Legendary Turkey

Highlights:

• Private cruise on the Bosphorus Strait during extensive sightseeing in Istanbul
• Four nights aboard a privately chartered gulet yacht visiting secluded coves and remote sites along the Turquoise Coast
• Guided tours of ancient Troy, Pergamum, Ephesus, Perge and Aspendos
• Three-night stay in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya

Day 1: Depart the U.S. for Istanbul, Turkey

Depart the United States early this evening on your flight bound for Istanbul.

Day 2: Arrive Istanbul

After arriving late this morning, you’ll meet your Odysseys Unlimited Tour Director and transfer to your hotel located near Taksim Square. As guests’ arrival times may vary greatly, we have no group activities or meals planned. The day is yours to explore on your own.

Accommodations: Central Palace

Day 3: Istanbul

On this morning’s tour we encounter the vast Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market. We then visit the renowned Museum of Turkish & Islamic Art. In the restored Palace of Ibrahim Pasha, the museum displays both everyday items and ancient pieces of art. Next we cruise on the Bosphorus Strait. We stop in the village of Ortakoy, where there’s time to explore and have lunch on your own here before we return to our hotel mid-afternoon. The remainder of the day is at leisure. This evening we take a short walk to a local restaurant for a welcome dinner of traditional Turkish fare.

Accommodations: Central Palace
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 4: Istanbul

Today we encounter Old Istanbul. First stop is the ancient Hippodrome, where chariot races once took place. We continue on to the marvelous Blue Mosque, topped by six slender minarets. Next we visit famed Hagia Sophia, which was the world’s grandest Cathedral when it was built in 537 AD. We enjoy lunch at a local restaurant in the old town. Then we tour splendid Topkapi Palace, dramatically set on a promontory with remarkable views over the Bosphorus. Dinner tonight is on your own.

Accommodations: Central Palace
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5: Istanbul/Gallipoli/Troy/Assos

We rise early to begin our full day of travel to the northern Aegean Coast for a brief visit of Gallipoli. Then we travel across the Straits of the Dardanelles to Troy, once believed to have existed only in Homer’s epic poem. But Heinrich Schliemann discovered the real Troy in the 1870s; indeed excavations have revealed the remnants of at least nine civilizations here dating back 5,000 years. After an exploration of the ruins and relics here, we continue on to Behramkale, ancient Assos, where we spend the night.

Accommodations: Nazlihan Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Assos/Pergamum/Izmir

This morning we depart for Pergamum, once one of the richest small kingdoms in Asia Minor. Here we visit the magnificent Acropolis, which contains the ruins of Pergamum’s acclaimed 200,000-volume library. The Acropolis also boasts a great theater seating 10,000 and the marble-columned Temple of Trajan. Below the theater lie the ruins of the Temple of Dionysus along with the Altar of Zeus. After enjoying our lunch in a typical Turkish kebab restaurant, we continue on to Izmir and our hotel, where we dine together tonight.

Accommodations: Swissôtel Grand Efes
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Izmir/Ephesus

Few ancient sites compare to Ephesus; the world’s best preserved classical city which we explore today. Dating to at least 1300 BC, Ephesus was Asia Minor’s largest metropolis and principal port. We also visit the acclaimed Ephesus Archaeological Museum housing relics from the ancient site. Then we enjoy lunch together in the rustic village of Sirince.

Accommodations: Swissôtel Grand Efes
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 8: Izmir/Göcek

Today we continue our journey south, stopping along the way to see a demonstration of the ancient art of carpet weaving at a local factory. Then we’ll stop in a local village for lunch before we continue on to Göcek. Here we board our 14-guest gulet, a replica of a traditional Turkish fishing boat. After settling into your cabin, you’ll enjoy your first dinner on board, prepared by the ship’s crew with fresh local ingredients. Tonight you may wish to join others sleeping on deck under the stars.

Accommodations: Gulet yacht
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9: Cruising – Aga Limani/Cleopatra Baths

Our route for the next few days is along the coastline that Mark Antony is said to have given Cleopatra as a wedding gift. We begin our “Blue Voyage” by traveling this morning to the hidden cove of Aga Limani where an optional hike of approximately three hours along an herb-scented trail brings us to Lydea, a little-known Greco-Roman site.

Accommodations: Gulet yacht
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10: Cruising – Dalyan

This morning we disembark and drive to Dalyan, an environmentally protected area where we board a small skiff for a trip through an intriguing maze of channels. At the Lake of Koycegiz, we see our first Lycian rock tombs. These relics, which stretched along the Mediterranean coast from Koycegiz in the West to Antalya in the East, are the few remaining artifacts of this great culture. After lunch in a local restaurant, we drive to our gulet in Fethiye Bay where we anchor for the night.

Accommodations: Gulet yacht
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11: Cruising – Gemiler Island/Kayakoy

Today we sail to our next anchorage, Gemiler Island, where we disembark for a tour of the 6th-century Byzantine monastery here. After lunch on board, we disembark and drive to the Greek “ghost town” of Kayakoy, deserted after World War I and the Turkish War of Independence. Residents abandoned approximately 2,000 stone houses that are now restored and preserved as a historical monument. We’ll explore the town and its two churches, which still retain some of their painted decoration and mosaic floors. Later we return to our gulet and remain anchored in Gemiler tonight, our last night on board.

Accommodations: Gulet yacht
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 12: Cruising – Fethiye/Demre/Myra/Antalya

This morning we sail to Fethiye, where we disembark, bid farewell to our gulet crew, and board a motorcoach for the long drive to Antalya. Along the way we stop in Demre to tour the ancient site of Myra, with an extremely well preserved Roman theater and striking Lycian tombs. We also visit Demre’s 12th-century Church of St. Nicholas, whose last major renovations in 1862 were sponsored by Czar Nicholas I of Russia. After lunch here we continue our drive to Antalya where we enjoy dinner together at the hotel.

Accommodations: Rixos Antalya Downtown
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 13: Antalya

This morning we take a walking orientation tour of Antalya, where we see the resort city’s Old Town, the extravagantly carved Hadrian’s Gate, and the lovely Yivli Minaret. Then we board a coach for the ride to Antalya’s Archaeological Museum. Of special interest here is the “God Gallery” housing statues of 15 gods from Aphrodite to Zeus. We return to our hotel in time for lunch on your own. The remainder of the day is at leisure; you may wish to indulge in an authentic Turkish bath!

Accommodations: Rixos Antalya Downtown
Meals: Breakfast

Day 14: Antalya/Perge/Aspendos

This morning we set off for a tour of the once-thriving Roman city of Perge, which reached its pinnacle during the era of Alexander the Great. Among the outstanding ruins here are the ancient shopping arcade, the awe-inspiring 12,000-seat stadium, and a 15,000-seat theater. Then we move on to Aspendos, whose huge theater is considered one of the best preserved in all of antiquity. We return to Antalya in time for lunch on your own and an afternoon at leisure before we gather for a farewell dinner at the hotel tonight.

Accommodations: Rixos Antalya Downtown
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 15: Return to U.S.

If you are returning today to the United States, you will transfer early this morning to the airport for your connecting flight to the U.S.

Meals: Breakfast