View the home of the Virgin Mary following the death of Christ until her Assumption, or Dormition, and explore Ephesus, one of the best-preserved ancient cities in the world. Journey to the location believed to be where the Virgin Mary spent her last days and which has become a pilgrimage site for both Christians and Muslims. You’ll marvel at 3rd-century BC Ephesus, a UNESCO World Heritage site and once the location of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Discover countless remains of this once-thriving city, such as the 2nd-century Library of Celsus and the Odeon Theater. You’ll marvel at the perfect acoustics of the 24,000-seat Great Theater, which is still used today for musical performances. At a lovely five-star hotel, enjoy a bountiful buffet lunch before you travel to the nearby resort town of Kusadasi to shop for souvenirs or famous Turkish carpets. In Selçuk, near Izmir, visit the Ephesus Archaeological Museum to survey collections unearthed from Ephesus’ many excavations, including statues of the gods and goddesses who inspired this heavenly region.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Discover the site thought to be the last home of the Virgin Mary until her Assumption.
• Visit the striking and well-preserved ruins of Ephesus, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Marvel at Ephesus’ 24,000-seat Great Theater, 2nd-century Library of Celsus and the Odeon Theater.
• Enjoy a delicious buffet lunch at a luxury hotel.
• Relish time to shop for souvenirs, jewelry or handmade Turkish carpets.
• Explore the Ephesus Archaeological Museum to view treasures from the ancient city.

Explore Pergamum’s most revered ruins, which exemplify its reputation as an ancient center of learning and science. Journey through fertile plains to Pergamum, a UNESCO World Heritage site settled by one civilization after another until its golden age, approximately AD 300, when its citizens invented parchment. You’ll tour the remains of the city’s library, which contained 200,000 volumes and put Pergamum on par with Alexandria as a cultural center of the Roman Empire. Walk around the acropolis atop a steep hill and realize the city was built to be an inaccessible fortress. You’ll also view a 10,000-seat theater built into the hillside, the temples of Trajan and Dionysus, the Altar of Zeus, the Sanctuary of Demeter and the agora. Continue via a sacred road lined with monuments to 4th-century BC Asclepion, built in honor of Asclepius, Greek god of medicine. Learn the site was an ancient healing center where people came to be cured of diseases diagnosed from their dreams. See remnants of the rehabilitation center, the sacred spring and the mysterious psychotherapy tunnel. Enjoy a flavorful lunch at a specially selected restaurant to cap off your exploration of Turkey’s bewitching past.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Investigate the ruins of Pergamum, a UNESCO World Heritage site where parchment was invented.
• Discover an ancient library that once contained 200,000 books, making Pergamum a noted Roman cultural center.
• Stroll Pergamum’s acropolis, whose strategic hilltop placement assured it was nearly impenetrable.
• Survey striking remains such as the Temple of Trajan, the Sanctuary of Demeter and the agora.
• Visit 4th-century BC Asclepion, an ancient healing center honoring the Greek god of medicine.
• Savor a delicious lunch at a local restaurant.

Visit Sardis, capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia and a flourishing city during the 7th-century BC Persian Empire, on this coach and walking tour. You’ll journey to Sardis, the inland terminus of the famous King Road that connected Persia to the Western territories of Asia Minor and the Aegean Sea. Learn that this city was home to King Croesus, whose wealth was famed across empires. You’ll explore Sardis’ remains via a majestically colonnaded road and pass what was once a massive, two-story gymnasium complex that includes the ruins of a Roman-era synagogue, a shopping arcade, a Roman bath and a Hellenistic theater. Notice the Pactolos River, which bisects the ancient town, and learn it contained gold that was used to strike the kingdom’s coins. You’ll view the remains of a stadium and the 3rd-century BC temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis, a stunning example of Ionian style. Return to Izmir, where you’ll enjoy a brief orientation tour of the city.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Experience the ancient Lydian capital of Sardis, entering the city by roads lined with stately columns.
• See an impressive two-story gymnasium complex that once housed a synagogue.
• Explore remains of a 3rd-century BC temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis.
• Savor an enticing lunch of local specialties in a Salihli restaurant.

