Rome • Thessaloniki • Phillippi • Kavala • Kalambaka • Meteora • Delphi • Corinth • Athens • Piraeus • Mykonos • Patmos • Santorini
- 14 Days - Airfare included from anywhere in the U.S.
There are no trip dates scheduled at this time.
Trip Includes
- Flights from anywhere in the United States and flights between countries as per your itinerary. (all necessary flights on your trip are included)
- Daily Mass is available but not mandatory. Proximo Travel always has one or more Catholic Priests accompanying the group as chaplain(s).
- Airport Taxes, Security Fees & Fuel Surcharges Saving you an average of $400-$600!
- Transfers as per itinerary.
- 4 or 5 star hotels in downtown areas.
- Transportation with luxury bus.
- All breakfasts and all dinners. Dinners take place at upscale restaurants not at the hotel. Wine included with all dinners.
- All tips to driver, hotel, and tour guide.
- Guided Tours and Tour Fees ~ Our tour guides are very caring, licensed, and well educated. Many of our guides have their PhD's.
- Luggage handling (1 suitcase and 1 carry-on per person)
- Single Supplement (as long as the passengers is willing to room with someone and allows us to provide them with a roommate. If the passenger wants a guaranteed room to of their own, then they have to pay the $900 single supplement)
- Remember: Passengers will never be expected to pay extra for anything while on the trip ~ We always wait for passengers and never leave anyone behind.
Trip Does Not Include
- Lunch
- Trip Insurance. Work directly with Travel Guard to protect your investment and insure your money. There are different packages to choose from depending on what your travel needs are. Use the above link or the link right below the picture of the Pope on our home page to visit their site.
Steps for Registration
- Call us (855) 842-8001 or register online with a credit card and pay your $500 deposit per person to save your spot. The $500 deposit is part of the total price of the trip
- A $1,000 Airfare Deposit (AD) per person is due one month from the registration. The AD is paid ONLY in the form of Check (personal, money order, or bank check)
- The balance is due 4 months before the trip departure date. The balance is paid ONLY in the form of Check (personal, money order, or bank check).
- Mail all checks and correspondence to:
Proximo Travel
PO Box 3479
Worcester, MA 01613
- NOTE: If you sign up for a trip within 4 months of the departure date, you pay the deposit of $500 with a credit card and the balance is required to be overnighted in the form of a personal check, money order, or bank check.
Day 1: Departure from USA.
Day 2: Arrival. Depending upon your arrival time, we may visit the Basilica of St. Paul outside the Wall where the body of St. Paul is buried. It is the 2nd largest basilica in Rome and the 5th in the world. Check in the hotel and rest for a few hours if time permits. In the afternoon, we will be visiting St. Mary Major, the main Basilica dedicated to Mary in Rome. We will see the remains of Jesus' manger, the tomb of Bernini, the remains of St. Matthew the Evangelist, the tomb of St. Jerome, and the oldest icon in the world of the Virgin Mary painted by St. Luke: the famous Salus Populi Romani. We may immerse ourselves in the local culture by attending an Italian mass at St. Mary Major as well. Casual dress. Dinner and overnight in Rome.
Day 3: Start around 9:00am. Visit the Colosseum, the symbol of the city of Rome; a great building that has been standing since 80 A.D. Then visit St. John Lateran, the first Basilica ever to be built in the Roman Empire. In the afternoon, go to the breathtaking Catacombs where 500,000 people were buried. After the Catacombs our private bus will take us to enjoy a wine tasting and free time in Santa Maria in Trastevere, the most famous quarter of Rome for its beauty and quaintness. Dinner and overnight in Rome.
Day 4: Start the day around 9:30 am, by visiting St. Peter's in the Vatican, the largest Basilica in the world. There will be time for private devotion and shopping before lunch. In the afternoon we will see the Vatican Museums, and the Sistine Chapel (the Pope's private Chapel). Long pants, capris, or skirts below the knee, shoulders covered. Time to rest before dinner in the area of the hotel. Red and white wine included. Overnight in Rome.
