Acts 27 · 8 days · Antalya – Dalaman

The Ships of Paul – Bible Tour to Patara, Myra and Xanthos

“Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.”Acts 27:25

8 days7 nights

AntalyaStart

DalamanEnd

Price on requestPrice

In the Book of Acts, Luke writes like a man who was on board himself: he names harbours, winds, types of ship and the season in which it was wiser not to sail any more. Two of these harbours lie on the south coast of present-day Türkiye – Patara, where Paul found a ship bound for Phoenicia, and Myra, where as a prisoner he transferred to a grain ship from Alexandria.

The tour follows the Lycian coast from Antalya, ancient Attalia, to Dalyan. Along the way lie Phaselis with its three harbours, the mountain city of Arykanda, Myra with its rock tombs and the Church of St Nicholas, the granary of Andriake, the sunken city of Kekova, Patara, and Xanthos, the ancient capital of Lycia. At the Letoon, a stele bearing a text in three languages was discovered in 1973.

Each day you read the texts where they belong: the seafaring chapters of Acts in the harbour, the seafarers’ psalm on the boat, the story of Jonah on the river at Kaunos. A state-licensed tour guide explains the archaeology and ancient seafaring and distinguishes carefully between the biblical account and later tradition. Christians of all denominations are warmly welcome.

The Bible reading path

Passages you will read on site

Acts 14:24–26Antalya, old harbour

Paul and Barnabas sail from Attalia to Antioch – the end of the first missionary journey.

1 Macc 15:23Phaselis

From the Apocrypha: Phaselis and Lycia among the recipients of a Roman letter in favour of the Jews.

Rev 2:10Arykanda

“Be thou faithful unto death” – read at the place where a petition against the Christians was found.

Acts 27:1–6Myra

The voyage of Paul the prisoner as far as Myra and the transfer to the ship of Alexandria.

Matt 25:35–40Church of St Nicholas, Demre

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren – the legacy of the Bishop of Myra.

Acts 27:6, 9–12Andriake

Grain ship, dangerous season and Paul’s warning – at Hadrian’s granary.

Psalm 107:23–30Bay of Kekova

The seafarers’ psalm on the boat: distress, crying unto the LORD and the desired haven.

Acts 27:21–25Kaş

Paul’s encouragement in the midst of the storm – evening devotion above the harbour.

Acts 21:1–3Patara

From Rhodes to Patara and onward on a ship bound for Phoenicia.

Ezra 4:8Letoon

The beginning of the Aramaic section in the Book of Ezra – at the site where the trilingual stele was found.

Dan 2:4Letoon

The Chaldeans answer the king in Aramaic – the language of the Persian Empire.

Deuteronomy 18:9–15Fethiye, Tomb of Amyntas

No diviners, but the prophet whom God raises up – in the city of the ancient seers.

Jonah 1:1–6Kaunos

Jonah in flight, the ship in the storm and the sleeper in the sides of the ship.

Mark 4:35–41Dalyan (closing)

Jesus stills the storm – and the disciples ask in amazement who this is, whom even the wind and the sea obey.

Tip: bring your own Bible – at each place we open the relevant passage together.
Bible quotations: King James Version.

Day by day

Itinerary

Day1

Arrival in Antalya – in the harbour of Attalia

Antalya Airport → Antalya

Your tour guide meets you at the airport and takes you to the vicinity of the old town of Antalya, ancient Attalia. In the late afternoon you pass through the triple-arched Hadrian’s Gate, which the city erected around AD 130 for the emperor’s visit, and walk through the lanes of Kaleiçi down to the old harbour. From here Paul and Barnabas sailed back to Antioch after the first missionary journey – the place where they had once been commended to the grace of God. At the welcome evening your tour guide presents the route and the key texts and introduces you to ancient seafaring: the ships, winds and seasons that Luke describes so precisely in his account.

