A beautiful costal town, Cesme is a popular holiday resort and the largest metropolitan center in Turkey's Aegean Region. Famous for attractions such as the Castle, promenading the marina and the former Christian cathedral of St. Haralambos, which has been converted into an exhibition center Cesme is also regarded as one of the best destinations in the world for windsurfing.
We travel by bus approximately two hours to the ancient city of Ephesus, passing many typical rural Turkish villages along the way.
Ephesus, one of the 12 cities of Ionia, is a stunning marvel in the hills above the Aegean coast. Founded by the ancient Greeks circa 2000 BC, it became the second-largest city in the Roman Empire, at one time home to a quarter-million people. It was the first and most significant city in the Roman province of Asia and one of its key ports. Millennia ago the Aegean receded west, stranding the city on its sun-seared hillsides. It is believed the Virgin Mary lived and died here, and that Paul wrote his Letter to the Ephesians here.
Ephesus is rivaled only by the Forum and the Acropolis as one of the most complete classical cities in Europe. Stroll between the marble colonnades of Curetes Street to visit Trajan’s Fountain, Hadrian’s Temple, the Scholastica Baths and the astonishing Terrace Houses, where many of the floor mosaics are still intact. Nearby, the spectacular Library of Celsus, which has been almost entirely reconstructed, towers above the famed Marble Road. The Great Theater of Ephesus, where St. Paul once preached, was carved into the side of Mt. Pion in the 4th century BC. It held up to 24,000 spectators and is still renowned for its outstanding acoustics.
There will be some free time to shop before returning to the ship.
Izmir, more than 12,000 square kilometers and home to more than three million people, is Turkey’s third-largest city. It presents itself as a modern, teeming metropolis, but as we tour Izmir its magnificent ancient past comes alive. The remains of the ancient agora, built by Marcus Aurelius in 178 BC, lie at the heart of the city. Our guides will also show you the only two-storey agora yet discovered – its first floor was dedicated to trade, manufacturing and storage, its second to civic meetings and retailing. We then visit Konak sqare the busiest part of the city centre where you will then have free time to see Kemeralti, İzmir's major market bazaar district.