Turkey Pilgrimage 2027 for Korean Church Groups: Seven Churches, Paul, Cost

If your church is planning a Turkey pilgrimage, the most workable starting point is a 10-day route that joins the Seven Churches of Asia Minor, the road of St Paul and the Cappadocia rock churches. Our private pilgrimage tours start per person at $1,800 for 5 days, $2,050 for 7 days and $2,750 for 10 days (international flights not included), and for groups of 10 to 45 you send numbers and dates on WhatsApp and we reply with a written programme and group rates.

We are a TÜRSAB A-group licensed agency (no. 15751) that has run private tours from Istanbul since 2010, and in Turkey we act as ground operator for coaches, hotels and licensed guides. The standard guide is a licensed English-speaking biblical guide. A Korean-speaking guide is checked per date when you ask and confirmed in writing before you pay; if none is free on your dates we tell you first.

Turkey Pilgrimage Route: Seven Churches, Paul and Cappadocia in One Trip

Library of Celsus, Ephesus; 10-day pilgrimage from $2,750 per person

A Turkey pilgrimage route has four blocks: the Seven Churches and Ephesus in the west, the cities of Paul in the centre, the rock churches of Cappadocia, and Istanbul with Iznik. For a first church trip we recommend ten days with all four, and if time is short the west alone still covers the heart of the pilgrimage.

• Five days: the 5-day Seven Churches tour bases you four nights at Ephesus and Kusadasi, from $1,800.
• Seven days: the 7-day Seven Churches tour adds three nights in Istanbul and a Christian heritage tour, from $2,050.
• Ten days: the 10-day Istanbul, Cappadocia and Seven Churches pilgrimage adds Cappadocia, Konya and Pisidian Antioch, from $2,750.

These are per-person starting prices for a private tour, not group rates. Net group rates depend on numbers, hotel category and season, and we send them in writing within 24 hours. Other combinations are listed under Turkey packages.

The Seven Churches: What Is Left at Each Site

The Trajaneum at Pergamon; 5-day tour from $1,800 per person

First, expectations: of the seven churches, not one survives as a standing church building. What remains are ruins, columns and the text read where it was first addressed, so time for your pastor to read Revelation 2 and 3 on site is the core of the trip.

The gymnasium at Sardis

The colonnaded street at Laodicea

The seven churches lie within about 250 km of Izmir, so they take four full days by road. Thyatira and Philadelphia take under an hour each, Thyatira only 20 to 30 minutes. In high summer inland temperatures pass 35 C with almost no shade, so we put these sites in the morning.

St Paul's Missionary Journeys: The Road You Can Walk in Turkey

Cleopatra's Gate, Tarsus; St Paul pilgrimage on request

Much of Acts took place in what is now Turkey. These are the Pauline stops that can fit into a 10-day programme.

• Tarsus: Paul's hometown, with St Paul's Well and Cleopatra's Gate.
• Pisidian Antioch (Yalvac): the synagogue sermon of Acts 13, about 2.5 hours from Konya.
• Iconium (Konya): the city of Acts 14, now a large modern city with a museum.
• Ephesus: where Paul stayed long, and where many groups read Acts 19 at the Great Theatre.

The 14-day St Paul private pilgrimage, which adds Tarsus and Antioch (Antakya), is priced on request. Antakya was among the cities hit hardest by the February 2023 earthquakes, so before departure we check current access and decide with you whether it belongs in the programme.

Cappadocia Rock Churches and the Underground Cities

Frescoes in a Cappadocia rock church

The Cappadocia of 1 Peter 1:1 is where believers carved chapels out of the rock. The Goreme Open-Air Museum has small rock-cut churches with frescoes, and the Kaymakli underground city shows where people hid from persecution. Its passages are low and steep, so guests with bad knees or claustrophobia should spend that time at Goreme instead.

A rock-cut church facade in Cappadocia

Most rock churches are tiny, so 45 people cannot enter at once. The guide explains outside and pilgrims go in by turns. The hot-air balloon is optional and weather can cancel it. More programmes are listed under Cappadocia tours.

Istanbul and Iznik (Nicaea): Hagia Sophia, the Patriarchate, the Council of 325

The Byzantine Hagia Sophia in Iznik

Iznik is where the first Council of Nicaea met in 325, and from Istanbul it is a day trip of about 10 hours by private vehicle. It is not in the 10-day route, so it suits groups that add a day in Istanbul. The Patriarchate and the city's churches are covered in the Istanbul Christian heritage tour.

The Hagia Sophia mosaic

Hagia Sophia is now a working mosque. The upper gallery costs EUR 25 (checked October 2026), and the dress rule is shoulders and knees covered, a headscarf for women and shoes off. Programmes are listed under Istanbul private tours.

A 10-Day Pilgrimage Itinerary

The theatre of Hierapolis, with a night at Pamukkale

This is the basic order, and we adapt it to your dates and group size.

A statue of the Virgin Mary near Ephesus

The longest day is day 5, with many hours on the coach from Cappadocia through Konya and Yalvac to Pamukkale; Konya to Yalvac alone is about 2.5 hours. For older groups we recommend sleeping in Konya and splitting the drive.

Pilgrimage Cost: What Is Included and Excluded

Per person on a private tour, the cost is from $1,800 for 5 days, $2,050 for 7 days and $2,750 for 10 days. The won figures use about 1,335 won to the dollar on 30 October 2026 (ECB-based rate, frankfurter.dev); rates move daily, so treat them as a guide.

Included are hotel nights with breakfast in a middle-class hotel, lunch on touring days, a licensed biblical guide, private airport transfers, domestic flights, a private vehicle and the tickets on the programme. Not included are international flights, visa fees, travel insurance, personal expenses and optional tours.

What a Church Group Should Decide in Advance: Numbers, Vehicle, Hotels, Meals, Leaders, Prayer Time, Season

Start with numbers and vehicle: up to 14 people travel in a Sprinter, up to 27 in a 27-seat midibus and up to 45 in a 46-seat coach. One guide is assigned per coach.

Fix hotels and meals in route order. Half board is the norm, and a group of 40 is often split between two cave hotels of the same level; special menus are arranged from the name list.

Entry and flights: according to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (checked 1 November 2026), Korean passports enter visa-free for up to 90 days, and the passport must be valid 60 days beyond the stay (six months is safe). Incheon to Istanbul non-stop takes about 11.5 to 12.5 hours; check the airline timetable each season.

Leaders and prayer time: usually your pastor leads worship and Scripture reading at each site. We plan the stops around the readings you send in advance. If no Korean-speaking guide is free on your dates, decide before departure whether your leader will interpret the English guide or you will prepare Korean notes.

Season: April to June and mid-September to October are best, while in July and August Ephesus and Pamukkale pass 35 C. Easter 2027 is on 28 March, so Holy Week (21 to 28 March) is crowded. Book early around Seollal (6 to 9 February), early May and Chuseok. For Istanbul or Cappadocia extensions, tell us the days.

How to Request a Group Quote

Send these and the quote comes faster.

• Preferred departure date and a spare date
• Number of people (older guests, wheelchair users) and luggage
• Length (5, 7 or 10 days) and extras (Paul route, Cappadocia, Iznik)
• Hotel category and the Scripture your pastor will read

From your dates, numbers and cities we send a written programme and net group rates within 24 hours. A free place for the group leader is negotiated in the offer, which states from which group size it applies. Agencies can have the offer without our logo: see the agency page and ask for net rates. More options are under packages.

To book or ask, send the date, number of people and length on WhatsApp or through the contact form. You confirm the guide language and price in writing first, and only then pay.

Frequently Asked Questions