Footsteps of St. Paul Tour Turkey
Follow Paul’s story on a ten-day journey from the missionary community of Antioch and his birthplace at Tarsus to the Roman cities of inland Anatolia and Ephesus.
Your guide connects passages from Acts with the roads, landscapes and public spaces of the ancient world. Cappadocia’s painted churches and Istanbul’s imperial monuments extend the journey into the later history of Christianity, offering a broader understanding of faith, travel and daily life in Asia Minor.
- Route: Istanbul → Antioch (Antakya) → Tarsus → Cappadocia → Iconium (Konya) → Pisidian Antioch (Yalvaç) → Pamukkale and Hierapolis → Ephesus → Istanbul
- Format: Private or escorted group
- Tour Focus: St. Paul’s missionary journeys, the Book of Acts, biblical archaeology and the later development of Christianity in Anatolia.
Important Historical and Biblical Context
Antioch on the Orontes and Pisidian Antioch are different cities. Acts places the commissioning of Paul and Barnabas in the former and Paul’s synagogue sermon in the latter. Cappadocia and Constantinople broaden the journey into later Christian history; they are not presented as documented stops on Paul’s missionary journeys. Surviving monuments often belong to later centuries than the events discussed.
Further context: Acts 13–14 · Acts 19–20
Places You’ll Visit
- Istanbul — The imperial city that provides a later chapter in the story of Christianity.
- Antakya and Tarsus — The community that commissioned Paul’s mission and the city of his birth.
- Cappadocia and Konya — Rock-cut Christian heritage and the setting of the mission in Iconium.
- Yalvaç, Pamukkale and Ephesus — Roman city life, biblical communities and the Aegean center of Paul’s ministry.
Why This Route
The route connects Paul’s origins, missionary activity and influence across several regions, while showing how geography, roads and urban communities helped ideas travel. Cappadocia and Istanbul reveal what developed after the first Christian generation.
Who Is This Tour For
Church groups, Bible study communities, clergy, theological students and culturally curious travelers seeking a guided introduction to the Apostle Paul’s world.
Practical Information
Travel Arrangements. The program includes two planned domestic flight sectors: Istanbul–Hatay and Izmir–Istanbul. Flight times, baggage allowances and whether airfares are included will be stated in your quotation.
Pace and Access. Several days involve substantial road travel. Archaeological sites have uneven ground; underground cities include low, narrow passages. Alternative visits can be discussed in advance.
Antakya Visits. The final local program and accommodation will be confirmed for your travel dates.
Guiding and Study Arrangements. A specialist biblical guide and time for group reflection can be arranged. Hotels, entrance tickets and any study-leader arrangements will be itemized in the proposal.
FAQ
Does this follow one complete missionary journey?
It combines places associated with different stages of Paul’s life and ministry, together with selected sites illustrating later Christian history.
Will we visit both Lystra and Derbe?
No. Lystra and Derbe are discussed through maps and biblical commentary rather than included as site visits. Their surviving remains are less immediately accessible than those of the major excavated cities. A specialist detour, potentially including relevant regional museum collections, can be assessed separately.
Is previous Bible knowledge necessary?
No. The guide introduces the passages and their setting, while allowing more detailed discussion for groups with a study focus.
Are church services included?
Prayer or study periods can be planned for your group. Participation in a local service depends on the host community’s invitation and schedule.
Tour Highlights
Day-by-Day Itinerary
10 DaysArrive in Istanbul and meet your OKTOGON Travel representative for the transfer to your hotel. After check-in, enjoy time to settle in, followed by an introductory briefing at a suitable time. Your guide will outline the route and introduce the distinction between the first-century world of Paul and the Byzantine and Ottoman monuments encountered later in the journey.
Overnight: Istanbul
Take a morning flight to Hatay, subject to the confirmed flight schedule, and continue to Antakya. Visit St. Peter’s Cave Church, traditionally associated with the city’s earliest Christian community. Acts 11:26 identifies Antioch as the city where the disciples were first called Christians; it does not identify a particular building. Reflect on the community that sent Paul and Barnabas on their mission, while discovering the setting of a major ancient crossroads.
Overnight: Antakya, subject to confirmation of the local accommodation arrangements
Travel to Tarsus, Paul’s birthplace, to see St. Paul’s Well and the surviving Roman street. These remains introduce the city’s ancient setting without implying that every visible structure can be connected directly to Paul. Continue through the Taurus Mountains along the historic Cilician Gates corridor toward Cappadocia. The changing landscape helps explain the effort involved in overland travel between Cilicia and the Anatolian plateau. This is a long travel day.
Overnight: Cappadocia
Explore Göreme Open Air Museum, where rock-cut churches preserve scenes from the biblical narrative in Byzantine painting. Continue to an underground city to discover storage areas, ventilation shafts and spaces used by communities seeking shelter. The day moves beyond Paul’s lifetime to examine worship, communal life and refuge in later centuries. Walking through these spaces offers a close encounter with the ways people adapted their faith and daily routines to the landscape.
Overnight: Cappadocia
Cross the Anatolian plateau to Konya, ancient Iconium, where Acts 14 describes the preaching of Paul and Barnabas. Explore the historical setting of the city and discuss the mission to nearby Lystra and Derbe, including Timothy’s connection with the region. These two places are covered through maps, scripture and commentary; visits to Lystra and Derbe are not included. The day connects the biblical narrative with the distances and terrain of central Anatolia.
Overnight: Konya
Travel to Yalvaç to explore Pisidian Antioch, a Roman colony overlooking the surrounding countryside. Among its streets, civic remains and later church ruins, consider Paul’s address in the synagogue in Acts 13 and the response of Jewish listeners and God-fearing Gentiles. The archaeological setting helps place that encounter within a city shaped by Roman institutions. Continue to the Pamukkale area for the night.
Overnight: Pamukkale
Explore Hierapolis, including its monumental streets and necropolis, with the Martyrium of St. Philip reached where walking ability and access allow. Colossians 4:13 connects Hierapolis with neighboring Christian communities in the Lycus Valley. The Philip tradition belongs to the city’s later pilgrimage history. Discover Pamukkale’s white travertine landscape before continuing west toward Ephesus, tracing the connection between the inland communities and the Aegean coast.
Overnight: Kuşadası or near Ephesus
Spend an unhurried day at Ephesus, exploring its public spaces, Marble Street and Great Theater. Acts 19 describes teaching, conversions and a confrontation involving the city’s silversmiths, whose trade depended on devotion to Artemis. Paul’s companions were drawn into the theater; Paul himself was kept from entering. Examine the relationship between religion, commerce and civic identity, and consider the themes of the Letter to the Ephesians in their broader urban setting.
Overnight: Kuşadası or near Ephesus
Transfer to Izmir Airport for a morning flight to Istanbul. Visit the Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque as flight and visiting hours permit. Hagia Sophia introduces the architecture of Byzantine Christianity, while the Blue Mosque belongs to the city’s Ottoman Islamic heritage. Their proximity provides a setting for discussing continuity and transformation across centuries. The day concludes with a broader perspective on the city’s religious and cultural layers.
Overnight: Istanbul
Transfer to Istanbul Airport according to your departure time. Leave with a clearer understanding of the places named in Acts, the practical challenges of ancient travel and the later communities that carried Christian traditions forward. Additional nights in Istanbul can be arranged for guests wishing to explore more of the city.