Ephesus
Heritage of the seven cities
The ruins of Ephesus are a key stop on the journey through the cities mentioned in Revelation.
Seven Churches of Revelation and Nicaea
8 Days | 7 Nights
Availability: 21 expressly listed arrivals: 11 April–12 October 2027; minimum 6 for operation; confirm the allocation of overnight stays
Istanbul
Istanbul
Overview
Discover the Seven Churches of Revelation and Nicaea on an 8-day, 7-night journey through Turkey. The route brings together Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamon, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea, as well as Pamukkale, Hierapolis and ancient Nicaea, now Iznik.
The tour starts and ends in Istanbul, with two free days in the city and Spanish-speaking guided visits during the historical section. Seven breakfasts, three dinners, transfers and the specified admission fees are included. The visit to Nicaea sets this itinerary apart.
2027 edition: 21 expressly listed arrivals between 11 April and 12 October 2027. Scheduled tour subject to a minimum of six participants. See the full calendar and the qualifications regarding the allocation of nights and overnight locations in the pricing section. No place, daily departure or operation in 2028 is guaranteed.
Travel route
Western Turkey, the seven biblical cities and Nicaea.
Route: Istanbul → Thyatira → Pergamon → Izmir → Sardis → Philadelphia → Laodicea → Pamukkale → Ephesus → Kusadasi → Nicaea → Istanbul.
- Solid blue line: overland journeys
- Gold markers: overnight cities
Memphis Turismo editorial map. Natural Earth base map, public domain. Illustrative route; roads are not shown to scale.
Christian history and Turkey’s landscapes
Istanbul
An encounter with history
Free days allow you to choose how to explore Istanbul and its monuments; city excursions are optional.
Pamukkale
Landscape and archaeology
Pamukkale’s white terraces and the remains of Hierapolis are part of the guided route.
Photographs: Austrian Archaeological Institute — Ephesus / Wikimedia Commons, CC0; Tim Oun — Pamukkale / Unsplash, Unsplash license; Fatih Yürür — Istanbul / Unsplash, Unsplash license. Illustrative images of the destinations.
Who we recommend it for
Travelers wishing to focus on the seven cities and add Nicaea to their historical and religious experience.
- History and archaeology
- Christian heritage
- Guided cultural visits
- Overland tour with hotel changes
Trip pace: long travel days and walks through archaeological sites, with steps and uneven surfaces. Please disclose mobility requirements before booking. Religious accompaniment, services and Masses are not included services.
What's included
- 7 planned nights: four in Istanbul with breakfast, one in Izmir, one in Pamukkale and one in Kusadasi with half board. Reference rates are for double occupancy; other room arrangements on request. The allocation and actual overnight location are subject to the stated arrival-date and seasonal qualifications.
- 7 breakfasts and three dinners, as detailed in the daily itinerary.
- Arrival and departure transfers with regular assistance, according to the confirmed programme.
- Spanish-speaking guide on included visits.
- Air-conditioned overland transportation.
- Visits and admission fees expressly specified in the itinerary.
- Tips at hotels and restaurants.
What's not included
- International flights and airport taxes.
- Lunches, drinks and meals not expressly included.
- Optional excursions, personal expenses, travel insurance and medical expenses.
- Travel documents and entry requirements applicable to the traveler.
- Mandatory land services and hotel fee: USD 50 per person, payable in cash to the guide on arrival.
- Tips for the guide and driver.
Frequently asked questions
Are the seven churches functioning places of worship?
The name refers to the Christian communities of the seven cities mentioned in Revelation. The journey visits archaeological sites, remains and places associated with this history; these are not seven present-day churches with scheduled religious services.
What sets this itinerary apart?
The visit to Nicaea, now Iznik, alongside Ephesus and the Basilica of St. John, on an eight-day route.
When can I travel?
There are 21 listed arrivals in 2027: April 11/12/13; May 09/10/11; June 13/14/15; July 11/12/13; August 08/09/10; September 12/13/14; October 10/11/12. The operating window ends on 31 October, with no additional arrival on that date. The minimum for operation is six participants, distinct from the commercial reference for 2–5 people on the same booking. The allocation of days and nights, hotels, tour group formation and availability must be confirmed before booking; there is no extension to 2028.
Is the domestic flight included?
This is an overland itinerary and does not require a domestic flight. International flights are booked separately.
Which fees are paid at the destination?
USD 50 per person, payable in cash to the guide on arrival, for land services and hotels. This is a separate obligation outside the package base price and discounts, with no duplicate charge. The quotation will itemise the package cost and the local payment.
Are the hotels guaranteed?
