Duration: 10 am to 1 pm
Start with a drive to the top of Mount Pagus which rises above the city center. Enjoy the panoramic views of the city and Bay of Izmir from the walls of Kadifekale, an ancient fortress built by Alexander the Great. Tour Izmir's museums of Archeology and Ethnography, then visit the city's symbol, its Ottoman Clock Tower. Finally, visit its large elaborate bazaar.
Duration: 8 hours
After breakfast leave for Ephesus, visiting the shrine of Virgin Mary where she is said to have spent her later days. At ancient Ephesus see the spectacular ruins, some of which have only recently been excavated. See the Odeon, the Bouleterion, the Fountains, the Temples, the Brothel, the Library, the Double Church and the Stadium.
The foundation of Ephesus by colonists of Hellenic stock took place between the 16th and 11th centuries B.C. Testament to the importance that Ephesus had in the Roman world are the visits paid by illustrious figures such as Brutus, Cassius, Anthony and Cicero himself. The city grew and soon became an active commercial center, headquarters of the Roman Governor and one of the first five cities of the Roman Empire. After lunch, visit the Archaeological Museum and St. John's Basilica.
Duration: 9 hours
In the morning leave Izmir behind and drive to Pamukkale, a natural site and a famous tourist attraction in south-western Turkiye in Denizli Province. There's nothing quite like the unique experience of Pamukkale, known as the "Cotton Castle" because of its dazzling white, petrified lime castles and cascades and home to Turkiye's famous thermal springs. It is the largest and finest example of elaborate calcium formation in the world, which dominates the landscape miles around.
The thermal spring water laden with calcareous salt, plunges down the mountain side creating this natural formation of stalactites, cataracts and basins. The thermal water has been used since the Roman period for its therapeutic powers. Bring along your swimming suit and bathe in the therapeutic pools.
Visit the Roman city of Hierapolis on top, built on solid limestone layers formed by limestone water that flowed for centuries over this raised level plateau. The Romans built this spa city around a sacred warm-water spring. The name means "sacred city," because of the large number of temples it contained. Visit the Apollo Temple competing with Delphi, monumental Nympheum (a 4th century Basilica) and the Theatre. Then visit the best preserved Necropolis and return to Izmir.
Duration: 8 hours
Pergamum is one of the finest archaeological sites in Turkiye. The city was a great center of culture and the capital of East Roman Empire.
On the Acropolis there are numerous remains including the celebrated Library, the steepest theatre of Anatolia, the Temples of Trojan and Dionysos, the place of the monumental Altar of Zeus famous for the relief of God and devils, the Sanctuary of Demeter, the Gymnasium situated on terraces and the lower Agora.
After a delicious Turkish lunch, proceed to the Medical Center of the ancient world, Asklepion, dedicated to the God of Health, Asklepios. This is where the first psychological treatment originated.
Duration: 9 hours
Begin the day among the Hellenic art and architecture of the ruins in Priene, an ancient Ionian city dramatically overlooking the fertile plains of the Meandre Valley. Continue to the ancient city of Miletus, formerly a prosperous commercial harbor city and the most prominent in Anatolia in its heyday. Most noteworthy among the scattered ruins are the Great Theater and Roman Baths. Proceed to the ancient city of Didyma, the setting for one of the most colossal temples in the Hellenic World, venerating the God Apollo.
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