Ephesus And Pamukkale Tours And Our Organization
DAY 1: Flıght To Izmır And Daily Ephesus Tour
The first day of our tour starts with your pick up from your hotel in Istanbul at 4 AM, and you will be transferred to Istanbul airport you will fly l to Izmir, where one hour later you will arrive at Adnan Menderes Airport in Izmir. At Izmir Airport, you will be picked up by our driver and he will bring you to Selcuk. Here you will meet your professional guide and the other participants of the tour; the discovery of Ephesos starts with the house of the Virgin Mary.
The House of the Virgin Mary is the place where Mary may have spent her last days. Indeed, she may have come to the area together with Saint John. This place was officially declared a shrine of the Roman Catholic Church in 1986, and since then it has become a popular place of pilgrimage. Pope Paul VI visited the shrine in 1967. The visit to the House (church) takes about 45 minutes and after our visit; there will be a 5 min drive to Ephesus. Do not forget to make a wish and stick it on the wishing wall.
Ephesus is an exceptional testimony to the cultural traditions of the Hellenistic, Roman Imperial, and early Christian periods. Ephesus is an important site for Christianity; being one of the seven Churches of Revelation. Apostle Paul probably spent two and half years in Ephesus during his third missionary journey.
On our tour, we will be seeing the Odeon, State Agora, Prytaneion, Memmius Monument, Domatian Temple, Hercules Gate, Curetes Street, Hadrian Temple, and theatres. The visit to a Private House (So-called ‘Terrace Houses’) is an optional visit for an extra 170 ₺/per person and your guide should be informed at the beginning of the tour. After the Terrace Houses, we will go on with our exploration of Ephesus with the famous Celsus Library, Marble Road, Commercial Agora, Great Theater, and Arcadine (Harbour Road).
After lunch; we will go to the Temple of Artemis; which is one of the Seven Wonders of Antiquity. Here you will have a chance to take good pictures with your camera from the Church of St.John and the Isa Bey Mosque.
Sirince is situated on the hills of Selcuk and is 7 km from Ephesus. It was originally a ‘Rum’ (Byzantine Greeks) village. As part of the peace pact after the Turkish National War (1919-1922), a formal exchange of Turkish and Greeks, As a result of this exchange nearly 2 million Rums Greeks from Anatolia and Turkish from Greece were relocated; and Sirince is inhabited by Turkish people, Sirince is very popular in Turkey for her beautiful traditional houses and fruit flavored wine production and tasting; off course you will have free time in Sirince to try and taste the fruit flavored wines.
The first day of our tour will be finalized around 4:30 pm and you will be transferred to your hotel in Kusadasi near the seaside.
DAY 2:
The second day of your tour starts with breakfast in your hotel. The driver will pick you up from the hotel at 8:00 am and we will be at Pamukkale (Hierapolis) around 11:00 am.
Pamukkale / Hierapolis is listed in Unesco's World Heritage List as a 'Natural Site' and 'Ancient City'; and is famous for her hot springs which are believed to have healing powers. The travertines are formed by a multifaceted chemical reaction and subsequent precipitation of various causes and environments. Water springs from the ground with a high level of Calcium Hydrocarbonate at a temperature of 35.6 degrees C; and this causes carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide to evaporate and leave calcium carbonate to precipitate and form the travertine.
Hierapolis has been a settlement of different cults and cultures throughout history; and the city is believed to be founded by Eumenies II, the Attalid king of Pergamon at the end of the 2nd Century BC; and to has been named after Hiera, the beautiful wife of Telephos, the legendary founder of Pergamon. However, ancient historians like Strabon and Ptolemaios state that Hierapolis was a Phrygian settlement.
Hierapolis played an important role in spreading Christianity in Anatolia, and it was the place where Phillip, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ died. For this reason, Hierapolis became an important religious center in the 4th century AD. Later it assumed the title of the ‘Guide of the East’; and the city came under the control of the Roman Empire in 395 AD, and became a metropolitan bishopric.
Our tour in Hierapolis includes the necropolis, Domitian Gate, Frontinus Street, Agora, North Byzantine Gate, Gymnasium, Fountain with Triton, Apollon Temple, Martyrium of St. Philip and bridge, Column Church, ruins of Plutonium, Latrina and the Romans Baths. After this guided tour you will have some free time to make gorgeous pictures or go for a swim in the Cleopatras pool for an extra fee of 180 Turkish lira,
After our Hierapolis and Travertine tour, you will be transferred to Denizli airport for your flight to IstanbulArriving at Istanbul, you will be welcomed in Istanbul airport by our driver and transferred to your hotel.
Kusadası Hotels (4*)
- Efe Boutıque Hotel
- Derici Hotel
- İlayda Hotel
Selcuk Hotels
- Livia Boutıque Hotel
- Nilya Hotel
- Kalehan Hotel
info@apasastravel.com
0232 892 9547
View Photos
