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10 Day Turkish Aegean Tour
offered by supplier M19330 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 10
day(s)
Group Size: 2
- 12
people
Destination(s):
Turkey
Specialty Categories:
Archeology/History
Season: January - December
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: Yes
Minimum Per Person Price: 3400 Canadian Dollar (CAD)
Maximum Per Person Price: 3400 Canadian Dollar (CAD)
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Your Itinerary:
Day 1: Leave Istanbul by bus, crossing the Bosphorus onto the Asian side, making a stop at Beylerbeyi Palace, before continuing on to Iznik, once known as Nicaea. We check into our hotel and have a walking tour of the city. We will see the remains of the Haghia Sophia and the Archaeological Museum.
Day 2: We leave in the morning, driving along the Sea of Mamara to Canakkale, where we stay for the evening. We have dinner in a local kebab house.
Day 3: After having Turkish coffee with our breakfast we will cross the Dardanelles to Gallipoli, a name as synonymous as any, for the horror of the First World War. The area is a national park and cemeteries for all nations involved in the battles dot the peninsula. We will visit the War Cemeteries for the Anzacs, the Mehmetcik Memorial with Ataturk's eulogy to both the Turkish and Allied fallen, and the reconstructed trenches on the battlefields. This is a deeply moving experience. We return to Canakkale for the evening.
Day 4: We leave Canakkale in the morning, looking out on the narrowest point of the Dardanelles, perhaps at the very point where Xerxes built his bridge of boats to land on Thrace in 450 BC. We stop mid-morning at the archaeological ruins of Troy, sight of the war Homer wrote of in The Iliad. Successive cities have occupied the area for over 4000 years, there is a replica of the Trojan Horse, but perhaps it will be the whispers on the wind, bringing the ghosts of Homer's epic to life that will most effect us. We continue south to Bergama where we stop for the evening. As we have dinner we will be able to look up at the impressive ruins of the acropolis of Pergamum.
Day 5: We begin the day exploring Pergamum. Built by the Greeks in the 8th century AD, ruled by the Macedonians, and in turn the Romans, this is one of the most impressive ruins in Turkey. Highlights include the Altar of Zeus, the marble Temple of Trajan and the Theater. In the afternoon we continue on to Selcuk, where we stay the night.
Day 6: We spend the day at the beaches of Ilica. For those that wish to windsurf, the bus will take them on to Alacati. In the late afternoon we regrettably leave the beaches and return to our hotel in Selcuk, where we have dinner and see traditional Turkish dancers.
Day 7: We tour Ephesus today. The first settlement, a Greek city, built in the 10th century BC, was the center of worship for Cybele, an Asian mother goddess. We will see the famous statue of Artemis, the Library of Celsu, and the House of Mary, where the Virgin is said to have lived out her life. This is a day long excursion, with much to see. Other sites include the Temple of Hadrian, the Theater, and the Agora. We return to our hotel for dinner.
Day 8: We have a lovely morning traveling along the Menderes River Valley to Hierapolis. These ruins are from Hellenistic times. We will see the Arch of Domitian, the Martyrium of St Philip and will have an opportunity to swim in the mineral baths. Afterwards we stop at Pammukkale to see the famous Travertine terraces, white from limestone deposits. From here we travel south to Aphrodisias, a site dedicated to Aphrodite. It is an original shrine dating to 6000 BC. We will spend the remainder of the afternoon visiting the Temple of Aphrodite and the stadium. We go on to Denzili to stay the evening.
Day 9: In the morning we return to the coast and Kusadasi, where we will stay for the remainder of our trip. In the afternoon we will go to Priene, Miletus, and Didyma to see their sites. The Temple of Athena, at Priene, has wonderful Ionian columns, a superb theater and sanctuaries to Demeter and Kore. At Miletus we will see the theater and Ilyas Bey mosque. At Didyma we will tramp through the ruins of the Temple of Apollo. We return to Kusadasi, for dinner. For those that wish the nightlife is very lively.
Day 10: We return to Istanbul by plane. Those that wish may extend their stay in Kusadasi.
Member discount:
10% discount for InfoHub customer. Request a free gift certificate.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- 4 star Hotels
- Transportation
- Guide
- Museum fees.
Also see tour packages in:
Middle East
Turkey
History Whiz
Archeology/History
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