Canakkale, Troy, Pergamon and Izmir in 3 days

In the early morning, we will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to Istanbul airport. After about an hour's flight, you will arrive at Izmir airport. Your assistant will be waiting for you with a name sign and direct you to the starting point of the first tour.

The first place to visit is The House of the Virgin Mary, where she is believed to have spent her last years. This house is now a church that was visited by Pope Paul VI, - John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

Your next stop is Ephesus, the best-preserved classical city in the eastern Mediterranean. It was once a major Roman city, home to around 250,000 people and the Temple of Artemis, a pilgrimage center and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

During the tour, you will visit the Odeon, the Grand Theater where Saint Paul preached, Curetes Street, the Temple of Serapis, the facades of the Temple of Hadrian, the impressive Library of Celsus, old public baths, terraced houses, fountains, and various temples.

After lunch, you will make a stop at a local leather goods center, where you can shop for some soft leather items and practice your bargaining skills at the same time.

At the end of the day, you will be transferred to the hotel in Kusadasi.

Greca Tip: Go on a stroll along Kusadasi's seaside promenade and enjoy a refreshing cocktail or a cup of traditional Turkish tea.

Today you will step back in time as you will visit the ancient city of Troy, also called Ilion, which flourished because of its key position on trade routes between Europe and Asia.  You will continue to Pergamon, one of the cultural, commercial and medical centers of the ancient world in Asia Minor. In Pergamom you will visit Asclepion, a place where the entrance of death was forbidden and ancient therapeutic center that was dedicated to Aesculapius, God of the Medicana. Here lived the famous physician Galen. Then on to Troya, to visit the legendary city known in Homer's “The Iliad” and the Trojan War.

You will then head to Canakkale, check in at your hotel, enjoy your meal and rest.

Greca Tip: Stroll along Izmir's beautiful waterfront and watch a happy candy vendor expertly twirl his vats of liquid sugar onto a stick for you.

After a delicious breakfast, we will depart for Bursa (270 km).

This city, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, is also known as Green Bursa. Here, we will visit Ulu Camii, also known as the Great Mosque of Bursa, the Kozahan Silk Bazaar, and the Green Mausoleum.

We will then continue our journey to Istanbul.

Greca Tip: Ask our guide for the best dining spots, or consider the optional dinner cruise on the Bosphorus.