5 DAYS & 4 NIGHTS - TURKEY POPULAR VACATION PACKAGE TOUR 1
Gallipoli - Troy - Ephesus - Pamukkale Tours

Day 1 – Istanbul - Gallipoli Tour

06:30 - In the early morning we will pick you up from your hotel, heading towards the Aegean Sea.

Sites you’ll see today
Gallipoli and The Dardanelles - After our lunch we will stop to visit Gallipoli, a place of fierce World War 1 fighting between Allied forces and the Turks. At ANZAC Cove thousands lost their lives in one fateful dawn morning. We will also see other famous battle sites of World War 1 in this area, such as Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair. From here we go to a ferry and cross the Dardanelles. For World War 1 buffs, you will know the Dardanelle Straits were a strategic crossing point for the allied armies to cross from Europe to Asia Minor. Over a nine month campaign, more than half a million soldiers lost their lives in the fight to control this strait of water and nearby Gallipoli peninsula. Many villagers of this region speak of seeing ghosts wandering the cemetery sites or hearing battle cries.....still today!
Canakkale will be our final destination for today and where we will spend the evening. After dinner, you might want to stroll the harbor walk and experience the local culture. The locals buy sunflower seeds and stroll with their families, gossiping and looking at the sunset. When they reach the harbor's end, they turn around, buy their ice cream and walk the other direction.

Overnight in Canakkale.

Day 2 – Troy Tour - Ephesus

After breakfast, we continue our scenic drive along the Aegean, stopping for photo opportunities and perhaps to indulge the taste buds at one of the many farmer road side stands that sell olives, figs, seasonal fruit and pistachios. We then will head east towards our first site of the day.

Sites you’ll see today
Troy is the ancient site written about by Homer in the Iliad. It dates back as far as 3000 BC and has been the site of nine different cities through the thousands of years it has existed. As you enter the site a large wooden Trojan horse dominates your view. You will definitely want to climb up and get your picture taken!.
We will put you on a bus to Selcuk or Kusadasi ( Ephesus ) You will be going via Izmir. Arrival in Selcuk / Kusadasi, check in the hotel.

Overnight in Selcuk or Kusadasi.

Day 3 – Ephesus Tour

We will visit Turkey’s most impressive Roman and Biblical site today, in what may well be one of your most memorable days in Turkey. We will also visit other significant sites of the area.

Sites you’ll see today
Ephesus is one of the best preserved cities from Roman times. At the time St. Paul lived in Ephesus in the 60’s AD, it was at it’s Roman heyday with a population around 250,000. Ephesus was a great ancient city and much of it has been preserved for you to see. More than any other site, you can walk the streets, stand in the great theatre, wander in the library, see the ancient Roman toilets and baths, and feel that you are walking back into ancient history.
The House of The Virgin Mary is where it is believed St. Mary came to live with St. John in the last years of her life.
Isabey Mosque: Built in 1375 at the direction of the Emir of Aydin and using columns and stones recycled from the ruins of Ephesus and Artemision, the Isabey Mosque is a classic example of Selcuk architecture. It is also the oldest known example of a Turkish mosque with a courtyard. It is fitting that Isabey translates into "Jesus," as the structure owes its existence to the temples of other religions, and possibly testifies to the religious tolerance exhibited by the Selcuk Turks.
Temple of Artemis: In a marshy basin just on the outskirts of town are the pitiful remains of yet another plundered Wonder of the Ancient World. Rising out of the marsh, a lone surviving column suggests the immensity of the structure, four times as large as the Parthenon and the first monumental building to be entirely constructed of marble. As an illustration of its immensity, consider that the one remaining column stands an incredible 4m (13 ft.) below the point of the architrave. This ancient temple, built around 650 B.C. to the cult of Artemis, was constructed on a site considered to be sacred to the Mother Goddess, Kybele.

Overnight in Selcuk or Kusadasi.

Day 4 – Pamukkale Tour - Istanbul

A cotton castle, a hillside of tombs, and an ancient sculpture school.... there is never a day in Turkey that you are short of eclectic sites to see!

Sites you’ll see today
Pammukale means cotton castle in Turkish. It is the result of limestone formations built over thousands of years. Warm calcium rich mineral water flowed over the cliffs and as it cooled it deposited the calcium into the formations that are seen today. Pammukale is now a world heritage site.
Hierapolis was founded as a healing care centre in 190 BC, taking advantage of the mineral waters in the area. It was one of the most important intellectual, artistic, religious and commercial centres of the Roman Empire.
In the afternoon you will have free time at your hotel to relax in it’s natural and thermal spring waters that are used in it’s pools....or perhaps you will treat yourself to a mud bath, massage or manicure!
Overnight bus from Pamukkale to Istanbul.

(According to your request we can provide a domestic flight back to Istanbul or bus transfer to any available destination you require.) Contact us for more details.

Day 5 – Istanbul

Morning arrival to Istanbul.

 Season:
1 Nov 2007 - 31 May = Every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday
1 June 2008 – 1 October = Every second day