Day 5: We will have an early start as our private bus leaves around 7:00 am to the Vatican to experience the 10:00 am Audience with the Pope. We will see the Pope very closely; sometimes we even shake his hand. There will be time for lunch in the area of the Vatican, before we visit the Spanish Steps. This is the place where the Romans hung out. From there we will walk to Trevi Fountain, and have time for shopping. Followed by a walk to the Pantheon, the oldest functional building in the world, and then to the great artistic place of Piazza Navona around 4:30 pm. Dinner at Piazza Navona. Red and white wine included. Casual Dress throughout the day. Overnight in Rome.
Day 6: Our private bus brings us to the airport in Rome to fly to Thessaloniki, Greece, where you will be met by the tour guide and transferred to your hotel. Time to relax before dinner and overnight in Thessaloniki.
Day 7: Philippi, Kavala, Thessaloniki ~ Visit Philippi where Paul delivered his first sermon in Europe, sowing the seeds of Christianity. "And from there (He went) to Philippi" Acts 16:12-18 Here Paul baptized a certain woman named Lydia, the first Christian convert in Europe. Among the ruins, located on the rocky ledge above the town's main road is the prison where Paul and Silas were thrown. Continue into the modern port city of Kavala, ancient Neapolis, where Paul accompanied by Silas, Luke and Timothy, first set foot in Europe. Dinner and overnight in Thessaloniki.
Day 8: Thessaloniki, Meteora: Thessaloniki city-tour ~ Paul preached in Thessaloniki during the winters of 49-50 AD and wrote two epistles to the ancient Thessalonians. See the ramparts of the city, the triumphal Arch of Galerius starting at the Via Egnatia, once a strategic artery of the Roman Empire. Depart for Kalambaka, visit Meteora Monasteries. Among striking scenery, perched on top of huge rocks, that seem to be suspended in mid-air, stand ageless monasteries where you can see exquisite specimens of Byzantine art. Women must wear a skirt, or have a scarf that can be wrapped like a skirt, when visiting the Monasteries. Men will need to wear long pants and have their shoulders covered. If women wear slacks, they need to bring a scarf that will cover their pants so that it looks like a skirt. Dinner and overnight in Delphi.
Day 9: Delphi - Athens ~ Visit Delphi, the center of the ancient world (navel) of the earth, whose prestige extended far beyond the boundaries of the Hellenic world. On the slopes of Mount Parnassus, in a landscape of unparalleled beauty and majesty, lie the ruins of the Sanctuary of Apollo Pythios. Continue to Athens which is one of the most glorious cities in the world and the cradle of western civilization as we know it today. Dinner and overnight in Athens.
Day 10: Athens - Excursion to Corinth ~ we will visit the Acropolis to see the ruins of the Parthenon, Erechtheum and Propylae. For twenty five centuries, the panorama of this city is dominated by the rock of the Acropolis; we see the ruins of the Parthenon, the Erechtheum and the Propylae. Afterwards, we will ascend Mars Hill where Paul spoke to the ancient Athenians about the one and only God. From here we have an excellent view of the ancient agora; former center of the Athenian public life. We then drive through the city to see the House of Parliament on Syntagma Square, the Evzones in their picturesque uniforms guarding the Presidential Palace and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We also see the Library, the University, the Panathenaic Stadium where the first Olympics of the modern era were held, the temple of the Olympian Zeus and Adrian's Arch. Continue our tour to Ancient Corinth where, under the shadow of the towering Acropolis, St. Paul preached and lived for two years. The vigorous and mostly Gentile Church he founded here in 50 AD caused him much grief and prompted him to write, at least, four letters to them. Visit the ruins of the ancient city where Paul worked with Aquila and Priscilla. See the remains of the first century shops, the agora where Paul's trial by Gallio took place, the Fountain of Peirene, Temple of Apollo and the Bema. Return to Athens for dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Athens ~ Start 3-day Cruise (Luis Hellenic Cruise Lines) Mykonos Our first port-of-call is Mykonos. It is the most cosmopolitan of all Greek islands and attracts many visitors from all over the globe, including large numbers of artists and intellectuals. Your coaches will take you to Hora the island's capital where you'll enjoy a walking tour in the narrow cobbled streets of the town, passing by chic boutiques, elegant nightclubs and white washed houses till reaching Alefkandra. Alefkandra is a charming corner of Hora, known also as the "Venice" of Mykonos. At one of the famous restaurants of Alefkandra you'll enjoy the sunset on Mykonos Island while drinking your refreshment accompanied by Greek meze. You'll return then to Mykonos Town (Hora) from where you'll take the ship's shuttle service back to the port to meet your ship!
