11 Day Tour on the Paths of Apostle Paul, Cruise to Athos & Tour in Santorini

DAY 1: ARRIVAL DAY: 

• Our driver will meet and assist you at Athens airport El. Venizelos, and then, transfer you at your hotel. Overnight in Athens.

DAY 2: CHRISTIAN TOUR ATHENS & ANCIENT CORINTH: 

• Meet your driver at your hotel to start the private Christian tour in Athens. We will visit the ancient Agora which was the heart of Athens in antiquity and the meeting point of Saint Paul with the first followers of Christianity in Athens. The "Mars Hill", where Apostle Paul proclaimed the word of the Christian God to the Athenian philosophers. We will then reach the coastal district of Palaio Faliro. This is the area where St Paul arrived 51 AD after his departure from Veroia and Thessaloniki. Of course, in combination with our Christian tour, we will have a visit at the Acropolis and a panoramic city tour in Athens.
• Continue, driving along the mainland coast to Peloponnese, to have a short stop at the Canal of Corinth. Continue to reach at Ancient Corinth which was one of Saint Paul's beloved cities. We will have the chance to visit the Ancient Market and the Bema of Apostle Paul or Galionas. Take the chance to walk at the same paths that Apostle of Nations walked and preached hundreds of years earlier. Then, we will visit the commercial town of Corinth and The Apostolos Pavlos (Apostle Paul) metropolitan church. Our next stop will be at 'Kechrias Port". Kekrines were the port of Corinth in antiquity, the Entry-Exit Gateway to the East. The duration of the tour is about 8 hours. Overnight in Athens

DAY 3: ATHENS – THERMOPILES - VLATADES MONASTERY OF ST. PAUL - THESSALONIKI: 

• Our driver will pick you up from your hotel at 08.30 and we will have our first stop at about 11.00 at Thermopiles in order to admire the statue of Leonidas, as a memorial of the battle of the 300. We continue to have the second stop at Valley of Tempe at about 14.00. We have a short stop at the Vale of Tempe before to arrive at Thessaloniki. You will check in and after you rest, we will visit the Vlatades Monastery, where it is said that Apostle Paul stopped there to drink some water. That is why it is called “Apostle Paul’s Holy Water". Believers from all over the world worship the space of Holy Water and enjoy the magnificent panoramic view to Thermaikos Gulf. In the same area is also located the Orthodox Church of St. Paul.  Afterwards, we suggest you to taste the delicious Greek cuisine or to walk at the coast line of the city, the second bigger city of Greece! Overnight in Thessaloniki.

DAY 4: THESSALONIKI - NEA FOKEA - KAVALA: 

• After your breakfast, we will explore Thessaloniki, where Paul preached and wrote two epistles to the Ancient Thessalonians, during the winters of 49-50 AD. See the ramparts of the city: the triumphal Arch of Galerius, the Rotunda, one of the most imposing monuments of Thessaloniki. Visit St. Demetrius Basilica, in which is located the underground ancient “Crypt", the Acheiropoietos Church. It is one of the first churches of Christianity, founded sometime between 450 and 475 AD. We leave Thessaloniki to reach at the small town of Nea Fokea, to visit the ''Agiasma of St. Paul'', an underground corridor, which ends to a chamber, where St. Paul was hidden when the people of Thessaloniki run after him. Our next visit is at Philippoi, where St. Paul preached his first evangelical sermon and baptized the first Christians in Europe! Visit the ''Baptismal'' site, where Lydia was baptized, as the first European woman, and the secret crypt where Paul was imprisoned. Finally, we will visit the Acropolis of Filippoi.Our day finished at the city of Kavala, or "ancient Neapolis". Overnight in Kavala.

