The Seven Churches of Revelation
Turkey Discovery

Ancient Asia Minor — modern Turkey — is where the early Church took root, flourished, and was tested. All seven churches addressed in the book of Revelation stand on Turkish soil. Ephesus was Paul's headquarters for three years. John brought Mary here after the crucifixion. The first great councils of the Church were held here. This eleven-day faith journey begins in Constantinople, moves through each of the seven letters — Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, Ephesus — and traces Paul's footsteps at Troas, Miletus, and Didyma. A journey through the full arc of the early Church in Asia Minor.

What You'll Encounter

• Istanbul (Constantinople) — the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace, and the Bosphorus

• Alexandria Troas — where Paul received the Macedonian call and Luke joined his team (Acts 16:6–12)

• Pergamum — the Altar of Zeus ("Throne of Satan"), the Acropolis, and the great Library (Rev. 2:12)

• Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia — three of the seven churches visited in a single remarkable day

• Hierapolis & Laodicea — Philip's martyrium and the church Christ warned about lukewarmness (Rev. 3:16)

• Miletus — where Paul called the Ephesian elders and said his farewell (Acts 20:15–38)

• Ephesus — the Library of Celsus, the great theater, the Basilica of St. John over the apostle's tomb

The Journey

Day by Day

1. 00

   USA — Istanbul (Overnight Flight)

   Depart from your home city on an overnight transatlantic flight to Istanbul, Turkey. Cross the Atlantic in prayer and preparation — this is the beginning of a journey through the world of Revelation.
2. 01

   Arrival in Istanbul

   Arrive at Istanbul International Airport (IST). Your tour guide meets you at arrivals with a name sign and transfers you by private coach to the hotel. Check-in from 3:00 pm. Istanbul — originally Byzantium, then Constantinople — is one of the most layered cities on earth, straddling two continents, Europe and Asia. Its skyline of minarets and domes speaks of twelve centuries of Christian empire and five centuries of Ottoman rule. Dinner and overnight.
3. 02

   Istanbul — Byzantine & Ottoman Treasures

   Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Begin at the Spice Bazaar (Egyptian Bazaar), where the air is filled with cinnamon, caraway, saffron, mint, and thyme. Board a traditional boat for a Bosphorus cruise — the waterway dividing Europe and Asia, its shores lined with old wooden villas, marble palaces, fortresses, and fishing villages. After lunch, visit the Hagia Sophia (Church of the Holy Wisdom), the greatest church of Christendom for nearly a thousand years, converted to a mosque after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. See the Byzantine Hippodrome, the Egyptian Obelisk, and the Blue Mosque with its six minarets. Dinner at Hamdi Restaurant in Eminonu. Overnight at the hotel.
4. 03

   Istanbul — Topkapi Palace, Cistern & Grand Bazaar

   Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Morning visit to the Topkapi Palace — residence of the Ottoman sultans for four centuries, now a museum of extraordinary treasures. Then descend into the Byzantine Underground Cistern, a vast cathedral of columns and water built by Justinian in AD 532, still largely intact beneath the city streets. After lunch at the famous Pudding Shop, explore the Grand Bazaar — one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world, with over four thousand shops. Dinner set menu and overnight at the hotel.
5. 04

   Istanbul — Çanakkale — Alexandria Troas — Ayvalık

   Buffet breakfast and check-out. Drive west through European Turkey and cross the Dardanelles to Çanakkale on the Asia Minor side — the strait that marked the boundary between Europe and Asia in the ancient world. Set menu lunch in Çanakkale. Continue to Alexandria Troas, founded around 300 BC by one of Alexander the Great's generals. It was here, during Paul's second missionary journey, that he received the "Macedonian call" — a vision of a man saying "Come over to Macedonia and help us" (Acts 16:9). It is also where Luke's account shifts from "they" to "we," indicating he joined Paul's team at this very city (Acts 16:10–12). On Paul's third journey, a young man named Eutychus fell from the third-floor window as Paul preached long into the night — and was restored to life (Acts 20:7–12). Continue to Ayvalık for check-in, dinner, and overnight.
6. 05

   Pergamum — Thyatira — Izmir (Smyrna)

   Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Pergamum (modern Bergama) — one of the Seven Churches of Asia (Rev. 2:12). Explore the impressive Acropolis, the steepest theatre in the ancient world, and the Asklepion, the great medical center of classical antiquity. See the Altar of Zeus — mentioned in Revelation as "the Throne of Satan" (Rev. 2:13) — and the marble columns of the Temple of Trajan. The city's library, estimated at over 200,000 volumes, was long the rival of Alexandria's, and inspired the invention of parchment. Buffet lunch at a local restaurant. Continue to Thyatira (modern Akhisar) — another of the Seven Churches (Rev. 2:18–24), a city famous for purple dyes. Lydia, the seller of purple in Philippi, was from Thyatira (Acts 16:14). Visit the remains of a basilica and Roman architectural fragments. Drive to Izmir, ancient Smyrna. Dinner at Tavacı Recep Usta restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.
7. 06

   Izmir — Sardis — Philadelphia — Pamukkale

   Buffet breakfast and check-out. Begin with a visit to the Ancient Agora of Smyrna. Then drive to Sardis (modern Sart) — once the wealthy capital of the Lydian kingdom, seat of King Croesus, portrayed in Revelation as a dying church: "You have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead" (Rev. 3:1). Visit the magnificent Temple of Artemis, the restored gymnasium, and the reconstructed synagogue. See the last remaining meters of the royal Persian Road built by Cyrus the Great and the legendary "golden" river Pactolus, from which Croesus drew his wealth. Set menu lunch in Sardis. Continue to Philadelphia (modern Alaşehir) — the one church among the seven that received no rebuke, only the promise of an open door no one can shut (Rev. 3:8). See the remains of a Byzantine basilica with 11th-century frescoes. Arrive at the Thermal Hotel in Pamukkale for dinner and overnight.
8. 07

