After breakfast at our hotel, we begin a full day city tour including lunch and visits to the ancient Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace.  
Hippodrome: The ancient Hippodrome is an enormous public entertainment arena that once seated as many as 100,000 zealous fans witnessing chariot races, executions, and mock battles. Once the center of Byzantine civic life, it is still decorated by the Egyptian Obelisk, the Bronze Serpentine Column, and the Column of Constantine.
Blue Mosque: Built between 1609 and 1616, the Sultan Ahmet Mosque is more familiarly known as the Blue Mosque because its interior gleams with magnificent panels of blue and white 17th century Iznik tiles.  Located near Topkapi Palace, it was considered the Supreme Imperial Mosque during Ottoman Istanbul.
Hagia Sophia: This famous basilica was constructed in the 6th century A.D. It is often described as the greatest work of Byzantine architecture.  Once the Church of Holy Wisdom, Christendom’s crowning glory, and now a museum, it glittered with mosaics, and art treasures filled every corner. Today, Hagia Sophia is the forth largest building made as a church in the world. It was dedicated to Hagia Sophia which means Divine Wisdom, an attribute of Christ.

Topkapi Palace Museum:  Topkapi was the second palace built in Istanbul after the conquest.  It was a residence for the Ottoman Sultans and includes a maze of opulent buildings which were at the center of the Ottoman Empire between the 15th and 19th centuries. This palace, where the sultans and their courts and harem lived and governed, is now one of the world’s richest museums.  During our tour we will have lunch at Konyali restaurant, located within the Topkapi Palace Complex and serving traditional meals of Ottoman cuisine. 
In the late afternoon, return to the hotel for time at leisure. We’ll meet again in the evening for a welcome dinner at a Turkish restaurant located close to our hotel.

Meals:  B, L, D

After breakfast at the hotel, depart for a full-day sightseeing tour.  Our first visit is to the Basilica Cistern or Underground Palace.   Istanbul was one of the most often besieged cities in the world and has always needed permanent water supplies. As a result, many underground cisterns were built during the Byzantine Empire. Water was brought to these big reservoirs from far away sources through aqueducts. The largest and most ornate of these cisterns is the Underground Palace.  In its construction, columns and capitals of earlier temples were used and this provides a very decorative appearance.   Continue with a stop at the 16th century Spice Market (Egyptian Bazaar).  It was built as a part of the Yeni Cami complex and has since been an exciting covered market with the fragrant scent of spices from the Orient.  Then we will proceed to lunch at a sea-front restaurant.

Next we go to the pier to start our one and a half hour Bosphorus cruise.  The Bosphorus is a narrow, navigable strait between Europe and Asia connecting the Black Sea to the Marmora Sea.  It is about 20 miles long and varies between 0.5 and 1.5 miles in width. Along both shores are many attractions including ancient ruins, picturesque villages, wooden houses and forested areas.  After the cruise we will continue our tour with a visit to the Grand Bazaar.  The area of the Grand Bazaar was a trading center during the Byzantine period.  Two bedestens (domed masonry structures) were built by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror to enrich the economic life of the city.  Later on as people needed more places for trade, they added other buildings outside these structures.  Today, the atmosphere of the Grand Bazaar is very interesting and has consequently become a very popular place for visitors to explore a labyrinth of streets and passages housing eighteen entrances and more than 4,000 shops.  Here our tour ends, and we return to the hotel.  Your evening is at leisure.

Meals:  B, L

Depart Istanbul by private coach today with your guide, travelling to the Northern Aegean Coast.  We will drive along the Sea of Marmara toward the Gallipoli Peninsula, crossing The Dardanelles by ferry.

We will learn about the historic World War I battlefields of Gallipoli and stop at a local restaurant for lunch.   Continue to Troy, once believed to exist only in Homer’s epic poem.  Discovered by Heinric Schleimann in the 1870’s, the site has since been excavated and now reveals remnants of nine civilizations dating back 5,000 years.  We will visit the famous archeological and mythological site, home of the "Trojan Horse" and "Helen of Troy".  Considering Troy’s fame, the city is quite small.  The most impressive ruins are from the Roman city, including a small theater.  There is also a replica of the famous wooden horse.  Your guides’ descriptions will help to bring the sights to life. 

This afternoon, continue south to Assos.  This picturesque ancient settlement dating back to the Hittite King Tutalia IV is located off the coast of the Aegean, across from the island of Lesbos. Assos is a splendid retreat from the hustle and bustle of many nearby 'must-see' sites and resorts. Only really finding it's place on the tourist map at the end of the 1980's, the village has a relaxed air to it.  The acropolis dates from the bronze age with the city dated to the 7th century BC. The sight of the defense walls, of which 3 km's are still standing inspires a respect for the masons who erected them 2500 years ago. Sufficient ruins remain to give the traveller an idea of the layout of the citadel although the only intact monument is a mosque.  

