The tour starts today in Bodrum, ancient Halicarnassus, home of the famous Mausoleum. Group members should arrange to arrive by 5pm which is when our gulet will become available to board. Guests arriving earlier than this may be able to leave baggage securely at our yacht office in Bodrum until the gulet is ready to board.

Guests will be allocated their cabin and will receive a safety briefing and introductory talk by our trip scholar on board.  Enjoy afternoon tea and free time to stroll along the quayside before dinner on board and overnight in the harbour.

*Please see our ‘extensions’ tab for details of extra nights in Bodrum or pre-tour stays along with Turkish Riviera.

Overnight: On board gulet Semercioglu IV   or similar | Meals: D

Note: The nearest airport is Bodrum-Milas Airport, which is approximately 25 minutes away from Bodrum harbour by car.  We will be arranging a group transfer from Bodrum Airport to the harbour to meet flight TK 2512 from Istanbul to Bodrum arriving 15:05 (which connects to a service from London Heathrow earlier in the day).  

If you are making your own flight arrangements and arriving before or after this time, you will need a private transfer – we can book these for you if you wish (approximate cost £40-£50 per vehicle for up to 4 passengers).  If your preferred flight arrives late in the evening it might be best to arrive the previous day – we can recommend and book a number of inexpensive local B&Bs or small hotels to spend the night in Bodrum before joining the tour if required.

Alternative flights: There is a direct service Heathrow to Bodrum with BA on the outbound which we can quote if you wish.  BA doesn’t fly from Izmir but if you plan to stop in Istanbul we can create an open-jaw ticket with BA into Bodrum and home from Istanbul with a domestic flight on Turkish Airlines from Izmir to Istanbul.  Low cost carriers also fly direct to Bodrum from various airports in the UK and direct from Izmir back to Uk airports – we cannot book these, however clients are most welcome to book their own. It may be necessary to book two one-way tickets as few airlines fly both routes.

This morning, after a delicious Turkish breakfast of fresh local bread, eggs, yoghurts, olives, cheeses, fresh fruit and vegetables on board,  disembark to visit the remnants of the ancient Mausoleum, which in its day was considered such an aesthetic triumph that Antipater of Sidon identified it as one of his Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Destroyed by earthquakes, today very little remains except for the foundations, but there is a small museum housing a replica and some informative displays.  Pieces of its beautiful friezes can be seen in the British Museum, and many pieces of marble were re-used by the Knights Hospitaller when building the nearby castle, which we shall visit next.  The Crusader Castle of St Peter was built by the Knights Hospitaller of Saint John of Jerusalem in 1402 as a strategic stronghold alongside their headquarters in nearby Rhodes, to protect Christians in the region from Ottoman and pirate threats.  The castle still contains the coat of arms of King Henry IV of England amongst hundreds of others, and today houses one of the world’s finest museums of underwater archaeology.

After the visit, return to the gulet, and the anchor will be lifted to leave the harbour, cruising around the Bodrum peninsula to the pretty village of Gümüslik. Here, visit the scant but well-sited remains of Myndos, a Dorian fortress dating from the time of Mausolus. There will be time for swimming in one of the lovely bays in the area.  Dinner and overnight on board.

Overnight: On board gulet Semercioglu IV   or similar | Meals: B, L, D

A beautiful morning cruise to the village of Kıyıkışlacık, and walk in from the ancient harbour across an ithmus to the pretty but little-visited Carian city of Iasos.   A member of the Athenian Delian League, Iasos participated in the Peloponnesian Wars on the side of Athens. Having later been sacked by the Spartans, it was rebuilt from the ruins of war,  but then came under the control of a Persian satrap,  followed by the conquering troops of Alexander the Great and finally the Romans and Byzantines, from which era most of the remains now date.  The source of the city’s wealth was fishing, and the elite made use of red-tinted marble quarried in the nearby hills to adorn its many grand public buildings.  Today the city’s colonnaded Roman agora is still in good condition, as is the bouleuterion.