   Hierapolis — Laodicea — Colossae — Pamukkale

   Buffet breakfast. Morning in Hierapolis, home to the largest necropolis in Turkey. Near the ancient theater, see the newly excavated martyrium of Philip the Evangelist — one of the apostles, who settled and was martyred here. Paul mentions Hierapolis in his letter to the Colossians (Col. 4:13). The hot, lukewarm, and cold waters flowing through this area almost certainly informed Christ's rebuke of nearby Laodicea. Lunch in Denizli at a local restaurant. Visit the ongoing excavations at Laodicea — the seventh and final church of Revelation, the one Christ addressed most sharply: "Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth" (Rev. 3:16). Then drive to Colossae in the Lycus Valley to see the location of the unexcavated site. Paul wrote two letters to this city — Colossians and Philemon. Return to Pamukkale for dinner and overnight.
9. 08

   Pamukkale — Miletus — Didyma — Kuşadası

   Buffet breakfast and check-out. Drive to Miletus — home of the ancient philosopher Thales (640–546 BC) and a great port city at the mouth of the Meander River. It was here, on his third missionary journey, that Paul called the Ephesian elders and delivered one of his most moving farewells (Acts 20:15–38). It was also here that he left his companion Trophimus, who was too ill to continue (2 Tim. 4:20). The harbor eventually silted over and commerce dwindled, leaving the city in a remote quietness that makes it especially moving for Scripture students. Visit the magnificent 15,000-seat theatre. Then continue to Didyma and visit the massive Temple of Apollo — one of the most impressive sanctuaries in all of Anatolia. Lunch in Didyma. Continue to Kuşadası for check-in, open buffet dinner, and overnight.
10. 09

    Ephesus

    Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Ephesus — the greatest of the Seven Churches and the crown of Paul's ministry in Asia, where he spent three years (Acts 19). The church at Ephesus also received the letter of Revelation's highest praise before its sharpest warning: "You have abandoned the love you had at first" (Rev. 2:4). Walk the marble-paved main street past the Baths of Scholastica, the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian, and the great Theatre — where the riot erupted when the Gospel threatened the livelihood of the silversmiths who sold images of Artemis (Acts 19:23–41). Visit the Terrace Houses — private Roman dwellings with extraordinary mosaic floors and frescoes, still under excavation. Buffet lunch at Bizim Ev restaurant. Then visit the Basilica of St. John, built by Emperor Justinian over the apostle's tomb. Return to Kuşadası for open buffet dinner and overnight.
11. 10

    Izmir — Istanbul — Farewell Dinner

    Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Izmir Airport for the domestic flight to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW). Arrive and drive to Kadıköy on the Asian shore of Istanbul for free time in the famous Kadıköy fish market. Lunch at a local restaurant. Cross to the European side of Istanbul and check into the hotel. At 7:00 pm, transfer to Kumkapı — the historic waterfront quarter where Istanbul's fishermen and fishmongers have gathered for centuries. Farewell dinner at the famous Kumkapı Meydan restaurant, with fish, chicken, and meat options. Return to the hotel for overnight.
12. 11

    Departure from Istanbul

    Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out and private transfer to Istanbul International Airport (IST) or Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) for your departure flight home. You have walked through all seven letters of Revelation, stood in the ruins of the churches Christ himself addressed, traced Paul's footsteps from Troas to Miletus to Ephesus, and seen both the faithfulness and the failure of the early Church — a mirror for every congregation in every age.

Program Rates Include

What's Included

• Ten (10) nights accommodation in 4 and 5-star hotels (check-in Oct 21, check-out Oct 31), based on twin/double sharing

• Ten (10) buffet breakfasts and ten (10) dinners: 2 set menu dinners at Istanbul hotel, 2 dinners at Istanbul restaurants, 1 dinner at Tavacı Recep Usta in Izmir, and 5 buffet dinners at hotels

• Nine (9) lunches at local restaurants (Oct 22–30)

• One-way domestic flight Izmir–Istanbul with 23 kg (50 lbs.) checked bag and 8 kg (17 lbs.) carry-on per passenger

• All comprehensive sightseeing tours with a professional licensed English-speaking, Bible-oriented tour guide from Day 1 to Day 10

• All transportation by private fully air-conditioned motor-coaches

• Highway tolls and ferry tickets

• All entrance admission tickets to sites specified in the itinerary

• Free Wi-Fi on the motor-coach

• 2 small bottles of water daily per person on the motor-coach

• Whisper sets throughout Turkey

• Climate crisis resilience tax

• Hotel accommodation city tax, service charges, and VAT

Not Included

• International air transportation USA–Turkey

• Airport and security taxes, fuel surcharges

• Valid passport and visa fees

• Tips

• All personal expenses

• Drinks and beverages

• Travel and trip cancellation insurance

• Medical, health, and accident insurance

• Optional private activities and visits

• Any other services not mentioned as being included

Accommodation

Hotels of the Package

• Istanbul

  Radisson The President Old Town

• Ayvalık

  Grand Temizel

• Izmir

  Movenpick Hotel Izmir

• Pamukkale

  Pam Thermal Hotel

• Kuşadası

  Charisma Hotel

Or similar properties of equivalent standard.