EPHESUS, PAMUKKALE, ANTALYA

4 Days & 3 Nights

Everyday Turkey Tour from Istanbul by Plane. Ephesus, Pamukkale, Hierapolis, Antalya, Aspendos, Perge, Myra

Day 1 : Morning flight from Istanbul & Ephesus Tour (L)

We will pick you up from your hotel in Istanbul and transfer to airport
Flight from Istanbul to Izmir (approximately 1 hour)
Transfer from airport to Ephesus tour.
Full day tour of Ephesus and House of Virgin Mary, including transfers, entrance fees, guide.
Lunch during the tour is included.
Hotel accommodation in Kusadasi.

Day 2 : Pamukkale & Hierapolis Tour. Evening bus to Antalya (B/L)

Breakfast in your hotel included
Pamukkale & Hierapolis tour including transfers, entrance fees, guide.
Evening bus to Antalya from Pamukkale, arriving late in the evening. Approximately 4 hours ride
Hotel accommodation in Antalya.

Day 3 : Antalya Tour & Overnight (B/L)

Breakfast in your hotel included
Full day tour of Perge, Aspendos and Waterfall, including transfers, entrance fees, guide.
Lunch during the tour is included.
Dinner in your hotel included.
Hotel accommodation in Antalya.

Day 4 : Antalya Tour - Evening Flight to Istanbul (B/L)

Breakfast in your hotel included
Full day tour of Myra (Demre), St. Nicolas Church and Kekova boat trip from Kemer. Lunch during the tour is included.
PS: This tour can be replaced with "Phaselis and 3 Islands Boat Tour" or "Termessos & Duden Waterfall Excursion", if is not available during the days you will be in Antalya
Transfer to Antalya Airport at the end of the tour.
Evening flight to Istanbul.
Transfer to your hotel in Istanbul

Attention:
1) The order of tours can be interchanged in this package.
2) Availability of the Antalya tours in this package is usually clear at the last minute. We may need to change them with alternative tours sometimes. Please book this package considering this possibility.

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TOUR PRICES:

Attention: The price of this tour package changes, mainly depending on departure date, time of booking and flight costs. Higher prices may apply based on flight costs on different dates / seasons. Early reservation is highly recommended to secure better prices. Tour itinerary can also be changed because of discordant flight schedules on the requested dates. We will do our best to offer best possible prices.

May & June
840 Euro per person in single rooms.
675 Euro per person in double rooms
625 Euro per person in triple rooms

July & August & September
910 Euro per person in single rooms.
725 Euro per person in double rooms
670 Euro per person in triple rooms

Tour prices include:
All taxes.
Accommodation in standard category hotels
Mentioned tours with professional guidance in English.
Entrance fees for museums during the tours.
Meals mentioned in the itinerary. Drinks are excluded. (B= Breakfast, L= Lunch, D= Dinner)
Domestic flights and airport transfers as mentioned.
All connecting transfers in between the tour period.
Compulsory local (TURSAB) travel agency insurance.

Tour prices do not Include:
Anything not mentioned in the itinerary.
Drinks during any meals
Tours and accommodation in Istanbul.
Your international flights to / from Turkey.
Personal expenses, tips etc.
Excess baggage fee for flights.
Accommodation tax, payable on the spot by the clients directly - around 1,5 to 2 Euros per room per night, which changes for each hotel

Payment and reservation:
We will request some 30 % of the total tour price in advance to complete your tour reservation. You can make the advance payment from our secure online payment link or by mail order. Final payments can also be made online or at our Istanbul office, before tour departure dates.

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What is a package tour ?
A package tour is a combination of various daily tours and mini tour packages operated in different cities.These tour packages we offer are designed so as to visit the places they include in the shortest time and the most economical way. Unlike standard group tours you will be independent from other people in hotels and during the transportation. You will join other people only during the guided tours and excursions in day time, but there will not be any guides accompanying you during flights, intercity bus rides and transfers. Everything related to the tour program will be organized by us; such as bus and plane tickets, hotel reservations, guided tours, all connecting transfers and you will be under our protection along the way if ever something goes wrong.