Journey back in time during this exclusive, limited-participation tour of the ruins of Ephesus, a UNESCO World Heritage site. After a leisurely drive, you’ll arrive in 3rd-century BC Ephesus, one of the largest Roman archaeological sites in the eastern Mediterranean and once the location of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Meet your guide, an expert archaeologist, who will lead you in a discussion about the site. You’ll visit the Ephesus Museum’s Hall of Artemis and view artifacts and statues unearthed during the excavations of the temple and other key locations around Ephesus. Discover countless remains of this once-thriving city, such as the beautifully restored 2nd-century Library of Celsus and the Odeon Theater. Marvel at the 24,000-seat Great Theater and see the Terrace Houses where Ephesus’ wealthiest citizens lived. Savor a delicious repast at a specially selected restaurant in Selçuk, adjacent to the ruins.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Discover ancient Ephesus, a UNESCO World Heritage site, under the tutelage of an expert archaeologist.
• View parts of Ephesus off-limits to most visitors with a guided look at some of its most breathtaking ruins.
• See relics of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
• Relish a flavorful lunch at a restaurant located near the ancient site.

Familiarize yourself with the historical delights of Turkey’s third-largest city, known as Smyrna in antiquity. Visit Izmir’s Museum of History and Art to browse classical sculptures and artifacts collected during excavations in and near the city. You’ll marvel at the open-air Smyrna agora, now called the Izmir Agora Museum, which was the commercial, judicial and political hub of the ancient metropolis and its center for artistic activities and teaching. Discover the base of the northern basilica gate, the ancient shopping center and the stoa, or portico. You’ll find the Hellenistic structure was rebuilt in the 2nd century during the Roman era after its destruction in AD 178 by an earthquake. Learn that its reconstruction, under the emperor Marcus Aurelius, followed a plan drawn by Hippodamos, considered the father of European urban design. At the 18th-century Kizlaragasi Hani Bazaar, one of the oldest markets in the city, you’ll relish free time to browse, savor a cup of Turkish coffee or perhaps find a perfect memento of your foray into Izmir’s ancient past.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Explore Izmir’s Museum of History and Art, one of the country’s richest repositories of ancient artifacts.
• Roam the open-air Izmir Agora Museum, site of an ancient agora that was Smyrna’s heart.
• See vestiges of stunning freestanding colonnades and covered walkways known as stoa.
• Enjoy time on your own at the 18th-century Kizlaragasi Hani Bazaar to shop or sip a Turkish coffee.

OVERVIEW

Admire two of the most hallowed sites in the ancient world and browse a museum whose collection sheds more light on the past. A panoramic drive will bring you to the House of the Virgin. Believed to be the last residence of the Virgin Mary, the small stone building contains a bedroom, kitchen and an altar adorned with images of Mary. Feel free to drink from the sacred spring that runs under the house. For a more all-encompassing look at ancient times, you will walk through the Ephesus Archaeological Museum, taking in the locally excavated artifacts, the most famous being the statue of the Greek goddess Artemis. You will also visit St. John’s Basilica, which was built in the 6th century over the spot where St. John is supposedly buried. Although a Mongol army destroyed the building and pillaged much of it, part of the basilica has been restored to show its scope.

