Transfer to Ataturk Airport
Istanbul-Izmir morning flight (about 1 hour flight)
Pick up from airport and transfer to Ephesus tour Full day tour of Ephesus and House of Virgin Mary, including
transfers, entrance fees, guide. Lunch during the tour is included. Where you visit: Ephesus - Enter through the Magnesia Gate and begin a slow,
downhill walk with your guide into the ruins of this Roman
provincial capital. Your route takes you past the Odeum, the Celsus
Library, the Temple of Hadrian, the Fountain of Trajan and the Great
Theater. The Theater had seating for 25,000, was the site where St.
Paul preached to the Ephesians, and is used today for a local spring
festival. House of the Virgin Mary - The Vatican has recognized this
small house in the Solmissos Mountains as the final resting place of
the Virgin Mary. A small shrine dedicated to St. Mary was found when
the ruins of the house were first discovered.
Besides being a popular summer
resort, Kusadasi is also a major base for visiting many
neighborhood ancient sights.
What you see along the way: From Kusadasi, you travel north
to St. Johns Basilica, passing the Byzantine fortress at Selcuk and
the ruins of the Temple of Artemis. Continue to Ephesus Open Museum
then up to the House of Virgin Mary located in Bulbul Mountain.
After the visit head for the upper gate of Ephesus. By the end of
touring Ephesus, return to Kusadasi. Special notes: Ephesus requires walking long distances over
uneven surfaces Transfer back to hotel after the tour.
Dinner at your hotel included.
Hotel accommodation
in Kusadasi (or Selcuk if you prefer).
Possible hotels in Kusadasi are:
Dabaklar Hotel
Coast Light Hotel
Hotel Atinc or similar quality/location hotels to be selected by us
if they are not available or too overpriced at the time or
tour period.
DAY 2 : PAMUKKALE HIERAPOLIS TOUR (B/L)
Hot spring pools of Pamukkale are
created by nature in thousands of years
A
miracle of Nature (Pamukkale) and one of the most prominent city of
ancient times (Hierapolis) are just next to each other waiting to be
discovered by you. You must not miss this !
Breakfast at hotel included Pamukkale & Hierapolis tour including transfers, entrance
fees, guide. Lunch during the tour is included. (Visiting the amazing white colored travertines, hot spring
pools and water terraces have been created by nature in millions of
years on the mountain slopes of Pamukkale and the ancient city of
Hierapolis which has the biggest ancient Necropolis in present
Turkey with 1200 gravestones) Transfer to bus station. Overnight bus
to Cappadocia.
Transfer to hotel
DAY 3 : CAPPADOCIA TOUR (L)
Cappadocia balloon flights
make you feel like flying over the moon
Your
bus will arrive to Cappadocia next day early in the morning.
You will be transferred to your hotel (or join directly to tour on
rare occasions) After you settle up at your
hotel and rest a little you will be picked up from your hotel for
the below tour:
Full day Northern Cappadocia tour including transfers, guide
and entrance fee. This tour will cover the most famous parts of the
region such as Goreme Open Air Museum, Zelve, Urgup and Dervent
Valley. Lunch will be served during the tour in a nice Turkish
Restaurant.
Transfer back to hotel.
Hotel accommodation
in Cappadocia. Private rooms with air condition and bath/WC.
Possible hotels are Dedeli Cave Vera
Tassaray
or similar quality/location hotels to be selected by us
if they are not available or too overpriced at the time or
tour period.
DAY 4 : SOUTHERN CAPPADOCIA TOUR (B/L)
One
day is never enough to see the wonders of the vast Cappadocia
region. You have so many things more to see on your second day that
will keep your eyes wide open with amazement.
The second day's itinerary will be like this:
Breakfast in your hotel included Full day Southern Cappadocia Tour
including transfers, entrance fees,
guide This tour will cover Underground city of Derinkuyu or
Kaymakli, wonderful Ihlara Valley as well as a
caravanserai of Seljuk period, which is the great Turkish Empire
before Ottomans. Lunch included in a typical Turkish Restaurant during the day
tour.
Transfer to Airport.
Evening flight to Istanbul
End of the package upon arrival to Ataturk Airport/Istanbul...
TOUR PRICE
EVERYDAY DEPARTURE
Attention ! * Itinerary can be changed/customized occasionally because of flight
availabilities.
* Higher prices may apply based on flight
costs, especially on special days or weekends. Early
reservation is highly recommended to secure these prices. * Ask for special prices for big groups.
Summer Rates: 580 Euro per personin single room (1 pax) 495 Euro
per person in double room (2 pax) 465 Euro
per person in triple room(3 pax)
Winter Rates: From November 01-March
31, except Christmas period (December 23-January 03)
510 Euro
per personin single room (1 pax) 435 Euro
per person in double room (2 pax) 420 Euro
per person in triple room(3 pax)
Above tour prices include:
All taxes.
Mentioned guided day tours with lunch.
Entrance fees for museums
Accommodation in private rooms at 3 star or equal quality
special class boutique hotels.
All mentioned meals above in the itinerary (B= Breakfast, L= Lunch,
D= Dinner)
Transportations as mentioned.
All connecting transfers in between the tour period.
Customize this tour package: Click here
to see bus version of
this package
Replace: Either one or both Ephesus and Pamukkale tours can be
replaced by Pergamum, Sardis or PMD (Priene, Miletus,
Dydima)
tours. For Pergamum tour, extra 15 Euro pp required
Click here for all Kusadasi departure tours
Possible inclusions : Airport hotel transfers in Istanbul for your international
flights with discounted rates.
Hotel accommodation in Istanbul before or after the tour
with discounted rates. Daily Istanbul Tours with discounted rates as a part of this
package.
