Pilgrimage Tour Thessaloniki – Corfu

Pilgrimage Tour Thessaloniki – Corfu

• Dates: on request                          
• 8 Day /7 Nights

Day 1. Thessaloniki 

Arrival to Thessaloniki. Transfer to the hotel. Free Time or depending on the flight, city tour. Dinner

Day 2. Thessaloniki – Philippi– Porto Lagos– Thessaloniki

• Breakfast.
• Visit Holy Baptistery of Saint Lydia of Philippi (the place where the Apostle Paul baptized the first Christian woman in Europe – Lydia, and it was here that the first baptismal ceremony was held in Europe).
• Transfer to Nea Karvali, visit Holy Church of Saint Gregory the Theologian of Nea Karvali. This exquisite church attracts thousands of visitors who come every year for the celebration of the Saint in order to pray and to honor him. The church houses the relic of Agios Grigorios which was brought from the old Cappadocian Karvali to the new town of Nea Karvali, when refugees moved to the country.
• Transfer to Porto – Lagos.
• Close to the small village of Porto Lagos, on two small islands of the beautiful and picturesque lake Vistonida located a unique place a complex from the Monastery of St. Nicholas – area of Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos, and the Church of Panagia Pantanassa where is find the list of the miraculous image of the Mother of God Pantanassa, which is located in the Vatopedi monastery on Mount Athos!
• Return to Thessaloniki.
• Dinner

Day 3.  Thessaloniki – Souroti – Thessaloniki 

• Breakfast.
• Visit Church of Agios Dimitrios. This is the city’s largest church (UNESCO World Heritage) and the main sanctuary dedicated to its patron saint, Agios Dimitrios. Survived through many centuries, despite the attacks, the temple of Saint Dimitrios impresses with its unique architecture and rich sculptural decoration. A number of unique mosaics and marble lining that dates back to V-IX centuries survived to these days as well as the columns which were built of Egyptian porphyry.
• Transfer to Souroti. Visit The Holy Monastery is dedicated to St. John the Theologian and to St. Arsenios of Cappadocia. In the Monastery are the Relics of St. Arsenios of Cappadocia, which are found in the Katholikon, along with the grave of St. Paisios of the Holy Mountain, who reposed on July 12th 1994, and was buried next to the church of St. Arsenios.
• Return to the hotel.
• Dinner

Day 4. Thessaloniki – Veria – Igoumenitsa – Corfu 

• Breakfast and check out from the hotel.
• Transfer to Veria, the old city where Paul the Apostle preached the Gospel, faith, salvation and love to a large number of Jews and Verians that believed in the Gods of Olympus.
• Paul’s the Apostle passage through Veria and the impact of his preaching, reveal the significance of the town at the first steps of Christianity and the important role that the town played for the spreading and establishment the Christian faith in Greece.
• Visit Holy Monastery of the Virgin Mary Dovra.
• Visit Holy Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner at the Skete of Beroea. This ancient monastery is currently the courtyard of the Athos Monastery of Simonopetra.
• Transfer to port Igoumenitsa. Transfer on ferry to Corfu. Dinner. Check in the hotel.

Day 5.  Corfu

• Breakfast.
• Visit Holy Church of Saint Spyridon
• Visit Monestary Agias Paraskeuis
• Dinner.

Day 6. Corfu   

• Breakfast.
• Visit Monastery in Kassiopi, Church of Panagia Kassopitra. The monastery was first mentioned in official documents from 1706, but it is thought that the monastery had already existed long before this. The monastery is located in a quiet and peaceful environment and has a small but beautiful courtyard. Inside the church, you can find many Byzantine icons, silverware, relics of holy martyrs, a coin collection, as well as several other objects including artifacts and some farming tools.

Day 7. Corfu

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Visit to Monastery of Zoodohos Pigi. 
• The trip will start in Paleokastritsa, which is a favorite destination for all visitors and locals of Corfu. Picturesque bays and sandy beaches, olive groves, green hills, steep cliffs, and caves that are hidden inside, create a unique atmosphere that attracts visitors to the island and residents of the area. Here, on a cliff, dominates the Monastery of Zoodochos Pigi.
• Return to the hotel.
• Dinner

Day 8. Corfu – Igoumenitsa – Thessaloniki 

• Breakfast. Check out from the hotel
• Ferry Boat Corfu – Igoumenitsa. Transfer to Thessaloniki, flight back home.
• OR if the plane is in the evening, we can stop by at Kalambaka, Meteora and visit one of the monasteries and then drive to the airport.