Relax and rest on your flight from the USA.

We arrive in Athens and check into the hotel. Enjoy a free day and dinner at the hotel. Rest and enjoy the city!

Visit the Acropolis, the Parthenon, and the Erectheum before viewing Athens atop Mars Hill where Paul stood and preached the truth to the Gentile nation. Additional sites that will be seen include the Agora from above (ancient marketplace and center of Athenian public life), the House of Parliament, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Olympic Stadium, and the Presidential Palace. We will leave Athens and drive southwest until we reach the Corinth Canal which connects the Aegean Sea with the Ionian Sea. We will drive on and visit the ancient town of Corinth where St. Paul lived and preached for two years. The remains of the City, which include the Agora (market place) and Apollo’s Temple (6th century B.C.) clearly show how rich and important Corinth was in Ancient Times. We then travel to the Site of the Ancient Port of Cechries, where St. Paul disembarked, this will conclude the visit. Return back to in Athens where you will enjoy dinner and an overnight stay.

We will board our cruise ship and sail this morning from Athens to the quaint isle of Mykonos, called the island of windmills. This is a stunningly picturesque Cycladic town with a maze of tiny streets and whitewashed steps, lanes, houses and churches, gathered around its harbor in the middle of a wide bay. Experience the waterfront lined with shops and cafes and then stroll the charming walkways. You may choose to explore on your own or add an optional Mykonos Walking Tour, before returning to the ship for dinner and evening activities.

This morning your cruise will be docking in Turkey. You will enjoy a tour of Ephesus (included), the city of the Bible, and one of the largest restorations still in progress with miles of ancient treasures. Ephesus was once a thriving port town of 250,000 people. Today you can still see the spectacular excavations of the major streets in this ancient city. This afternoon we will visit the Isle of Patmos (included), under statutory protection as a historic monument, you will take a tour to see the fortified monastery of St. John (included) and the cave claimed to be where John received the Revelation. The Cave of the Apocalypse is situated about halfway up the mountain on the Aegean island of Patmos, along the road between the villages of Chora and Skala. This grotto is believed to mark the spot where John of Patmos received his visions that he recorded in the Book of the Apocalypse (Revelation). In 1999, UNESCO declared the cave a joint World Heritage Site together with the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian. Back on the ship you will enjoy the dinner before settling into your cabin for the night.

You will wake up to visit the island of Crete. Participating in the excursion (optional), we can visit the Palace of Knossos and its famous “Labyrinth” which was the Centre of the Minoan civilization. It is absolutely incredible! Next, you will visit the island of Santorini which is perhaps the most breathtaking of all the Greek islands. The town of Thera has white-washed houses, narrow streets, and open-air cafes that are accessible by cable car or mules. There will be several optional tours offered in Santorini, including the Essence of Santorini and Akrotiri Village & Excavations, or you may choose to spend the day shopping and exploring on your own. Again we return to the ship for dinner and evening entertainment.

This morning you will disembark from the cruise ship and transfer to Athens airport for a short flight to Thessalonica and continue to Kavala, which is Greece’s prettiest mainland port with a most elegant harbor. Paul landed here with his disciples, Timothy and Silas. Lucas the evangelist also came here from Troas. Imagine walking on the same sod as these men of the Bible! We will see the Roman Aqueduct and the ruins of the Acropolis in this beautifully located city, known since the 5th century as Kavala. Enjoy dinner & an overnight stay in Kavala.

We will visit Philippi site, where Paul preached his first evangelical sermon and baptized the first Christians on European soil. We return to Thessalonica and visit St. Demetrius basilica, dedicated to a distinguished member of the Roman army and a martyred Christian convert before returning to the hotel for the night. We begin the day by following the massive battlement Byzantine wall to the citadel for a panoramic view of the city. The New Testament books of I & II Thessalonians will come alive to us today as we arrive in the delightful harbor city of Thessalonica. On our tour today a stop will be made in Berea to view newly placed mosaics of Paul and plaque of scripture regarding the “more noble” church. Continue to Kalambaka (Meteora) for dinner and overnight.

Today we see the world famous Byzantine monasteries that are perched precariously on summits of gray rock pinnacles of varied and beautiful shapes. From the mountains, our tour travels southward past Thermopylae which is primarily known for the battle that took place there in 480 BC, in which an outnumbered Greek force of seven thousand (including the famous 300 Spartans ) held off a substantially larger force of Persians. Overnight in Athens.

After breakfast, we transfer to Athens Airport for a departure flight.