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Price Per person double occupancy
| Dates | Land Only No Transfers |
Early Reservation Discount (6 Mo. Adv.) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | ||
| June 4-18 October 22-November 5 |
$4,799 | $4,699 |
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Single Supplement: 2025: $1,700* (INSIDE CABIN), $1,800 (OUTSIDE CABIN) *SINGLE CRUISE CABINS ARE LIMITED AND SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY. A $200 DISCOUNT IS AVAILABLE TO SINGLE PASSENGERS WHO ARE WILLING TO SHARE A CRUISE CABIN. |
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Category Prices - Cruise Ship Info
Shore Excursion Info - Click Here
Price Includes: Land Portion – 10 nights first class (4 Star) lodging, breakfast and dinner daily, modern transportation, sightseeing as listed.
Cruise Portion – 3 nights Inside cabin (category IA), 3 port tours (Patmos, Ephesus, & Crete), onboard gratuities, non-alcoholic beverage package, all meals.
Not Included: Airfare, 10 lunches, travel/cancellation insurance, gratuities to guides & drivers.
Cruise Portion - Port taxes & service charges. ($180 will be added to your final invoice to prepay this cruise charge).
Flight Departures - Special fares are available nationwide including transfers. (transfers not included unless airfare is purchased from Pilgrim Tours)
Airport transfers are included only when airfare is purchased from Pilgrim Tours. Taxi service is available for those purchasing their airfare elsewhere.
Deposit Required: A $500 per person US Dollar deposit (which includes a $100 non-refundable service fee) is required to secure a reservation.
Day 1: Departure from US
Today we embark on our journey to the lands of ancient treasures and Christian history with an overnight flight to Athens. Prepare yourself for a life-changing experience. Get some rest on the flight…Tomorrow you will be walking where the apostles walked!
Day 2: Arrive Athens
We arrive in Athens and check into our hotel. You will have the remainder of the day free to relax or take a stroll along the streets of Athens to enjoy the flavor of the city. This evening our group will enjoy the first of many delectable European style dinners.
Day 3: Cruising Mykonos
We sail this morning from Athens to the quaint isle of Mykonos, called the island of windmills. Experience the waterfront lined with shops and cafes and then stroll the charming walkways through a maze of whitewashed buildings before returning to the ship for dinner and evening entertainment.
Day 4: Ephesus and Patmos
Docking in Turkey, enjoy a tour of Ephesus, the city of the Bible and one of the largest restorations still in progress with miles of ancient treasures. Ephesus was once a thriving port town of 250,000 people. Today you can still see the spectacular excavations of the major streets in this ancient city including the Agora, the Odeon, the Library, the marble-paved main Street, the Baths, Trajan’s Fountain, the Residences of the Patricians, the Prytaneum, and Temple of Hadrian. The Great Theatre, built in the 4th century B.C., could accommodate 24,000 spectators and it is famous even nowadays for its acoustics. This afternoon we visit the Isle of Patmos, under statutory protection as a historic monument. Here we have a tour to see the fortified monastery of St. John and the cave claimed to be where John received the Revelation. Back on the ship, enjoy dinner before returning to your cabin for the night.
Day 5: Crete and Santorini
Crete is the largest and the most rugged of the Greek islands. Take a tour to Heraklion and the fantastic ruins of the Palace of Knossos. Discovered in 1899 and partially reconstructed, the elaborate Palace is believed to be the mythical Labyrinth of King Minos and the seat of ancient Minoan culture. This afternoon visit the island of Santorini which is perhaps the most breathtaking of all the Greek Islands. You may choose to take an optional panoramic bus tour viewing some of the most spectacular scenery of the Aegean. Travel through countless villages and settlements with delicate architecture and beauties eventually arriving in Oia. During your time in Oia, visit the many narrow streets, open-air cafes and glittering boutiques. Upon returning to the ship, we view the lace-like caldera, the little islands of Thirasia, Palea, & Nea Kameni. We arrive at the ship for dinner and evening entertainment.
Day 6: Disembark Cruise – Ancient Corinth & Cenchreae
We disembark the cruise this morning and travel west with a rest stop and photos at the Corinth Canal. Next, we visit ancient Corinth, the city that inspired many of Paul's most familiar letters and is a highlight for the New Testament scholar. See the Archaeological Museum, the Market Place, the Bema, and the Temples. To enjoy a devotional in the midst of the ruins of the church of Corinth and see the pillars, steps, and public worship place where Paul preached will enhance your understanding and love for the Bible. The ruins of this important cultural center are fascinating as we walk along the stone path that the Apostle Paul walked. The engineering skill and intellect of these people are evident in the water systems that still flow from ancient to modern day. Our guide will be sure to show you the room dedicated to the medical care of that period. We travel on to the top of the nearby Acropolis where our guide will speak on the worship practices and point out the bird’s eye view of what was a bustling city of around 800,000 during Paul’s stay. Another important stop is a visit to Diolkos where we view the paved trackway which enabled boats to be moved overland across the Isthmus of Corinth and served as a life line for Corinth. This shortcut allowed ancient vessels to avoid the long and dangerous circumnavigation of the Peloponnese peninsula. Before returning to Athens, we will visit Cenchreae, the ancient port region of Corinth. Acts 18:18 states the Apostle Paul stopped at Cenchreae during his second missionary journey, where he had his hair cut to fulfill a vow.
