Turkey Trip 2026
March 20 to April 2, 2026
If you are arriving early to Turkey, consider these options:
— Hop On-Hop Off Bus Tour — LINK — https://www.viator.com/tours/Istanbul/Istanbul-Open-Top-Hop-on-Hop-off-Sightseeing-Bus/d585-428165P280
— Galata Tower — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xyjDWa1DkQ
— Walk the famous Istiklal Street — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M19nkubZac
— Walk down past the Galata Tower to the waterfront and catch a ferry to the Asian side of Istanbul (only a few dollars). While there, walk around the Karikoy area and have a meal.
Day 2 - Sunday, March 22
On Day 2 of our trip (the first day of touring) we will start after breakfast and take the bus (about 20 minutes) to the "horn" of Istanbul where many of the famous sites can be found.
Today we will see the Blue Mosque, the Haghia Sophia Cathedral, the Roman Basilica Cistern, and the Spice Bazaar.
To prepare you may want to watch any or all of these videos(They are very short):
Spice Bazaar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_bhNSrEnWo
Basilica Cistern: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLXUwHXfhaw. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih0wI08vIBE
Day 3 - Monday, March 23
On Day 3 of our trip we have a second full day in Istanbul. We have three major plans: the Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, and a Cruise on the Bosphorus.
Topkapi Palace was the home of the sultans for centuries. You can watch this video to learn more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz5nIRAoq2I
The Grand Bazaar is the famous “mall” shopping under roof that has been around for a thousand years. Grand Bazaar:
Lastly, we will spend several hours on a boat in the Bosphorus and our guide, Sinan, will take the mic and describe what you are seeing from the boat, while you sit and sip some coffee or tea. Here is a short video on a Bosphorus Cruise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvwZUEVnn-M&t=245s
Day 4 - Tuesday, March 24
Day 4 of our trip is the first time that we will have to pack up and load the bus as we will be traveling south to a different hotel today.
But first, we will make two stops in Istanbul — the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent and the Chora Church. Both of these are quite interesting but, for Christians, the Chora Church is one of the most important sites of Istanbul.
You can learn about the Suleiman mosque here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCv6jaMzB-I
And the Chora Church here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APTVt8icFe8&t=379s
Day 5 - Wednesday, March 25
Day 5 of our trip includes stops at Troy, Troas, Pergamum & Izmir (Smyrna). Two of these (Pergamum and Smyrna) are some of the seven churches of the Revelation and one (Pergamum), in my opinion, is one of the most impressive sites you will see on this trip.
Troas (Troy) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVVdQ_pDyDE
Pergamum — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnUWxPLUsSU
Smyrna — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpN5Rh2SICE
Day 6 - Thursday, March 26
On Day 6 we travel about an hour from Izmir to Ephesus for a full day in this ancient city. At the end of the day we will drive back to Izmir and stay in the same hotel where we stayed the previous night. This saves us packing up every day.
For many people, this day is a FAVORITE as we spend much of a day visiting a place where the Apostle Paul lived for three years. Some of the places mentioned in Acts about the Apostle Paul — you will see. It is amazing! This is certainly one of the top Biblical and archeological sites in all the world!
To help prepare you, here are a couple videos that you might want to watch:
-- Ephesus as it would have looked like in Paul’s time:
-- Christian History in Ephesus:
By the way, before driving back to Izmir, we will stop at a leather factory which sells amazing leather goods -- particularly jackets. This is quite an entertaining stop (as you’ll see) and also a great opportunity to purchase some amazing Turkish products. But please don’t feel pressured to buy. Just have fun!
Day 7 - Friday, March 27
Today (Day 7) we leave the area of Izmir and travel to Sardis (one of the churches of the Revelation), and then on to Hieropolis (called Pamukkale in modern Turkey). Total driving time will be about 2 hours. And we will spend the night in Pamukkale.
This is a good place to try a Turkish bath!
To learn about these places, here are two short videos:
-- Sardis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0yEFzdlB_0
-- Hieropolis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JOBXsygKLo
Day 8 - Saturday, March 28
On Day 8 we leave Pamukkale and make about four stops until we arrive in Konya where we will spend the night.
We will start with a very short drive to my personal favorite spot (I’ll explain when we get there) — Laodicea (Video)
Then a drive of about three hours to Psidia Antioch.
After a short stop, we have another two hour drive to Lystra.
Finally, we have an hour drive to Iconium ( Today called Konya ).
These last three stops (Psidia Antioch, Lystra and Iconium) were places where Paul ministered during his missionary journeys. So we are following the Book of the Acts of the Apostles.
Day 9 - Sunday, March 29
On March 29, Day 9, we will leave by 8 a.m. to travel to Cappadocia. It will be about a three hour drive with a stop at Sultan Han. VIDEO
From there we visit Kaymaklı Underground city which you can learn about here. VIDEO
Among some other short visits today, we will enter the House of Adnan, a man and his family who live in a chiseled rock cave. You will visit in their home! It is quite fascinating!
Finally we arrive at our hotel for a good dinner and early to bed since the next morning is our hot air balloon ride and we must get up early!
Day 10 - Monday, March 30
We meet this Sunday, March 8 at 12:30 p.m. at ECC for our departure meeting. I will give you several items for the trip and also some important information on travel. For those that cannot attend in person, a video link will be provided a few days following the meeting.
Since our trip is more than two weeks away, I am assuming that what is happening in Iran will not affect us. But I will keep you updated.
March 30, Day 10, is a big day! If you haven't done a Hot Air Balloon ride before, this will be quite an experience. We will need to meet in the hotel lobby VERY early (4:30 a.m.?) and several vans will take us to the launch site. From there we board the baskets and take flight over Cappadocia. Have your cameras ready! (By the way, as I said at the first meeting, bad weather could keep us from flying but we have another day for the opportunity. Hopefully, one of these will work.)
Two reminders:
-- This will cost $250 per person, or more and you can use a credit card to pay for this.
-- Also, If you choose NOT to do the hot air balloon ride, you can sleep in this morning!
After our flight, we go back to the hotel (about 8 a.m.?) and clean up and have breakfast before heading out for our day.
There are two major stops today:
-- Goreme Open Air Museum -- VIDEO
-- Zelve Open Air Museum -- VIDEO