4 Days Pamukkale, Ephesus, Pergamon, Troy

4 Days Pamukkale, Ephesus, Pergamon, Troy

Duration:

4 Days

Departing:

Istanbul

Time:

---

Pickup Point:

Istanbul

Highlights:

Ephesus, Pamukkale, Pergamon, Troy

euro

Regular Price:

€ ----- Per Person

4 Days Pamukkale, Ephesus, Pergamon, Troy

Discover natural travertine terraces, hike on white rocks and visit the ancient city of Hierapolis in Pamukkale. Then in Ephesus, see the fascinating Roman ruins and admire the Library of Celsus. In Pergamon, explore the ancient theatre, temples and historical sites. Finally, visit the legendary Troy, where the famous Odysseus lived the legend. An unforgettable 4-day journey to discover the historical and natural beauties of Turkey!

  • Flight to Pamukkale-Full-Day Pamukkale Tour- Overnight in Kusadasi.
  • 05:00 Early morning transfer to Istanbul Airport.
  • 07:00 Direct Flight from Istanbul to Pamukkale/Denizli.
  • 08:10 Meet your Pamukkale guide and drive to Pamukkale White Travertines.
  • 09:20 Arrive in Pamukkale travertines.
  • Drive to Pamukkale; It takes about 1 hr.
  • White Calcium Carbonate Travertines.
  • Hierapolis Archaeological Museum.
  • Cleopatra’s Pool.
  • Hierapolis Ancient City.
    • Grand Theatre
    • The Temple of Apollo
    • Nymphaeum (Monumental Fountain)
    • Plutonium
    • Christian Basilica
    • City Gate
    • Necropolis
    • Martyrium of St. Philip
  • Open Buffet Local Lunch (Drinks Extra).
  • 16:30 End of the Pamukkale Day Tour. Depart from Pamukkale to Kusadasi.
  • 19:30 Arrival Kusadasi. Overnight in Kusadasi.
  • Pick up from Hotel
  • Meet with the guide and drive to Ephesus.
  • The House of The Virgin Mary
  • The Temple of Artemis (Diana)
  • Ephesus Ancient Ruin (the things to see in the ancient city of Ephesus)
    • Odeon
    • Roman Bath
    • State Agora
    • Prytaneum (Town Hall)
    • The Temple of Domitian
    • The Monument of Memmius
    • Relief of Niki, Medicine, Hermes and Pharmacy
    • Hercules Gate
    • The Fountain of Trajan
    • Scholastica Bath
    • Terrace Houses
    • The Temple of Hadrian
    • The Public Toilet
    • The Library of Celcius
    • The Commercial Agora
    • Marble Street
    • Brothel
    • Foot Print
    • Grand Theatre
    • Arcadian Street
    • Virgin Mary Church (Church of Council)
    • Vedius Gymnasium
    • The Stadium
  • 16:30 End of the Ephesus Day Tour. Depart from Ephesus to Kusadasi.
  • 17:00 Arrival Kusadasi. Overnight in Kusadasi.
  • Drive to Pergamon (It will take about 2 hr and 20 minutes)
  • Pergamon Acropolis
  • Temple of Zeus
  • The Temple of Athena
  • The Library of Pergamon
  • Grand Theatre of Pergamon
  • The Temple of Dionyssos
  • The Temple of Trojanus
  • Water Cisterns
  • The Palaces
  • Arsenals
  • Gymnasium
  • Red Court (Basilica)
  • 16:00 End of the Pergamon Day Trip-Depart from Pergamon to Canakkale
  • 18:30 Arrive to Canakkale. Overnight in Canakkale
  • Pick up From Canakkale Hotels
  • Drive to Troja or Troy. It takes about 1. hr
  • Visit The Trojan Wooden Horse
  • The Ten "Cities" of Troy
  • The Pithos Garden
  • Ancient City Troy
  • The East Wall
  • The Northeast Bastion
  • Temple of Athena
  • The Megaron
  • Citadel Wall
  • The Fortification Wall
  • The Residence (Manor House)
  • Schliemann's Trench
  • The Palatial Residence (VI ) - Troy VI
  • The Sanctuary
  • Trojan Horse, Homer, and the Iliad
  • The Lower City
  • Water Cave of Troy
  • The Bath
  • Tuz Golu (Salt Lake)
  • The Odeion and The Bouleuterion
  • The South Gate
  • Local Lunch Break at the seafront (Eat out and Help out)
  • 16:00 Depart from Canakkale to Istanbul
  • 21:00 Arrive in Istanbul. Drop off at your hotel

05:00 Early morning transfer to Istanbul Airport.
07:00 Direct Flight from Istanbul to Cardak Airport (Denizli/Pamukkale).
08:10 Arrive at Denizli, meet your Pamukkale tour guide, and drive to Pamukkale Calcium Terraces.
09:20 Full-Day Pamukkale and Hierapolis Tour. Your local tour guide will hand you; Pamukkale and Turkey map.

