4 Days Private Seven Churches of Revelation Tour

Day 1 · Arrive Izmir - Smyrna & Pergamon Tour

1. 1

   Izmir

   8 hours

   Welcome to Izmir(Smyrna). Your guide meets you at the airport.

2. 2

   Saint Polycarp Church

   1 h 30 min

   Smyrna is the second of seven churches in Asia Minor that are said to receive a spiritual evaluation directly from God through Jesus Christ. Paul the apostle likely began the Christian church in the city. One of Apostle John's students, Polycarp (who lived from 69 to 155 A.D.), is thought to have played a major role in leading the church in Ephesus during the second century. Tradition states that he was killed as a martyr in Smyrna. that's why we start our tour with St. Polycarp Church in Smyrna.

3. 3

   Pergamon Ancient City

   2 hours Admission included

   Then head to Pergamon, also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos, which was a rich and powerful ancient Greek city in Mysia.

4. 4

   Red Basilica (Kizil Avlu)

   one hour Admission included

   After Pergamon, we drive in five minutes to the monumental ruined temple in the ancient city of Pergamon. The temple was converted by the Byzantines into a Christian church dedicated to St John but was subsequently destroyed.

Overnight Pergamon

Day 2 · Thyatira & Sardis & Philadelphia Tour

1. 1

   Akhisar

   2 hours

   Today you visit three churches which are Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia. After breakfast, we leave from Pergamon and we drive about one hour to reach Thyatira. Thyatira was home to a Christian community from the apostolic period. The community continued until 1922 when the Orthodox Christian population was deported.

2. 2

   Sardis (Sardes)

   2 hours Admission included

   From Thyatira to Sardis takes about one hour of driving. As one of the seven churches of Asia, we will see Sardis which was addressed by the author of the Book of Revelation in the New Testament.

3. 3

   Philadelphia Siesean Kilisesi

   2 hours Admission included

   From Sardis with 30 minutes driving, we reach Philadelphia church. The church in Philadelphia is said to be the sixth of seven churches that received a spiritual evaluation directly from God through Jesus Christ.

Overnight Hierapolis

Day 3 · Hierapolis & Laodicea & Pamukkale Tour

1. 1

   Hierapolis & Pamukkale

   3 hours Admission included

   Hierapolis was an ancient Greek city located on hot springs in classical Phrygia in southwestern Anatolia. Its ruins are adjacent to modern Pamukkale in Turkey and currently comprise an archaeological museum. The site has the Tomb of Philip the Apostle.

2. 2

   Laodicea

   2 hours Admission included

   After Hierapolis, we head to The Laodicean Church, which was a Christian community established in the ancient city of Laodicea (on the river Lycus, in the Roman province of Asia, and one of the early centers of Christianity). The church was established in the Apostolic Age, the earliest period of Christianity, and is probably best known for being one of the Seven Churches of Asia addressed by name in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 3.14-22).

Overnight Kusadasi

Day 4 · Ephesus Tour & Depart From Turkey

1. 1

   Ephesus Ancient City

   2 hours Admission included

   On the last day, we will visit Ephesus ancient city which was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of the former Arzawan capital by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. During the Classical Greek era, it was one of twelve cities that were members of the Ionian League. The city came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.

2. 2

   The Temple of Artemis

   30 min

   The Temple of Artemis or Artemision, also known as the Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to an ancient, local form of the goddess Artemis (associated with Diana, a Roman goddess). It was located in Ephesus. It was completely rebuilt twice, once after a devastating flood and three hundred years later after an act of arson, and in its final form was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. By 401 AD it had been ruined or destroyed. Only foundations and fragments of the last temple remain at the site.

3. 3

   Basilica of St. John

   one hour Admission included

   The Basilica of St. John was a basilica in Ephesus. It was constructed by Justinian I in the 6th century. It stands over the believed burial site of John the Apostle. It was modeled after the now lost Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.

4. 4

   The House of the Virgin Mary

   2 hours Admission included

   The House of the Virgin Mary is a Catholic shrine located on Mt. Koressos in the vicinity of Ephesus, 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) from Selçuk in Turkey.

   After the tour we will transfer you to Izmir Airport.