Extended Footsteps of Paul Tour from Adana to Istanbul
Explore Paul’s Anatolian world on a fourteen-day overland journey from Cilicia across the Taurus Mountains, along the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts, and onward to Istanbul.
The itinerary combines places associated with Paul’s origins and missionary journeys with later Christian pilgrimage traditions. A full Ephesus day and visits to Miletus, Assos and Alexandria Troas place familiar passages from Acts within their geographical setting, while the route continues through the Dardanelles to Istanbul’s Byzantine heritage.
- Route: Çukurova Airport → Adana → Antakya and Seleucia Pieria → Tarsus → Kızkalesi → Aya Thecla → Derbe and Lystra → Konya → Pisidian Antioch → Antalya and Perge → Myra → Fethiye → Miletus → Ephesus → Pergamum → Assos → Alexandria Troas → Çanakkale → Troy → Istanbul
- Format: Private or escorted group
- Tour Focus: Paul’s origins and journeys, Acts, biblical ports and inland cities, and later Christian heritage from the Mediterranean to Istanbul.
Important Historical and Biblical Context
The route combines several stages of Paul’s life rather than one complete missionary journey. Acts connects Antioch, Tarsus, the inland mission cities, Perge, Ephesus, Miletus, Troas and Assos with different episodes. Myra appears in the voyage toward Rome. Thecla, the House of the Virgin Mary and John’s burial place are discussed as later traditions; Istanbul extends the journey into Byzantine Christianity. Troy and Alexandria Troas are separate archaeological sites.
Further context: Acts 13–14; Acts 19–20; Acts 22:3; Acts 27:5–6
Places You’ll Visit
- Adana, Antakya and Tarsus — The Cilician region and the Antiochene missionary community.
- Kızkalesi, Silifke and Konya — Coastal pilgrimage traditions and the inland landscapes of Acts.
- Antalya, Myra and Fethiye — Mediterranean cities and the maritime geography of Lycia and Pamphylia.
- Miletus, Ephesus and Pergamum — Pauline ministry, the Johannine tradition and a city of Revelation.
- Assos, Troas, Troy and Istanbul — Biblical ports, classical archaeology and later Byzantine sacred art.
Why This Route
The itinerary connects southern Anatolia with the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts before finishing in Istanbul. It includes Miletus, Troas and Assos as well as the more familiar Ephesus and Tarsus, allowing study of several distinct episodes in Acts.
Who Is This Tour For
Church groups and experienced cultural travelers interested in an extensive Pauline itinerary, archaeology and later Christian tradition, and comfortable with long road journeys.
Practical Information
Duration and Arrival. The full program takes 14 days and 13 nights, allowing separate days for every stage of the route. Arrival is through Çukurova Airport, serving the Adana region, and departure is from Istanbul.
Road Travel. Days 4, 5, 8, 10 and 12 are particularly demanding. Additional nights can reduce daily driving and allow more time for study.
Antakya and Specialist Sites. Museum and church access is confirmed locally. Derbe and Lystra stops depend on access and may use viewpoints. Community meetings require an invitation.
Walking. Acropolises, ancient paving and archaeological slopes require comfortable footwear. Tell us about mobility needs before the program is finalized.
Services. The full meal plan, hotels, entrance fees, transport and guiding are confirmed in the quotation. A visit to the Mevlana Museum does not include a whirling dervish ceremony.
FAQ
Does the tour follow a single journey of Paul?
No. It combines locations from his origins, several missionary journeys and the voyage toward Rome, together with later Christian heritage.
Are all Seven Churches included?
No. Ephesus and Pergamum are included. A complete Seven Churches circuit requires a revised route and extra time.
Is the House of the Virgin Mary a documented stop in Paul’s travels?
No. It is included as a later place of Marian pilgrimage, with its tradition explained separately.
Can the itinerary be shortened to 13 days?
Yes, by removing or combining an agreed part of the program. The full sequence shown here needs 14 days, including both the Myra–Fethiye day and the following transfer to Miletus.
Tour Highlights
Day-by-Day Itinerary
14 DaysArrive at Çukurova Airport and transfer to Adana. Meet your guide and settle in before dinner. An opening briefing introduces the different journeys combined in the program and explains why Cilicia, the coast and the plateau each played a part in ancient communication.