Day 5: KAVALA – CRUISE TOUR AT MOUNT OF ATHOS: 

• After your breakfast, we will drive along to Ouranoupolis in order to take the ferry for Mount Athos, also called Virgin Mary's garden, and the jewel of Orthodoxy. Mount Athos is the place where Holy Fathers have lived for centuries in enlightenment and continue to do so. For the devout, it is a place of spiritual enlightenment, a place of worship, a chance for reflection, meditation and spiritual renewal. The ferry departs at 14.00 starting from Ouranoupolis. We will visit 7 monasteries, for which our English-speaking guide will explain everything about. The duration of the tour is about 3 hours. At the end of the tour, at about 19.00, our driver will pick you up and will drop you off at your hotel at Thessaloniki for overnight.

DAY 6: THESSALONIKI – VIMA OF APOSTLE PAUL IN VEROIA - METEORA: 

• Today we will visit the beautiful town of Veroia at Northwestern Greece. We visit the church of Apostle Paul and the marble ''Vima of Apostle Paul'', the place Paul preached to the people of one of his beloved towns for many days. We continue to the Ancient town of Vergina (ancient Aigai), to live the experience of a visit to the unique Museum, created in the Great Tumulus, covering the royal tombs of Macedonia. Admire the astonishing findings from the tomb of King Phillip II, Alexander's father, and feel the thrill of the greatest discovery of the 20th century.  Then, we will visit the BYZANTINE MONASTERIES of Meteora that are included on the UNESCO world heritage monument list. We will have our first stop at The Holy Monastery of Great Meteoro which is the biggest and the oldest one of all. It was called the monastery that was "suspended in the air" (meteoro), because of the formation of the gigantic rock on top of which it was built. Our second visit is to the great monastery of St. Stephan. The Monastery of St. Stephan, which is a small church built in the 16th century and decorated in 1545. This monastery rests on the plain rather than on a cliff. Overnight in Kalambaka (Meteora).

DAY 7: METEORA - DELPHI - ATHENS: 

• We leave from Meteora to reach Delphi. We will pay a visit at Castalia Spring,  the archaeological site of Delphi, to view the monuments of the Argive Kings, the treasury of the Athenians, the Athenian Stoa, the Polygonal Wall, the monument of Platea and  the Temple of Apollo, famous for its oracle and of course, Delphi museum, with its spectacular exhibits include the frieze of the Treasury of the Sifnians, the Naxian Sphinx, the Statue of Antinoos the metopes of the Athenian treasury, the famous bronze Charioteer, originally created to commemorate a victory during the 476 B.C. Pythian Games, and many other artifacts. You will have lunch at a traditional Greek taverna, before returning in Athens, late in the afternoon. Overnight in Athens.

DAY 8: ATHENS – SANTORINI ISLAND: 

• Our driver will meet you at your hotel to transfer you to Piraeus Port to take the Ferry departing at 07.00 for the famous Santorini Island. Our local driver will be waiting for you at the port to transfer you at your hotel. Free time for yourself. We suggest you to enjoy your drink or dinner, at one of the hundred places located just on the rocks above the sea, and walk among the narrow streets of the town where you can buy many souvenirs. Overnight in Santorini.

DAY 9: SANTORINI ISLAND: 

• (optional) Sunste cruise to Volcano with buffet on board. Pick you up from your hotel after noon to have our first stop at the famous volcano of Santorini! Then, you will walk to the volcano’s ridge with your guide, and he is going to explain you everything about the history and the geology of the volcano. Our next stop will be the island of Palea Kameni where the famous hot springs, here you can enjoy your swim. Dinner on Board Sailing above the underwater craters from Palia Kameni to Thirasia Island, the boat will anchor close to the island to enjoy your dinner. Our experienced staff will prepare everything for you to relax and enjoy our Greek tasteful buffet while capturing amazing photos of wonderful sunset. Overnight in Santorini.

DAY 10: SANTORINI ISLAND - ATHENS: 

• Our driver will meet you at the hotel and will transfer you to Santorini Port at 12.00 to take the boat for Piraeus Port, where you will arrive at 17.00 pm. Then, you will be transferred to your hotel in Athens. Overnight in Athens.

DAY 11: DEPARTURE DAY: 

• Our driver will transfer you at Athens airport, according to your flight details.

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