A Wonderful Extension 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 – IZMIR - ISTANBUL
At 8:30 am, you will be greeted at the lobby of your hotel by United Travel Service’s English speaking guide, for departure by deluxe air-conditioned minivan 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.
The last visit of the day will be to the House of the Virgin Mary, a lovely little chapel set in the hills behind Ephesus believed to be Virgin Mary’s
At the end of the tour, you will be transferred to Izmir Airport to take your flight back to Istanbul (ETD 1900 ETA 2005). Upon arrival in Istanbul, you will be connecting to your outbound flight departing not before 10:30 pm.
To book this tour, please contact UTS – Turkey Team