GETAWAYS: Highlights of Aegean Coast

Upon arrival at Izmir airport with flight that lands in Izmir at 08:30 LATEST; the guests would need to wait at the airport cafeteria for 20-30 minutes until they are collected by our coach to join a full day tour of ancient Pergamum. 
Historical accounts date Pergamum back to 339 BC but some experts suspect that life in the city began long before then. When the city flourished, so did the infrastructure and advancement. It was here where parchment was invented and presented to the world. The interest of Pergamum citizens in education excelled as they collected literature works and built a library to hold more than 200, 000 books – all parchment.

See the stunning Acropolis, constructed on the steep hill, with numerous official, religious, social, and commercial buildings. Stroll through the ruins of the temple of Athena with six ten-meter Dorian columns; Arsenals and Theater, a splendid example of the Hellenistic architecture that once was able to accommodate up to 15.000 spectators; the library of Pergamum vied to the library in Alexandria; the Trajan Temple, the place of Alter of Zeus (now exhibited in Pergamum Museum in Berlin); upper Agora, dedicated to the God of Commerce Hermes; and Gymnasium.

Lunch will be served at one of the local restaurants during the tour.
Drive to Kusadasi for dinner at the hotel and overnight

Meal (s): Lunch, Dinner
Hotel (s): ST, FC, SF*(see hotel class key below)

After breakfast at the hotel be picked-up up from the lobby to join a tour and drive through countryside dotted with vineyards, olive orchards and cotton plantations, first to Miletus, which had nearly 90 colonies and was one of the greatest and richest of all the Greek cities. It was the main trade center in Anatolia for a long time, and was also rich in culture; science, philosophy and architecture. Miletus was the home to many of the world's greatest philosophers including Thales, Aneximender, Hekataios and thus, in its heyday, a center of scientific discovery and the birthplace of Western philosophy.
Miletus was also known for athletics, very similar to the Olympic Games. Moreover, the symbol of the Olympic Games, the tripod with a fire, originates from the Lighthouse at the biggest harbor of Miletus.The Theater where St. Paul met the elders of Ephesus, the Faustina Baths, the Harbor Monument, the Delphinium and the Ilyas Bey Mosque are the highlights of the site.

Then, continue further to the south to visit the site of 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. It was not a city but a sanctuary linked to Miletus. There was a temple of Apollo here regared as one of the largest temple of the Hellenistic world. See the huge Medusa relief standing next to the temple, a 2C AD piece that has fallen off the frieze and the remains of an altar and a well.

After the lunch at one of the local restaurants, next visit will be to the site of the ancient harbor city of Priene, Alexander's the Great favorite place to stay in Asia Minor. Priene had one of the best settings of any of the cities of the ancient world. Return to Kusadasi for dinner & overnight. 

Meal (s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast join a full day tour and start it visiting Ephesus, the only Greco-Roman site in the world that gives an idea of the grandeur of bygone centuries. Ephesus is another city of the Seven Churches of the Revelation and an ancient largest port with a population over 250.000. The city played major role in the development of architecture, religions, economic systems and arts. St. Paul lived here, and walked through the marble streets. Tour the ancient city with its legendary marble streets, the magnificent theater, Hadrian’s temple and the library of Celsius. 
Recently, Ephesus has been added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

Have lunch with us at one of the local Turkish restaurants
Continue to the House of Virgin Mary, now Chapel. It is the place where Mary, is believed, may have spent her last days. Indeed, she may have come in the area together with Saint John, who spent several years in the area to spread Christianity. Mary preferred this remote place rather than living in crowded place.

Then, stop at the site of the Temple of Arthemis (Diana), which was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
After the tour drive to Izmir airport for the flight that departs at around 19:00

Meal (s): Breakfast, Lunch

If you choose the private option of the tour the following sites will be visited additionally

The Archaeological Museum of Seljuk that consists of a large hall, small hall, another big hall and a colonnaded courtyard. A big statue of Artemis from the Roman period, water palace, a niche room containing the Socrates fresco, statuettes from the fountains of Trajan and Pallio, the statue of Dionysus, Triton a relaxing warrior and Zeus are exhibited here.
See St. John Basilica. It is believed that the evangelist St. John had spent his last years in the region around Ephesus and buried in the southern slope of Ayosolug Hill. Three hundred years after the death of Saint Paul, a small chapel was constructed over the grave in the 4th century. The church of St John was changed into a marvelous basilica during the region of Emperor Justinian (527 -565 AD). The monumental basilica was in the shape of a cross and was covered with six domes. Its construction, being of stone and brick, is an extremely rare find amongst the architecture of its time. Raised by two steps and covered with marble, the tomb of St. John was under the central dome that was once carried by the four columns at the corners.