Hotels in the 2027–28 edition are planned properties or similar. Category B includes 4★/5★ options in Istanbul; category D includes 5★ options in that city. Star ratings are not uniform throughout the itinerary. The source contains a note about operation in Izmir from May to September that must be reconciled with the night indicated in Kusadasi. Properties, actual arrangements and room or accessibility requirements are reconfirmed in the quotation.
Are excursions in Istanbul included?
No. The Bosphorus tour with Fener and Balat and the city tour are optional and booked separately. Only the description of the optional city tour includes lunch; lunch on the Bosphorus tour is not assumed. Passenger prices and availability require a quotation.
Curated by Memphis
Content reviewed on . Prices, availability and services are reconfirmed when a quotation is prepared.
Documentary reconciliation of the Latitude 2027–28 edition on , limited to this programme’s own 2027 calendar. This does not confirm availability or operation for an individual booking.
Itinerary
The reference programme has 8 days and 7 nights, with four nights in Istanbul. The list includes Sunday, Monday and Tuesday arrivals, while the day-by-day itinerary schedules departure inland on Wednesday and the return to the airport on Sunday. For each arrival, the allocation of days and nights must be confirmed before booking; no shortening, extension or extra accommodation is assumed to be included. The source also indicates operation in Izmir between May and September, although the itinerary and allocation of nights indicate one night in Kusadasi. The actual overnight city and sequence will be confirmed in the quotation; no change of city or additional night is assumed.
Day 1 Arrival in Istanbul
Airport welcome and assisted transfer to the hotel. Free time after settling in.
Meals: not included. Overnight: Istanbul.
Day 2 Istanbul: free day
Free day to explore the city. Optional full-day excursion with lunch, visiting Topkapi Palace and Hagia Irene, the exterior of Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome and the Grand Bazaar. This excursion is booked separately.
Meals: breakfast. Overnight: Istanbul.
Day 3 Istanbul: free day
Day at leisure. Optional full-day Bosphorus tour, including the Spice Bazaar, a regular boat cruise, Fener and Balat, the exterior of St Stephen’s Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Lunch is not indicated as included in the optional Bosphorus tour; confirm the services booked.
Meals: breakfast. Overnight: Istanbul.
Day 4 Istanbul → Thyatira → Pergamon → Izmir
Departure for Akhisar, ancient Thyatira, and a visit to the remains of a basilica. In Pergamon, visit the Acropolis, with its theater and the remains of temples and the altar, followed by the Red Basilica. Continue to Izmir, ancient Smyrna.
Meals: breakfast and dinner. Overnight: Izmir.
Day 5 Izmir → Sardis → Philadelphia → Laodicea → Pamukkale
Visit the Agora of Smyrna and depart for Sardis, with the remains of the Temple of Artemis, gymnasium and synagogue. Continue to Philadelphia for the remains of St. John’s Church and to the ruins of Laodicea. Arrival in Pamukkale.
Meals: breakfast and dinner. Overnight: Pamukkale.
Day 6 Pamukkale → Hierapolis → Ephesus → Kusadasi
Visit Pamukkale’s travertine terraces and the ancient city of Hierapolis. Continue to Ephesus, with the Library of Celsus and the Great Theater, and to the Basilica of St. John. Transfer to the hotel in Kusadasi.
Meals: breakfast and dinner. Overnight: Kusadasi.
Day 7 Kusadasi → Nicaea (Iznik) → Istanbul
Travel to Iznik, ancient Nicaea, associated with the councils of Christian history. Visit the former Hagia Sophia of Iznik and spend time by the lake. Continue to Istanbul.
Meals: breakfast. Overnight: Istanbul.
Day 8 Departure from Istanbul
At the arranged time, assisted transfer to the airport for your departing flight. End of services.
Meals: breakfast. Overnight: not included.
Prices and hotels
Black November: 10% OFF. The package prices in this table already include the campaign discount once, for bookings confirmed by 30 November 2026. This deadline does not extend fare validity or define travel dates. Optional activities, taxes and third-party fees are quoted separately.
Reference prices — listed arrivals in 2027
The documentary source states the base rates in USD per person. The amounts shown below follow the selected currency and the discounts identified on the page.
Memphis double-occupancy references for 2–5 paying travellers on the same booking. The number of people on a booking is distinct from the minimum of six participants required to operate the scheduled tour. Places, tour group formation, accommodation and application of the rate depend on confirmation. Categories are alternatives, not amounts to be added together.
Land prices in a double room
| Accommodation category | Booking | Price per person in a double room |
|---|---|---|
| B — Istanbul 4★/5★ | 2–5 paying travellers; tour minimum 6 | USD 1,461.00 |
| D — Istanbul 5★ | 2–5 paying travellers; tour minimum 6 | USD 1,671.00 |
Single accommodation, supplements, triple rooms, children, bookings of six or more paying travellers and extra nights require a specific quotation. No retail rate for these alternatives is included in this table; supplier NET rates are not selling prices for passengers.
