Steps of Paul with the Costellos GREECE & TURKEY 17 APRIL - 4 MAY 2019 TOLL FREE 1300 554 654 MORE INFORMATION www.missiontravel.com.au/costellos
Steps of Paul with the Costellos Join Rev Tim and Merridie Costello on a journey of history, theology and fellowship through ancient Greece and Turkey. Inspired by the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul, we will spend Easter Day at Mars Hill where Paul famously spoke the gospel to those worshiping an unknown God. The book of Acts will come to life, and we have no doubt that you won t read it the same way again. So why not join us? Our 15 night tour starts and ends in the great city of Athens. We will journey through Northern Greece to Corinth, Thessalonica, Philippi, Berea and other towns where the apostle Paul boldly preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. We continue across to Turkey and spend 2 nights in Istanbul before visiting Gallipoli on April 27. Continue to the towns that encompass the Seven Churches of the Revelation: Pergamum, Thyatira, Smyrna, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and of course, spectacular Ephesus. Our journey continues with a ferry trip to the island of Patmos, where the apostle John was exiled and died and wrote the book of Revelation. Tim and Merridie Costello We are pleased to present Tim and Merridie Costello as our tour hosts for the Steps of Paul 2019. Rev Tim Costello is a well known Christian in the public arena. He s a Baptist minister now working as Chief Advocate for World Vision Australia. Merridie has been a Pastor with Tim in their days leading St Kilda Baptist. She has also been a School Chaplain. They share a love of history, theology, and good stories. He s big-picture, she s good on detail. They promise you a tour you ll relish.
Itinerary DAY 1: WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL DAY 4: SATURDAY 20 APRIL Depart Australia Fly To Athens Athens Corinth Athens Our group flights with Qatar Airways are booked to depart Melbourne or Sydney (other cities are available on request) to Doha with a connecting flight to Athens. After an early breakfast, we board our coach at 8.00am to start our excursion out of Athens. We ll drive along the coastal highway of the Saronic Gulf and reach the historic Corinth Canal for a brief stop for photos and refreshments. We will then visit the ancient site of Corinth and the nearby small archaeological museum where we will share time for devotions. On our way back to Athens we will visit a pottery and marble shop and enjoy lunch at a local restaurant (own expense). The remainder of the afternoon will be free to explore. Dinner will be at the hotel at 7.00pm. DAY 2: THURSDAY 18 APRIL Arrive Athens Upon arrival into Athens we will be met by our local representative and transferred to our accommodation where we will spend the night. After checking in to the hotel, the rest of the afternoon is free to relax or explore, before a short briefing meeting at 6.00pm followed by dinner at the hotel. Our hotel has a spectacular view of the Parthenon from the rooftop. HOTEL: Titania Hotel, Athens MEALS: Dinner HOTEL: Titania Hotel, Athens DAY 5: SUNDAY 21 APRIL (EASTER SUNDAY) Athens Kalambaka A group time will be facilitated by Tim and Merridie reflecting on the significance of Good Friday in the morning. The rest of the day will be free to enjoy at our leisure. Dinner tonight is at the hotel. He is Risen! This morning we will farewell Athens with a climb up the marble capped Acropolis Hill to see the Parthenon and Erechtheion Temples. We will then walk to nearby Mars Hill where Paul delivered his well-known sermon about the Unknown God (Acts 17:23) and share in Easter Day devotions. We will then depart for Northern Greece and drive to Kalambaka. Arriving late in the afternoon, we will check-in at the hotel for dinner and overnight stay. HOTEL: Titania Hotel, Athens HOTEL: Meteora Hotel, Kalambaka DAY 3: FRIDAY 19 APRIL (GOOD FRIDAY) Athens
DAY 6: MONDAY 22 APRIL DAY 10: FRIDAY 26 APRIL Meteora Veria Thessaloniki Istanbul Today we enjoy a spectacular drive up to the Meteora Monasteries. After visiting a workshop where icons are made, we will have a short lunch break (own expense). We then drive to Thessaloniki passing through Veria (known biblically as Berea Acts 17:10) where we will have a 15 minute group devotion. We ll continue on to Thessaloniki arriving in the late afternoon where we ll check-in at the hotel, followed by dinner and overnight stay. We will visit Aghia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Hippodrome Square in the morning. The afternoon is free time to perhaps shop at the Grand Covered bazaar, or go on a boat ride on the Bosphorus River. We will return at the hotel for an overnight stay. HOTEL: Golden Star, Thessaloniki DAY 7: TUESDAY 23 APRIL Thessaloniki Breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy the day at your leisure. HOTEL: Golden Star, Thessaloniki MEALS: Breakfast DAY 8: WEDNESDAY 24 APRIL Philippi Kavala We depart from Thessaloniki this morning and drive to Philippi to visit the site and baptistery of Lydia. We ll have a 15 minute devotional by the river. Following a lunch break and some free time in Kavala, we return to Thessaloniki to have dinner and an overnight stay at the hotel. HOTEL: Golden Star, Thessaloniki HOTEL: Yasmak Sultan Hotel, Istanbul