"Pamukkale translates to 'Cotton Castle'... Once you get here, it's easy to see why. This natural phenomenon, designated a UNESCO Heritage site in 1988, with spectacular white calcium cliffs and beautiful turquoise blue pools, is a sight to behold. Pamukkale is like an alien landscape;

Snow White Calcium Travertines, Terraces, and Calcium Pools

When translated, Pamukkale or ‘Cotton Castle’ has been drawing tourists worldwide to its thermal springs for more than 23 centuries. Ephesus and Pamukkale are one of the top Famous places to see in Turkey. The Turkish name refers to the extraordinary surface of the snow-white cliffs, shaped over millennia by the accumulation of calcium deposited by mineral springs.

Legend has it that the Cotton Castle formations are solidified cotton (the area’s principal crop) that giants left out to dry. Dripping slowly down a vast mountainside, mineral-rich water foams and collects in bowls that terrace the decline down the mountainside spilling over petrified cascades of stalactites into milky pools below.

These saucer-shaped travertines (or terraces, also called) wind sideways down the powder-white mountain, providing a stunning contrast to the clear blue sky and green plain below. To protect the unique calcite surface, you must traverse the area barefoot.

Although the terrace pools aren't bottomless, you can get fully submerged if you want, don’t forget your towel! Don’t worry, if you don't have a bathing suit or towel, you can buy a Turkish Towel, Do not Forget is Cotton’s principal crop. As a nice suvinour, you can take it away to your home. You shouldn’t leave Pamukkale Tour without having a healing dip in the sacred fountain of Cleopatra’s pool.

Cleopatra’s Pool:

A swim in the effervescent waters of Cleopatra’s Pool should be at the top of any Turkey Travel Itinerary. Strewn about the bottom of the crystal-clear pools are a fantastic collection of striated columns and capitals, a striking reminder of the pool's pedigree.

The Cleopatra's Pool has warm, clear fizzy water that bubbles from the source of the spring. With temperatures of 35C, you can bathe in the natural thermal mud and waters and enjoy the water's curative effects (both medicinal and beauty), which had previously benefited the ancient Greek and Roman peoples for centuries.

With its Thermo mineral and magnesium, calcium, carbon dioxide, sulfide, and bicarbonate, this curative water is suitable as a curative treatment in many areas.

The Ancient City of Hierapolis:

The nearby ancient Hierapolis and its accompanying museums may be overshadowed by the springs, but they are also fascinating and well worth the visit. After walking along the terraces, we will take a short walk to Hierapolis City, also known as ‘Holy City.’

Just outside the main entrance is the Necropolis (Graveyard), containing more than 1200 tombs and sarcophagi of people who wished to have been buried here. The proximity of the hot springs and vapor-emitting cracks was believed to ease their journey into the Underworld.

Among the tombs lies the Martyrium, an octagonal 5th-century edifice believed to have been erected upon the site where St. Philip was martyred in 80 CE. The Hierapolis City Bath, the springs of Hierapolis, was particularly popular among vacationing Romans.

You will notice that carved into the side of the mountain is the monstrous Grand Theater that dominates the vista of Hierapolis. At its height, the Grand Theatre could host 25.000 boisterous fans and is still largely intact until this day.

It features a vast network of decorative elements from the 3rd century CE, including ornately sculptured statues, columns, and arches, amongst other decretive elements. 

16:30 End of the Pamukkale Day Tour. Depart from Pamukkale to Kusadasi.
19:30 Arrival Kusadasi. Overnight in Kusadasi.

The House of Virgin Mary

We will pass through the verdant and picturesque countryside; our first stop will be The House of the Virgin Mary. By the Predominant Christian tradition, Mary was brought to Ephesus by the Apostle John after the resurrection of Christ and lived out her final resting years here. This is based mainly on the traditional belief that John came to Ephesus and the biblical statement that Jesus consigned her to John's care (John 19:26-27).

Ephesus Ancient Ruin

After The House of the Virgin Mary, we will head on to the next destination, the Ancient City of Ephesus; the tour here shall be a walking tour and will take you through one of the most magnificent archaeological sites in the world. You will see the Odeon, The Fountain of Trajan, the steam baths of Scholastic, the Temple of Hadrian, and course, let’s not forget the awe-inspiring library of Ephesus.

The library is adorned with columns and statues. The Grand Theatre, where Saint Paul preached, is the largest in antiquity, with a capacity of 24.000 seats. You will then return to the bus through the Arcadian Way, where Mark Anthony and Cleopatra once rode in procession. After your 2-hour exploration around Ephesus, we will head for a lunch break for about 1 hour is Lunch Break.