Expressly listed arrivals in 2027
- April: 11, 12, 13.
- May: 09, 10, 11.
- June: 13, 14, 15.
- July: 11, 12, 13.
- August: 08, 09, 10.
- September: 12, 13, 14.
- October: 10, 11, 12.
The rate matrix covers 1 April to 31 October 2027, and the stated operating window runs from 11 April to 31 October 2027. Only the 21 arrivals above are expressly listed; the last is 12 October 2027. The 31 October limit is not an additional departure and does not guarantee daily operation. This programme is not extended to 2028.
The reference programme has 8 days and 7 nights, with four nights in Istanbul. The list includes Sunday, Monday and Tuesday arrivals, while the day-by-day itinerary schedules departure inland on Wednesday and the return to the airport on Sunday. For each arrival, the allocation of days and nights must be confirmed before booking; no shortening, extension or extra accommodation is assumed to be included.
The 11 October 2026 arrival and its previous edition remain solely as a dated historical reference, with no automatic application of the 2027 conditions.
Mandatory local payment and optional tours
In addition to the package, USD 50 per person is mandatory for land services and hotel taxes, payable in cash to the guide on arrival in Türkiye. This local payment is outside the package base price and discounts and must not be charged again by the agency. Before discounts, the package reference plus this obligation totals USD 1,673.33 in category B or USD 1,906.67 in category D, with separate payments. The quotation will itemise the package after applicable discounts and the local payment of USD 50.
Full-day tours in Istanbul are optional: the Bosphorus with Fener and Balat, and the city tour with lunch. Lunch is expressly associated with the optional city tour, not with the Bosphorus tour. Passenger selling prices, availability, extra nights and other supplements will be provided in the quotation; the supplier’s agency-sales and direct destination-sales columns are neither commission nor new Memphis rates. Drinks and tips for the guide and driver remain separate.
Planned hotels
Planned hotels or similar from the Latitude 2027–28 edition, with star ratings attributed by the source. Categories B and D distinguish accommodation in Istanbul; they do not represent uniform star ratings throughout the tour. The other cities use the shared list. The final property depends on confirmation, with substitution by a hotel of the same standard permitted.
| City and nights | Accommodation category | Planned hotels or similar |
|---|---|---|
| Istanbul — 4 nights | Category B — Istanbul 4★/5★ | Golden Age — 4★; Revia Square Taksim 4★; Riva Hotel 4★; Ring Stone Taksim 4★; Crowne Plaza Harbiye 5★ |
| Istanbul — 4 nights | Category D — Istanbul 5★ | Barceló Istanbul — listed as Barceló Taksim 5★ in the source; Radisson Blu Pera 5★; Dosso Dossi Downtown 5★; Point Taksim 5★; Elite World Taksim 5★; The Marmara Taksim 5★ |
| Izmir — 1 night | Both combinations | Kaya Izmir Thermal — 5★; Hilton Garden Inn Bayrakli 4★; Ramada Plaza By Wyndham 4★; Double Tree By Hilton Konak 4★; Blanca Hotel 4★; Kaya Prestige 4★; Hilton Canopy 5★ |
| Pamukkale — 1 night | Both combinations | Adempira — 5★ Colossae Thermal & Spa — 5★; Hierapark 5★; Richmond Thermal Hotel 5★; Lycus River Thermal Hotel 5★; Tripdis Hotel, with no star rating specified in the list |
| Kusadasi — 1 night | Both combinations | Faustina — 4★ Korumar — 5★; Grand Belish Beach Resort 5★; Richmond Ephesus Resort 5★; Ada Newday Resort Hotel 4★; Elite World 5★; Qlusive Hotel 5★ |
Hotels cannot be selected individually within the tour rate. Rooms, beds and additional services are subject to confirmation.
The source also indicates operation in Izmir between May and September, although the itinerary and allocation of nights indicate one night in Kusadasi. The actual overnight city and sequence will be confirmed in the quotation; no change of city or additional night is assumed.
Important conditions
- Prices subject to availability and reconfirmation when the quotation is prepared.
- International payments through Wise: full upfront payment with a 3% discount on the package, excluding fees, cumulative with applicable promotions through successive discounts; OR a 25% deposit at purchase and the remaining balance up to 40 days before travel.
- For bookings made 40 days or less before travel, full payment is required on confirmation.
- Closures, public holidays and local conditions may change the order of visits.
- Changes and cancellations follow the conditions formalised in the booking contract.