Day 1: Ephesus
Meet your guide at 06:00 and depart early, heading west towards İzmir Province in western Anatolia. Enjoy breakfast en route so and reach Ephesus by 11:00. Upon arrival, you will have approximately 3 hours to explore the ruins. Walk down the ancient marble streets. This city was famed as the site of the Temple of Artemis (one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World) and while only a single column remains, much of the rest of Ephesus is remarkably well-preserved.
Admire the façade of the Library of Celsus, built to store 12,000 scrolls and to serve as a mausoleum for Celsus, who is buried in a crypt beneath. See stone carvings of Roman and Greek gods. Get a close-up view of the amphitheater. After lunch, continue to the House of the Virgin Mary on Mt. Koressos. Experience the holy spirit of the humble house where the Virgin Mary is said to have spent her last days. Transfer to your hotel for dinner.
Day 2: Pamukkale and Hierapolis
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before traveling to the ruins of Hierapolis, built over the hot springs of classical Phrygia. The ruins of Hierapolis are a UNESCO World Heritage Site that give an insight into the lives of the ancients during pre-Roman, Roman, and medieval times. Admire the remains of the city gates and theater, along with the Nymphaeum in front of the Temple of Apollo. Pass by the Thermae Extra Muros (Outer Baths) and travel to the extensive necropolis that lies beyond the city walls. Explore the necropolis which extends for over 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) on both sides of the old road to Phrygian Tripolis and Sardis.
After lunch and a chance to photograph the local villages, you visit the extraordinary “cotton castles” of Pamukkale over which Hierapolis was built. The hot springs and travertines of the mountains have created terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water, leaving a unique landscape in the River Menderes Valley. Depart Pamukkale for Marmaris in the afternoon for an estimated drop off back at your hotel at 19:00.