After this visit drive to the hotel for overnight.

The Nazlihan Boutique Hotel in Assos has a magnificent location on an antique seaport.  The structure was used as a corn storage house during 1890’s and became a hotel in 1990’s.  Further renovations in 2005 have made this property into a unique and stylish boutique hotel with two restaurants and 37 rooms with telephone, internet, TV, mini bar, satellite TV, air conditioning, and hair dryers

Meals:  B, L, D

In the morning after breakfast we drive to the ancient site of Pergamum and visit the Acropolis and Asclepion. 

During the time of St. John's letters, the city of Pergamum was one of the most important cities of the first century with its Zeus, Dionysus, Athena, and Imperial Cult temples. Especially the cults of the Emperor Augustus and Goddess Roma were very strong, and the city was full of statues of the emperor and Roman divinities. So a fight between the Imperial cults and young Christian church was inevitable.  According to ancient sources, Gaius was the first bishop of Pergamum. He was followed by the dentist Antipas. The letter, written to the church in Pergamum, is both full of praise and accusations. The people of Pergamum were accused of eating the food offered to pagan gods and the practice of immortality.

We have lunch at local restaurant in Pergamum, then visit ancient site of Thyatira.  Although Thyatira was the smallest and least important of the seven cities, a letter written to the church in Thyatira was the longest of the seven letters.  It was also the hometown of Lydia, a rich and notable merchant, who became St. Paul's first convert on the European Soil in Philippi.  Evidently she had moved from her town Thyatira to Philippi for business. It is not known whether Lydia returned to Thyatira to spread the Christian faith but by the time the Revelation was written, Thyatira had a prosperous church.  The letter speaks about the Thyatiran church with warmest commendations:  "I know your deeds, your love, your faith and your perseverance."

Continue with a panoramic tour of Izmir (Smyrna) and visit the ancient Agora.  During Roman times, Smyrna became a rival city to Ephesus. It prided itself as being Rome's most faithful ally, and built a temple for the Goddess Rome as early as the 2nd century BC and later for Emperor Tiberius. The Christian faith in Izmir began with the activities of St. Paul who sent some of his disciples there. According to ancient sources, the earliest bishop of Smyrna was Apelles.  The city hosted a great Jewish colony and some of these Jews accepted Christian faith at an early stage. However, the church in Smyrna had a great struggle against tremendous political and religious opposition and experienced poverty and tribulations. It is claimed that St. John returned to Izmir from Patmos after his exile. The letter addressed to the church in Izmir is full of sympathy and love.  It was written to the church nearly 60 years before the martyrdom of St. Polycarp. Because of its magnificent location, the city was captured by various nations through its history. Check in at the hotel, and meet again for an included dinner.

Overnight with wonderful views at the: Crowne Plaza Hotel Izmir

Meals:  B, L, D

Transfer by motor coach to Pamukkale.  Sightseeing en route, including visits to the temple of Artemis, then the ancient sites of Sardis and Philadelphia. 

Sardis was the capital city of King Croesus who was considered the richest man on earth in ancient times. Due to a gold bearing river Pactalus and gold collected in the area, the Lydian Kingdom became one of the great Kingdoms of the antiquity.  Lydians who minted the first coins with a fixed, guaranteed value were so proud of their richness and their impregnable fortress, they were sure that no army on earth could capture their city. But the city was captured twice when Lydian guards were careless and sleeping. After each disaster, the city recovered but slipped back into a false sense of security.

Then we will continue to the ancient site of Philadelphia.  Attalos II, the king of Pergamum, established the city by the Alasehir River for his brother Eumenes and named it Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. His aim was to spread the Greek Culture and language towards the east. So Philadelphia was a city on a mission.  There is no mention of the first establishment of the Philadelphian church.  Like Smyrna’s church, Philadelphia stands out because of its faithfulness. The city was located on the eastern edge of the Ionian civilization, and it had the most difficult task of spreading Christian faith to the east, outside the Ionian region. Philadelphia, together with Smyrna was considered one of the distinguished churches of the Seven Churches of the Revelation about which nothing negative was mentioned by St. John.

