Cruise the Aegean in the footsteps of Paul!
In the Steps of Paul: Aegean Sea Cruise! 10 Nights aboard Celebrity’s Cruise Ship the Infinity + 2 Nights on land in Athens.
March 25 - April 7, 2025
A Passage to Understanding and Enrichment
Bible Passages is excited to announce our Aegean Cruise! More information will be posted here about stops including Athens, Philippi, Thessaloniki, Ephesus, Cyprus, Rhodes, Crete, and Corinth! Make plans now to join us in March/April. Registration will be open soon.
There is no way to adequately describe what traveling to biblical sites will do for you, both spiritually and educationally. On this incredible journey, you will walk the ancient streets of ancient cities, see historic sites in Greece, explore ancient ruins in the land of Israel, and more. Our highly unique program is designed to bring color, clarity, and a deeper understanding of the many customs, words, and practices of the people and settings of the Bible story and its historical and geographical context. The information and experiences gained from this trip will put you in a better position to understand the biblical text, share the word, defend the faith, and evangelize the lost. You will grow at an exponential rate, both in your understanding of the Bible, and in your own personal walk of faith. You will never look at the Bible in the same way again.
In addition to the tour sites, Bible Passages provides on-site devotionals, onboard education seminars, times of singing together, and other faith-building opportunities. As is the case with this type of trip, the itinerary and schedule may change. The Bible Passages team will be on site and available at all times to guide the group regardless of changes made by Celebrity or the excursion team.
Itinerary
Tuesday, March 25
Depart from the United States
Wednesday, March 26
Arrive in Athens international airport, meet with your escort and transfer to your hotel in Athens center.
Thursday, March 27
Ancient Agora - Mars Hill - Acropolis. In the morning we depart for our tour in Athens and visit the Areopagus or Areios Pagos is the Rock of Ares; or ‘Mars’ Hill’ north-west of the Acropolis. In classical times it functioned as the high Court of Appeal for criminal and civil cases in Athens and has subsequently given its name to the higher court of Greece today. The Areopagus, like most city-state institutions, continued to function in Roman times and it was from this location, that the Apostle Paul is said to have delivered the famous speech. Now that you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands." (Acts 17:24). Then we visit the Ancient Agora and Mars hill. The Agora, now in ruins, was formerly the commercial hub of ancient Athens and birthplace of politics and philosophy. Here the Apostle Paul reasoned with the most skeptical audience he met in the course of his travels. We see the well preserved Doric Temple of Hephaestus (or Thesseion) and the Stoa of Attalos, an arcade built by Attalos II, king of Pergamum, used as a retail market. Return to the hotel.
Friday, March 28
Check out from the hotel at 10:00am and enjoy our half-day sightseeing tour of Athens (Acts 17:15). We climb up to the marble-capped Acropolis, the sacred rock of Athens which was the citadel and sanctuary of the city in antiquity. We visit the famous Parthenon and the Erechteion. Our tour continues with panoramic tour to see the highlights of modern Athens: we pass by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Parliament House, the Academy the University of Athens, the National Library, we view the Panathenaic Stadium, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch. After our tour transfer to the Piraeus port for embarkation. Sailing time 5:00 pm
Saturday, March 29
Arrive at Thessaloniki port at 10:30 am, meet with your guide and enjoy your tour to Philippi, we drive by the Lion statue of Amphipolis (short stop for photos). Afterwards we continue to Philippi, the site where the apostle Paul came and worked, establishing a strong church. He later sent his Philippian letter to his congregation here. Of all the churches Paul founded, probably none was as near and dear to him as the church at Philippi (Acts 16:9-33). We see the river where Lydia is thought to have been baptized, the ruins of a Prison where Paul and Sylas had been kept, the Agora, 5th and 6th century Basilica and the Theater. Philippi was built by Philip I of Macedonia on the Via Egnatia, the Roman road which ran from Rome to Byzantium. Return to the cruise ship and overnight on board.
Sunday, March 30
Sightseeing tour of Thessaloniki with our first visit to the Archaeological Museum. Our tour continues with a drive to the upper part of the Old City Walls, where we have an excellent opportunity to take pictures. Our visit continues with a visit of the Citadel. From there, we go to St. Demetrius' Church with its early Byzantine mosaics, the Arch of Galerius and have the chance to stand on the famous Egnatia road and see the Rotunda. In Thessalonica, Paul visited the synagogue where he explained the prophecies of the Old Testament to Jews and Greeks for three Saturdays. According to the Book of the Acts, many Greeks believed and even many "Greek chief women" (Acts 17:1-4) were converted. Return to the cruise ship. Sailing time 2:00pm.
