Join Fr. Stefan Djoric on a pilgrimage to Greece, including stops in Thessaloniki, Meteora Monasteries, Mount Athos, Aegina Island, and Corinth!
Fr. Stefan Djoric and a Christian guide will meet your party at the airport and accompany you every step of the way as you explore Greece, including stops in Thessaloniki, Meteora Monasteries, Mount Athos, Aegina Island, and Corinth!
Fr. Stefan Djoric is accompanying this pilgrimage to help lead the group in prayer, fellowship, and thoughtful engagement with each traveler.
See the official trip information for gratuities, shipping and handling, payment fees, and any optional-extension charges.
We depart Pittsburgh International Airport this evening on an overnight flight to Thessaloniki, the capital of Macedonia. Dinner and breakfast are served on the flight. As we work with group rates, we are unable to request specific seats; if assigned seating is important to you, we recommend booking your own airfare and joining the group land program. We will provide the group’s arrival time at Thessaloniki Airport so that independent travelers can connect with the group transfers.
Welcome to the capital city of Macedonia, land of Alexander the Great, named after Alexander’s own sister. We are met by our English-speaking tour guide and transferred directly to the Serbian Military Cemetery of Zejtinlik, the gravesite of the fallen heroes of the Thessaloniki Front, where we pause to remember and honor the sacrifice of our forebears. We then return to Thessaloniki for lunch and check into our hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure to acclimate to the new time zone and recover from the overnight journey. This evening we gather to meet one another over a welcome drink and dinner at the hotel. Overnight in Thessaloniki.
Today, our pilgrimage begins in earnest as we follow in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul. Our morning takes us to Philippi (Acts 16:11-15), where St. Paul preached his first evangelical sermon on European soil and baptized Lydia, the first Christian convert in Europe. We stand at the ancient baptistery where the waters of faith first touched European ground. We also see Amphipolis, the storied city from which Alexander the Great set out on his world-conquering campaigns. This afternoon, we drive to the ancient port of Kavala, known in Paul’s time as Neapolis, where the Apostle Paul first set foot on European soil, arriving by sea with his disciples Timothy and Silas (Acts 16:11). Here Christianity crossed from East to West for the first time, and we pause to reflect on that extraordinary moment. We return to Thessaloniki for dinner and overnight.
Today, our group divides according to the ancient traditions of Mt. Athos. The male pilgrims (20 MAXIMUM, FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED) are transferred by bus to Ouranoupolis, where they board a boat for the small port of Giovanitsa and then proceed to the Holy Mountain. Mt. Athos is a sovereign monastic state where the rules of life and worship have remained unchanged for a thousand years. Emperor Constantine decreed
Meals: B, L The male pilgrims spend the morning on Mt. Athos, immersed in the ancient rhythms of Orthodox monastic life: prayer, liturgy, work, and silence. All meals are included on the Holy Mountain. In the afternoon, the men’s group returns to Thessaloniki to reunite with the women’s group. Together, we travel to Veria (ancient Beroea), where St. Paul preached the Gospel to great effect (Acts 17:10-11). When Paul departed, he entrusted Silas and Timothy to remain and continue his work; we see the revered outdoor Shrine of St. Paul, a bema marking where he once preached. Returning to Thessaloniki, we visit the Museum of Byzantine Culture, whose galleries tell the rich story of Orthodox Christian art and civilization across fifteen centuries. Lunch is included today. The evening is at leisure for a stroll along Thessaloniki’s Waterfront Promenade and dinner on your own. Overnight in Thessaloniki.
Meals: B, D Reunited, we begin the day with a 90-minute guided tour of Thessaloniki, visiting the Basilica of St. Dimitrios, St. Sophia Church, and the Church of the Twelve Apostles. We also see the Arch of Galerius, the ancient St. George Rotunda, and the iconic White Tower along the waterfront. After our city tour, we depart by bus for Halkidiki, the three-pronged peninsula that St. Paul himself passed through on his way to Philippi and Thessaloniki.
We depart Thessaloniki and drive south toward one of the most dramatic landscapes in Christendom. The Meteora, towering black pinnacles of rock crowned by monasteries, rank among the most awe-inspiring pilgrimage sites in the Orthodox world. The monasteries, including the Great Meteoron (Holy Monastery of Transfiguration), were built by the Serbian Nemanjić Dynasty, Simeon and Jovan Uroš, in the 14th century, giving us as Serbian Orthodox pilgrims a profound connection to this sacred place. As the monastic community grew through the late Byzantine period and under Ottoman rule, Meteora became a sanctuary for the persecuted and a luminous center of Byzantine art. Of the original 24 monasteries, 5 remain and welcome pilgrims. We celebrate Holy Liturgy at the monastery we visit (TBC). Toward the end of the day, we stop at an icon workshop to witness firsthand how icons are made and to shop for locally crafted sacred art. We have dinner and an overnight in the nearby town of Kalambaka.
We depart Kalambaka this morning and head south toward Athens, with two memorable stops along the way. First, we visit a traditional Greek winery to taste local wines and learn about the region’s centuries-old viticulture. We then continue to the Byzantine Monastery of Ossios Lukas, one of the finest examples of middle-Byzantine architecture in Greece, with interiors rich in exquisite 11th-century mosaics. Dedicated to the blessed hermit St. Luke of Stiris, the monastery has stood as a place of prayer and pilgrimage for over a thousand years. In the late afternoon, we arrive in Athens, check into our hotel, and settle in. Dinner and overnight in Athens.
This morning, we will attend Holy Liturgy before embarking on a guided tour of glorious Athens. We ascend the Acropolis to visit the Parthenon, the Theater of Dionysus, the Temple of Winged Victory, and other monuments
This morning, we transfer to the port of Piraeus and board a ferry for the 90-minute crossing to the island of Aegina. Our destination is the Church of Agios Nectarios and the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, one of the most beloved pilgrimage sites in all of Greece. St. Nectarios of Aegina, beloved hierarch, theologian, and wonderworker, is venerated by thousands who come each year seeking healing and blessing. We venerate the saint’s mausoleum and climb the stairs to the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, where 14 nuns live and manage this sacred complex. We attend Holy Liturgy at the monastery (TBC). In the late afternoon, we return by ferry to Athens. Dinner is at the hotel. Overnight in Athens.
On our final full day, we travel to ancient Corinth, the great commercial city where St. Paul spent 18 months teaching and writing, and where Fr. Djoric reads to us from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 1:1-9) on the very ground that inspired those immortal words. Walking through the ruins of the ancient agora, we stand where Paul stood and feel the living connection between scripture and stone. Following lunch, we visit a working olive oil mill to learn about this ancient staple of Greek culture and cuisine, and to taste the liquid gold that has graced Mediterranean tables for millennia. This evening, we gather for a special farewell dinner with wine at a local restaurant, giving thanks for the journey, the friendships formed, and the faith renewed. Overnight in Athens.
After breakfast, we check out of our hotel and transfer to Athens International Airport for our return flight to Pittsburgh. We carry home with us the memories of ancient holy sites, the warmth of new friendships, and a deeper encounter with the living Orthodox faith. Welcome home!
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