“I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.”Acts 13:47
Hardly any country is as closely bound up with the life of the Apostle Paul as present-day Turkey. He was born in Tarsus, he was sent out with Barnabas from Antioch on the Orontes, and in the Anatolian highlands his preaching gave rise to the first churches of Jews and Gentiles. Many of these places lie off the well-known tourist routes and only truly open up with the Bible in hand.
The tour follows these footsteps on a great circuit from Antalya. It leads up to Antioch in Pisidia, where Paul preached in the synagogue, on to Iconium and Lystra, into the rock landscape of Cappadocia and through the Cilician Gates to Tarsus. In Antioch, where the disciples were first called Christians, and in the port of Seleucia, from which the first missionary journey set out, you spend a whole day. The return through Cilicia and Pamphylia ends in Perge and Attalia.
At every stop the relevant Bible passage is read. Along the way you are guided by a state-licensed, English-speaking tour guide; the tour can be booked by churches, groups and private travellers of all denominations.
From the harbour of Attalia, Paul and Barnabas sailed back to Antioch after their first journey.
Paul's first sermon recorded in detail, and the turning to the Gentiles.
The apostles taught boldly here for a long time, until opposition made them move on.
The healing of a lame man, worship as gods and the stoning of Paul.
On his second journey Paul finds Timothy here, later his closest co-worker.
The First Epistle of Peter expressly names the Christians in Cappadocia among its recipients.
Paul introduces himself as a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia.
The first church of Jews and Greeks, where the disciples were first called Christians.
Sent forth by the Holy Spirit, Barnabas and Saul embark here for Cyprus.
With Silas, Paul goes through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.
The poet's words “For we are also his offspring” come from Aratus of Soli – Paul quoted them on the Areopagus.
Paul and Barnabas arrive from Cyprus; here John Mark left the travelling party.
Tip: bring your own Bible – at each place we open the relevant passage together.
Bible quotations: King James Version.
Antalya Airport → hotel
Your tour guide welcomes you at the airport and accompanies you to the hotel. If you arrive by the afternoon, you can take a walk through Hadrian's Gate and the lanes of Kaleiçi down to the ancient harbour – the place where Paul and Barnabas embarked after their first journey. Over dinner your guide introduces the route and Bible passages of the coming days.
Antalya → Yalvaç → Konya
Early in the morning you drive across the Taurus into the Pisidian lake district, just as the apostles once went up from Perge into the highlands. In Antioch in Pisidia you see the Basilica of St Paul, the theatre and the aqueducts; the reading of the great sermon from Acts 13 links the place with the Word. In the afternoon you continue – as the apostles once did after being driven out – to Iconium, present-day Konya.
Konya → Lystra → Sultanhanı → Cappadocia
The morning begins in Konya at the Alaeddin Hill, on which the ancient city stood, with a devotion in the Catholic Church of St Paul. Then you go on to the settlement mound of Zoldera near Hatunsaray, ancient Lystra: here Paul healed a lame man, was hailed as a god and then stoned – and later found Timothy. On the way to Cappadocia you stop at Sultanhanı, the largest Seljuk caravanserai in Anatolia, dating from the 13th century.
Göreme · Kaymaklı · Uçhisar
Cappadocia already appears in the New Testament: Jews from this region heard the wonderful works of God at Pentecost in Jerusalem, and the First Epistle of Peter is also addressed to the Christians here. In the Göreme Open-Air Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, frescoes in rock-hewn churches depict the life of Jesus. The underground city of Kaymaklı later also served Christians as a refuge. In the afternoon follow the rock castle of Uçhisar and the valley of the fairy chimneys.
Cappadocia → Cilician Gates → Tarsus → Antakya
A long driving day. Via Niğde you reach the Taurus and pass through the Cilician Gates, the ancient pass between the highlands and the coast. At midday you reach Tarsus, the apostle's birthplace, where the brethren brought him to safety after his conversion: St Paul's Well, the Roman road, Cleopatra's Gate and the Church of St Paul. Then the road runs along the Gulf of İskenderun and over the Amanus Mountains into the Orontes valley to Antakya.
Antakya → Seleucia Pieria → Antakya
In Antioch the new faith received its name. In the morning you visit the Grotto of St Peter, carved into Mount Starius and regarded as one of the earliest Christian places of worship, and read there from Acts 11. At midday the Mosaic Museum displays one of the most important mosaic collections of antiquity. In the afternoon you stand in the old port of Seleucia Pieria, from which Barnabas and Saul set sail on the first missionary journey, and visit the Titus Tunnel.
Antakya → Misis → Adana → Soli → Kızkalesi → Silifke
Like Paul and Silas, who went from Antioch through Syria and Cilicia, you travel west. In the museum of Misis, ancient Mopsuestia, the floor of a late antique basilica shows Noah's Ark surrounded by animals, as well as scenes from the story of Samson. In Adana the Roman stone bridge spans the Seyhan. The colonnaded street of Soli recalls Aratus, whom Paul quoted on the Areopagus. Towards evening, Corycus and Kızkalesi, with an optional descent into the Cennet sinkhole.
Silifke → Side → Aspendos → Perge → Antalya
The coastal road of Rough Cilicia leads west, with breaks by the sea. Time permitting, you make a short stop in Side at the Temple of Apollo by the water. In Aspendos you enter the best-preserved theatre of Roman antiquity. In the late afternoon you reach Perge with its city gate, colonnaded street and water channel, nymphaeum, stadium and theatre. Paul and Barnabas came here from Cyprus, and here they preached the word on their way back. At the farewell evening in Antalya you look back together.
Hotel → Antalya Airport
In the morning you gather for a closing devotion with a reading and blessing. Then, depending on your flight time, the transfer takes you to Antalya airport; if you like, you can add beach days on the Mediterranean. Like Paul and Barnabas, who on their return told the church all that God had done with them, you take home experiences that are worth passing on.
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.
The focus is on the first missionary journey (Acts 13–14), with Seleucia, Perge, Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium and Lystra. In addition there are Tarsus and Cilicia, through which Paul also travelled on his second journey (Acts 15:41; 16:1).
There are several long driving days, especially to Antakya and back to the coast. The walking routes at the sites are mostly level, in places with steps or unpaved; sturdy footwear is advisable.
No, entrance fees are paid separately on site. Hotels with dinner, transfers, coach journeys and the tour guide, on the other hand, are included.
Yes, the city is being rebuilt. Your tour guide checks before every tour which sites are accessible and adjusts the programme if necessary.
No, the flight to Antalya is not part of the tour. 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.
Paul in Asia Minor – Bible Tour from Pamphylia to Antioch
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8daysActsA one-way journey: from the coast of Pamphylia right across Anatolia to the mother city of the mission to the Gentiles – with the Ihlara Valley, Tarsus and the port of sending.
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