Return to the gulet for a freshly prepared lunch on board, and the gulet will move to a nearby quiet cove for an afternoon spent at leisure reading, sunbathing or swimming, followed by dinner and overnight moored in a quiet bay.

Overnight: On board gulet Semercioglu IV   or similar | Meals: B, L, D

Visit the evocative classical ruins of Euromos and Labraunda this morning, the latter of which was linked to Milas (Mylasa) by a 13km Sacred Way, of which some parts are still visible.   At little-visited Euromos, an olive grove hides one of the best-preserved Roman temples in Asia Minor.  The city was abandoned in 166 after outbreaks of Antonine Plague and never built over; one possible reason the temple survived.

Then visit Labraunda,  30 minutes further inland by road,  a leading religious sanctuary in Caria during the Hekatomnid period.  Surrounded by a whispering pine forest, the sanctuary is dedicated to the cult of  Zeus Labrandeus, a local variation of the Greek chief god, and was important enough to be mentioned by Strabo, Pliny the Elder and Herodotus. The Carian satrap King Mausolus built most of the remains which can be seen today, including monumental entrance buildings, a Dor-style fountain building, and the remains of a sacred banqueting area.

After a picnic lunch, continue inland a further 20 minutes by road to Alinda in the Latmos Mountains,  one of the loveliest ancient cities in Caria, with olive-shaded theatre and almost intact 100m-long Hellenistic agora.  The mountain fortress of Alinda provided a defensible base from which Mausolus’ sister Ada ruled in exile when her brother Pixodarus seized power from her.  Ada went on to adopt Alexander the Great as a son, and assisted in his siege of Halicarnassus, for which he in turn restored her to rule all Caria as queen.

Return to the gulet, moored in a small bay, for a chance to take a late afternoon swim before dinner on board.

Overnight: On board gulet Semercioglu IV   or similar | Meals: B, L, D

Morning cruise to Akbuk, where we disembark to visit the cities of the ancient Gulf of Latmos, beginning with the breathtaking ruins of the sacred site of Didyma, a significant Ionian sanctuary and the site of the revered Oracle of Apollo, second only to Delphi in importance. The highlight of the site is the astonishing Temple of Apollo, which would have been the largest temple in the Hellenic world had it been completed.  The remains of the vast temple are in far better condition to Ephesus’ Temple of Artemis, featuring numerous Ionic columns with intricate carvings on the bases.  Don’t miss the iconic Medusa head at the entrance.  As with Labraunda, there are also the remains of the Sacred Way connecting the temple to the port city of Miletus.

A short journey inland reaches Lake Bafa and the magnificent setting of Heraklea under Latmos, once a thriving sea port, and now landlocked as the river silted up the harbour.  The granite scenery overlooking the lake and backed by the rugged Beşparmak Mountains makes this Hellenistic city superbly photogenic. The originally Carian city came under Lydian and later Persian rule in the 6th century BCE, just like the cities of Ionia. From 499 to 494 BCE, Latmus, like the rest of Caria, took part in the Ionian Revolt against Persia.  The most striking remains are the extensive city walls, which extend for more than 6 km and still stand to a height of over 6m in places, with over 40 towers.

Return to the gulet for an afternoon of relaxation, moored in a bay or safe anchorage for reading, swimming and sunbathing. Enjoy afternoon tea on board, then dinner and overnight moored in a bay.

Overnight: On board gulet Semercioglu IV   or similar | Meals: B, L, D

Continue round the coast and visit Miletus, near the mouth of the Maeander River.  A prominent ancient Ionian city renowned as a center of trade and philosophy, it was the birthplace of the Milesian School of philosophers like Thales. The city was rebuilt by Hippodamus after being destroyed by the Persians during the Ionian revolt, and became the first planned city in Greek history with a grid layout.  The remains are a mix of Hellenistic and Roman ruins, of which the theatre is especially fine as are the Baths of Faustina which were constructed for Marcus Aurelius’ wife.

