“So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.”Acts 19:20
Hardly any region has shaped so many pages of the New Testament as ancient Asia Minor. Here Paul travelled from city to city, to here John wrote the letters to the churches, and here the councils later wrestled for the common confession of faith. This two-week round trip from Istanbul follows all these footsteps in one great circle.
After Constantinople with Hagia Sophia and Hagia Irene and an excursion to Edirne in Thrace, you cross the Dardanelles to Asia. In Troas Paul heard the call to Macedonia; in Assos he went on board. Then follow, one after another, all seven churches of the Revelation – from Pergamon to Laodicea. On the Riviera you enter Perge, where the first missionary journey reached the mainland, and continue to Antioch in Pisidia and Iconium. Cappadocia with its rock churches, the Hittite capital Hattusa and Ankara in ancient Galatia round off the route.
A short spiritual reflection opens each day. You are accompanied by a state-licensed, English-speaking tour guide.
The vision in the night of the man of Macedonia leads the gospel to Europe.
Eutychus falls from the window during the long sermon and is brought back alive.
Paul goes on foot to Assos and there joins his companions on the ship.
The church that dwells “where Satan's seat is”, and yet holds fast to the name of Christ.
Lydia, the seller of purple from Thyatira, becomes the first known Christian in Europe at Philippi.
A church without reproach, encouraged to be faithful unto death.
The riot of the silversmiths around Demetrius ends in the Great Theatre, which you enter.
The promise of the open door that no man can shut.
The word to the lukewarm church – and the image of the Lord who stands at the door and knocks.
Paul and Barnabas reach the mainland from Cyprus; John Mark turns back here.
Paul's first sermon recorded in detail, and the turning to the Gentiles.
Many come to faith, but opposition forces the apostles to flee.
Tip: bring your own Bible – at each place we open the relevant passage together.
Bible quotations: King James Version.
Istanbul Airport → Istanbul
At the airport your local, state-licensed tour guide welcomes you in person and takes you to the hotel. Over a non-alcoholic welcome drink you receive an introduction to the route, the biblical places and the councils of the early church that play a part on this tour. A word of blessing places the coming two weeks under God's guidance. Then dinner and time to settle in after your journey.
Hagia Sophia · Hippodrome · Hagia Irene · Chora Church
For more than a thousand years Constantinople was the capital of the Christian East. You begin in Hagia Sophia of 537, the Church of Holy Wisdom, which serves as a mosque today, and walk across the Hippodrome with its obelisk and Serpent Column. In Hagia Irene the council met in 381 that completed the Nicene Creed. In the afternoon the mosaics and frescoes of the Chora Church tell of the life of Jesus and Mary.
Istanbul → Edirne
Through Istanbul's European hinterland you drive west to Edirne, ancient Hadrianopolis and later seat of the Ottomans. The Selimiye Mosque, the masterpiece of the architect Sinan, bears one of the largest domes in Ottoman architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the foundation complex of Bayezid II you visit the historic hospital, today a museum of medicine: as long as 500 years ago the sick were cared for here with music and water.
Edirne → Dardanelles → Troy → Alexandria Troas → Assos
By ferry you cross the Dardanelles from Europe to Asia. In Troy you see the walls and settlement layers of Homer's city. More important for the Bible is Alexandria Troas: here the man of Macedonia called Paul to Europe, and here Eutychus fell from the window during the sermon. In the late afternoon you reach Assos with the Temple of Athena high above the sea and the harbour where the apostle went on board.
Assos → Pergamon → Thyatira → Izmir
Three letters in one day. In Pergamon you climb to the Acropolis with the Temple of Trajan, the steepest theatre of antiquity and the foundations of the Altar of Zeus; then follows the Asclepion, the sanctuary of the god of healing. In Thyatira, present-day Akhisar, colonnades and a basilica stand on the old agora – home of Lydia, the seller of purple. In the afternoon you reach the Roman agora of Smyrna, whose church received only praise and no reproach.
Izmir → House of Mary → Ephesus → Selçuk
On Mount Koressos (Nightingale Mountain) the day begins at the small stone house that tradition links with Mary. Then you walk along the marble streets of Ephesus, past the Temple of Hadrian and the Library of Celsus to the Great Theatre, where the riot of the silversmiths raged. Paul worked here for more than two years. The Church of Mary of the Council of 431 also lies on the way. In the afternoon you see the tomb of the Apostle John and the remains of the Temple of Artemis.
Selçuk → Sardis → Philadelphia → Pamukkale
In Sardis, once the capital of Croesus, you see the synagogue, the gymnasium and the mighty Temple of Artemis. At midday you stand in Philadelphia, present-day Alaşehir, before the pillars of the Byzantine Church of St John – in the city to which the open door was promised. In the afternoon you reach Hierapolis with its necropolis, theatre and the Martyrium of the Apostle Philip above the white limestone terraces of Pamukkale. In the evening, thermal water at about 36 °C awaits you at the hotel.