Overnight: Adana
Travel to Antakya and the Seleucia Pieria area. Consider the community that commissioned Paul and Barnabas and the port from which Acts describes their departure. Visit an accessible mosaic collection where arrangements permit, connecting the missionary story with the urban culture of Roman Antioch. A meeting with local Christians may be requested by prior agreement and depends on the hosts’ availability.
Overnight: Antakya
Visit St. Peter’s Cave Church where access permits, distinguishing Antioch’s early Christian community from the later traditions surrounding this place of worship. Continue to Tarsus for St. Paul’s Well and the ancient city setting. The journey introduces Paul’s Cilician background before turning west toward the Mediterranean coast.
Overnight: Kızkalesi
Visit Aya Thecla near Silifke, where a later Christian sanctuary preserves the memory of Thecla. Continue inland through the Karaman region, with stops in the Derbe and Lystra areas according to locally confirmed access. Discuss Acts 14 and the challenges of travel between coastal and plateau communities. These are landscape and study visits rather than walks through extensive standing ruins. Continue to Konya after a long day on the road.
Overnight: Konya
Begin at the Mevlana Museum, introducing Konya’s later Islamic heritage alongside the city’s identity as ancient Iconium. Travel to Pisidian Antioch at Yalvaç for the setting of Paul’s synagogue address in Acts 13. Explore selected Roman and later Christian remains before the drive through the Taurus region to Antalya. The day combines several historical periods and requires an early start.
Overnight: Antalya
Explore Perge’s monumental streets and public buildings, discussing the city’s place in the outward and return journeys described in Acts. Continue to Antalya’s old town and harbor setting, ancient Attalia. Comparing an inland city with its coastal gateway helps explain the practical role of ports in the movement of early Christian teachers and communities.
Overnight: Antalya
Travel west along the Mediterranean to Demre and ancient Myra. Explore its theater and rock-cut tombs while discussing the ship change at Myra recorded in Acts 27. Introduce the later association with St. Nicholas as a separate chapter of the city’s history. Continue to Fethiye, observing the mountainous coastline that shaped ancient land and sea routes.
Overnight: Fethiye
Drive from Fethiye toward the Aegean and visit Miletus. Acts 20 places Paul’s farewell to the Ephesian elders here, offering a setting for reflection on leadership, service and separation. Explore selected remains and discuss how changes to the coastline have altered the appearance of this ancient port. Continue to your hotel near Ephesus after a long transfer day.
Overnight: Kuşadası or near Ephesus
Explore Ephesus, including its principal streets, public monuments and Great Theater. Discuss Acts 19 and the role of Artemis in the city’s religious and economic life. Continue to the Basilica of St. John and the House of the Virgin Mary, treating their associations as traditions of pilgrimage. The day connects the first-century community with the ways later generations remembered Ephesus as a sacred place.
Overnight: Kuşadası or near Ephesus
Travel north to Bergama and explore Pergamum’s acropolis, including its theater, sanctuaries and the surviving altar foundations. Discuss the message to Pergamum in Revelation 2:12–17 within a city shaped by civic power and religious institutions. Continue toward Assos, entering the northern Aegean landscape of Paul’s later journeys.
Overnight: Assos area
Explore Assos, where Acts 20 describes Paul rejoining his traveling companions by ship. Continue to Alexandria Troas, associated with the Macedonian vision in Acts 16 and the gathering involving Eutychus in Acts 20. Together, the two sites provide a setting for discussing both personal encounters and the wider movement of the mission across the Aegean. Continue to Çanakkale for the night.
Overnight: Çanakkale
Visit Troy, distinguishing its archaeological layers and Homeric associations from the separate biblical port of Alexandria Troas. Cross the Dardanelles by the route chosen for the final schedule and continue to Istanbul. This travel day connects the Aegean portion of the journey with the imperial city that became a major center of later Christianity.
Overnight: Istanbul
Visit Hagia Sophia and Chora according to their visiting arrangements, exploring Byzantine architecture and the use of biblical imagery in sacred spaces. Their surviving architecture and decoration belong to centuries after Paul and show how Christian artistic traditions developed. Continue to the Grand Bazaar when open, with time to experience the working markets of the Ottoman city. The order is adapted to opening days and worship schedules.
Overnight: Istanbul
Transfer to the airport for your onward flight. Depart after exploring Paul’s Anatolian world and the later communities that preserved its memory. Additional Istanbul nights can be arranged for guests seeking a slower conclusion to the journey.