Depart the USA

Arrive in Thessaloniki and transfer to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Visit Philippi, where the Apostle delivered his first sermon in Europe, sowing the seeds of Christianity. “And from there (we went) to Philippi, which is the leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days...” Acts 16:12-18 Here, the Apostle Paul baptized a certain woman named Lydia, the first Christian convert in Europe. The Roman Forum, completely excavated, is from after the Apostle Paul’s time. Among the ruins, located on the rocky ledge above the town’s main road, is the prison where the Apostle Paul and Silas were thrown. Continue into the modern port city of Kavala, ancient Neapolis, where the Apostle Paul, accompanied by Silas, Luke and Timothy, first set foot in Europe. Dinner and overnight in Thessaloniki.

Discover Thessaloniki, where the Apostle 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 the Apostle Paul preached, reflect on the two epistles the Apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church here. Stroll through the Archaeological Museum and the beautiful basilicas of St. Sophia and St. Demetrios. Along the Via Egnatia stands the Galerius Arch, and you can look out over the second-largest city in Greece from the Old City Ramparts, some dating back to Roman times. As you visit the rock forest of Meteora (“in the heavens above”) in western Thessaly, imagine the Apostle 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 cliffside caves before fleeing higher to build the original wooden shelters that later became these monasteries. Continue to Veria (Berea), where Jews and some honorable Greeks accepted the new faith (Act 17: 10-12). End your day checking into your Kalambaka hotel.

Travel to scenic Delphi, the religious center of the ancient Greek world and marked by the conical stone called the omphalos (or naval). 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 the Apostle Paul faced in preaching the Gospel of Christ here. In the Museum are many ancient treasures, including the fifth-century, bronzed Charioteer so detailed you can see his eyelashes. Continue to Athens for your overnight stay.

Discover 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 the Apostle 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.” As you stroll the agora (ancient marketplace and center of Athenian public life), recall that this was where the Apostle Paul preached “Jesus and the resurrection” to the skeptical Athenians. Also, see the House of Parliament, the Presidential Palace and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Tour the city of Corinth, where the Apostle Paul met fellow tentmakers Aquila and 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.” As Paul spoke, Crispus (chief ruler of the synagogue) and many others believed and were baptized, establishing the church at Corinth to whom Paul later wrote his two epistles. Discover the Archaeological Museum, marketplace and temples. As you walk among the ruins, stand on the Bema, where the Apostle Paul stood before Gallio to face charges brought against him by the Jews.

Return to the airport for your return flight home.