Monday, March 31
Arrive in Kusadasi at 9:00 am. Your private guide will meet you at Kusadasi port. We visit one of the main highlights in Turkey, Ephesus, one of the 12 cities of Ionian League (an ancient Greek district on the western coast of Asia Minor) is located near Izmir. Walk through history along marble streets lined with wonderful public buildings, among them The State Agora, Odeon, Memnius Monument, the Temple of Domitian, , Polio Fountain, Curetes Street, The Trajan Fountain, The Baths of Scholastica, Hadrian Temple, Latrina, Celcus Library, the gate of Mihridates and Mazues, Commercial Agora and The Grand Theater are two of the most impressive buildings in Ephesus. Grand theatre was built in 3rd century B.C and it was later expanded to 24.000 spectators by the Romans in the 1st century A.D. Visit Museum where Important and valuable artifacts from Ephesus & Terrace Houses are exhibited in recently renovated Ephesus Archeological Museum. We will stop at Artemis Temple where used to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world as our last stop before drive back to Kusadasi town center and port. Sailing time 10:00 pm.
Tuesday, April 1
Free Day at Sea!!
Wednesday, April 2
Cyprus - Tour Paphos (Tomb of the Kings, Villa of Theseus, Arch. Site of Nea Phaphos)
Thursday, April 3
Free Day at Sea!!
Friday, April 4
Rhodes ½ Day Lindos; Old City: Arrive in Rhodes at 8:00 am. Your private guide will meet you at the port. The tour commences with a one- hour scenic drive along the East Coast of the Island, which passes through different landscapes and many villages. At Lindos the ‘Jewel of the Island’ with the most attractive village on Rhodes. You will enjoy a guided visit to the Acropolis, which includes the Great Stoa, the Temple of Athena Lindia of the 4 th century BC, the ancient theatre and the few remains of the temple of Dionysus. The view from the rock of the Acropolis which rises shear 115m above the Sea is unique. The excursion continues through the picturesque medieval village, built amphitheatrically around the foot of the steep rock leading to the acropolis. The guests will see traditionally built white stone houses with their decorated pebble stone floors, many dating back to the 15 th and 16 th centuries, taking you back to another era. The final visit is to the 15 th century medieval church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, with its octagonal dome, unusual belfry, carved conostasis and 17 th century wall paintings (guiding inside the church is not allowed). The guests return to Rhodes, where they will disembark at the D’ Amboise Gate and on foot enter the Medieval City to visit the Grand Master’s Palace, the most imposing building of medieval Rhodes. The excursion continues down ‘The Street of the Knights,’ which, in spite of the restoration of its buildings. Sailing time 5:00 pm.
Saturday, April 5
½ Day Heraklion City Walk wiht a Local Treat Archanes Village - Arrive in Heraklion at 8:00 am. Your private guide will meet you at the port. Heraklion City, Crete’s capital, is an energetic modern destination with a historic heart. The city offers gorgeous open spaces, lively street markets, world-class museums and more. The charming old town is mostly pedestrianized, and it’s lovely to stroll along the waterfront past bobbing boats in the harbor to the imposing Venetian fortress of Koules. In the old town, Byzantine churches stand among neoclassical mansions and Turkish fountains, nodding to the city’s multicultural past. For a glimpse of Greece at its most bustling and vibrant, alongside ancient sites alive with the stuff of legend, nothing beats a city walk to Heraklion. Main sightseeing’s of the tour: open-air market, the the Venetian Loggia, the Church of St. Titus and the 25th August street which links the port, the Marina and the Castle of Koules with the heart of the city and a main open air market. We end up in Lion’s square where we taste ‘bougatsa’ cheese pie along with Greek coffee. The drive continues through rural villages to the village of Archanes, which is the municipality of the area. Arriving at the village of Archanes, which is situated 10km south of the Palace of Knossos, the quaint market town of Archanes has many restored sandstone houses dating from the Turkish period. It is a small vibrant village with meticulously restored old houses and pleasant squares a truly remarkable job has been done there. It is an agricultural town with a long history of 5000 years and important archaeological sites, while excavations conducted in the last 50 years have brought to light a lot of sites dating back to the Minoan period. Return to the cruise ship. Sailing time 5:00 pm.
Sunday, April 6
Today we depart for our morning tour out of Athens. Driving along the Saronic Gulf, we enjoy a quick photo stop at the historic Corinth Canal. Continue to Corinth archaeological site (Acts 18:1-18) where the Apostle Paul lived and worked, establishing a thriving church, subsequently sending two of his epistles, now part of the New Testament. Here, we see all of the sites associated with his ministry: the Agora, the Temple of Apollo, the Roman Odeon, the Bema and Gallio’s Seat. The small local archaeological museum is an absolute must! Worship with church of Christ in Athens. Overnight on board ship.
Saturday, April 7
Disembark Ship. Transfer to Athens airport for your departure flight home. Arrive in the United States same day.
