An 11-Day Pilgrimage to Greece & Turkey

Including Thessaloniki, Philippi, Kavala, Meteora, Kalambaka, Delphi, Athens, Corinth, Mykonos, Rhodes, Patmos, Ephesus & more

Day 1
USA / GREECE
Our journey begins as we depart the USA for our overnight flight to Thessaloniki, Greece.  Meals served in-flight.

Day 2
THESSALONIKI
We arrive in the afternoon and meet our Pilgrimage Tours™ tour director.  We embark on a city tour with its Byzantine churches and beautiful old and new quarters.  We celebrate Mass at the Basilica of St. Demetrius, the place of Martyrdom Synagogue where Paul preached.  Dinner and overnight in Thessaloniki.

Day 3
THESSALONIKI / PHILIPPI / KAVALA
This morning we depart to the port city of Kavala via the plains of Macedonia following the ancient Roman “Egnatia” road.  In Philippi we see the place where St. Paul first preached in Europe.  We see the ruins of temples, columns and the theatre.  We’ll visit the museum with antiquities from the area.  Continuing on to Kavala, we visit the beautiful port where Paul landed when he sailed from Troas.   Return for dinner and overnight in Thessaloniki.

Day 4
THESSALONIKI / KALAMBAKA / METEORA
Traveling to the west, we stop at the New Testament town of Beria on the terraced foot of Mt. Vernon to see the Monument where Paul preached.  In Vergina we enter the recently excavated palace of King Phillipos, father of Alexander the Great.  Next we visit the spectacular cliff top Monasteries of Meteora where monks have dwelt for centuries.  Visitors are allowed to visit two of the five extant sanctuaries atop the rock islands.  We celebrate Mass here.  Dinner and overnight in Kalambaka.

Day 5
KALAMBAKA / DELPHI
We continue on to Delphi on the slopes of Mt. Parnassus. Delphi‘s beautiful pastoral setting epitomizes the pre-Christian Greek shrine, where extraordinary natural beauty is combined with religion and theater. We visit the Temple of Apollo, where St. Paul must have spoken to the people about the Living God, and continue to the extensive ruins of the Theater and the Athenian Treasury.  Dinner and overnight in Delphi.

Day 6
DELPHI / ATHENS
This morning we start our tour at the Delphi Museum to see the famous Bronze Charioteer along with other items that date back to the time of St. Paul prior to departure to Athens.  We’ll take brief driving tour of classical Athens prior to checking into our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 7
ATHENS / CORINTH
“Then Paul stood up in the Areopagus and delivered this address...(Acts 17:22)
We visit the Agora where St. Paul, “preached to them Jesus and the Resurrection” and the Areopagus on Mars Hill where Paul was brought before the council and made his famous, “Men of Athens” speech. Conditions permitting, we have Mass outdoors here. We also tour the city of Athens, visiting the legendary Acropolis, the Parthenon and the Temple of the Winged Victory.  We’ll visit the Ruins of the temples of Proplaia, Athena Nike and Zeus as well as other sites from the Golden Age of Greece.  In the afternoon we depart Athens following the land route along the Saronic Gulf that St. Paul took to ancient Corinth in 50 AD, where he worked with Aquila and Prisca and wrote his first Epistle.  We visit the market place where Paul preached to the Corinthians.  We also visit the sixth century BC Temple of Apollo, the Museum of Corinth and the Bema Seat of St. Paul.  Dinner and overnight in Athens.

Day 8
ATHENS / AGEAN CRUISE / MYKONOS
This morning we board our Royal Olympic Cruise ship.  In late afternoon we arrive at our first stop, Mykonos. We see a hilly, rock-ribbed island of 29 square miles dotted with more than 350 tiny chapels built by 19th-century pirates to invoke the protection of their patron saints.  We visit a fishing harbor with shops and boutiques selling handmade sweaters, dresses, fabrics, jewelry and more at bargain prices.  We cruise overnight toward the island of Rhodes.

Day 9
RHODES
We arrive this morning for a day on the island of Rhodes.  Separated by a mere 10-mile strait from the Asia Minor coast, Rhodes is blessed with exceptional beauty.  Homer called it "the Bride of the Sun." St. Paul landed here on one of his journeys. We visit the fortified city, built in the Middle Ages by the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, now the best-preserved city of its kind in the Mediterranean.  Overnight at Sea.

Day 10
PATMOS / EPHESUS
After breakfast, we continue on to Patmos, where St. John wrote the Book of Revelation and then depart for a full afternoon touring Ephesus, the best preserved of the original Seven Churches of Revelation.  Ancient tradition holds that Mary the Mother of Our Lord lived here with St. John.  The Apostle Paul spent two years in Ephesus and wrote his First Letter to the Corinthians here. We visit the ruins of St. John’s Basilica where tradition suggests St. John is buried; the Temple of Diana, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world; and the theater where St. Paul preached.  Overnight at Sea.

Day 11
ATHENS / USA
This morning we arrive at the port of Athens and disembark to drive to the airport for our return home.  Though our pilgrimage draws to a close, its blessings will last a lifetime and its graces are certain to draw us closer each day to the Lord.

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