Steps of Paul with the Costellos

Duration
19
Departure
17 April 2019
Price from
4,778

SOLD OUT

We're sorry, this tour is now full. But don't worry, we have plenty of experiences waiting for you to join us on!

 

Find another Experience

OVERVIEW

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?

We are pleased to present Tim and Merridie Costello for our tour guides 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

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.

See the FAQs section for exact flight times. 

Included Meals: None

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

Included Meals:

D
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.

HOTEL: Titania Hotel, Athens

Included Meals:

B
D
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.

HOTEL: Titania Hotel, Athens

Included Meals:

B
D
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: Meteora Hotel, Kalambaka

Included Meals:

B
D
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.

HOTEL: Golden Star, Thessaloniki

Included Meals:

B
D
Breakfast at the hotel.  Enjoy the day at your leisure.

HOTEL: Golden Star, Thessaloniki

Included Meals:

B
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

Included Meals:

B
D
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.

HOTEL: Yasmak Sultan Hotel, Istanbul

Included Meals:

B
D
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 to the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

HOTEL: Yasmak Sultan Hotel, Istanbul

Included Meals:

B
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

Included Meals:

B
D
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.

HOTEL: La Bella, Bergama

Included Meals:

B
D
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.

HOTEL: Hilton Garden or similar, Izmir

Included Meals:

B
D
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

Included Meals:

B
D
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.

HOTEL: Marina Suites or similar, Kusadasi

Included Meals:

B
D
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.  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

Included Meals:

B
L
D
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.

Included Meals:

B
D
Our Qatar Airways flight lands back in Melbourne at 5.50pm and Sydney at 5.35pm.

Included Meals: None

Highlights

  • Visit Mars Hill where Paul preached of the “Unknown God” in Athens on Easter Sunday
  • The ancient cityof Corinth
  • Paul walked the Egnatian way in Northern Greece to Thessalonika, Philippi and Berea
  • The spectacular clifftop monasteries of Meteora
  • ANZAC Cove, Gallipoli, 2 days after ANZAC Day
  • Seven Churches of Revelation in Turkey
  • The island of Patmos where Apostle john wrote Revelation

PinterestLinkedin
Map

Destinations

OUR PRICING

Pricing

Category Description Twin PP Single
Full tour including airfare from Australia SOLD OUT 6,699.00 7,927
Tour Only SOLD OUT 4,778.00 6,006

Inclusions
Exclusions
Departure Date Booking
17 April 2019 BOOK NOW

TOUR INCLUDES

LINE-ICONS-02-FINAL

Travel with
like-minded people

LINE-ICONS-01-FINAL

Christian
Tour Leaders

LINE-ICONS-03-FINAL

Option of land
only package

LINE-ICONS-04-FINAL

Option of upgrading
to single room

LINE-ICONS-05-FINAL

Meals

LINE-ICONS-07-FINAL

Sights and entry
fees listed

FAQ