7 Day Tour of Western Turkey by Bus

Day 2 – Istanbul Old City

Breakfast at the hotel, then we will depart the hotel between 8.30-8.45am for your Istanbul highlights tour which will take you to iconic sites such as the Blue Mosque, the beautiful Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar and the Hippodrome.  You will be dropped back at your hotel after the tour.
Overnight Istanbul

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Day 3 – Istanbul to Gallipoli

(Breakfast-Lunch)
An early start this morning when you are picked up from your hotel at approximately 6.30am for your trip to Gallipoli. There will be a comfort stop halfway. You will have lunch on arrival in Gallipoli, then we commence our tour of the Gallipoli Battlefields. As you tour the battlefields from World War I, you will be moved by the stories of those who lost their lives here. Highlights of the tour include: ANZAC Cove, Chunuk Bair, Kabatepe Museum, New Zealand Memorial and Australian Memorial.
At the end of the tour you will go by car ferry across the Dardanelles Strait to Canakkale for overnight.

Overnight Canakkale

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Day 4 – Gallipoli to Kusadasi

After breakfast we will drive to Troy, the famous ancient town of Trojan Horse and Helen where the mythology and history of the region will be explained by your tour guide.

We then commence our drive down the coast to the port town of Kusadasi, stopping for lunch on the way.

Overnight Kusadasi

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Day 5 – Ephesus – Pamukkale

Our first stop of the day is at the magnificent ruins of Ephesus, an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city near present day Selcuk.  It was also one of the Seven Churches of Asia, cited in the Book of Revelation.  Today it is the most visited ruins site in Turkey, and the best preserved site in the Mediterranean.

Excavations of Ephesus began in the 19th Century, and some of the buildings you will see include gymnasiums, agoras, the Domitian Square, the Hadrian Temple, the Roman Bath, the Celsus Library and the biggest theatre in Anatolia with 25,000 seats. As you wander through these well-preserved ruins you will feel as if you have been transported back in time.

Next stop is a visit to the House of the Virgin Mary, which is believed to be the place she was taken to by St John to spend her last days.

After lunch we visit the Isa Bey Mosque – once used as a caravanserai, and famous for its architecture. Our final stop of the day is the site of the former Temple of Artemis which is one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World. Here you will learn about why Artemis was so revered by the Ephesians and although just one column remains of the temple you will be able to imagine it in its former glory.

At the end of your tour you will be dropped at the bus station for your bus to Pamukkale (approximately 3 hours). On arrival in Pamukkale you will be met at the bus station and dropped at your hotel.

Overnight Pamukkale 

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Optional Activity Tours For Tomorrow:

Hot Air Balloon Flight at Sunrise – Pamukkale

Paragliding – Pamukkale

Please note that it is recommended that you book at least two days in advance for either of these optional activities.

Day 6 – Pamukkale

This morning we recommend that you take the unique opportunity take a hot air balloon flight over the ruins of Hierapolis and Pamukkale’s famous travertines.

You will be picked up at approximately 9.30am for your Pamukkale day tour which starts with a visit to the nearby village of Karahayit where you will visit the red springs, with waters coloured a rusty-red because of its high iron content.

We then drive to the North gate of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed ancient Roman spa town of Hierapolis, and start our tour.  Hierapolis was an important place for healing in Roman times because of the believed therapeutic qualities of its waters.

As you wander the ruins with your tour guide, you will see highlights such as the necropolis (graveyard), one of the biggest in the region, with over 1500 graves, the Roman bath, the theatre and the Agora (ancient market).  You’ll also hear stories of some of the famous characters from history who visited or lived here including Cleopatra and St Philip, whose tomb is on top of a hill outside the northeastern section of the city walls, and which you will be able to see from a distance.

We’ll then take a break at the Cleopatra Antique Pool where the water is a pleasant 36 degrees celsius and filled with invigorating minerals.  Here, you have the chance to swim over Roman columns which believed to have fallen into the water during an earthquake.  Please note that entrance to the swimming pool is an additional 200TL per person, payable at the site.

Your guide will give you free time to paddle in some of the pools as you wander down the hill to Pamukkale’s natural park and lake. You will then meet your tour guide for a late lunch.

The tour finishes at approximately 3.30-4.00pm, depending on the size of the group and its interests. You’ll have some free time before we drop you at the Denizli bus station for your night bus to Istanbul.

Overnight – Night Bus

Day 7 – Departure

Today is the last day of your Turkey tour. Free time until your transfer to the airport for your flight back home.

Thank you very much for travelling in Turkey with Tours4Turkey. We hope you had a great time and good memories with us.

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