17 Days:
Friday - Sunday
Day 1 Flight Day
Flight day.
Day 2 Istanbul
Arrival in Istanbul and transfer to hotel. Dinner on your
own. Your guide will show you several restaurants in the
area, or you may simply have dinner at the hotel. Overnight
at the Ottoman Imperial Hotel in the historical part of
Istanbul.
Day 3 Gallipoli - Troy / Canakkale
Drive to Canakkale via Gallipoli. Lunch at Gallipoli, then
ferry across the Dardanelles for a two–hour visit to Troy
where you will see the most recent finds. Dinner and
overnight at the Canakkale Tusan Hotel. (B/D)
Day 4 Mount Ida - Pergamon /
Kusadasi
Drive along Mount Ida, where Paris made the decision that
eventually led to the Trojan War. Drive to Pergamum along
the coastal road to visit the city famous for the work done
by the great physician Galen. Lunch at a local restaurant in
Bergama. Visit the Acropolis and the Asclepion, one of the
most important medical centers of the Roman period. Continue
on to Kusadasi. Dinner and overnight at the Kusadasi La
Vista Hotel. (B/D)
Day 5 Ephesus / Kusadasi
Visit Ephesus and environs. The Emperor Augustus chose
Ephesus to be the capital city of Asia Minor during the
Roman period. Sites include the remains of the Artemis
Temple, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and the
Church of the Virgin Mary where it is believed that Mary
lived the last years of her life. Visit the museum in which
most of the finds from Ephesus are exhibited. Dinner in
Kusadasi, overnight at the La Vista Hotel. (B/D)
Day 6 Aphrodisias / Kusadasi
Drive to Aphrodisias, the city of Aphrodite, the Mother of
Aeneas from whom the Romans claimed to have descended. Top
quality marble quarries made the city one of the most
important sculpture centers of the entire Roman world.
Dinner and overnight at the Kusadasi La Vista Hotel. (B/D)
Day 7 Priene - Didyma / Bodrum
Visit the most important cities of the classical period, the
Ionian cities of Priene and Didyma. Drive to Bodrum, ancient
Halicarnassus, along Bafa Lake and visit the ancient city of
Euromos, which provides a brief introduction to Caria. Visit
Bodrum Underwater Archaeological Museum. Dinner in Bodrum
and overnight at Bodrium Hotel. (B/D)
Day 8 Fethiye - Xanthos - Patara /
Kas
Drive to Dalyan village and take a boat ride along the
Dalyan River, ancient Chalbis. Drive to Fethiye, ancient
Telmessos, where we will see the magnificent Lycian rock cut
tombs. Continue to Xanthos, the capital city of the ancient
Lycians. Another short drive takes us to Patara, the birth
place of St. Nicholas and the god Apollo. The American
Congress was influenced by the Lycian League that was once
gathering in the bouletherion of Patara. Enjoy the
sunset at the ancient harbor acropolis before continuing to
Kas, a small fishing village on the Mediterranean. Dinner
and overnight at Villa Tamara Hotel, Kas. (B/D)
Day 9 Kekova - Myra / Antalya
One-hour drive to the Kekova area for a boat trip around the
secluded bays. See the sunken cities under the crystal clear
waters. Visit Simena Castle and have lunch in a small
fishing village, then drive to Myra and see the Church of St.
Nicholas. Drive to Antalya, where we will spend the next
three days. Dinner and overnight at the Dogan Hotel, a
renovated 19th century Ottoman House well known for its
Turkish character and hospitality. (B/D)
Day 10 Perge - Aspendos / Antalya
A relaxing day at Pamphylia with a visit to Perge and then
Aspendos, the best-preserved and designed theater of the
Roman era. An afternoon of free time in Antalya after
visiting the Antalya Museum with one of the cureators.
Dinner on your own, overnight at the Dogan Hotel. (B)
Day 11 Konya - Whirling Dervishes /
Cappadocia
Take a long drive through the scenic Taurus Mountains with
various stops and visits before arriving at Konya, the
center of the Whirling Dervishes, and visit the Mevlana
Museum. Drive to Cappadocia for a visit to a caravanserai,
dating from the 13th century and reflecting the high quality
of Seljuk art and architecture. Then enter a different
planet called Cappadocia. Dinner and overnight at the Argos
Cave Suites, which has been restored from 19th century Cave
house and decorated in Turkish and Ottoman style. (B/D)
Day 12 Cappadocia
Wake up in a totally different landscape dominated by deep
valleys and fairy chimneys. Visit Goreme and Zelve open-air
museums and the
underground city of Kaymakli, where early Christians
found shelter. Optional afternoon walk in one of the valleys.
Dinner in town, overnight at the Argos Cave Suites. (B/D)
Day 13 Hattusas / Ankara
Optional balloon
trip over Cappadocia in the early morning. Drive to
Hattusas, the capital city of the Hittites. See the giant
architecture dating from the 15th century B.C. After lunch
drive to Ankara. Dinner in one of Ankara's local restaurants,
overnight at the Midas Hotel. (B/D)
Day 14 Ankara / Istanbul
Visit the Mausoleum of Ataturk and the fascinating Museum of
Anatolian Civilizations, where art pieces from 8000 to 2000
B.C. are on display. Late afternoon flight to Istanbul and
transfer to hotel. Dinner and overnight at the Ottoman
Imperial Hotel in the Sultanahmet area. (B/D)
Day 15 Istanbul
Full day visit in
Istanbul – Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace,
Treasury and the Harem. Dinner on your own, overnight at
Ottoman Imperial Hotel in Istanbul. (B)
3adım Travel & Tours