The Temple of Artemis (Diana)

Our next stop is the Temple of Artemis (Diana). This outstanding temple was built in honor of the Greek Goddess of hunting, wild nature, and fertility, deemed one of the Seven wonders of the ancient world. The temple of Artemis used to be the largest marble temple in the ancient Greek world since it was four times as big as the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.

The temple served as both a marketplace and a religious institution. Offerings by thousands of pilgrims each year enabled the temple to grow so wealthy that it became the world`s first bank. Today, little remains of the magnificent structure. Your guide will describe its importance, wealth, and the tension between the Romans and Christians that settled in the area over the centuries. After the Ephesus tour, drive back to Kusadasi overnight.

Then we will drive about 2 hrs to drive to Pergamon. Visit the Pergamon Acropolis.

Pergamon Acropolis and Red Basilica

The ruins of Pergamon cross the river in Bergama's pleasant, modern city. The deep-bedded Caicus River flowing through the town adds to Bergama's quiet charms. Pergamon's archaeological sights, towering 330 m above the city, are extensive and impressive. Loping over 3000 acres, its ruins are located on two main sites. The Acropolis, which looms above the town, and with one world's wealthiest libraries, the ruins make it one of Turkey's finest archaeological sites.

Extremely worthwhile UNESCO world heritage site atop a massive hill. The vantage point is incredible. It's high, panoramic views, its establishment, and the whole city complex in itself; you will love this place because it's overlooking the entire town. The theater on the side of the hill is simply amazing.

The most notable attraction is the mammoth amphitheater, capable of seating 10.000 spectators. It is the steepest theater whole Mediterranean coastline. Most of the Altar of Zeus, consisting of the remains of a marble offering table, graces the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. The Temple was the "throne of Satan," referred to by St.John in the Book of Revelations.

In ancient times, only the library in Alexandria surpassed Pergamon’s, which contained more than 200.000 volumes. When the Alexandrians attempted to eclipse the Pergamon book bonanza by limiting the flow of papyrus from the Nile, Pergamon schoolers invented parchment from goat hides—the plot thıckned: when the library’s Egyptian rival rose in flames. Marc Antony plundered Pergamon’s shelves and presented the pilfered collection to Cleopatra. After the lunch break,

Kizil Avlu (Red Basilica)

Red Basilica was initially built as a second-century temple to the Egyptian God Serapis and converted into a basilica during the Byzantine Empire.

Pergamon Acropolis, The temple of Zeus, the Temple of Emperor Trojan, the Theatre, the Pergamum Library, Arsenals, Red Basilica, and the Asclepion medical center;

16:30 End of the Pergamon Day Trip, Depart from Bergama to Canakkale. Overnight in Canakkale.

After breakfast, we will drive to the Legendary City or The famous Helen of Troy. Suppose you are familiar with Hector, Ajax, Agamemnon, Paris, Helen of Troy, Dardanelles, Hellespont, the Trojan horse, and Odysseus in Homer's Iliad. In that case, you must visit the legendary city of Troy. History comes alive here, and you can imagine the glory of the earlier days. The town of Ancient Troy, Turkey, was built at a strategic point on the Dardanelle Straits, which connects the Aegean Sea with the Black Sea.

Troy forms a basis for Homer's Iliad, written 500 years after the Trojan War. Ancient Troy holds a unique position in history, literature, and archaeology. Ancient Greek and Latin Authors have written about old Troy or Troja in Turkish and its location for centuries. However, the area of ancient Troy was relatively recently identified. The site of the ancient ruins of Troy became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1998. Even better if you've just seen the Brad Pitt movie.

On this tour, you will find all your answers. After Troy sightseeing, we will drive to Canakkale to see the Wooden Horse. Hollywood's gift horse that brings hordes back to Troy, Tourists descend on the sleepy Turkish town of Canakkale at all hours to gawp at the Hollywood star- a 12-tonne fiber-glass horse, held together with bolts, ropes, and nails, which dominates the seafront. It was a gift from Warner Brothers. After the lunch break, you have free time in Canakkale city center.

16:00 Depart from Canakkale to Istanbul
21:00 Arrive in Istanbul. Drop off at your hotel

What's Includes

  • 1 Night 3-4*+ Hotel Accommodation (Ilayda Hotel or Similar Hotels)
  • 2 Local Lunch
  • 1 Breakfast
  • English Speaking Guide
  • All Entrance Fees
  • A/C Vehicle
  • Taxe
  • Parking Fees

What's Excluded

  • Personal Expenses
  • Tips to Guide and Driver
  • Dinner and Drinks

PS: If you wish, you can do an Extention, or you may request bus tickets or transfer service to Edirne, Bursa, Izmir, Kusadasi, Gocek, or Fethiye.

*The Highlight of Western Turkey Tour runs daily and is available all year round.
*Also, documents with details and confirmations will be e-mailed after booking.

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