Acts 14:24–26Overnight: Antalya

Day2

Phaselis and Olympos – Lycia in the Book of Maccabees

Antalya → Phaselis → Olympos → Finike

Within an hour you reach Phaselis, a port city with three bays beneath the pines. The paved main street runs between the north and south harbours, and at its end stands a gate in honour of Emperor Hadrian. 1 Maccabees, which Protestant Bibles place among the Apocrypha, names Phaselis and Lycia among the recipients of a Roman letter in favour of the Jews around 140 BC. At midday you come to Olympos in its green river valley, by tradition the episcopal see of the Church Father Methodius. In the afternoon you climb up to the Chimaera, where natural gas has burned out of the rock since antiquity. Then you continue to Finike, ancient Phoenicus.

1 Macc 15:23Overnight: Finike

Day3

Arykanda, Limyra and Myra – Paul changes ships

Finike → Arykanda → Limyra → Myra (Demre)

In the morning you drive up the valley of the Aykırıçay to Arykanda, whose baths, theatre and stadium lie on terraces on the mountainside. An inscription of 311/312 was found here: Lycians and Pamphylians petition the emperor to take action against the Christians. At this very place you read: “Be thou faithful unto death.” At Limyra a cenotaph commemorates Gaius Caesar, the grandson of Augustus, who died here in AD 4. In the afternoon you reach Myra with its rock tombs above the theatre. Here the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy for the prisoner Paul. In the Church of St Nicholas you hear what is known about the Bishop of Myra – and what is legend.

Rev 2:10Acts 27:1–6Matt 25:35–40Overnight: Demre

Day4

Andriake and Kekova – the grain ship from Alexandria

Demre → Andriake → Kekova → Kaş

A few minutes from Demre lies Andriake, the harbour of Myra. The great granary from the time of Hadrian now houses the Museum of Lycian Civilizations. Here what Luke describes becomes tangible: grain ships from Alexandria that called at this coast on their way to Rome. You read of the voyage after “the fast”, the Day of Atonement in autumn, when sailing became dangerous, and of Paul’s warning. Nearby lie the remains of a 5th-century synagogue. At midday you cross the bay of Kekova by boat, past sunken walls as far as Simena, and read Psalm 107 on board. In the evening you reach Kaş.

Acts 27:6, 9–12Psalm 107:23–30Acts 27:21–25Overnight: Kaş

Day5

Patara, Letoon and Xanthos – a ship bound for Phoenicia

Kaş → Patara → Letoon → Xanthos → Fethiye

Patara was one of the great harbours of Lycia. Here, around AD 57, Paul found a ship sailing over unto Phoenicia. Today you walk along the colonnaded street to the rebuilt assembly hall of the Lycian League and see the lighthouse from the time of Nero and the monument on which Claudius had the roads of the new province recorded. According to tradition, Nicholas was born here. At the Letoon, the sanctuary of Leto, a stele bearing the same text in Lycian, Greek and Aramaic was found in 1973. Aramaic was the imperial language of the Persians – the language of Ezra 4 and Daniel 2. At Xanthos you see the Harpy Tomb and the inscribed pillar.

Acts 21:1–3Ezra 4:8Dan 2:4Overnight: Fethiye

Day6

Tlos, Pinara and Telmessos – God’s word instead of divination

Fethiye → Tlos → Saklıkent → Pinara → Fethiye

Early in the morning you drive up to Tlos, one of the oldest cities of Lycia. On the acropolis lie rock tombs, one of them with the relief of the horseman Bellerophon. Afterwards a boardwalk leads into the cool gorge of Saklıkent. At midday you stand before the cliff face of Pinara with its hundreds of tomb chambers. In the Fethiye Museum you see finds from the region and the original of the Letoon stele. To close the day you climb up to the Tomb of Amyntas above the town. In antiquity Telmessos was regarded as the city of diviners. Here you read that Israel was not to listen to soothsayers, but to the prophet whom God raises up – and that our times are in God’s hand.

Deuteronomy 18:9–15Overnight: Fethiye

Day7

Kayaköy and Kaunos – Jonah and the ship in the storm

Fethiye → Kayaköy → Dalyan → Kaunos → İztuzu → Dalyan

In the morning you walk through Kayaköy, the old Levissi. Its Greek Orthodox inhabitants had to leave it in 1923 during the population exchange; two churches recall the congregation. Via Göcek you drive to Dalyan. A boat takes you through the reeds, beneath the royal tombs in the cliff face, to Kaunos, a port city of Caria. Between the theatre and the harbour basin you read how Jonah sought a ship to flee from the presence of the LORD, and how the storm came while he lay asleep in the sides of the ship. In the afternoon you rest on the beach of İztuzu, where sea turtles lay their eggs. At the closing devotion you read how Jesus stills the storm: “Peace, be still.”

