right by the sea, at midday in the theatre of Aspendos, the best preserved in the Roman world. In Perge, where Paul and Barnabas preached on their way back from Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, you follow the colonnaded street to the stadium. A closing worship service and an evening walk through Kaleiçi with Hadrian's Gate round off the tour.
Hotel → Antalya Airport
Depending on your flight time, the transfer takes you to Antalya airport; an extension with beach days by the sea is possible. For two weeks you have seen the land to which one of the most passionate letters of the New Testament was addressed. May the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free carry you in everyday life as well.
The tour price depends on dates, group size and room allocation. You will receive your personal offer – free of charge and without obligation.
Enquire →⛔ No shopping stops: carpet, jewellery or leather showrooms are not part of this tour.
Celtic tribes – the Tolistobogii, Tectosages and Trocmi – who settled around Pessinus, Ancyra and Tavium in the 3rd century BC. The later Roman province of Galatia also included Iconium, Lystra and Antioch in Pisidia.
That is an open question: some interpreters think of the heartland around Ankara, others of the southern Galatian cities of the first missionary journey. Along the way both interpretations are presented so that you can form your own judgement.
No, the flight is not included. You arrive in Istanbul and fly home from Antalya; on request we will enquire about suitable connections for you.
The price is on request. You will receive a personal offer based on dates, group size and room preferences – free of charge and without obligation.
The tour is planned for Christians of all denominations. You can shape the devotions and worship services along the way according to your own tradition.
Yes, the tour is suitable for churches, home groups, Bible schools and Christian associations; as a private tour it is possible from just one person.
In the Land of the Galatians – Bible Tour from Istanbul to Antalya
9daysActs · Pauline EpistlesA great arc through Anatolia: from Attalia to the cities of the first missionary journey, to Tarsus and Antioch – and back to the sea through Cilicia.
8daysActs · RevelationTwo apostles, one church: over eight days from Antalya you encounter Paul's work in Ephesus, Miletus and Perge and John's words to Ephesus and Laodicea.
8daysActs · Pauline EpistlesFrom the stadium at Olympia via the island of Kefalonia, which an ancient tradition links with Paul's shipwreck, to the Areopagus in Athens.