You can customize these tours
Tour prices are advertised for standard 2 / 3 star hotel accommodation. Each of these tours can be upgraded or customized for your personal requirement. Hotels can be upgraded and additional days can be added to each tour packages at any destinations you prefer. Istanbul departure and arrivals can easily be replaced by other cities of Turkey in some cases..

Important Notice
Istanbul is not included in any of the Turkey package tours we offer. To be able to join them comfortably, you need to stay in Istanbul at least for 1 night before and after the tour period. We’d recommend you not to book your international flights or bus tickets right before or after this tour package, considering unexpected delays. To be able to benefit from our airport transfer services in Istanbul, the hotel you stay in should be centrally located on the European side, roughly within 2-3 km distance with respect to the downtown Sultanahmet district, aka old city. Let us know in advance if you intend to stay at airport hotels or at hotels out of the city center, especially if it will be on the Asian side; before and after this tour. You can also book your Istanbul hotel on our website

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ISTANBUL HOTELS

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INFORMATION

Ephesus

During both the Hellenistic and Roman periods Ephesus was the most important port and cultural center of the eastern world. The remains of the city are still spellbinding today. Of all the ancient cities of Turkey, Ephesus is the best preserved and most visited in all ages and is as popular as it was in ancient times. This is due to the miraculous discovery of the House of the Virgin Mary. The city had splendid buildings and was dedicated to the Goddess Artemis, whose temple was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The main monuments that we will see during the visit of this fascinating city are: the street of Arcadiane, the majestic theatre, marble road, library of Celsus, market place street of the Curettes, baths of Scholastic state agora, prytaneion, odeon. The town of Seljuk, is dominated by a Byzantine citadel close to the basilica of St. John built in the 5th century, on the site of tomb of the Apostle. Seljuk has also an exceptionally fine archaeological museum.

The Artemis Temple was destroyed in 356BC, and when Alexander the Great passed through in 334 BC he offered to pay for the cost of a new construction, provided it was dedicated to him. The Ephesus people declined, and rebuilt it with great success.

When the Romans made Ephesus their provincial capital, it became a busy town with great commercial, trading and political importance, and a population that grew to around 250,000. A significant Christian community grew, and the city was visited by St John the Evangelist in the 1st century, then by St Paul, who was there between 51-53 AD and wrote some of his epistles. It was also the venue of two Ecumenical Councils.

But the success of Roman Ephesus began to dwindle, mainly because of problems connected to the harbour, which was the main source of trade. The Cayster River was pushing silt up the harbour and despite attempts to dredge it and rebuild the harbour, the sea was pushed back to Pamucak, 4km away, and therefore Ephesus lost its source of wealth. By the 6th century, the city was unliveable and was shifted near to St John’s Basilica, and by 1090 it was taken over by the Turks.

Pamukkale & Hierapolis

Pamukkale is one of the most enchanting and remarkable sights in the whole of Turkey with the great dazzling white plateau, almost 400 feet high, rising in a curtain of stalagmites and shallow pools, giving one into another on hundreds of different levels, and ancient city of Hierapolis located on this plateau. The great baths were constructed in the second century and are so well-preserved that they now serve as a museum. The impressive and recently restored theatre, the Martyrium of St. Philip the Apostle of the 5th century – a colonnaded street erected by Domitian, a monumental gate of the same period, another bath stretching on for over a Mile, the necropolis with a fascinating variety of tombs and sarcophagus are the famous monuments of this antique city.

Antalya

Antalya is one of the best of Turkish cities perfectly combining historical, natural beauties also known as Turkish Riviera with many neighborhood sandy beaches and vivid night life. There are many well preserved significant ancient sights around the city which you must definitely see if you happen to visit Turkey.

