4 DAYS & 3 NIGHTS - TURKEY POPULAR VACATION PACKAGE TOUR 3
Ephesus - Pamukkale - Priene - Miletos - Didyma - Pergamon Tours

Day 1 – Istanbul - Ephesus Tour

06:45 - Flight from Istanbul to Izmir.
07:45 - Arrival to Izmir. Met on arrival and around one hour transfer to Ephesus.
09:00 - Full Day Ephesus & Virgin Mary House 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.
End of the tour transfer to hotel and overnight.

Day 2 – Pamukkale Tour

After breakfast we will depart for Full day Priene, Miletos and Didyma tour from @ 08:30 to @ 19:00.
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!
End of the tour, transfer back to hotel and overnight.

Day 3 – Priene - Miletos - Didyma Tour

After breakfast we will depart for Full day Priene, Miletos and Didyma tour from @ 09:00 to @ 17:00.

Sites you’ll see today
Priene: An important episcopal see in the Byzantine era, the ancient city Priene north of Miletus was given a very geometric design of intersecting right angles. The most important structure in the city is the Temple of Athena on top of the hill. In addition, northeast of the city is a 5000 person theater constructed in the Hellenistic era which is definitely worth seeing.
Miletus: Located north of Didim, Miletus was a coastal city with 4 ports and one of the most important Ionian settlements. Its golden age was the 7th and 6th centuries BC. During this period thinkers in Miletus were putting down what would become the foundation of Western science and culture. The 5300 person theater built in the Hellenistic era was later added on to by the Romans and had a final seating capacity of 15,000.
Didyma: Near the town of Didim, it was the center of prophetic oracles in antiquity. The Temple of Apollon in Didim was planned as a dipteros (having two rows of columns) but was never finished.
End of the tour, transfer back to hotel. overnight.
 
Day 4 – Pergamon Tour

After breakfast we will depart for Full day Priene, Miletos and Didyma tour from @ 08:30 to @ 19:00.

Sites you’ll see today
Pergamum or Pergamon (Bergama in Turkish) was one of the most beautiful of the cities of ancient world that became an important kingdom during the Hellenistic period, under the Attalid dynasty, 281–133 BC. Its architecture and statues are among the finest samples of the Hellenistic world. Pergamon's library on the Acropolis (the ancient Library of Pergamum) is the second best in the ancient Greek civilization.
The majestic acropolis looms behind the modern town is the first destination to visit the Temple of Trajan, Hellenistic barracks and tower, palaces, library, temple of Athena, theatre, temple of Dionysus, altar of Zeus.
Asclepion was one of the most famous shrines and therapeutic centers in the ancient world.
The Red Basilica (Kizil Avlu) was originally was built as a temple of Serapis, an Egyptian God, which was later transformed into the Red Basilica complex about one kilometer south of the Acropolis. It consists of a main building and two round towers. In the first century AD, the Christian Church at Pergamum inside the main building of the Red Basilica was one of the Seven Churches to which the Book of Revelation was addressed.
After tour transfer to Izmir airport for flight to Istanbul.

22:30 - Depart from Izmir for Istanbul.
23:25 - Arrival to Istanbul.

Season:
Everyday