HIGHLIGHTS

• See the modest stone building that is thought to be the Virgin Mary’s last earthly residence.
• Browse the fabulous artifacts in the Ephesus Archaeological Museum.
• Visit the ruins of a basilica beneath which Saint John is supposedly buried.
• Spend free time shopping for handicrafts such as carpets and ceramics in Ephesus.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Enjoy a leisurely exploration of the ancient city of Ephesus that showcases its most revealing landmarks with time to shop as well. In its glory, Ephesus was a major trading center and played a vital role in spreading Christianity. You will enter this UNESCO World Heritage site town through its lower gate, where the ground is flatter for easier walking. Highlights include the remains of the Grand Theater where St. Paul once preached and the Library of Celsus, whose façade has become an iconic structure. The library was originally built as a mausoleum that also held scrolls and codices. You will also meander through the Ephesus Museum, whose vast collection is full of artifacts that have been unearthed locally since 1895. Just outside of town, you will have time to shop independently for handicrafts. Woven Turkish carpets, colorful ceramics and three-dimensional point lace items are among the most popular merchandise.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Follow an easy-to-walk route through ancient Ephesus, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Visit the ruins of the 25,000-seat Grand Theater where Saint John once preached.
• Browse the comprehensive collection of artifacts in the Ephesus Museum.
• Spend free time shopping for handicrafts such as carpets and ceramics in Ephesus.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Explore seaside Urla and come away with an understanding of its importance through history and how the town has evolved into a haven for food and art. Life in Urla has always revolved around the waterfront as you will discover while enjoying a cup of robust, aromatic Turkish coffee at a café overlooking the sea. In ancient times, Urla flourished through agriculture, especially the production of olive oil from the surrounding groves of olive trees. At the Klazomenai Archaeological Site, you will see a workshop where the oil was first produced 2,600 years ago. It is the oldest such place on the Anatolia peninsula. Today, Urla is better known for its street art, which adorns many of the cafés, art galleries and shops along the pedestrian-only cobblestone alleyway Sanat Sokagi. During free time there, you can shop for items such as Urla wines and handmade soaps before dining at a popular restaurant.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Gain an understanding of life in Urla, both past and present.
• See a 2,600-year-old olive-oil workshop that is the oldest in Anatolia.
• Spend free time shopping and admiring the colorful street art in Urla.
• Stop at a waterfront café for Turkish coffee and at a popular restaurant for lunch.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Dine at a restaurant that caters to tradespeople and gain great insight into daily life and the local cuisine. Known as Smyrna in ancient times, Izmir has long been an important port and you will see the abundance of goods available in the Kemeralti Market. Many of the items on display in this centuries-old market will be ingredients in your lunch, which will be enjoyed at a traditional restaurant for working people known as a esnaf lokantasi. These popular spots are typically small, lively and filled with locals that come for the fresh home-style cooking. You will be offered a variety of authentic small-plate dishes and main courses made with seasonal ingredients that reflect the cuisine of Izmir. The welcoming atmosphere is such that you can’t help but feel like one of the locals. After dining, you can explore the neighborhood on your own, an experience that will enhance your understanding of day-to-day life.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Browse a centuries-old marketplace that offers a remarkable array of merchandise.
• Dine at a restaurant that serves traditional dishes to a largely working-class clientele.
• Revel in the restaurant’s lively, unpretentious atmosphere.
• Spend free time exploring the surrounding neighborhood after dining.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Enjoy an indulgent meal at a contemporary restaurant in a boutique hotel along the revitalized Urla wine route. Although wine had been produced in this area for thousands of years, the wineries had fallen into ruin and forgotten until a landowner stumbled across the remains of one somewhat recently. Wineries are now back in full force as you will discover at Perdix, a restaurant in the heart of this burgeoning wine region. You will be offered a sampling of several wines made from familiar grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay and lesser-known varietals from grapes that have been brought back from near extinction. It is an inspiring story made all the more relevant during the tasting. Similarly, lunch will reflect the distinctive cuisine of Urla as the ingredients will be locally sourced. The small-plate dishes will likely include octopus-stuffed gnocchi while the main course may be grilled sea bream fresh from the Aegean Sea.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Discover how the long-forgotten wineries in the Urla district have been revitalized.
• Sample premium wines made from grapes that thrive in the Urla terroir.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Whet your appetite by browsing a fish market with the bounty of the sea on ice and then settle in at a restaurant for a traditional seafood lunch. As an introduction to the area, you will be treated to a panoramic drive through Izmir, a densely populated city that dates back more than 5,000 years. Even so, Izmir is decidedly modern, much more than the town of Güzelbahçe, which lies a bit farther down the Gulf of Izmir. While meandering through its main fish market, you will see an array of seafood such as octopus, squid, mackerel and mullet, all caught in the Aegean Sea. Sardines are also plentiful and perhaps even more iconic, especially when grilled. Although the menu at the waterfront restaurant changes with the season, you will likely dine on mezes such as crispy calamari and succulent mussels and sea bass or sea bream as the main course.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Enjoy a spectacularly scenic and enlightening drive through downtown Izmir.
• Browse a fish market in seaside Güzelbahçe, where the day’s catch will be on display.
• Dine on fresh seafood caught in the Aegean at a waterfront restaurant in Güzelbahçe.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.