Extra hotel accommodation in Kusadasi and Cappadocia, if requested. Hot air balloon tour
just
before 2nd day Cappadocia tour: 135 Euro per person
discounted price.
Hotels
Hotels can be upgraded to 4 or 5 star or equal quality
deluxe boutique hotels, if you pay the extra cost.
You can tell us specific hotel names you want to stay in each
destination. . Click hereto see bus version of
this package
Payment and reservation:
Depending on season we will request 25-30% of the total tour price
for guaranteed reservations. We will send you a detailed reservation
contract by e-mail after all details are confirmed mutually.
For advance payments we accept Visa and Master and American express
credit cards by mail order method or money transfer. After you
arrive in Istanbul the balance of payment can also be made in cash
in Euros or in other internationally accepted currencies from the
cross exchange rates valid on payment day.
EPHESUS
Library of Celcus
Temple of Hadrian
Antic Theater
During
both the Hellenistic and Roman periods Ephesus was the most
important port and cultural center of the eastern world. The remains
of the city are still spellbinding today. Of
all the ancient cities of Turkey, Ephesus is the best preserved and
most visited in all ages and is as popular as it was in ancient
times. This is due to the miraculous discovery of the House of the Virgin
Mary. The city had splendid buildings
and was dedicated to the Goddess Artemis, whose temple was
considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The main monuments
that we will see during the visit of this fascinating city are: the
street of Arcadiane, the majestic theatre, marble road, library of
Celsus, market place street of the Curettes, baths of Scholastic
state agora, prytaneion, odeon. The town of Seljuk, is dominated by
a Byzantine citadel close to the basilica of St. John built in the
5th century, on the site of tomb of the Apostle. Seljuk has also an
exceptionally fine archaeological museum. The Artemis Temple
was destroyed in 356BC, and when Alexander the Great passed through
in 334 BC he offered to pay for the cost of a new construction,
provided it was dedicated to him. The Ephesus people declined, and
rebuilt it with great success.
When the Romans made Ephesus their provincial capital, it became a
busy town with great commercial, trading and political importance,
and a population that grew to around 250,000. A significant
Christian community grew, and the city was visited by St John the
Evangelist in the 1st century, then by St Paul, who was there
between 51-53 AD and wrote some of his epistles. It was also the
venue of two Ecumenical Councils.
But the success of Roman Ephesus began to dwindle, mainly because of
problems connected to the harbour, which was the main source of
trade. The Cayster River was pushing silt up the harbour and despite
attempts to dredge it and rebuild the harbour, the sea was pushed
back to Pamucak, 4km away, and therefore Ephesus lost its source of
wealth. By the 6th century, the city was unliveable and was shifted
near to St Johns Basilica, and by 1090 it was taken over by
the Turks.
CAPPADOCIA
A rock temple in Cappadocia
In ancient geography, Cappadocia or Cappadocia (Turkish:
Kapadokya) was the name of the extensive inland district of Asia
Minor (modern Turkey).
Cappadocian region is the place where nature and history
come together most beautifully within the world. While
geographic events are forming Peribacalari (fairy chimneys),
during the historical period, humans had carried the signs of
thousand years old civilizations with carving houses and
churches within these earth pillars and decorating them with
frisks.
Cappadocia contains several underground cities, largely used by
early Christians as hiding places before they became a
legitimate religion. The Cappadocian Fathers of the fourth
century were integral to much of early Christian philosophy. It
also produced, among other people, another Patriarch of
Constantinople, John of Cappadocia who held office 517520. For
most of the Byzantine era it remained relatively undisturbed by
the conflicts in the area, first with the Sassanid Empire and
later against the Islamic expansion led by Arabs.
The area is a world famous and popular tourist destination, as
it has many areas with unique geological, historic and cultural
features.
The region is southwest of the major city Kayseri, which has
airline and railroad service to Ankara and Istanbul.
The Cappadocia region is largely underlain by sedimentary rocks
formed in lakes and streams, and ignimbrite deposits erupted
from ancient volcanoes approximately 9 to 3 million years ago
(late Miocene to Pliocene epochs). The rocks of Cappadocia near
Goreme eroded into hundreds of spectacular pillars and
minaret-like forms. The volcanic deposits are soft rocks that
the people of the villages at the heart of the Cappadocia Region
carved out to form houses, churches, monasteries. Goreme became
a monastic center between 300-1200 AD. First period settlement
in Goreme reaches to the Roman period from Christianity. Yusuf
Koc, Ortahane, Durmus Kadir and Bezirhane churches in Goreme,
houses and churches carved into rocks till to Uzun Dere,
Baglidere and Zemi Valley carries the mystical side of history
today. The Goreme Open Air Museum is the most visited site of
the monastic communities in Cappadocia and is one of the most
famous sites in central Turkey. It is a complex comprising more
than 30 rock-carved churches and chapels containing some superb
frescoes, dating from the 9th to the 11th centuries.
PAMUKKALE-HIERAPOLIS
Bathing in pools is no more
allowed
Ancient graves
Agora entrance of the ancient city
Pamukkale (Hierapolis) is one of the most enchanting and remarkable
sights in the whole of Turkey with the great dazzling white plateau,
almost 400 feet high, rising in a curtain of stalagmites and shallow
pools, giving one into another on hundreds of different levels, and
ancient city of Hierapolis located on this plateau. The great baths
were constructed in the second century and are so well-preserved
that they now serve as a museum. The impressive and recently
restored theatre, the Martyrium of St. Philip the Apostle of the 5th
century a colonnaded street erected by Domitian, a monumental gate
of the same period, another bath stretching on for over a Mile, the
necropolis with a fascinating variety of tombs and sarcophagus are
the famous monuments of this antique city.
