I want to personally invite you to join The Gospel Coalition, in partnership with Inspire Experiences, on a journey to the sites of the Seven Churches of Revelation—an experience designed to help us read Christ’s letters in the very places that first received them, across the historic heart of western Asia Minor.
We will move from Istanbul’s imperial crossroads to the cities named in Revelation—Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea—walking through the archaeological landscapes that shaped the world of the New Testament. Along the way, you will hear from special guests as we visit the biblical sites and settings referenced in Scripture. My hope is that this journey would be more than informational—that it would be deeply formative, helping Christ’s words land with fresh clarity, historical depth, and spiritual weight as we consider what faithful endurance looked like for the early church and what it means for us today.
- Mark Vroegop
Experience Highlights include:
Istanbul set-pieces: Topkapi Palace, Roman Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, Underground Cistern, Blue Mosque, and the Grand Covered Bazaar
Laodicea (Revelation 3:14–22) and the wider Pamukkale / Hierapolis landscape
Philadelphia (Alaşehir) and Sardis (Sart), including the Temple of Artemis and Temple of Cybele
Izmir (ancient Smyrna): the Agora and the Revelation 2:8–11 context
Ephesus (Acts 18:19–21) and the Basilica of St. John
Priene and Miletus
Thyatira (Akhisar) and Pergamum (Bergama), including the Acropolis and Asklepion
At a Glance:
8 Days, 7 Nights
Most meals Included
Tour Pace: Balanced (relaxed starts with some early mornings or late nights, 2-3 miles of walking per day, uneven walking surfaces, daily stair walking, moderate standing up to 2-3 hours a day)
Biblically literate. Historically informed. Spiritually engaged.
Upon arrival at Istanbul Airport, meet your local guide and begin your first look into the city’s imperial layers. Visit Topkapi Palace, once home to the Ottoman sultans, and continue to the Roman Hippodrome, where public life once gathered at scale. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, then check in to your hotel for dinner and overnight. Note: the order of sites on Days 1–2 may adjust based on your group’s arrival time.
Istanbul sets the historical frame for the world the early church navigated—empires, cultures, and competing claims of authority. This context helps you read Revelation’s call to faithfulness with greater clarity.
A Note on Flights:
When planning flights for this experience, please try to arrive by 1 pm on Tuesday, October 20th. If those flight times are unavailable, reach out to Inspire or submit a trip question.
Pre-night packages are available for guests wishing to arrive a day early.
Departures should take place from Izmir anytime on October 27th.
Experience the charm of Sura Hagia Sophia Hotel İstanbul, where stunning views of the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque greet you. Nestled in a prime location, it offers easy access to historic sites. Enjoy exquisite accommodations, a tranquil garden, and an on-site restaurant featuring delicious local dishes. Indulge in relaxation at the spa facilities for a complete getaway.
Arrival in Istanbul and meet your local guide
Visit Topkapi Palace
Visit the Roman Hippodrome
Included lunch at a local restaurant
Hotel check-in, dinner, and overnight in Istanbul
Today is devoted to Istanbul’s Byzantine and Ottoman treasures. After breakfast, continue exploring the city with visits to Hagia Sophia, the Underground Cistern, and the Blue Mosque, then conclude at the Grand Covered Bazaar. Lunch is included at a local restaurant, followed by dinner and overnight at the hotel.
In a city shaped by centuries of Christian and Islamic history, today’s sites remind us that the public square is never neutral. Revelation’s message calls the church to endurance, clarity, and worship that belongs to the Lord alone.
Visit Hagia Sophia
Visit the Underground Cistern
Visit the Blue Mosque
Visit the Grand Covered Bazaar
Included lunch at a local restaurant
Dinner and overnight at the hotel
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for an early morning flight to Denizli. On arrival, travel to Laodicea, one of the Seven Churches (Revelation 3:14–22), and walk the ancient remains—including the theater and the site’s water system. Continue to Hierapolis and Pamukkale—the “Cotton Castle” terraces and thermal pools—before checking in at your Pamukkale hotel for dinner and overnight.
