Ephesus & the Ancient Cities of Ionia

Day by day

Your itinerary

1. Day1

   Ephesus: walking through an ancient metropolis

   Your private guide and driver meet you in İzmir for the drive to Selçuk, the gateway to Ephesus. Walk its marble-paved streets past fountains, temples and shops to the Library of Celsus and the 25,000-seat Great Theatre, and hear how the city grew under Greek and Roman rule into a capital of trade, culture and faith. Time allowing, add the Ephesus Archaeological Museum or the last standing column of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

   Overnight in Selçuk or Kuşadası

2. Day2

   Priene and Miletus: the cities of Ionia

   Drive south to Priene, laid out on a neat grid on the slopes of Mount Mycale. Its Temple of Athena, theatre and terraced streets show exactly how a planned Greek city worked. Continue to Miletus, once one of the most powerful ports of the Greek world and home to the first philosophers, and climb its monumental theatre to look out over what was once the sea.

   Overnight in Selçuk or Kuşadası

3. Day3

   The legacy of ancient Ephesus

   A last morning in the region, shaped around your interests and flight time: the House of the Virgin Mary, the Temple of Artemis site, or another site your guide recommends. Then a private transfer to İzmir Airport or another agreed drop-off point.