Pamukkale → Laodicea → Taurus → Antalya
With Laodicea the circle of the seven letters closes. Among the theatre, stadium and colonnaded streets lie the remains of early churches as well. Here you read the word to the church that was neither cold nor hot, and remember that Paul also had a letter sent to it. In the afternoon the road leads through forests and over the passes of the Taurus down to the Turkish Riviera and Antalya.
Perge · Aspendos · Antalya-Kaleiçi
In Perge, Paul and Barnabas set foot on the mainland of Asia Minor on the first missionary journey. You walk through the theatre and stadium and along the colonnaded street with its water channel. Then you visit the best-preserved Roman theatre of antiquity in Aspendos. In the afternoon follow, in Antalya, Hadrian's Gate, the lanes of the old town of Kaleiçi and the old harbour of Attalia, from which the apostles sailed back to Antioch.
Antalya → Yalvaç → Konya
Across the Taurus you travel into the Pisidian highlands. Near Yalvaç lies Antioch in Pisidia: the Temple of Augustus, the aqueduct and the foundations of a great basilica. In the synagogue of this city Paul gave his first sermon recorded in detail and then turned to the Gentiles. In the evening you reach Konya, biblical Iconium, where the apostle worked on the first missionary journey and which he later visited again.
Konya → Sultanhanı → Ihlara Valley → Cappadocia
Early in the morning you visit the Mevlana Museum, the lodge of the mystic Celaleddin Rumi with its turquoise dome. Along the old Silk Road you reach the Sultanhanı caravanserai, one of the largest of the Seljuks. In the afternoon you walk about four kilometres through the Ihlara Valley along the Melendiz stream to Byzantine rock churches with frescoes; there are steps along the way. In the evening you arrive in Cappadocia.
Göreme · Kaymaklı · Uçhisar
On the day of Pentecost people from Cappadocia already heard the apostles' preaching, and the First Epistle of Peter greets the Christians of this region. Later the Church Fathers Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus and Gregory of Nyssa lived here. In the Göreme Open-Air Museum you view rock churches with Byzantine frescoes. Then you descend into an underground city, Kaymaklı or Derinkuyu. From the castle rock of Uçhisar the view sweeps far over the fairy chimneys.
Cappadocia → Hattusa → Yazılıkaya → Ankara
The Bible mentions the Hittites in many places – from Abraham, who bought the cave of Machpelah from the children of Heth, to Uriah, David's soldier. Hattusa was the capital of the Hittite empire and is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You walk through the Lion Gate and the King's Gate, through the temple quarter and along the city walls. In the rock sanctuary of Yazılıkaya you see reliefs of gods and kings. In the evening you reach Ankara.
Ankara → Istanbul
Ankara, ancient Ancyra, was the capital of the region of Galatia. In the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations you trace the history of the land from the Neolithic to the Hittites. Then you visit Anıtkabir, Atatürk's mausoleum. In the afternoon you travel through ancient Bithynia back to Istanbul. At the farewell evening on the Sea of Marmara you look back together on two weeks in the land of the early church.
Istanbul → Istanbul Airport
Depending on your flight time, the transfer takes you to the airport. If you would like to stay longer, you can add extra days in Istanbul, for instance for a trip on the Bosphorus, or relax by the sea. We hope that the places and words of this tour will continue to resonate in your everyday life and in your church – and that God will keep you on your way home.
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.
Thrace, the Troad, Mysia, Lydia, Ionia and Phrygia with the seven churches of the Revelation, plus Pamphylia, Pisidia, Lycaonia, Cappadocia and the land of the Hittites.
Some driving days cover 400 kilometres or more. On the visits you should be reasonably good on your feet; in the Ihlara Valley and in the underground city you also need to be sure-footed.
Yes. For churches, home groups and Christian associations we plan from 9 people, privately from just one person – for Christians of all denominations.
No, you book the flight to Istanbul yourself. If you tick “Please also quote for flights” in the enquiry form, we will enquire about suitable connections for you.
Gladly – for example with extra days in Istanbul for a Bosphorus cruise, or with beach days on the Aegean or the Riviera.
The price is available on request and depends on dates, group size and room allocation. Your personal offer is free of charge and without obligation.
Asia Minor from Constantinople to Cappadocia – Grand Bible Tour
8daysRevelation · ActsUnpack once, stay by the sea all week and travel from there to the places of the letters – with a meeting with a church in Izmir and Patmos as a summer option.
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.
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.