Day 7: Athens
Following breakfast this morning we tour Athens, the foundation of democracy. We visit the Acropolis, the Parthenon, and Erectheum before viewing Athens atop Mars Hill where Paul stood and preached the truth to the Gentile nation. From atop Mars Hill we view the Agora below, the ancient marketplace and center of Athenian public life. Additional sites viewed during our panoramic bus tour are, the House of Parliament, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Olympic Stadium, and Presidential Palace. An option later this afternoon is a visit to the famous Plaka with a multitude of shops and cafes.
Day 8: Travel to Munich
This morning we fly from Athens to Munich. We arrive in Munich this morning and enjoy an orientation city tour of Munich this afternoon. Our sightseeing begins with a driving tour of Munich including outside views of the Olympic Stadium, Pinakotheken art museums, Royal Palace (Residenz), National Theater, and the world famous Hofbräuhaus. Time permitting, take a walking tour of the Marienplatz which lies at the heart of the Alstadt in the city center. These lively, attractive square houses the Gothic New Town hall (Neue Rathaus) with its famous Glockenspiel and the Old Town Hall. We transfer to our Munich hotel for our dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Neuschwanstein Castle, Oberammergau
This morning we head south to explore the Bavarian countryside with our first stop at the fairy-tale castle, Neuschwanstein Castle. We take a guided tour of Ludwig II's most luxurious former residence where the interior styles range from Byzantine to Romanesque to Gothic. This castle, built between 1869 and 1886, has a most impressive view with the Alpsee Lake below and the Alps towering above. We continue to the Pilgrimage Church of Wies to visit this oval Rococo style church which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. From here we continue to the delightful village of Oberammergau which has been the home of the Passion Play performance since 1680. We return to Munich later this afternoon and enjoy our dinner and overnight.
Day 10: Augsburg, Rothenberg
This morning we travel north to the ancient city of Augsburg, the place where the Augsburg Confession was presented. Our morning drive will allow for time to rehearse this important document and digest the tremendous meaning it has as the basis for much of our doctrine today. It was also here in 1518 at St. Anne's Church that Luther met the papal legate, Cardinal Cajetan, who demanded that Luther submit to the pope. Augsburg was also the site of another Imperial Diet (1530). This afternoon we travel the panoramic "Romantic Road" and visit the best preserved medieval town in all of Europe, Rothenberg ob der Tauber. We see the quaint Rathaus (town hall) with its impressive tower and have free time for coffee and shopping in the many delightful shops. You may choose to visit on your own the Kriminal-museum, housing all manner of Medieval instruments of torture. Overnight in Rothenberg.
Day 11: Heidelberg, Worms, Mainz
This morning we travel to one of the most charming cities in all of the world - Heidelberg, ancient capital of the Palatinate and home of Germany's oldest university. But most importantly, it was a stronghold of German Reformed Protestants beginning in 1560. One of the great confessional statements of the Reformation, the Heidelberg Catechism was produced here in 1563. We tour Heidelberg Castle, a most impressive historic landmark of Germany that stands majestically overlooking the Neckar River. The structure, now largely in ruins, preserves numerous examples of Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque German architecture. Our next stop is in Worms. It was here, during the Imperial Diet in 1521, that Martin Luther challenged the entire Roman Catholic establishment by his refusal to recant the great doctrines of Protestantism. It was also here that William Tyndale completed the printing of his English version of the New Testament in 1525 which he had begun in Cologne. After seeing St. Peter's Church and the symbolic Luther memorial near the town square, we transfer to Mainz. In Mainz we view the Gutenberg Monument and then visit the Gutenberg Museum to learn about printing from the moveable metal type and see a Gutenberg Bible. We overnight in Frankfurt.
Day 12: Eisenach & Wartburg Castle
This morning we depart Mainz and drive to Eisenach, the birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach and the childhood home of Martin Luther. Luther recognized that his failure to recant at the Diet of Worms (April, 1521) had put him in very serious danger. For this reason, after his defiant confession of faith before the emperor, he was rushed back to Wittenberg by coach. On the way back, he was overtaken by a group of Frederick the Wise’s guards disguised as highwaymen. They escorted the Reformer back to Wartburg Castle where he would remain for the next ten months. Wartburg Castle was a hunting castle that belonged to the ducal family of Saxony. To the present day, it lies in the Thuringian forest in north-central Germany. It was here at the formidable Wartburg Castle that Luther, under "house arrest", translated the New Testament into the German language in 1523. We visit the castle and see where Luther spent his time. We end out day in Erfurt where we enjoy our dinner and overnight.
Day 13: Erfurt, Eisleben
This morning we spend time in Erfurt where Luther attended the university. A highlight will be the Augustinian Monastery where he spent his early years as a monk. Leaving Erfurt we visit Eisleben which is noted among the most significant in Luther's history; he was born here in 1483 and died here in 1546 and old manuscripts indicate that he felt a special affinity to Eisleben. We will see the house of his birth and death, St. Andrews Church where he preached his last sermon, the Luther Monument, and St. Anne's Church with the famous Biblical scenes hewn in stone and many other sites. We continue to Wittenberg for dinner and overnight.
Day 14: Wittenberg, Berlin
We continue the Reformation Trail today with a visit to Wittenberg where Martin Luther lived and taught for 36 years. You will see the Castle Church door where Luther posted his 95 Theses, giving birth to the Reformation and the Town Church where he preached. We see the Luther House which is the greatest museum of Reformation History in the world. This afternoon we transfer to Berlin for a short tour of the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, and Checkpoint Charlie. Overnight in Berlin.
Day 15: Departure
We transfer to the airport for our flight home.
*The tour itinerary is subject to change or be slightly modified in order to best meet the interests of the group.