IZMIR  AND ISTANBUL PACKAGE TOUR (7 Days-6 Nights)
Day - 1: Arrival to Izmir
Arrival at Adnan Menderes Airport in Izmir. Your Izmir guide will meet you at the airport, port or at your hotel in Izmir.Your Izmir guide will be holding up a sign with your name on it, your guide will provide you with a complimentary map of Izmir, depending on the city you are staying and on the reverse side a map of the historical attraction of the city so when you are walking around the ancient sites you can have a better understanding of where you are placed and whats coming next. Airport transfer to your hotel. Brief orientation followed by a free day to enjoy for your own leisure. Overnight in Izmir.
Day - 2: Full Day Ephesus Tour
Early pick you up from hotel, meet with your Ephesus guide & join the Ephesus Tour. Visit The House of Virgin Mary,According to predominant Christian tradition, Mary was brought to Ephesus by the Apostle John after the Resurrection of Christ and lived out her days there. This is based mainly on the traditional belief that John came to Ephesus combined with the biblical statement that Jesus consigned her to Johns care. The next stop is The Temple of Diana, built in honour of the Greek Goddess of hunting, wild nature and fertility, Deemed as one of the Seven wonders of the ancient world. It was used to be the largest marble temple in the ancient Greek world since it was four times as the big as the Parthenon in Athens. After lunch visit the Ephesus Ancient City, a walking tour will take you throughout one of the most magnificent excavations in the world. See the Odeon, the temple of Hadrian and impressive library of Ephesus. The Grand Theater, where St.Paul preached, is the largest theater is antiquity with capacity of 24,000 seats. After that we will drive back to Izmir for overnight in Izmir. (B,L)
Day - 3: Full Day Pergamon Tour
After pick up we will drive to Bergama City. It is a 1 hour 30 minute drive from Izmir to Pergamon. Visit The Pergamon Acropolis, Temple of Athena, the famous library and royal palaces,the Temple of Trajan, the 3rd century Theater of Pergamon (one of the steepest theaters in the world), the Temple of Dionysos, remains of the Altar of Zeus (Seat of Satan), Also The Parchment Paper, They stand as the most brilliant works of art of the 4th and 3rd century B.C. in Anatolia. The Parchment Library housed the most famous collection of books of that time, written on a type of processed lamb and goat skins. This was a process invented in Pergamum, when the rulers of Ptolemean Egypt embargoed the export of Egyptian papyrus sheets to Pergamon.
After that visit the Red Basilica (Temple of Serapis), this huge brick edifice was built in the 2nd century as a Roman temple to the god Serapis and later converted into a Byzantine church.After the traditional Turkish lunch, we will visit the Asklepion Pergamons 2nd century Asklepion was a famed temple and medical center dedicated to Asklepius, the god of healing. Some treatments used a sacred water source that was later discovered to have radioactive properties. Afterwards, you drive back to your hotel in Izmir for Overnight. (B,L)
Day - 4: Full Day Istanbul Tour
Transfer from your hotel to the airport or port. Flight to istanbul at 08:00 am and arrive at Istanbul at 09:00 am and transfer to hotel and catch the Istanbul daily tour. Visit the St. Sophia Museum, it is one of the greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture. Justinian himself had overseen the completion of the greatest cathedral ever built up to that time, and it was to remain the largest cathedral for 1,000 years up until the completion of the cathedral in Seville in Spain. Across from St.Sophia is the Blue Mosque, recognizable from its 6 minarets, built 1616 for Sultan Ahmet I and inside with 21,043 tiles from Iznik in a dominant blue colour; because of its magnificent interior decoration of blue Iznik tiles. Hippodrome, the scene of chariot races, with the three monuments; the Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine. We continue to Topkapi Palace, the great palace of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th centuries housing an exquisite collection of crystal, silver, and Chinese porcelain, robes worn by the sultans and their families, the famous jewels of the Imperial Treasury, miniatures, the Holy Mantle; enshrining relics of the Prophet Mohammed. Conclude your day with a short drive to the exotic Grand Bazaar,which is one of the most colourful institutions of Istanbul. Overnight Istanbul.
Day - 5: Full Day Istanbul Tour
Spice Bazaar, the air here is filled with the enticing aromas of cinnamon, caraway, saffron, mint, thyme and every other concievable herb and spice. Bosphorus Tour is a traditional excursion by boat along the waterway seperating Europe and Asia. The shore is lined with old wooden villas, palaces of marble, fortresses and small fishing villages. During the excursion you will pass the magnificent Dolmabahce Palace, and further along, the parks and imperial pavillions of Yildiz Palace. Ciragan Palace, 300 meters of is marble facade faces the shore. Rumeli Fortres, built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452 prior to the conquest of Istanbul, was completed in only four months to control and protect Bosphorus. Beylerbeyi Palace, the summer residence of ottoman sultans with its orginal furniture and magnificent gardens with the Harem on the Asian. Bosphorus Bridge, unique change by stepping from one continent (Asia) to another (Europe) Camlica Hill the highest point in Istanbul, at the top of it you can rest and admire the magnificent panorama of Istanbul and the bosphours from the beautiful gardens, landscaped in traditional style. An evening drive back to Istanbul airport and flight back to Izmir. Overnight in Izmir.
Day - 6: Freeday at Leisure in Izmir
Freeday at Leisure in Izmir. Overnight in Izmir. (B)
Day - 7: Transfer to Airport
Transfer to Izmir airport and flight back to home sweet home. (B)