Hagia Sophia. Ephesus. The House of the Virgin Mary. The Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Seven Churches of Revelation. The birthplace of the early Church — and the city that was Constantinople for a thousand years.
This 9-day itinerary enters at Izmir (ancient Smyrna — one of the Seven Churches of Revelation) and works south through Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary before heading north through Pergamon, Troy, and into Istanbul / Constantinople for the final three days. The routing is logical — it follows the geography of the early Church's spread through Asia Minor.
| Day | Location | Sites & Experiences |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | USA → Izmir (ADB) | Evening departure, overnight flight to Izmir / Adnan Menderes Airport. |
| Day 2 | Izmir / Smyrna — Arrival | Transfer + hotel check-in · Afternoon: Kordon seafront promenade, Clock Tower Square (Konak), neoclassical waterfront · Old Rum (Greek) neighborhoods of Bornova and Boudja — the historic Greek presence in Asia Minor · Welcome dinner + overnight |
| Day 3 | Ephesus + House of the Virgin Mary | Ephesus: Marble Road, Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre (where St. Paul stirred the city — Acts 19) · Mount Koressos: House of the Virgin Mary (veneration + prayer at the place of tradition) · Selçuk: Basilica of St. John the Theologian (built over the Apostle's tomb) · Return Izmir |
| Day 4 | Pergamon → Ayvalik | Pergamon Acropolis: Temple of Athena, Library (second only to Alexandria), Theatre carved into the hillside · Asclepieion (ancient healing complex — sacred springs, colonnaded halls) · Continue to coastal Ayvalik (calm islets, olive groves — restful overnight) |
| Day 5 | Troy → Silivri → Istanbul | Troy (UNESCO World Heritage — successive walls, myth meets archaeology: nine layers of civilization) · Cross the Dardanelles · Silivri: birthplace of St. Nektarios of Aegina (1846–1920) — brief veneration + remembrance · Evening arrival Istanbul |
| Day 6 | Istanbul — Imperial City | Hagia Sophia (AD 537 — dome like "light upon light," 30 million gold mosaic tesserae) · Hippodrome (Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine Column) · Blue Mosque (17th-century Iznik tilework, 6 minarets) · Basilica Cistern (6th century — Medusa heads, 336 columns) · Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı — 4,000 shops, 1461) |
| Day 7 | Princes' Islands — Halki + Büyükada | Sea of Marmara sail to Halki / Heybeliada: Theological School grounds (1844, closed 1971 — a symbol of hope and loss for the Orthodox world) · Büyükada: Victorian villas, pine forests, horse-drawn carriages — the largest of the Princes' Islands · Return Istanbul |
| Day 8 | Istanbul — Phanar + Blachernae + Baloukli | Ecumenical Patriarchate at Phanar: Church of St. George (Divine Liturgy, relics of St. John Chrysostom, St. Gregory the Theologian, St. Euphemia — brought from Chalcedon) · Blachernae (the Akathist Hymn was first chanted here in 626 AD) · Life-Giving Spring / Baloukli (hagiasma, the fish of tradition, Patriarchs' tombs) · Optional evening: Bosphorus sailing — Europe and Asia reflected on the water |
| Day 9 | Istanbul (IST) → USA | Final morning stroll through the Queen of Cities · Transfer to Atatürk / Sabiha International Airport · Return flight home |