ANCIENT WESTERN in 4 DAYS

DAY 1      ISTANBUL /IZMIR / PERGAMUM / IZMIR

Your English speaking representative will meet you at the lobby of your hotel at 8 am and you will be transferred to the Istanbul Airport for your Turkish Airlines flight (ETD 1000 / ETA 1105) to Izmir.

Upon arrival, you will drive to PERGAMUM (Capital city of the Hellenistic Kingdom) featuring visits to the majestic Acropol and Asclepion- the Sanctuary of Athena, the Library of Pergamum, that contained 200.000 volumes, given to Cleopatra by Mark Anthony, as a wedding present to be added to her collection in the Alexandria Library – continue to visit the Temple of Trojan (built by the worshipped Emperor Hadrian for Emperor Trojan before him), famous Theater (the steepest raked Hellenistic Theater in the World), the Zeus Altar.

At the end of the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel.

DAY 2 - IZMIR – EPHESUS – IZMIR

UTS’s English Speaking guide will be meeting you at the lobby of your hotel at 9 am for your private visit to the remarkable Greco-Roman archaeological site of Ancient Ephesus.

Dating back to the 11th century B.C., it has been painstakingly excavated and restored and is one of the world’s most fascinating sites of antiquity. Ephesus flourished as a prominent city and seaport between 600 B.C. and 500 A.D.  We will begin our private walking tour along Royal Road also known as the Arcadian Way, a 4th century white marble chariot thoroughfare whose most striking sight is the two-story Library of Celsus.  Uniquely beautiful, with its restored facade now the famed symbol of Ephesus, the Library once housed 12,000 scrolls of papyrus manuscripts making it the 2nd largest in the ancient world after the library in Alexandria, Egypt. Your walk along the Royal Road will also take you past the remains of some of the ancient city’s major civic buildings and temples as you move toward the Ephesus Theater. The theater, seating 25,000 has exceptional acoustics and is still in use today for concerts and theatrical performances. 

 You will also visit the ongoing excavations of the Greco Roman PALACES the ''ELITE YAMAC HOMES OF ANTIQUITY'' (Terrace Houses) with their magnificent mosaics and frescoes being restored by archeologists as you visit the site.

Lunch will be served at one of UTS’s recommended local/select restaurants close to the sights, at your own cost.

The last visit will be to the Basilica of St. John, a great church in Ephesus constructed by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. It stands over the believed burial site of St. John, who is identified as the apostle, evangelist (author of the Fourth Gospel) and prophet (author of Revelation).

At the end of the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel.

DAY 3 - IZMIR – PAMUKKALE

Departure from the hotel for Pamukkale (approx. 3,5 hour drive).

On the way, you will visit the ruins of the Aphrodisias one of the world's most complete and extraordinary excavations of an ancient site. This antique city is one of the most recent discoveries in Turkey and was dedicated to the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite.

Upon arrival in Pamukkale, visit the Temple of Apollo, continuing with the breathtaking Theatre, the fascinating Necropolis and the last stop will be at the great baths of Hierapolis antique city.

Continue to see the travertines, form of limestone deposited by Dinner and overnight in Pamukkale.

DAY 4 - PAMUKKALE – PAMUKKALE - ISTANBUL

 UTS’s English Speaking guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel at 6:30 am for your private transfer to Denizli Airport to take your flight back to Istanbul. (ETD 0830 09:45)  Upon arrival, you will be connecting flight departing not before 12 noon.