Your pilgrimage begins as you depart the USA on your international overnight flight.

You will arrive in Thessaloniki, Greece, where you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel for dinner and overnight. (D)

Follow in the footsteps of St. Paul and St. Silas to Amphipolis and explore the ruins of the many Christian basilicas there. In Philippi is a baptismal site commemorating where God opened the heart of St. Lydia (a seller of purple from Thyatira) to hear the words of St. Paul (Acts 16:13 -15). Lydia and her household were the first Christian converts baptized on European soil. View the Roman-era crypt thought to have served as a prison for the apostle Paul, and explore Philippi’s Marketplace, the Basilica of St. Paul, and Theater. Today’s last stop is Neapolis (Kavala), one of Greece's most picturesque mainland ports where St. Paul landed with his disciples, St. Timothy and St. Silas. See the Roman Aqueduct and view the Acropolis before returning to Thessaloniki for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Discover Thessaloniki, where St. Paul was accused of turning the world upside down with his preaching of Christ (Acts 17: 3 -6). As you explore St. George's Basilica, believed to be built over the synagogue where St. Paul preached, reflect on the two epistles the apostle St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church here. Stroll through the Archaeological Museum and the beautiful basilicas of St. Sophia and St. Demetrios, dedicated to a distinguished Roman proconsul martyred for his Christian faith. Along the Via Egnatia stands the Galerus Arch, and you can look out over the second largest city in Greece from the Old City Ramparts, some dating back to Roman times. Follow the path of St. Paul when he fled Thessaloniki for the safety of Veria (Berea), where Jews and some honorable Greeks accepted the new faith (Act 17: 10-12). Continue to Kalambaka for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

As you visit the rock forest of Meteora (“in the heavens above”) in western Thessaly, imagine St. Paul walking that treacherous terrain on his missionary journey. Gaze up at the breathtaking Byzantine monasteries spectacularly perched on soaring, sheer sided grey sandstone pillars. In the 13th century, monks sought refuge in cliff side caves before fleeing higher to build the original wooden shelters that later became these monasteries. After a monastery visit, travel to scenic Delphi, religious center of the ancient Greek world and marked by the conical stone called the omphalosor (“navel”). Walk the Sacra Via to the Athenian Treasury, Theatre and the Temple of Apollo, where the oracle performed her prophetic rituals. As you consider the incredible amount of pagan influence just in Delphi alone, you will gain a new appreciation for the tremendous spiritual opposition St. Paul faced in preaching the Gospel of Christ here. In the Museum are many ancient treasures, including the 5th century bronzed Charioteer, so detailed you can see his eyelashes. Continue to Athens for overnight.(B, D)

Tour the city of Corinth, where St. Paul met fellow tentmakers St. Aquila and St. Priscilla and received a vision from the Lord saying, "I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city" (Acts 18: 10). As Paul spoke, Crispus (chief ruler of the synagogue) and many others believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8), establishing the church at Corinth to whom St. Paul later wrote his two epistles. Discover the Archaeological Museum, Marketplace, and Temples. As you walk among the ruins, stand on the Bema, where St.Paul stood before Gallio to face charges brought against him by the Jews. Stop briefly at the port town of Cenchreae from which St. Paul later departed for Syria (Acts 18: 12 -18). Return to Athens for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Enjoy the rich architectural splendor of the ancient city of Athens as your guide introduces you to the world renowned Acropolis, the Propylaea, the Parthenon and the Erectheum. Stand on Mars Hill as St. Paul did when he proclaimed, "I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you" (Acts 17:23). As you look upon the Agora (ancient market place and center of Athenian public life), recall that this was where St. Paul preached "Jesus and the resurrection" (Acts 17:18) to the skeptical Athenians. Also see the House of Parliament, the Presidential Palace and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This afternoon is free to explore Athens on your own or enjoy an optional visit to the New Acropolis Museum ($20) Dinner and overnight is spent in Athens. (B, D)

Return to the USA