Make your way to your local airport where you will board your overnight flight(s). Your meals will be served on board.

Upon landing at Makedonia Thessaloniki Airport, make your way to the baggage claim area and collect your luggage. Proceed to the Arrival Hall, where you will be greeted by your tour guide and/or driver. You will be escorted to the bus to be transferred to your hotel. After check-in, enjoy some time to relax and then enjoy a delicious meal. Overnight in Thessaloniki.

After breakfast, start your journey in Greece with the first stop of the day in Philippi. Philippi was the city where Saint Paul the Apostle delivered his first sermon and where he established the first church in Europe. “And from there (He went) to Philippi, which is the leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman Colony. We remained in this city some days…” (Acts 16:12-18). Also, it is the site where Saint Paul baptized a woman named Lydia, the first convert to Christianity in Europe. Visit the Roman Forum, where Saint Paul cast a spirit out of a fortune-telling woman. While here, you will have the opportunity to view the prison (now in ruins) in which Saint Paul and Silas were thrown in by the owners of the fortune-tellers. Continue to the modern port city of Kavala, which was once the ancient Neapolis. This port is where Saint Paul, Silas, Luke, and Timothy landed when they sailed into Europe. After enjoying this city by the sea, return to Thessaloniki for a delicious meal and restful overnight.

Start your day with breakfast at the hotel. In the winter of 49-50 A.D., Saint Paul wrote two epistles to the Thessalonians. These letters urged Christians to “live blamelessly” and to refrain from living idly while they wait for the second coming of Christ. While in Thessaloniki, you will witness several ancient artifacts, such as the triumphal Arch of Galerius found at the start of Via Egnatia. Due to the convenient location, this arch was once a strategic artery of the Roman Empire and was constructed to honor the Roman Emperor Galerius following the Roman victory over the Persians. We also see St. Demetrios Church with its valuable mosaics and frescoes and from here we walk to view the Roman Agora, a place St Paul was preaching. Then drive to the upper town which offers a marvelous view of the city. We drive through the modern church of St Paul and reach the site where the Monastery of Vlatadon was built and is believed to be the location where Jason’s house once stood and where St Paul was accommodated during his visit to Thessaloniki. Following the city tour, we drive to VERIA (Berea). According to historical resources, Paul the Apostle visited Veria at least twice between 50 AD and 57 AD to teach the life of Jesus to the people of the region. The Apostle of the Nations was warmly welcomed since his first visit and his preaching had a great impact on the Verians and the Jews. Paul’s The Apostle passage through Veria and the impact of his preaching, reveal the significance of the town at the first steps of Christianity and the important role that the town played for the spreading and establishment of the Christian faith in Greece. In the modern city stands a “Triptych monument” in remembrance of St Paul’s work. The monument includes three steps that were removed from a salvage dig at a nearby school property. The steps were reputed to have been from the location of the ancient synagogue. The display is made of colorful mosaic tile and displays three panels: the Macedonian man vision St Paul, and the address to the Bereans. Return to Thessaloniki for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, board the motorcoach and drive to the Meteora Monasteries. In the eleventh century, some monks settled in caves. However, as the Turkish occupation increased, the monks were forced to move their settlements higher upon the rocks until they were unreachable by any opposing enemy. These settlements became Monasteries by bringing building and lifting materials by ladders and baskets. Notorious for preserving the Hellenic religion as well as their academics and arts. During your visit, you will be able to view stunning Byzantine art, as well as the breathtaking scenery that surrounds the monastery. Dinner and overnight in Kalambaka.

Today, we drive to Delphi. Here we visit the center of the ancient world (navel) of the earth, Delphi. Its prestige extended far beyond the boundaries of the Hellenic world. On the slopes of Mount Parnassus in a landscape of unparalleled beauty and majesty, lie the ruins of the Sanctuary of Apollo Pythios. We visit the religious center of the ancient Greeks, of the so-called “Gentiles”, we learn more about their religion and how “extremely religious in every way” they used to be (Acts 17, 22) and we finally realize how difficult was the task of St Paul to Christianize them. In the museum, among other impressive artifacts, we see the “Gallio inscription” which is a precise chronological anchor for the Book of Acts, which places Apostle Paul in Corinth in 51 AD and helps to determine a timeline for Paul and his travels. Visit the site and the museum. Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Delphi.

This morning, we continue to Athens “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found, also, an altar with this inscription “to an unknown God”. What, therefore, you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you” Athens is one of the most glorious cities in the world and the cradle of western civilization as we know it today. Upon arrival in Athens, you will visit the Byzantine and Christian Museum – a Museum centered on but not limited to religious artifacts of Early Christianity, Byzantium, Medieval, post-Byzantine, and later periods which it exhibits but also acquires, receives, preserves, conserves, records documents, researches, studies, publishes and raises awareness. The 25,000 artifacts date from the 3rd to 20th century AD. In the afternoon drive to Cape Sounion. On the way, we see the place where St Paul docked at his arrival by boat in Athens! We continue through the seaside road to the temple of Poseidon for breathtaking views. Dinner and overnight in Athens.

After a nice breakfast at the hotel, you will start with a tour of the oldest city in the world, Athens! Visit the rock that has dominated the panorama of Athens for twenty-five centuries, the Acropolis. At the Acropolis, you will see the ruins of the Parthenon, Erectheum, and Propylae. After, you will ascend Mars Hill where Saint Paul spoke to the Athenians. At this site, Paul spoke to the Athenians about the one and only God (Acts 17:22). While in this city, you will be able to view the ancient Agora, the former public center of Athenian life. It held the focus of a political, commercial, social, religious, and cultural center. As you are in the former political center, proceed for a drive through the city to view the House of Parliament on Syntagma Square. Also, you will have the opportunity to view the University of Athens, the oldest higher education institute in Greece, as well as, the National Library of Greece which holds 4,500 Greek manuscripts. Then, visit Panathenaic Stadium, the beautifully marbled multi-purpose stadium. It is home to the Olympian Zeus and is the site of the first modern-era Olympics (1896). Following your visit to Athens, you will proceed to the ancient Corinth. Under the shadow of the towering Acropolis, Saint Paul lived in Corinth for two years. While here, Saint Paul felt great grief over the way that the Gentile Church in Corinth had become. As a result, he was prompted to write four letters, all with the overarching theme of love. In Corinth, you will have the opportunity to view the remains of the first-century shops, the site of Saint Paul’s trial by Gallio, the Fountain of Peirene, and the Temple of Apollo. Following your visit to Corinth, return to Athens for a delicious meal and an overnight.

After breakfast, depart to Athens airport for return flights to the USA.

Or for pilgrims taking an optional Tour to Rome:

*206 Tours Disclaimer:
Though every effort will be made to follow the itinerary, it should be considered as an indication, rather than a contract of places to be visited. Occasionally local religious holidays, national days, weather, traffic conditions and other events may necessitate changes in the sequence of visits or the missing of certain visits.