Kusadasi Short Breaks

DAY 1 : Izmir - Kusadasi - Ephesus Tour

Description : You will meet your private guide at your hotel (or airport of Izmir) and you will drive to Bulbul mountain where the House of the Virgin Mary is located in a nature park between Ephesus and Selcuk, which is believed to be the last residence of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. The peaceful site is sacred to both Christians and Muslims, and is visited by many tourists and pilgrims. This House was later visited by Popes Paul VI and John Paul II, who confirmed its appropriateness as a place of pilgrimage. On November 29, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated mass here. You will continue and enter the Ephesus Ancient City and pass by the Magnesia gate. The guided walking tour will take you through one of the most magnificent excavations in the world. See the Odeon, the Fountain of Trajan, the steam baths of Scholastika, the temple of Hadrian and the impressive library of Celsius. The library is adorned with columns and statues. The next stop is The Grand Theater, where St. Paul preached, is the largest theater in antiquity with a capacity of 24,000 seats. After the termination of the visit to Ephesus, You’ll take your lunch and continue to the one of the most popular sites in Ephesus, the ruins of the Temple of Artemis. First built during the Archaic period, the temple is one of the Seven Wonders of Ancient World. After the visited Temple of Artemis, You’ll also see Isa Bey Mosque. This impressive mosque from XIV. Century A.D. is unlike any other you will see in this country. Afterwards you drive to your hotel. Overnight Kusadasi. (L)

DAY 2 : Kusadasi - Priene, Miletus, Didyma Tour

Description : You will meet your private guide at your hotel and your tour will start. You will visit 3 important ancient cities Priene, Miletus, Didyma. Ephesus may be the creme-de-la-creme of the Aegean ruins but Priene, Miletus and Didyma though less frequently visited are still important ancient settlements. Priene occupies a dramatic position overlooking the Meander Valley and plain. Miletus preserves a spectacular theater. And Didyma has a Temple of Apollo vaguely reminiscent of the great temples at Karnak in Egypt. Afterwards you drive back to your hotel. (B - L)

DAY 3 : Kusadasi - Pamukkale Tour

Description : You will meet your private guide at your hotel and you will drive to Pamukkale. You will see the Necropolis (cemetery) of Hierapolis which is one of the biggest ancient cemeteries in Anatolia with 1.200 graves, Roman Bath, Domitian Gate, and the Main Street, Byzantium Gate. Then, you walk to the natural warm water terraces which were formed by running warm water that contains calcium. The temperature of the water is about 35. You can see the gleaming white travertine terraces of Pamukkale, located next to the ruins of Hierapolis. The extraordinary effect is created when water from the hot springs loses carbon dioxide as it flows down the slopes, leaving deposits of limestone. The layers of white calcium carbonate, built up in steps on the plateau, gave the site the name Pamukkale (cotton castle). After the open buffed lunch Swimming in hot red thermal pools in the hotel. Then If you like to swim in the Ancient Pool (excluded entrance fee for swimming in pool) which is also called Cleopatra s Pool they charge extra entrance fee. The Cleopatra Pool is warmed by hot springs and littered with underwater fragments of ancient marble columns. Possibly associated with the Temple of Apollo, the pool provides today's visitors a rare opportunity to swim with antiquities! During the Roman period, columned porticoes surrounded the pool; earthquakes toppled them into the water where they lie today. Afterwards you drive to your hotel or airport of Izmir or airport of Denizli. (B - L) - END OF SERVICES