Turkey – Journey to The Home of Mythology

Welcome to Istanbul, Turkey!

Welcome on arrival and private transfer from Istanbul Airport to the hotel. Free time for leisure. Dinner and overnight.

Istanbul - The land of Byzas from Megara

Istanbul, historically also known as Byzantium and Constantinople, is the largest city in Turkey and the fifth-largest city proper in the world.
We will begin our tour with a visit to Topkapi Palace, the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans, with its jewel-encrusted treasury and elegant four courts. After a lunch break, visit the main sights around Sultanahmet Square, including the famous Hagia Sophia , once the most prominent church globally for 1000 years and decorated with stunning 6th-century golden mosaics. Then visit the Blue Mosque, designed with six delicate minarets and a striking blue Iznik tiled interior. Nearby, take a stroll through the site of the ancient Hippodrome, once the sporting ground of chariots and political riots, and see the Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine Column, and Fountain of Wilhelm II. Finally, visit the Grand Bazaar, where you can shop or haggle with local merchants over unusual antiques, colorful spices, beautiful jewelry, and richly textured fabrics. Overnight in Istanbul.

Istanbul - The city of Blind

We will begin our tour with a visit to the Istanbul Archeology museum which is full of pieces based on mythological stories. Then we cross the Bosphorus Bridge to the Asian side to visit Maiden’s Tower on the Bosphorus. We will have a short boat ride to the small island where the tower is located on. The tower is linked to the myth of Hero and Leander. You can have a 360 degrees Bosphorus view on the top of the tower. Then we continue to the ‘’City of Blind’’ Chalcedon today’s Kadikoy. We will have a chance to browse around this lively center of the city and see its famous market. We will drive back to our hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.

Canakkale - Homeros immortalize the ancient City of Troy

Depart from the hotel and drive to Troy, a city, both factual and legendary, best known for being the focus of the Trojan War, as described in the Epic Cycle and especially in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer. Trojan refers to the inhabitants and culture of Troy. As described in Homer's Iliad, the fall of Troy in the Trojan War was made famous by its wooden horse. See a reconstruction of the fabled Wooden Horse, the city ruins from a succession of 9 civilizations, the Roman Bouletarion, Theater, and onsite museum. Drop off at the hotel. Overnight in Canakkale

Kusadasi - Explore the ancient Greek city, Pergamon

Pergamon was an ancient Greek city in modern-day Turkey, in Mysia. The city became the capital of the Kingdom of Pergamon during the Hellenistic period under the Attalid dynasty, 281–133 BC. Today, it's located 16 miles (26 km) from the Aegean Sea on a peninsula on the north side of the river Caicus (modern-day Bakırçay). Drive to Pergamum to see Asclepion and the Acropolis. Visit the library, which once held 200.000 books, the altar of Zeus, the gymnasıum situated on terraces, the lower agora, and the Asclepıon, the ancient health center dedicated to Asclepius, the son of Apollo, who was a practitioner of medicine in ancient Greek mythology. Drive to Kuşadası overnight.

Kusadasi - Ephesus: from Amazon’s City to Diana’s Home

Check out from the hotel and drive to Smyrna. There are several explanations brought forth as regards its name. One of these involves a Greek myth derived from an eponymous Amazon named Smyrna, also the name of a quarter of Ephesus's Greek settlement in Old Smyrna. Smyrna was the second city to receive a letter from the apostle John in the book of Revelation. Acts 19:10 Go on to the tour with Ephesus. See the Odeon, The Fountain of Trajan, the stream baths of Scholastika, the temple of Hadrian, and the impressive library of Ephesus. The GrandTheater,whereSaintPaulpreached, is the largest theater in antiquity with a capacity of 24.000seats. The next stop on your tour is the Temple of Artemis (Diana), built-in in honor of the Grek Goddess of hunting, wild nature, and fertility. Deemed as 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. Drive to Kusadası overnight.

Bodrum - The ancient city Didyma was famed as a prophecy center

After breakfast, drive to Didyma. The word Didyma meant "twins" and was associated by some as being the meeting place of Zeus and Leto to have their twins Apollo and Artemis.
Didyma was famed as a prophecy center dedicated to Apollo, which served a similar purpose as the Delphi of Anatolia. Go on to the tour with the visit to Heraklion. A member of the Ionian Confederacy, Heraklion, was established in an earlier city called "Litmus" dating back to the 8th century BC. The town took its name from the famous mythological figure, Herakles. Well-conditioned "The Temple of Athena" stands on the rocky area behind the harbor as an example of two-column Hellenistic construction with style in Templum in Antis. According to the myth of Endymion and Selene (the goddess of the full moon), the city is the place where that is supposed to take place. Drive to Bodrum; The city was called Halicarnassus of Caria in ancient times. The Mausoleum of Mausolus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was here. Also, Salmakis Bay(today’s Bardakci Bay)is where the myth of Salmacis and Hermaphroditus is. Overnight in Bodrum.

Fethiye - Explore Letoon is the birthplace of Apollo and Diana

Check out from the hotel to visit Letoon. Letoon was the sacred cult center of Lycia and its most important sanctuary dedicated to the three national deities of Lycia - Leto and her twin children, Apollo and Artemis. According to the myth, the city is built on the place where Leto gave birth to her twins, Apollo and Diana (Artemis). The site has three temples, one with a beautiful mosaic panel set on its floor. Drive to Fethiye overnight.

Kalkan - Discover the ancient city Xanthos

After breakfast, drive to Xanthos Valley, which takes its name from the ancient city of Xanthos, the oldest and most important city in the region. Xanthos was once the capital of ancient Lycia, and Homer mentions it in Iliad, as it was from here that Arpedonte led his troops. Although Homer's Iliad may be a tragic tale, it pales to the city's real history. On at least two separate and unrelated occasions, the population chose mass suicide rather than submission to invading armies. Visit its ancient arena built in the 2nd century AD to replace an earlier Hellenistic one that stood on the site. Drive to lovely town; Kalkan, for overnight.

Antalya - Explore Olympos Mountain

Morning drive to Olympos. From these mountains of the Solymi, according to Homer, the god Poseidon looked out to sea and saw Odysseus sailing away from Calypso's island, and called up a great storm that wrecked him on the shores of the island of Nausicaa. The chief deity of Olympos was Hephaestus, god of fire and blacksmiths. Near Olympos, located in the neighboring village of Çıralı and about 200 meters above sea level, the eternal flames called the Chimaera may be seen issuing from the ground. The fuel source for the flames is natural gas, largely methane, seeping through cracks in the earth. The mythical Chimaera - or Chimera - was a monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent, who roamed these woods and sprouted fire from her mouth. Chimera was killed by Bellerophon riding Pegasus according to mythology. Drive to Antalya overnight.

Antalya - Visit the Arena of Aspendos is an excellent stage for ancient tragedies

Today we will visit Aspendos Theatre. Aspendos is located to the east of Antalya and is famous for its best-preserved ancient amphitheater built in the 2nd century AD during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The theater has a capacity of 15,000 people and is still used today for performances and festivals. Its galleries, stage decorations, and acoustics testify to its architect Xeno's success. Drive back to Antalya overnight.

Goodbye to Turkey!

Private transfer to Antalya Airport for the flight home or enjoy your extension of the tour via Cappadocia.