Laodicea’s letter confronts spiritual complacency and self-sufficiency (Revelation 3:14–22). Standing here, you can better hear the urgency of Christ’s counsel and the hope of His invitation to fellowship.
Early morning domestic flight: Istanbul to Denizli
Visit Laodicea (Revelation 3:14–22)
Visit Hierapolis and Pamukkale (Cotton Castle terraces and thermal pools)
Included lunch at a local restaurant
Hotel check-in, dinner, and overnight in Pamukkale
After breakfast and hotel check-out, drive to Philadelphia (Alaşehir) to see the remains of the Byzantine basilica. Continue to Sardis (Sart) to visit the Temple of Artemis and the Temple of Cybele, then travel onward to Izmir—ancient Smyrna—where you will visit the Agora. Lunch is included en route. Check in for dinner and overnight in Izmir.
Philadelphia and Sardis receive very different words in Revelation—one encouraged to hold fast, the other warned to wake up. These cities press the question: What does faithful perseverance look like when comfort, compromise, or pressure rises?
Visit Philadelphia (Alaşehir) and the Byzantine basilica remains
Visit Sardis (Sart), including the Temple of Artemis and Temple of Cybele
Visit the Agora in ancient Smyrna (Izmir)
Included lunch en route
Hotel check-in, dinner, and overnight in Izmir
After breakfast, drive to Ephesus (Acts 18:19–21) to tour the spectacular ruins of this once-great city and visit the Basilica of St. John. Lunch is included at a local restaurant. Return to Izmir for dinner and overnight.
Ephesus is a major New Testament setting (Acts 18:19–21) and home to the church addressed in Revelation 2:1–7. Here, you will reflect on how orthodoxy and love must remain together—and how Christ calls His people back to their first love.
Visit Ephesus (Acts 18:19–21) and tour the ancient city ruins
Visit the Basilica of St. John
Included lunch at a local restaurant
Dinner and overnight in Izmir
Today you explore three significant sites along the Aegean coast: Priene and Miletus (noted in the itinerary as important in Paul’s ministry). Lunch is included en route. Return to Izmir for dinner and overnight.
These coastal cities sit within the wider landscape of the early church’s ministry and travel routes. They help anchor your reading of Scripture in real geography—roads, ports, temples, and public life where the gospel advanced.
Visit Priene
Visit Miletus
Lunch en route
Dinner and overnight in Izmir
After breakfast, travel to Thyatira (Akhisar), then continue to Pergamum (Bergama) to explore the Acropolis, the Asklepion, and the site referenced in Revelation’s “throne of Satan” language. Lunch is included en route. Return to Izmir for dinner and overnight.
Pergamum is addressed directly in Revelation 2:12–17, as a place where the church faced concentrated cultural pressure. This day sharpens the call to faithful witness—without compromise—when truth is costly.
Visit Thyatira (Akhisar)
Visit Pergamum (Bergama): Acropolis and Asklepion
Lunch en route
Dinner and overnight in Izmir
After breakfast and hotel check-out, transfer to the airport for your departure flight home.
Departure day is a final opportunity to gather what the Lord has impressed on you. The goal is not simply to have seen sites, but to return home with deeper confidence in Scripture and renewed readiness to live it.
Breakfast at the hotel
Hotel check-out
Airport transfer and departure
Experience the charm of Sura Hagia Sophia Hotel İstanbul, where stunning views of the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque greet you. Nestled in a prime location, it offers easy access to historic sites. Enjoy exquisite accommodations, a tranquil garden, and an on-site restaurant featuring delicious local dishes. Indulge in relaxation at the spa facilities for a complete getaway.
Hotel accommodations for 7 nights with daily buffet breakfast.
