An EXCITING WEEK at the WESTERN ANATOLIA

DAY 1 - ISTANBUL – BURSA - CANAKKALE

At 7:30 am you will be depart from the hotel to drive onto Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire in the 14th century, and a major spa center. Taste the famous Bursa kebab. Wander through the covered market with its local cotton goods, and Koza Han, the silk cocoon caravanserai, with shops selling beautiful silks and brocades.

Visit the Ottoman complex to see the Grand Mosque, the Green Mosque, considered being one of the finest examples of early Ottoman architecture, and the Green Mausoleum, the tomb of Sultan Mehmet I. This is Bursa's loveliest building, with its spectacular tile work.

At the end of the tour you will be transferred to Canakkale for the visit the Anzac Cemetery, the Lone Pine and the Military Museum of the Gallipoli National Park, where the Gallipoli Wars took place during World War 1.  

Overnight in Canakkale.

DAY 2 - CANAKKALE - IZMIR

After breakfast check-out from the hotel and, You will then drive to visit the Legendary Troy of Homer and Iliad. 

You will then continue to Izmir. En Route visit 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, (known to be the finest altar ever built) and the Red Court.

Overnight in Izmir

DAY 3  - IZMIR/ EPHESUS / KUSADASI

UTS’s English Speaking guide will be meeting you at the lobby of your hotel at 9:30 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 from which St. Paul once preached to the Ephesians.  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.

In addition to the historic monuments, your excursion will also include a visit to the House of the Virgin Mary, a lovely little chapel set in the hills behind Ephesus believed to be Virgin Mary’s last home.

At the end of the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel by 5 pm.

DAY 4 - KUSADASI/ PAMUKKALE

Your private guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel at 8:30 am to drive to Pamukkale. The travertine terraces in Pamukkale are one of the most spectacular natural wonders we ever have seen from various mineral springs in a vast white cliff side, about 200 m overlooking the plain, calcite-laden waters have dripped down over a series of terraced levels and created a fairyland of bizarre solidified cascades and shell-shaped basins. It looks like creations from snow or like balls from cotton, which gave the scenery the Turkish name Pamukkale (cotton castle): “pamuk” for cotton and “kale” for castle. Moreover the water in the basins is changing its color according to how the light enters.

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. You will also visit ancient Hierapolis  - the Temple of Apollo, continuing with the breathtaking Theatre, the fascinating Necropolis.

At the end of the tour you will be escorted to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 5 - PAMUKKALE / BODRUM

Your private guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel at 8:30 am and you will be driven approx. 4 hour for Bodrum.

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

Upon arrival, you will have a sightseeing tour of Bodrum. Your first stop will be at the Bodrum’s Crusaders Castle, also known as Bodrum    Castle- resting between the two bays that surround the city. This outstanding structure was constructed by the Knights of St. John during the 11^th Century to defend the Southeastern Aegean. The fortress has beautiful gardens and houses the world-renowned Underwater Sea Museum. After visiting the Museum, your private tour will continue with a visit to the 4^th Century B.C. Tomb of King Mausoleum in Halicarnassus, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. At the end of your tour, you will be escorted to your hotel.

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

DAY 6 - BODRUM

After breakfast at the hotel, you will be transferred to Bodrum Pier by 10:30 am (w/o guidance) to board your private deluxe gullet (wooden yacht) for a cruise along the crystal clear waters of the Aegean Sea. Your gullet will lead you off the scenic coast of Bodrum to Karaada (Black Island), which is famous for its mud baths.. Then sail over to Ortakent Beach across the wide Bodrum Bay, slicing through a shallow body of water known as Ada Bogazi. Enjoy a picnic lunch on board the gullet along the beach at one of the nearby islands. At the end of the day, you will disembark from the gullet and will be transferred back to your hotel by 5 pm.

DAY 7 – BODRUM / ISTANBUL

UTS’s private chauffeur driven A/C Deluxe Minivan will be ready in front of the hotel (w/o escort) at 06:30 am for your private transfer to Bodrum Airport to take your flight back to Istanbul. (0815 0925). Upon arrival in Istanbul, you will be connecting your outbound flight departing not before than 12 noon.