IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF PAUL Immanuel Tours Greece
- 26 February – 9 March 2027
- 12-DAY PILGRIMAGE
Immanuel Tours Greece 26 February – 9 March 2027
Sample Day By Day Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival in Thessaloniki
FRIDAY 2027-02-26
Arrive Thessaloniki. SKG, Meet our Guide, Meet & assist. We will drive to Thessaloniki for a panoramic view, we will stop by the White Tower and the Upper Town. Check-in our hotel and have a small intro meeting of the group before Dinner & overnight.
Day 2 – Kavala and Philippi
SATURDAY 2027-02-27
After breakfast, we start the day at Baptistery of St. Lydia (Acts 16:13-15), by the River Zygaktis, Paul met Lydia, who became the first recorded Christian convert in Europe and was baptised here with her household (Acts 16:13-15). From here we continue to Philippi (Acts 16:11-40), founded in 356 B.C. by Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, Philippi was where Paul established the first Christian church in Europe in 49 A.D. (Acts 16). Here we see the ancient theatre and the remains of the Byzantine churches, and stand where Paul and Silas were imprisoned and freed by an earthquake. We then drive to Kavala (Neapolis) (Acts 16:11), ancient Neapolis was the first place in Europe where the Apostle Paul set foot, arriving by ship from Troas (Acts 16:11). We walk a section of the historic Via Egnatia, the great Roman road along which Paul travelled westward to Thessaloniki, carrying the Gospel into a new continent. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 3 – Thessaloniki, Veria and Vergina
SUNDAY 2027-02-28
After breakfast, we check out of Capsis Hotel and continue our journey. We start the day at Thessaloniki City Tour (Acts 17:1-15), Paul founded the church of Thessaloniki on his second missionary journey, and later wrote two of his New Testament letters to this community (Acts 17:1-15). Our city tour takes in the
Church of Saint Dimitrios, patron saint of the city, and the ancient Roman Agora. From here we continue to Veria (Acts 17:10-15), in ancient Berea, Paul found Jews who ‘received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily’ (Acts 17:11) — and so are called the noble Bereans to this day. We visit the Bema of Paul, the monument and mosaic marking where the Apostle preached, beside the historic Jewish quarter and its ancient synagogue. We then drive to Vergina Royal Tombs, at Vergina, ancient Aigæ, the first capital of Macedonia, we descend into the magnificent royal tombs — including that of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great — preserved exactly as they were sealed 2,300 years ago, their gold treasures and frescoes among the greatest archaeological discoveries in Greece. This evening we arrive at Grand Meteora for dinner and overnight.
Day 4 – Meteora monasteries and Itea
MONDAY 2027-03-01
Panoramic drive through the Meteora pillars; visit TWO active monasteries. Continue to Itea for a promenade stroll. Dinner at a seaside restaurant, overnight Itea.
TUESDAY 2027-03-02
Day 5 – Delphi and Athens
After breakfast, we check out of V Hotel and continue our journey. We start the day at Delphi, considered by the ancient Greeks to be the centre of the world, Delphi was home to the famous Oracle of Apollo, where kings and generals came to seek guidance. We tour the dramatic archaeological site on the slopes of Mount Parnassus – the Temple of Apollo, the theatre, and the stadium – and the museum with its renowned bronze Charioteer. From here we continue to Athens City Tour, our panoramic tour of Athens takes in the marble Panathenaic Stadium (Kallimarmaro), home of the first modern Olympic Games; the Zappeion Hall; the Greek Parliament with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; and the neoclassical trilogy of the Academy, University and National Library. If time allows, we finish with free time in the charming old quarter of Plaka beneath the Acropolis. This evening we arrive at Royal Olympic or similar for dinner and overnight.
WEDNESDAY 2027-03-03
Day 6 – Acropolis and Mars Hill
After breakfast at Royal Olympic or similar, we start the day at Mars Hill (Areopagus) (Acts 17:22-34), on this rocky outcrop below the Acropolis, the Apostle Paul stood before the philosophers of Athens and delivered his great sermon about the ‘Unknown God’: ‘The God who made the world and everything in it… does not live in temples built by human hands’ (Acts 17:22-34). We stand where the Gospel was first reasoned to the thinkers of the Greek world. From here we continue to Acropolis & Parthenon, crowning the city of Athens, the Acropolis carries the glory of classical Greece. We walk among its magnificent monuments — the Parthenon, built in the 5th century B.C. and dedicated to the goddess Athena, the elegant Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion with its Porch of the Caryatids, and the monumental Propylaea gateway. Return to Royal Olympic or similar for dinner and overnight.
Thu 04 Mar 2027
Day 7 – Corinth and Cenchreae
After breakfast at Royal Olympic or similar, we start the day at Corinth Canal, the Corinth Canal cuts a dramatic 6-kilometre channel through solid rock, connecting the Aegean and Ionian seas and separating the Peloponnese from mainland Greece. We pause for photographs above this remarkable feat of engineering, first dreamed of in antiquity and finally completed in 1893. From here we continue to Ancient Corinth (Acts 18:1-17), Paul spent eighteen months in Corinth, founding a church to which he later wrote two of his greatest letters (Acts 18:1-17). We explore the archaeological site and museum, standing before the Bema of Gallio where Paul was brought to trial, and see the Erastus inscription –a rare physical link to a person named in the New Testament (Romans 16:23). We then drive to Cenchreae (Acts 18:18), at the eastern port of Corinth, Paul had his hair cut off in fulfilment of a vow before sailing for Syria (Acts 18:18). The submerged ruins of the ancient harbour are still visible along the shore. We end this time with olive oil tasting at a local farm, Return to Royal Olympic or similar for dinner and overnight.
FRIDAY 2027-03-05
Day 8 – Embarkation and Mykonos
Transfer to Lavrion Port and embark. Afternoon at sea. We arrive at Mykonos, where the Church of Panagia Paraportiani stands as one of the Aegean’s finest examples of Cycladic architecture, its whitewashed walls and blue dome dominating the harbor quarter. We walk through the narrow stone lanes of Little Venice and
past the restored 16th-century windmills that once ground grain for the island’s communities, seeing how pilgrims and merchants have moved through these same streets for centuries.). Overnight on board.
SATURDAY 2027-03-06
Day 9 – Ephesus and Patmos
Shore excursion in Kusadasi. We journey from Kusadasi to Ephesus, where Paul ministered for over two years and wrote his letter to the Corinthians (Acts 19). Walking the marble streets of this vast Roman site, we pass the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian, and the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, one of the
Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Sail to the island of Patmos, where the Apostle John was exiled for his testimony to Jesus Christ and received the visions recorded in the Book of Revelation. We enter the Grotto of the Apocalypse, the cave where John heard the divine voice, and ascend to the Monastery of St. John the Theologian, built in 1088 and still standing as a fortress of Orthodox faith. Overnight on board.
SUNDAY 2027-03-07
Day 10 – Santorini Oia Excursion
We visit Santorini, where the Virgin Mary spent her final years in the home of John the Apostle. We walk the marble streets of Fira and Oia, perched on cliffs above the Aegean, viewing the island’s volcanic caldera and the bay where early Christians first arrived to establish the faith in these waters. Overnight on board.
MONDAY 2027-03-08
Day 11 – Athens and farewell dinner
Disembark Lavrion and transfer to Athens. Free time. Farewell dinner at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the Acropolis. Overnight Athens.
TUESDAY 2027-03-09
Day 12 – Departure from Athens
Transfer to Athens Airport for our homebound flight.
