Turkey

Day 1 (Sat Apr 17) OWN FLIGHTS - FLY TO IZMIR

Day 2 (Sun Apr 18) ARRIVE IZMIR (Airport code ADB).

Our representative will meet you at Izmir Airport. Transfer to the Korumar Deluxe Hotel on the Aegean Sea near Ephesus.

THE CHURCHES OF REVELATION

Day 3 (Mon Apr 19) EPHESUS REGION

After breakfast, Dr. Jackson will teach at the hotel on the Ephesus ministries of the Apostle Paul, Timothy, and the Apostle John. We will then drive through the Ephesus region, where we will visit the Ephesus Archaeological Museum, the Basilica Church of Saint John (where the Apostle John was buried), the present-day Ephesus Prayer House, and the Turkish town of Selcuk, where we will meet the locals and shop. Selcuk is a great place to purchase gifts for your family and friends. Dinner and overnight at the Korumar Deluxe Hotel.

Day 4 (Tue Apr 20) BIBLICAL EPHESUS AND SMYRNA

After breakfast, we tour the archaeological biblical city of EPHESUS, a magnificent reconstructed Greco-Roman city. We will walk through the spectacular first-century Terrace Houses, where the early house churches of Ephesus likely met. After lunch, we will drive to SMYRNA (Revelation 2:8–11), where we will visit Smyrna’s Roman Agora and see the location where the early apostolic church father Polycarp (a disciple of the Apostle John) was martyred. Dr. Jackson will share about the letters sent to each city in the book of Revelation. We end our day with a special and free dinner on the Aegean with Levent Oral, the owner of Tutku Tours. Overnight at the Mövenpick Hotel Izmir.

Day 5 (Wed Apr 21) SARDIS, PHILADELPHIA AND COLOSSAE

After breakfast, we drive to PHILADELPHIA (Revelation 3:7–13) and visit the Church of the Apostle John, built in the AD 500s. We then drive to tour SARDIS (Revelation 3:1–6), with the remains of the magnificent Temple of Artemis (later converted into a church), a beautifully reconstructed Roman gymnasium, and the largest known synagogue outside Palestine. We then drive to the archaeological site of COLOSSAE, where Paul sent his letters to the Colossians and Philemon. Dr. Jackson will share on-site. Dinner and overnight at the Adempira Termal & Spa Hotel.

Day 6 (Thu Apr 22) LAODICEA AND HIEROPOLIS

After breakfast, we tour the massive archaeological sites of LAODICEA (Revelation 3:14–22; Colossians 4:13) and HIERAPOLIS (modern Pamukkale, Colossians 4:13). At Laodicea (one of the most reconstructed Greco-Roman cities in Turkey), we visit two large theaters and several excavated early churches. We then drive to Hierapolis and tour the martyrdom site and tomb of the Apostle Philip. Dr. Jackson will share on-site in Laodicea and Hierapolis. Dinner and overnight at the Adempira Termal & Spa Hotel.

CAPPADOCIA

Day 7 (Sat Apr 23) PISIDIAN ANTIOCH AND ICONIUM (OVERNIGHT)

After breakfast, we drive east into the central region of Turkey, the region of the Apostle Paul’s first missionary journey. This is the region to which Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians. We will be visiting the biblical sites of PISIDIAN ANTIOCH (Acts 13:13–52) and ICONIUM (Acts 14:1–7). Dinner and overnight at the Ramada Encore Karatay Hotel in modern Konya.

Day 8 (Sun Apr 24) CAPPADOCIA

After breakfast, we drive from biblical Iconium (modern Konya) to Cappadocia. This is an amazing region of central Turkey, with its spectacular moon-like landscape. We will experience a journey inside the underground city of Kaymakli. We end our day enjoying the picturesque village of Ortahisar, with its rock-cut houses and a 300-foot-tall rock castle. Dinner and overnight at the Barceló Hotel, near Göreme.

Day 9 (Sun Apr 25) CAPPADOCIA

After breakfast (an early balloon option for participants, costing around $400 per person), we walk through the outdoor Göreme Open Air Museum, with its many fresco-covered cave churches. We then walk through the Zelve Valley, where Christian monks lived and carved out cave churches. At the Zelve Valley, Dr. Jackson will share about the early church fathers—Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus—who lived and ministered in Cappadocia in the AD 300s. We then drive to Uçhisar Castle (the highest point in Cappadocia), where we can walk up a trail to the top for a beautiful panoramic view. Dinner and overnight at the Barceló Hotel, near Göreme.

ISTANBUL: HISTORIC CONSTANTINOPLE

Day 10 (Mon Apr 26) ISTANBUL

After breakfast, we take a domestic flight to Istanbul and drive into the city (2 hours). We then climb the stairs to the top of Galata Tower for a breathtaking panoramic view of the mega-city of Istanbul that bridges Europe and Asia. If we have time, we will walk down the famous and popular Istiklal Street and mingle among the crowds of locals. Dinner and overnight at the Lamartine Hotel.

Day 11 (Tue Apr 27) ISTANBUL

After breakfast, we start our day in the Old City of Constantinople. We visit Hippodrome Square, the Blue Mosque, the famous Hagia Sophia Church, Saint Irene Church (where the Nicene Creed was written), the Topkapi Palace of the Ottoman Sultans, and experience the amazing underground cistern built by the Roman Emperor Justinian in the AD 500s. We will end our day with a private boat ride on the famous Bosphorus Strait that connects the Black and Marmara Seas. Dinner and overnight at the Lamartine Hotel.

Day 12 (Wed Apr 28) ISTANBUL

After breakfast we drive around the ancient walls of Constantinople, walk through the historic Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar, and take a ferry ride across the Bosphorus Staight to the town of Kadikoy on the Istanbul’s Asian side (where the Chalcedon creed was written). If we have time, we will experience a tram ride with the locals through the unmatched city of Istanbul. We return to the Lamartine Hotel for our farewell dinner together.

Day 13 (Thu Apr 29) DEPARTURE. After breakfast we drive to the Istanbul Airport where we board our international flights back to the USA.

• Kayseri-Istanbul domestic flight
• 2 Nights at Korumar Deluxe Hotel in Kusadasi or similar
• 1 Night at Mövenpick Hotel in Izmir or similar
• 2 Night at Adempira Termal & Spa Hotel in Pammukale or similar
• 1 Night at Ramada Encore Karatay Hotel or similar
• 2 Nights at Barcelo Hotel in Cappadocia or similar
• 3 Nights at Lamartine Hotel in Istanbul or similar
• Daily breakfasts and dinners
• All Airport-Hotel-Airport transfers in private basis
• All land transportation by private fully A/C VAN with driver throughout the tour
• Tolls, parking fees, fuel, guide’s and driver’s expenses
• English Speaking Licensed tour guide throughout the tour
• All Entry fees to the mentioned sites & museums
• Service charges, accommodation taxes, & local taxes
• Tips to tour guide ($60) and to the driver ($25)

• International flights
• Istanbul-Izmir domestic flight on April 18 ($110 if requested from TUTKU)
• Lunches and drinks
• All personal expenses and any other service which are not mentioned above
• Travel and Health insurance, any kind of insurance (insurance may be given at an extra cost, please ask)
• Hot Air Balloon Trip