Daily Breakfast, and 7 Dinners
All transfers and touring as outlined, by deluxe motor-coach with air conditioning and Wi‑Fi. Plus, Inner-Turkey Flight from Istanbul to Denizli
Local, government-licensed, English-speaking, biblically focused guide
English-speaking escort/assistant/representative for arrival and departure transfers
Entrance admissions to archaeological sites, historical sites, and museums as outlined in the itinerary
Domestic flight from Istanbul to Denizli, including airport taxes, one checked bag up to 25 kg, and one carry-on up to 8 kg per person
Whisper/headsets during guided touring
Highway tolls, local taxes, and VAT
Hotel climate/resilience tax
On site and at your service and convenience, ensuring your experience is one of excellence
International airfare to Istanbul and from Izmir, including any airport/security taxes and fuel surcharges.
Drinks and beverages during included meals (unless explicitly stated).
Tips and gratuities to guides, drivers, escorts/assistants, and hotel/restaurant staff.
Personal expenses (e.g., laundry, shopping, minibar).
Passport validity (at least six months) and any required visa fees; travelers are responsible for ensuring document compliance.
Porterage at airports and hotels.
Medical/health/accident insurance and trip cancellation/baggage insurance.
Anything not specifically listed in the Inclusions section.
Prices are based on double occupancy. A limited number of single rooms may be available at an additional supplement. Inspire reserves the right to substitute hotels of equal or higher quality should the listed hotels become unavailable.
Initial Deposit: $500 of the tour cost due upon registration.
Final Payment: Due 120 days prior to departure.
Late payments may result in cancellation of your reservation.
Unless otherwise noted in your trip documents:
121+ days prior to departure: $250 dollars per person.
120–91 days prior: 25% of tour price.
90–61 days prior: 75% of tour price.
60 days prior: 100% of tour price.
Refunds are limited; travel protection is strongly recommended.
No additional Fees will be refunded associated with your booking will be refunded.
For programs including international flights: airline schedules are subject to change at any time. Inspire is not responsible for changes, delays, or cancellations beyond our control. Seat assignments and baggage fees are the traveler’s responsibility.
A Note on Flights:
When planning flights for this experience, please try to arrive by 1 pm on Tuesday, October 20th. If those flight times are unavailable, reach out to Inspire or submit a trip question.
Pre-night packages are available for guests wishing to arrive a day early.
Departures should take place from Izmir anytime on October 27th.
Porterage for one standard-sized suitcase per person is included. Additional baggage, oversize/overweight items, or carry-ons are the responsibility of the traveler and may incur extra charges.
All prices are in U.S. Dollars. Costs are based on rates in effect at the time of printing and are subject to change due to currency fluctuations, increases in supplier costs, taxes, or fees beyond Inspire’s control.
Inspire Experiences acts as principal for land arrangements and as an agent for airlines. Inspire does not own or operate the suppliers providing hotels, transportation, or other services and is not responsible for acts or omissions of these suppliers. Inspire is not liable for delays, loss, injury, or damage caused by strikes, government restrictions, natural disasters, disease, terrorism, or any event beyond our control.
A valid passport is required for international travel and must be valid for at least six months after return. Visas or vaccinations (if required) are the traveler’s responsibility.
Travelers with medical conditions, dietary needs, or mobility limitations must notify Inspire at the time of booking. Inspire will make reasonable efforts to accommodate but cannot guarantee all requests.
Travel insurance is strongly recommended to protect your investment. Policies should include trip cancellation, interruption, medical expenses, and baggage coverage.
Our mission is simple: we create experiences and resources that Inspire confidence in God’s Word. Every journey and learning moment is biblically literate (rooted in careful handling of Scripture), historically informed (framed by place, people, and context), and spiritually engaged (woven with worship, prayer, and reflection). Along the way we ask three shaping questions—Is it good? Is it true? Is it beautiful?—so that what we design forms head and heart in harmony.
Across town or across the ocean—wherever Scripture meets place. Cathedrals and quiet cloisters, university quads and world-class museums, windswept coasts and city squares. It’s a gallery at dusk, a chapel at first light, a library stack, or a picturesque countryside. In the U.S. and abroad, we design choreographed, five-star days where scripture unfolds—with after-hours access when it matters, scholar-led walk-throughs when it helps, and space for worship, prayer, and reflection.