Lunch in a local village, and then continue to Pamukkale.  Before arriving to the hotel, visit the ancient site of Hierapolis.  Ancient Hierapolis appears to have been founded by King Eumenes II of Pergamum and its name is derived from Hiera, the wife of King Telephos, the legendary founder of Pergamum.  The first structure one encounters on reaching the plateau is the city baths, which are in a very good state of preservation. The baths are Roman and from the 2nd century A.D.

The city theater was originally located above the northern gate, but when the city was rebuilt during the reign of the Flavian emperors (60 A.D.) the theater was relocated, and the seats from the old structure were used in the work.  During the reign of Septimius Severus (193-211 A.D.) the theater was modified and richly decorated with relief. In 532 it was discovered that the theater had been weakened by age and by the almost daily seismic activity that takes place here and had to be reinforced. Since the theater has been restored, it is now possible to see the friezes of mythological scenes depicting Apollo and Artemis in their original positions.

After our tour, check in and have dinner at our hotel in Pamukkale.
Spa Hotel Colossae Thermal  
In addition to all the facilities you would expect, the Colossae Thermal Spa Hotel offers much more.  Located adjacent to the famous calcium falls at Pamukkale, the hotel draws therapeutic waters directly from hot springs beneath the hotel into its own spa pools.  In addition to the pools, the hotel offers mud baths, mud pools, sauna, jacuzzi, Kneipp Therapy, a wide variety of therapeutic massage techniques and many other health giving procedures and activities.

Meals:  B, L, D

After breakfast at the hotel, leave Pamukkale and visit the ancient sites of Laodicea and Aphrodisias on the way to Kusadasi.  Laodicea is the most southerly of the seven churches. Although it is not known when the seeds of the new church were sown there or when the church took its roots there, the letter addressing the church in Laodicea is the sternest of the seven letters, containing much reprimand but no praise. Although there is no mention of heretics, persecutors and evil doers, the people of Laodicea are blamed for lack of wholeheartedness. The word “Laodicean” was used as an adjective to describe someone who is lukewarm in politics, in religion or other matters. The letter of St. John tells that although Laodiceans pretend that they are rich, wealthy and they do not need anything, they are pitiful, poor, blind and naked.  Laodiceans are advised to give up their complacency and forget about their famous banks, textiles industries supplying beautiful garments and well known Laodician eye salve and get them from Christ.

Our next visit is to the ancient city of Aphrodisias, dedicated to the goddess of love Aphrodite, a Hellenistic city which also flourished under Roman and Byzantine rule. Excavations in the 24-meter-high (78 ft) theater hill have revealed layers of settlement going back to the Bronze Age (c. 2800–2200 B.C.). It was founded in the 5th C B.C. and flourished under the Roman Empire (1st C B.C. - 4th c. AD).  Aphrodisias was primarily known as a center of the arts, specifically sculpture. The Aphrodisias School of Sculpture had a distinctive style and was very well circulated throughout the Greek and Roman world.  Lunch en route. Dinner at the hotel.

Two nights at the popular Korumar Hotel: The 5-star Korumar Hotel, with its superb location, commands the most beautiful sea view and presents a combination of style, high-standard accommodation and a wide range of modern facilities to offer unforgettable holidays to its guest of all ages.  244 standard rooms, 2 suites, 4 connecting rooms, conference halls, swimming pool, beach, beach bar, lobby bar, pool bar, two main restaurants and one a la carte restaurant, wide screen TV-Room, hairdressing salon, open-air disco, fitness center, indoor pool, sauna, solarium, jacuzzi, Turkish bath, & massage.

Meals:  B, L, D

Today we enjoy a full day tour.  In the morning, drive to Miletus.  Miletus was an important ancient city, the home of mathematician Thales and Hippodamos, the architect who developed the grid plan for Hellenistic cities; Miletus later became an important center of early Christianity.  Then continue to lunch in a local village where we can also see women weaving carpets.

After lunch, visit the awesome ancient city of Ephesus.  Today Ephesus is perhaps the world’s best-preserved ancient city and its ruins attract visitors from across the globe.  An important Christian community arose here, and Ephesus was visited by St. Paul, who later wrote one of his epistles to the Ephesians. Perhaps its greatest claim to fame is the fact that Ephesus once housed the Temple of Diana, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  The most significant relic of the site is the immense amphitheater that holds 24,000 people and is still used today.  Walk along the Sacred Way, where the rich once lived; see the Temple of Hadrian, a Corinthian-style building with the head of Medusa on the porch to keep away evil spirits; and the Library of Celsius, which held 12,000 ancient scrolls which were stored in niches around the walls.
Return to Kusadasi early in the evening.  Dinner at the hotel.

Meals:  B, L, D