Biblical Tour

Day 1

ATHENS – THERMOPILES – VLATADES MONASTERY OF ST. PAUL – THESSALONIKI

08.30 pickup from your hotel, we will have our first stop at about 11.00 at Thermopiles where there is the statue of Leonidas as a memorial the battle of the 300 Spartans against thousands of Persian soldiers of the Persian Empire. We continue to have the second stop at Valley of Tempe at about 14.00. The Vale of Tempe is a gorge in the Tempi municipality of northern Thessaly. The valley is 10 kilometers long and as narrow as 25 meters in places, with cliffs nearly 500 meters high, and through it flows the Pineios River. After that we will arrive at Thessaloniki at about 17.00. After your checking and your rest we will visit the Vlatades Monastery that said that Apostle Paul stopped there to drink some water that’s why called “Apostle Paul’s Holy Water”, Believers from all over the world worship the space of Holy Water and enjoy the magnificent panoramic view to Thermaikos Gulf & Thessaloniki. In the same area there is also the Orthodox Church of St. Paul. At the end we suggest you to taste the delicious Greek cuisine or to walk at the coast line of the city, the second bigger city of Greece! Overnight in Thessaloniki.

Day 2

THESSALONIKI – NEA FOKEA – KAVALA

08.30 pick you up from your hotel to visit Saint Demetrius is arguably considered the most important church of Thessaloniki. The temple is a fine sample of Byzantine religious architecture and dated back to the 4th century A.D., Perhaps the most famous and interesting part of the temple, is the underground ancient “Crypt of Saint Demetrius”. The crypt was re-discovered after the fire of 1917 and was finally restored as an exhibition/museum in 1988. and then and then we will visit the small town of Nea Fokea, and the ”Agiasma of St. Paul”, that is an underground corridor ends to a chamber where St. Paul was hidden when people of Thessaloniki was running after him. Afterwards, we will reach the town of Kavala and then Filippoi, where St, Paul preached his first evangelical sermon and baptized the first Christians in Europe! Visit the ”Baptismal” site, where Lydia baptized as the first European woman, and the secret crypt where Paul was prisoned in. Finally, we visit Acropolis of Filippoi, the Anvient Market, Basilica and Theatre Overnight in Kavala.

Day 3

KAVALA – VEROIA – VERGINA- METEORA

08.30 pick you up from your hotel to visit the beautiful town of Veroia at Northwestern Greece. We visit the church of Apostle Paul and the made of marble ”Vima of Apostle Paul”, the place Paul preached to the people of one of his beloved towns for many days. We continue to the Ancient town of Vergina and to the King’s tombs, one of them of Alexander the Great father and ex-king, and we finally arrive at Meteora in Kalambaka. Overnight in Kalambaka (Meteora).

Day 4

METEORA – DELPHI

09.00 our driver pick you up from your hotel and we will visit the BYZANTINE MONASTERIES of Meteora, that are included on the UNESCO world heritage monument list. Having our first stop at The Holy Monastery of Great Meteoro which is the biggest and oldest one of all. It was called the monastery that was “suspended in the air” (Meteoro), because of the formation of the gigantic rock on top of which it was built. Our second visit is to the great monastery of St. Stephan. The Monastery of St. Stephan, which is a small church built in the 16th century and decorated in 1545. We leave from Meteora. At about 13.00 we leave from Meteora to reach in Delphi at to make check in at your hotel and then free time for yourself. You can explore the beautiful traditional winter resort in Greece, called Arachova. Overnight in Arachova (near Delphi).

Day 5

DELPHI – MONASTERY OF SAINT LOUKAS – ATHENS

09.00 pick you up from your hotel to visit Castalia Spring, visit at the archaeological site and view the monument of the Argive Kings, the treasury of the Athenians, the Athenian Stoa, the Polygonal Wall, the monument of Platea and the Temple of Apollo famous for its oracle and Delphi museum, with its spectacular exhibits include the frieze of the Treasury of the Sifnians, the Naxian Sphinx, the Statue of Antinoos the metopes of the Athenian treasury, the famous bronze Charioteer, originally created to commemorate a victory during the 476 B.C. Pythian Games, and many other artifacts. The next visit will be at the wonderful Byzantine Monastery of St. Loukas. The Monastery of Saint Loukas is an 11th century monastery. This monastery is the epitome of the Byzantine architecture while it is also included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. You will have lunch at the traditional taverna, before to return to Athens late in the afternoon. Overnight in Athens.

Day 6

CHRISTIAN TOUR ATHENS – PATMOS ISLANDS

13.00 our driver pick you up from your hotel in order to have the first visit at the small church at the coast of Faliro, where the Apostle Paul arrived in Athens by ship from Macedonia. Continue by visiting one of the biggest churches in Athens, of Saint Paul, and then we will visit a small church of 11th Acropolis and the “Mars Hill”, where Apostle Paul preached the word of the Christian God to the Athenians Philosophers. We continue our tour in Athens, visiting the Ancient Market. The Agora was the heart of Athens in ancient times and the meeting point of St. Paul with the first followers of Christianity in Athens .Of course we will combine the visit at the most important sightseeing of the town, the Panathinaiko stadium, the Parliament, the Presidential Guards, the Trilogy of Athens, etc. At the end of the tour we will drop you of at the port of Piraeus to get the ferry for Patmos Island departs at 19:00 pm and arrives at 03:15 am. Overnight in the boat. When you will arrive at port of Patmos Skala, transfer you at your hotel to rest.

Day 7

CHRISTIAN TOUR IN PATMOS AT THE GROTTO OF THE APOCALYPSE

14.00 our driver pick you up from the hotel to visit the Grotto of the Apocalypse the frescoes to the left of the entrance portray the miracles and travels of St. John the Evangelist, as written by Prochorus, a supposed disciple. The fresco to the right of the entrance portrays St. John’s battle with the priest of Apollo at Patmos, who the story says was called Kynops. St. John threw Kynops into the water of the harbor at Skala, and Kynops turned to stone. The rock is still pointed out as a local landmark in the harbor. The next visit is the Monastery of St. John and The Chapel of Virgin Mary: 12th century frescoes were uncovered by 1956 earthquake that shattered the 17th century coverings. Also we will visit the village of Grikos, and enjoy the freshness of a drink by the sea, or even a swim at the beach before our driver drop you of at the Patmos port at about 22.30 to take the ferry depart from Patmos islands at 23.55 and arrive at Piraeus Port at 08.05 the next day. Overnight in the boat.

Day 8

PIRAEUS PORT – CHRISTIAN TOUR IN KORINTHOS

Our driver will be waiting at the port holding a sign with your name written on it in order to meet you and start the Christian Tour in Korinthos. Driving along the mainland coast to Peloponnese, we will have our first stop, 1 hour later, at the Canal of Corinth (6 km length and 80m height). We continue to reach at Ancient Corinth which was one of his beloved cities of Saint Paul. We will have the chance to visit the Ancient Market and the Bema of Apostle Paul or Galionas, a large elevated rostrum standing prominently in the centre of the Roman Forum of ancient Corinth and from where the city’s officials addressed the public (probably because of the monument’s connection to Saint Paul, the Bema was transformed into a Christian church during the Byzantine period), and we will walk at the same paths that Apostle of Nations walked and preached hundreds of years earlier. After our visit, we will make a short stop for a cup of coffee and we will return back to Athens.

Day 9

ATHENS

After breakfast transfer to airport.

Interested in this tour? Contact us .