MEALS: Breakfast DAY 11: SATURDAY 27 APRIL Istanbul Gallipoli Canakkale After breakfast and check-out at the hotel, we leave Istanbul to travel to Gallipoli National Park at Eceabat and visit several sites from the Gallipoli campaign. We will spend time for reflection and devotions at the ANZAC Memorial. We will continue on to Eceabat to board a ferry across the Dardanelles to Canakkale where we will have dinner and an overnight stay. HOTEL: Buyuk Truva Hotel, Canakkale DAY 12: SUNDAY 28 APRIL Canakkale Alexandrian Troas Bergama After breakfast and hotel check-out, we will travel to see the ancient ruins of Alexandrian Troas where Paul passed through on his second missionary journey (Acts 16:9). We will enjoy a coffee break at Assos (Acts 20:13-14), overlooking the port. We will then continue our journey towards Bergama (Revelation 2:12-17) also known as Pergamum, for a lunch break and devotion. We will see the Red Basilica and visit the Acropolis before check in at the hotel for dinner and overnight stay. DAY 9: THURSDAY 25 APRIL (ANZAC DAY) Thessaloniki Istanbul HOTEL: La Bella, Bergama After breakfast at the hotel, we ll transfer to the airport in Thessaloniki for our morning flight to Istanbul departing at 9:30am. Upon arrival to Istanbul, we will be met by our local guide and transferred to the accommodation for check in. The day will be free time, followed by dinner and an overnight stay. DAY 13: MONDAY 29 APRIL: HOTEL: Yasmak Sultan Hotel, Istanbul After breakfast we will visit the Acropolis of Pergamum as well as the ancient healing centre of Asclepeios. Our lunch break will be in Akhisar before we drive to Thyatira, the 4th of Seven Churches, visited by Paul (Acts 19:10). We will continue on our way to Smyrna (Izmir) to visit the Church of St Polycarp. We will check in at our hotel in Izmir for dinner and an overnight stay. Pergamum Thyatira St Polycarp Izmir (Smyrna) HOTEL: Hilton Garden or similar, Izmir
DAY 14: TUESDAY 30 APRIL Sardis Philadelphia Laodicea - Pamukkale After breakfast we will drive to Sardis, where we will see the ruins of Artemis Temple, the impressive Roman gymnasium and one of the largest synagogues ever excavated. After free time for lunch we will make our way to Philadelphia for another short stop. We will continue our journey to Laodicea for a site visit. Our last stop is in Pamukkale. Time permitting we will visit the Ancient Hierapolis and the Calcium Terraces (White Castle). We ll then check-in to the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay. HOTEL: Colossae Thermal or Doga Thermal, Pamukkale DAY 15: WEDNESDAY 1 MAY St John Basilica Ephesus Kusadasi This morning we depart for Selcuk where we visit the St. John Basilica and the ancient city of Ephesus. Here we ll see the Baths of Scholastica, Temple of Hadrian, the library and the Great Theatre. After a lunch break, we continue our tour to Temple of Artemis before our check-in at hotel in Kusadasi. Upon arrival at the port (Skala), our luggage will be transferred to the hotel by mini-van while the group will board the bus for the visit to St John Monastery and the Cave of Apocalypse. After the tour, we will have lunch at a local restaurant followed by free time. We will then reconvene for a late dinner at 9pm at a local restaurant and then transfer to the port for embarkation on the overnight ferry to Athens departing at 11.55pm. Overnight stay will be on board. HOTEL: Overnight ferry MEALS: Lunch & Dinner DAY 17: FRIDAY 3 MAY Athens At 8am we will arrive in Athens where we will meet the local representative and transfer to a nearby hotel to enjoy a buffet breakfast and say our goodbyes to our fellow travelers who are not returning home on the group flight. After breakfast, we ll transfer to Athens International Airport for a departure flight back home departing at 1.20pm. DAY 18: SATURDAY 4 MAY HOTEL: Marina Suites or similar, Kusadasi DAY 16: THURSDAY 2 MAY Kusadasi Patmos Athens We ll have an early breakfast at the hotel in time to depart for our 7.00am ferry. We ll bid farewell to our Turkish guide as we depart Turkey. After customs formalities, we will board our ferry for a relaxing journey to the Greek Island of Patmos. Arrival Home Our Qatar Airways flight lands back in Melbourne at 5.50pm and Sydney at 5.35pm.
Tour Costs Pricing is based on a minimum of 30 and a maximum of 40 passengers. Tour price twin share, per person including airfares from Australia $6,699.00 Tour only price (no airfares or transfers) $4,778.00 Single room supplement $1,228.00 Inclusions Not included Economy class airfares from Australia to Athens flying Qatar Airways Visa for Turkey see FAQs on website for details Travel insurance click see our website for a 20% discount Airport transfers (for group flights) Lunches, drinks 14 nights accommodation in 4 star hotels in Greece and Turkey Personal expenses - laundry, internet, spending money 1 overnight on board Patmos-Athens ferry - inside cabin with private facilities Any other items not specifically mentioned Daily buffet breakfast and dinner at hotels Lunch in Patmos All sightseeing tours with a licenced English speaking tour guide Private chartered ferry Kusadasi to Patmos Porterage of one bag per person Tim & Merridie Costello as your hosts Tips for guides and drivers TOLL FREE 1300 554 654 MORE INFORMATION www.missiontravel.com.au/costellos