Perge: Situated 18 km east of Antalya, Perge is in the city limits of Aksu Bucagi. Because of its location on the Cilicia - Pisidia road, it was a vital part of the province of Pamphylia, and was founded around the same time as the other cities in the area (7th century BC). It was an important city for Christians of Perge who had worshipped the mother goddess Artemis. St. Paul and Barnabas visited the city and wealthy benefactors like Magna Plancia had a number of important memorials built here.
Aspendos:  This antique city established in the Early age is 48km east of Antalya. Its most important feature is its theatre. The theatre and its stage are the best preserved of the Roman theatres in Anatolia still being used for music concerts and opera shows during festivals. The most popular of these festivals are the Aspendos International Opera and Ballet festival. 15000 spectators can sit in the theatre. It was built during the reign of Emperor Antonius Pius (134 - 164) by architect Zenon.
Side: In the ancient town of Side, there are inscriptions, weapon embossing from Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Periods, sculptures which are Roman Period copies of Greek originals, torsos, temples, tomb steles, portraits, ostotecs and column pedestals on exhibition in the museum.  PS: Please note. Side is pronounced something like 'see-dah', fairly different than the English world 'side')
Myra: It is now called Demre it was one of the most important cities of the Lycian civilization. 25km west of Finike and 48km east of Kas, Demre was a place of settlement from the 5th century BC. The city was deserted in 9 AD after the invasions of the Arabs. Rock tombs, theatres and the Church of St. Nicholas (said to be the original Santa Claus) are the most interesting sites in the town today.
Kekova: It is by the cost of Antalya province between Kas-Demre towns. It is an ancient city submerged and now partly under sea water, but can be seen from outside.
St. Nicholas Church: Saint Nicholas giving its name to the church in Demre (Myra) is claimed to be the original Santa Claus

Cappadocia

In ancient geography, Cappadocia or Cappadocia (Turkish: Kapadokya) was the name of the extensive inland district of Asia Minor (modern Turkey).Cappadocian region is the place where nature and history come together most beautifully within the world. While geographic events are forming Peribacalari (fairy chimneys), during the historical period, humans had carried the signs of thousand years old civilizations with carving houses and churches within these earth pillars and decorating them with frisks.

Cappadocia contains several underground cities, largely used by early Christians as hiding places before they became a legitimate religion. The Cappadocian Fathers of the fourth century were integral to much of early Christian philosophy. It also produced, among other people, another Patriarch of Constantinople, John of Cappadocia who held office 517–520. For most of the Byzantine era it remained relatively undisturbed by the conflicts in the area, first with the Sassanid Empire and later against the Islamic expansion led by Arabs.

The area is a world famous and popular tourist destination, as it has many areas with unique geological, historic and cultural features.The region is southwest of the major city Kayseri, which has airline and railroad service to Ankara and Istanbul. The Cappadocia region is largely underlain by sedimentary rocks formed in lakes and streams, and ignimbrite deposits erupted from ancient volcanoes approximately 9 to 3 million years ago (late Miocene to Pliocene epochs). The rocks of Cappadocia near Goreme eroded into hundreds of spectacular pillars and minaret-like forms. The volcanic deposits are soft rocks that the people of the villages at the heart of the Cappadocia Region carved out to form houses, churches, monasteries. Goreme became a monastic center between 300-1200 AD. First period settlement in Goreme reaches to the Roman period from Christianity. Yusuf Koc, Ortahane, Durmus Kadir and Bezirhane churches in Goreme, houses and churches carved into rocks till to Uzun Dere, Baglidere and Zemi Valley carries the mystical side of history today. The Goreme Open Air Museum is the most visited site of the monastic communities in Cappadocia and is one of the most famous sites in central Turkey. It is a complex comprising more than 30 rock-carved churches and chapels containing some superb frescoes, dating from the 9th to the 11th centuries.