Jonah 1:1–6Mark 4:35–41Overnight: Dalyan

Day8

Journey home from Dalaman

Dalyan → Dalaman Airport

Depending on your flight time, there is still time in the morning for a stroll along the bank of the Dalyan River, opposite the rock tombs of Kaunos. Then the transfer takes you to Dalaman Airport in just over half an hour. You take with you what has come together in these days: the harbours of Attalia, Myra and Patara, the granary of Andriake, the Letoon stele and the assurance that Paul expressed in the midst of the storm: “I believe God.” If you are not yet ready to go home, you can extend with beach days on the coast between Fethiye and Dalyan or with a few days in Ephesus and Istanbul.

The route

On the map

1Antalya Airport2Antalya3Phaselis4Olympos & Chimaera5Finike6Arykanda7Limyra8Myra & Andriake (Demre)9Kekova (Üçağız)10Kaş11Patara12Xanthos & Letoon13Fethiye14Tlos15Saklıkent16Pinara17Kayaköy18Dalyan & Kaunos19İztuzu20Dalaman Airport

Inclusions & price

What the tour price includes

Price on request

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.

Included

7 nights in good mid-range and 4-star hotels with half board
All journeys by air-conditioned coach, airport transfers in Antalya and Dalaman
State-licensed tour guide
Admission fees as per programme
Boat trip across the bay of Kekova and boat trip Dalyan – Kaunos – İztuzu
Welcome and farewell evening

Not included

Flight
Lunches and drinks
Tips
Travel insurance
Personal expenses

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly did Paul change ships in Lycia?

According to Acts 21:1–2, at Patara on his return to Jerusalem; according to Acts 27:5–6, at Myra on the voyage to Rome. The harbour of Myra was Andriake, where Hadrian’s granary stands today.

Is St Nicholas buried in Myra?

In the Church of St Nicholas in Demre a sarcophagus is shown that is regarded as his tomb. His bones were taken to Bari in 1087; many of the stories about him are legends, and we identify them as such.

What happens to the boat trips in bad weather?

The trips across the bay of Kekova and on the river at Kaunos depend on the weather. In strong winds the programme is rearranged – Kaunos can then also be reached overland.

How strenuous is the tour?

Most walks are short but uneven. At Arykanda, Tlos, Pinara and Kaunos there are steep sections and steps; normal fitness and sturdy footwear are sufficient.

When is the best time to travel?

April to June and September to October. In high summer it is very hot on the coast, and in winter the excursion boats run only on a limited basis.

Is the flight included in the tour price?

No. You fly into Antalya and out of Dalaman, often directly in summer, otherwise with a connection in Istanbul. On request we will look for a suitable connection for you.

How much does the tour cost?

The price depends on the dates, group size and room allocation. After your enquiry you will receive a personal offer – free of charge and without obligation.

In which language is the tour guided? Are there fixed dates?

A state-licensed tour guide accompanies you – in your language or in one of 25 languages. The tour is planned for your church, your group or privately on the dates of your choice.

Enquiry & booking

Enquire about this tour

The Ships of Paul – Bible Tour to Patara, Myra and Xanthos

The Ships of Paul – Bible Tour to Patara, Myra and Xanthos

Passages you will read on site

Itinerary

Arrival in Antalya – in the harbour of Attalia

Phaselis and Olympos – Lycia in the Book of Maccabees

Arykanda, Limyra and Myra – Paul changes ships

Andriake and Kekova – the grain ship from Alexandria

Patara, Letoon and Xanthos – a ship bound for Phoenicia

Tlos, Pinara and Telmessos – God’s word instead of divination

Kayaköy and Kaunos – Jonah and the ship in the storm

Journey home from Dalaman

On the map

What the tour price includes

Price on request

Included

Not included

Frequently asked questions

Enquire about this tour

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