Excursions
The Annual Meeting program is focussed around two professionally guided excursions that are complemented by plenary sessions about the 1st and 21st Century context of Greece. The in-program excursions are covered by the Annual Meeting registration fee.
For those who have booked, the optional 3-day tour of Northern Greece departs at 5:00pm in Friday, 28 April.
All the itineraries are detailed below.
Annual Meeting Excursions
Despite being the first European territory to become a mission field for the Gospel, Greece never became the focus of Christian pilgrimage and was largely spared the typical icons of Bible land sites. Consequently, the Greece of today offers the opportunity literally to see and touch the authentic locations of New Testament events; to gather insights into an environment that saw the Gospel translated across cultural boundaries.
Tour Practicalities
- All participants will be allocated to a tour group which will be printed on your lanyard badge.
- You will be given a headset tuned to your group's tour guide. You retain the headset for both tours.
- We recommend that you bring suitable walking shoes or boots for both excursions.
- You can find the weather forecast for Athens on this site.
- The tour operators will be provided with your cell phone number in case of emergency.
Departing the Royal Olympic Hotel at 8:15am, you will walk the short distance to the Acropolis (600m).
Beginning at the foot of the Acropolis Hill you will climb to the famous Parthenon and the Erechteion temple.
You will continue to the nearby Mars Hill (Areopagus) where the Apostle Paul gave his sermon about the ‘unknown God’ and proclaimed the Gospel as recorded in Acts 17.
From the site you will see the Athenian Agora with the Temple of Hephaestus and the Stoa of Attalus, the center of the ancient city, where the Apostle Paul debated with the Epicurean and the Stoic philosophers. This is the place where democracy was born and the term Ecclesia (Church) was first used.
You will return to the Royal Olympic Hotel in time for a late lunch.
Accessibility
Visiting the Acropolis and Mars Hill involves climbing many steps. If you are not able to do this, you will be able to still hear the guide commentary via a headset, and there are places to wait at the foot of the hill and part way up.
Departing the Royal Olympic Hotel promptly at 7:45am, you will travel by coach to Corinth.
The first stop after leaving Athens at about 9:00am is the Corinth Canal cut on the Isthmus of Corinth. The tour continues to see the Diolkos, an ancient road where boats were hauled across the Isthmus.
After that, the tour arrives at the archeological site of Corinth depicted in Acts 18:1-18 and where Paul worked as a tentmaker. You will visit the Roman Forum with the Bema (or Judgment Seat) of Gallio, the temple of Apollo, the fountains and the Roman latrines, as well as the Erastus inscription. Erastus was the aedile or economos (treasurer) of the city and a co-worker of Paul mentioned in Romans 16:23.
A boxed lunch will be provided. You return to the Royal Olympic Hotel around 5:00pm in time for late afternoon refreshment with free time for networking prior to and after our closing dinner.
3-Day Optional Tour of Northern Greece: 28 April – 1 May
Departure from the Royal Olympic Hotel to Athens airport is at 5:00pm on 28 April. See full itinerary below.
Final payment for the tour is due by 15 March 2023.
Tour Practicalities
- The baggage allowance for your flight is 1x23kg checked baggage and 1x8kg carry on.
- You will retain the headset you were given for the Annual Meeting excursions for use throughout the tour.
- The tour operators will be provided with your cell phone number in case of emergency.
The cost per person is €700 with a €130 single room supplement.
Included in the cost are:
- 3 half-board nights in a 4 star hotel (Thessaloniki 2n, Kalampaka 1n)
- All transfers (return transfer is to Athens airport or Royal Olympic Hotel)
- Single economy flight from Athens to Thessaloniki
- Professional Christian guide
- All entrance fees
- All taxes
Not included in the cost are:
- Dinner on 28 April (due to late arrival)
- Lunches
- Accommodation on the night of 1 May (you will receive the FOBAI conference rate at the Royal Olympic Hotel for 1 May)
- Health insurance
- Tips and personal expenses
Friday, 28 April:
5:.00pm transfer by coach from the Royal Olympic Hotel to Athens airport. Fly to Thessaloniki. Stay overnight.
Saturday, 29 April:
8:00am departure for full day tour to ancient Neapolis (modern Kavala), Philippi, and Amphipolis (Acts 16:11-17:1).
Neapolis was the port of Philippi and the first place where the Apostle Paul set foot on European soil (Acts 16:9-11) and where he established the very first European Church. Philippi was a very important Roman colony. The tours visits the archaeological site with the Roman forum, the theatre, the octagonal 4th century Church, and where Paul was supposedly imprisoned. Another highlight is the river of Lydia (the Zingates), where Paul met Lydia and the other Jews, outside the city’s walls.
On the way back to Thessaloniki, you will pass by Amphipolis. Stay overnight.
Sunday, 30 April:
8:00am departure for sightseeing tour of Thessaloniki (Acts 17:1-8). You will visit the Old City and see the superbly preserved Byzantine City Walls, the White Tower, the Triumphal Arch of Galerius and the Rotoda; and, visit the Roman Forum and the early Christian basilica of St. Demetrius (the patron Orthodox patron Saint of Thessaloniki).
You will move on to Veria (the Biblical Berea, Acts 17:10-13) where you will encounter the old Jewish quarter. The last stop of the day is Vergina (ancient Aigai), the first capital of the Macedonians. There, you will visit the museum that houses remarkable artworks from the tomb of Philip II. You continue to Kalambaka, at the foot of Meteora. Coach drive and stay overnight in Kalambaka.
Monday, 01 May:
Morning tour of Meteora and visit to one of the monasteries. A UNESCO world heritage site, the rocky formations are crowned with Byzantine monasteries dating from 14th -16th century.
Accessibility and Dress Code
Please note that access to the monastery is only via steps (average = 140). You may remain by the coach or visit a nearby café if you cannot climb steps.
Women should enter the monastery wearing a dress or skirt and cover their shoulders. Men should wear trousers not shorts and cover their shoulders.
In the afternoon you head back to Athens, passing by Thermopylae, famous for its 480 BC battle between the Greeks and the Persians.
Arrival in Athens with drop offs either at around 7.30pm at the airport or 8.15pm at the Royal Olympic Hotel.