After lunch, visit Priene, once a sophisticated port city with two harbours at the head of the Gulf of Latmos, until the changing course of the river silted them both up.   According to Vitruvius, the well-preserved Temple of Athena at Priene (designed by Pytheos, the architect who built the Mausoleum at Halicarnassos), was the most perfect Ionic building in the world.  Other monuments here include the city gates, colonnaded streets, exquisite theatre and council chamber. Largely abandoned after 2nd Century due to the loss of its harbours, the remains at Priene are special both for the lovely pine trees which provide much-welcomed shade, and in their more obvious ‘Greekness’ when compared to nearby Miletus.

Meet the yacht moored back in Didyma for a final night on board.

Overnight: On board gulet Semercioglu IV   or similar | Meals: B, L, D

Disembark the gulet this morning, and travel inland to the Lycus River Valley to visit the remains of the once prosperous classical city of Laodicea, a well-preserved site with fine colonnaded streets and a newly restored theatre. The city contained one of the Seven churches of Asia mentioned in the Book of Revelation (churches of early Christianity located in then-Greek-speaking Asia Minor), and remains a place of pilgrimage for Christians even today.

Continue to Pamukkale, arguably Turkey’s most recognisable natural wonder. Here, hot calcium-laden mineral water spills over the cliff-side, creating white calcium travertine pools.

Visit the remains of the classical city of Hierapolis, built around the natural mineral spring. The site has many fine buildings and a virtually complete Roman theatre. There will be time afterwards to enjoy the thermal pools and travertine terraces, some of which are designated for swimming.

Overnight: Ramada Resort, Pamukkale or similar | Meals: B, L,D

Drive down the Meander Valley stopping at the wonderful site of Aphrodisias. The site had a temple dedicated to Aphrodite which was later transformed into a Byzantine Basilica Cathedral. Also to be seen is a complete bouleuterion, theatre and the remains of the Sebasteion, a temple complex. There was a sculptural school at Aphrodisias which is celebrated in its own excellent museum.

Continue to Nysa, another fine classical site with Hellenistic and Roman remains, before driving to Yedi Bilgeler (Seven Sages), a vineyard producing award-winning wines named after the ‘Seven Sages’ who were 6th-century-BC philosophers based in nearby Ephesus, Miletus and Priene.

The vineyard is located just 10km from Ephesus, which has a wine-making tradition going back over 6,000 years. Enjoy a tour of the estate and a wine-tasting, before checking into the lovely on-site hotel.

Overnight: Vinefera Vineyard Hotel, Yedi Bilgeler  | Meals: B, L,D

A full day to explore Ephesus, once capital of Roman Asia Minor. The city boasted one of the Wonders of the Ancient World – its vast Temple of Artemis. Today, parts of the city have been sympathetically reconstructed which gives a wonderful impression of what it would have been like in its heyday. Tour the commercial and State agora, Celsus library, bath houses, temples and colonnaded streets.

Enjoy a farewell dinner this evening back at the wine hotel, once again sampling some of the excellent house-wines produced on site.

Overnight: Vinefera Vineyard Hotel, Yedi Bilgeler  | Meals: B, L,D

After breakfast, a group transfer is included to Izmir Airport, for flights home or onward connections.

Those taking Temple World’s recommended flights with Turkish Airlines will fly at 15:55 from Izmir to Heathrow with a change of planes in Istanbul, arriving 21:00 into London.

For those staying on to add extensions and not departing right away, you may keep your room until 12:00. The hotel will be happy to store baggage and allow you to continue to use the public facilities after check out, if departing later in the day.

For those with more time,  we are offering an optional three-night stop-over in Istanbul, please see our extensions tab for a sample itinerary and cost.

We can also arrange tailor-made extensions such as extra nights pre tour in Bodrum, extra nights post-tour at the wine hotel or nearby beach resort areas,  or guided exploration anywhere in the region.  Simply contact our team (Alice or Lia) on 0208 940 4114 for a quote.

Overnight: –    | Meals: B