Our most comprehensive biblical pilgrimage uniting Byzantine Constantinople, Early Christian Cappadocia, the Footsteps of St. Paul, and all Seven Churches of Revelation.
Start & End Hub
Starts in Istanbul (IST) · Ends in İzmir (ADB) or Istanbul
Accommodation Plan
2 Nights Istanbul · 2 Nights Cappadocia · 1 Night Konya · 2 Nights Pamukkale Thermal · 2 Nights Kuşadası · 2 Nights İzmir
Designed For
Church Congregations, Study Tours & Private Groups
Booking Basis
Custom Quote via WhatsApp or Email
Biblical & Archaeological Overview
Designed for church congregations, seminary groups, and discerning private travelers seeking the complete arc of New Testament and Early Church history in Asia Minor. Over twelve richly paced days, trace the story of faith from the imperial cathedrals of Constantinople and the subterranean refuges of Cappadocia to the missionary highways of St. Paul and all Seven Churches of the Book of Revelation.
Every detail—from internal domestic flight connections and four-to-five-star thermal and boutique hotels to private devotional time at key scriptural ruins—is coordinated seamlessly by Yama Tours.
Scriptural Index
Key Experiences
Day-by-Day Schedule
Because this is a private, tailor-made tour, the daily sequence can be arranged around your arrival and departure times.
Route: Istanbul Airport → Old City Hotel
Arrive in Istanbul, historic capital of the Roman and Byzantine empires. Meet your private Yama Tours representative and transfer to your hotel for welcome orientation and dinner.
Route: Hagia Sophia → Hippodrome → Basilica Cistern → Chora → Grand Bazaar
Explore the monumental heart of Christian Constantinople: Hagia Sophia (Emperor Justinian’s 6th-century Church of Holy Wisdom), the Roman Hippodrome, the subterranean Basilica Cistern, and the breathtaking Byzantine frescoes and mosaics of the Chora Church (Kariye), followed by time in the historic Grand Bazaar.
Route: Istanbul → Flight to Cappadocia → Göreme Open Air Museum → Uçhisar
Take a morning flight to Cappadocia. Visit the UNESCO-listed Göreme Open Air Museum to step inside rock-cut Byzantine churches adorned with vivid biblical frescoes, followed by Uçhisar Castle viewpoint, Paşabağı (Monks Valley), and Avanos.
Route: Derinkuyu → Ihlara Valley → Selime Monastery → Göreme
Optional sunrise hot-air-balloon flight over Cappadocia’s valleys. After breakfast, descend into Derinkuyu Underground City—where early Christian communities sheltered during invasions—then walk beside the river in Ihlara Valley and visit the vast rock-carved Selime Monastery.
Route: Cappadocia → Sultanhanı Caravanserai → Konya (Iconium)
Travel west along the ancient Silk and Roman roads to Konya—New Testament Iconium, visited repeatedly by the Apostle Paul on his First, Second, and Third Missionary Journeys. Visit St. Paul’s Church in Konya and explore the city’s rich historical layers.
Route: Konya → Pisidian Antioch (Yalvaç) → Colossae → Pamukkale
Visit Pisidian Antioch (Yalvaç), walking the foundations of the Basilica of St. Paul where Paul delivered his landmark synagogue sermon in Acts 13. Continue past the unexcavated mound of ancient Colossae at the foot of Mount Honaz (addressed in Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians) and check in to your thermal spa hotel in Pamukkale.
Route: Hierapolis → Pamukkale → Laodicea → Pamukkale
Spend the morning at Hierapolis exploring the ancient necropolis, Roman theater, the Martyrium of St. Philip the Apostle, and the white calcium terraces of Pamukkale. In the afternoon, thoroughly explore nearby Laodicea (Revelation 3:14–22), including Syria Street, the northern theater, the clay water pipes, and the restored 4th-century Church of Laodicea.
Route: Pamukkale → Philadelphia → Sardis → Kuşadası
Drive through the fertile valleys to Philadelphia (Alaşehir, Revelation 3:7–13) to see the monumental pillars of the Basilica of St. John. Continue to royal Sardis (Revelation 3:1–6) to marvel at the massive Temple of Artemis, the restored Bath-Gymnasium Complex, and the largest ancient synagogue excavated in the Mediterranean world. Proceed to the Aegean coast at Kuşadası.
Route: Kuşadası → Ephesus → Selçuk → Kuşadası
Dedicate a full day to ancient Ephesus: walk the marble Curetes Way, stand before the Library of Celsus, sit in the 24,000-seat Great Theater (Acts 19), and visit the Church of the Virgin Mary (site of the Third Ecumenical Council in 431 AD). Also visit the peaceful House of the Virgin Mary, the Basilica and Tomb of St. John the Apostle on Ayasuluk Hill, and the Temple of Artemis.
Route: Kuşadası → İzmir (Smyrna) → St. Polycarp → İzmir Hotel
Travel north along the Aegean coast to İzmir—biblical Smyrna (Revelation 2:8–11). Explore the extensive excavations of the Roman Agora of Smyrna with its vaulted galleries and Greek graffiti, visit the historic Church of St. Polycarp, and enjoy an afternoon overview of İzmir’s bayfront.
Route: İzmir → Pergamum (Bergama) → Thyatira (Akhisar) → İzmir
Complete all Seven Churches of Revelation with a northern excursion to Pergamum (Revelation 2:12–17)—ascending to the Acropolis, steep theater, Temple of Trajan, Altar of Zeus foundation, and the Red Basilica. Continue to Thyatira (Akhisar, Revelation 2:18–29), hometown of Lydia, to view the ancient basilica ruins and colonnaded street before returning to İzmir for a farewell dinner.
Route: İzmir Hotel → İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB)
After breakfast, transfer privately to İzmir Airport for your international departure or connecting flight via Istanbul.
Visual Gallery
Continue Exploring
Revelation Chapters 1–3 · Western Asia Minor
Follow the Seven Churches of Revelation across western Türkiye on a private 5-day, 4-night faith journey shaped around your arrival and departure in İzmir.
Biblical Sites & Scripture
Acts 9 · Acts 11:26 · Acts 13–14 · 1 Peter 1:1
Journey from the rock-hewn churches and underground refuges of Cappadocia to Paul’s birthplace in Tarsus, the Cave Church of St. Peter in Antioch, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch.
Biblical Sites & Scripture