Tour Details

Day 1 - Ephesus:

Guests will be collected from their hotel and transferred to the airport. Guests fly to Izmir from Istanbul.Upon arrival, you will be transported to the office in Ephesus. You will enter the ancient site at the Magnesia Gate and begin a slow walk downhill, being guided through the ruins of the Roman provincial capital. The tour makes its way past the amazing features of Ephesus including the Odem, the Celsius Library, the Temple of Hadrian, the Fountain of Trajan and the Great Theatre. The theatre, which had seating for 25,000, is the site where St. Paul preached to the inhabitants of the city. The tour also includes the house of the Virgin Mary, a small house in the Solmissos Mountains recognised by the Vatican as her final resting place. Another attraction is the Temple of Artemis, known as one the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Today the foundations of this marvellous construction from the Hellenistic Age remain. At the end of the tour, guests are transferred to their hotel in Kusadası or Selcuk.

 

Day 2 - Pamukkale:

Guests are picked up from their hotel to take a 3-4 hour journey to Pamukkale. You can see phenomenal site well before you arrive in the village below. The water from these springs have a high mineral content (chalk, limestone and travertine) that cascading down the mountain, giving rise to the complexion of the mountains; resembling a frozen waterfall. The water contains a large amount of hydrogen carbonate and calcium, which results in the precipitation of calcium bi-carbonate. The combination of these elements attributes to the surreal landscape at Pamukkale as well as its place on the World Heritage list. Long before this listing, the Romans recognised the appeal of the area, building the spa city Hierapolis. At the completion of this tour, guests are transferred to the bus station. Overnight bus to Cappadocia.

 

Day 3 - South Cappadocia:

Upon arrival, you will be transported to the office in Goreme. During your time in Cappadocia, you will tour the north and south parts of the region. Guests depart for Derinkuyu’s Underground city to visit the huge refugee settlement carved by early Christians. From Derinkuyu you continue to the beautiful valley of Ihlara, the ancient Peristerema: ‘Valley of Sky’ along the Melendiz River. You will explore the famous rock-cut churches and hike 4 km through the valley. On the way back, the tour visits the Selime Monastery and Pigeon Valley. At the end of the tour, guests are dropped off at their hotel in Goreme.

 

Day 4 - North Cappadocia:

Guests will meet the guide and driver at the hotel, and start the tour discovering Cappadocia’s unique landscape. The first stop, a highlight of the region, is Goreme‘s Open Air Museum to witness the living art of Christian and Byzantine history in the cave churches there. You will then drive to Çavuşin, an old Greek village to discover the civil architecture in Cappadocia. Lunch is at a local restaurant in Avanos, which has been the centre of terra-cotta art since 2000 BC. After lunch, you travel to Pasabagi or ‘Monks Valley’ to see the fascinating mushroom-shaped pinnacles. The next stop is Devrent (Imagination Valley) to see the amazing fairy-chimneys. Before being returned to your hotel, there is another stop at the natural rock castle at Uchisar. At the completion of the second-day tour, guests are transferred to the bus station for an overnight journey to Istanbul or another destination. At the end of the second-day tour in Cappadocia, guests transferred to the airport to fly to Istanbul. Guests are met when they arrived in Istanbul and taken to their hotel via service.