Day 12: Kusadasi and Ephesus (Turkey) and Patmos ~ we begin our day arriving at Kusadasi which is a lively Turkish port. Drive through the colorful town of Kusadasi to reach Mt. Koressos. Situated in a small valley, it is here where you will visit the humble chapel which lies on the site of the little house where The Virgin Mary is believed to have spent her last days. This site has been sanctioned by the Vatican for pilgrimage. Continue on to Ancient Ephesus and accompanied by your guide, walk through the Magnesian Gate which is the entrance to the ancient city of Ephesus. See the Odeon (concert hall), the Fountain of Trajan, the steam-heated Baths of Scolastika, the Temple of Hadrian and the Latrians, the Library of Celsus and The Great Theatre, where St. Paul preached, which is the largest theatre in antiquity having a capacity of 24,000 people. Walk back to your motor coach along the Arcadian Way, where Mark Anthony and Cleopatra once rode in procession. While driving back to Kusadasi and just outside Ephesus, view the Basilica of St. John, which was erected over his grave in the 6th Century AD by the Emperor Justinian. Before returning to the ship, enjoy free time in Kusadasi. Continue our journey, Patmos, where we will enjoy a short journey to the village of Chora, where the monastery of St. John is built within the walls of a strong fortification. As you walk uphill towards the entrance of the monastery marvel at this magnificent structure, which was build 900 years ago, exceptional in its architecture. View the courtyard, the monk's dining room and the old bakery before you visit the main church noting its outstanding frescoes and interior decoration. Next, see the priceless ecclesiastical treasures housed in the beautiful but small museum: books and manuscripts, mosaics, Icons, splendid medieval textiles and vestments as well as jewelry. Return to your motor coach to continue on to the nearby Grotto of the Apocalypse, where above stands the Monastery of the Apocalypse, a sub-unit of the main monastery. Walk down the steps to visit the Grotto of the Apocalypse. Here you will see the silver niches in the wall that mark the pillow and ledge used as a desk by the author of the Book of the Revelation as well as the three-fold crack made by the voice of God emphasizing the honor of the Holy Trinity. Afterwards, drive back to the port of Scala and enjoy some free time in this quaint and picturesque harbor.
Day 13: Heraklion and Santorini ~ in the morning we will visit Heraklion. Heraklion is just three miles away from the fantastic ruins of the Palace of Knossos. Discovered in 1899 and partially reconstructed, the elaborate Palace is believed to be the mythical Labyrinth of King Minos and the seat of ancient Minoan culture. It is in Heraklion where Paul met the owner and captain of the ship who warned him of continuing his journey to Rome. In the afternoon we will cruise on to the idyllic island of Santorini. Santorini is perhaps the most breathtaking of all the Greek Islands. In the town of Thira white-washed houses, narrow streets, open-air cafes and glittering boutiques cling to steep cliffs, accessible by cable-car or mule. Return back to the ship.
Day 14: Piraeus - Athens ~ today marks the end of our cruise. After disembarkation you will be transferred to Athens airport where you will depart for the USA.
Please note: We do our best to ensure that all sites listed in this itinerary will be seen. However, due to scheduling conflicts, or other circumstances beyond our control, sites may be visited on a different day than listed. If this happens it will also necessitate a change in the restaurant for dinner. However, we will never sacrifice the quality of the meal, all restaurants will meet Proximo Travel's very high standards. Since we have several different trip configurations touring at the same time, it is likely that groups on different tours will be combined when their itineraries overlap in certain areas.
