3-Day Pamukkale, Ephesus, Troy, and Gallipoli Tour from Istanbul

You will be picked up from your hotel in Istanbul around 4:00 AM and transferred to the domestic airport for your flight to Denizli, departing between 6:00 and 8:00 AM. Upon arrival at Denizli Airport, you will be met and transferred to Pamukkale, where you will join your professional tour guide to begin a full-day tour of Pamukkale and Hierapolis.

At approximately 10:45 AM, your first stop will be Karahayit, where you will see the famous Red Springs, renowned for their healing properties. At around 11:45 AM, you will proceed to Pamukkale to explore the ancient city of Hierapolis. Highlights of this visit include the Necropolis, Roman Baths, Domitian Gate, Latrina, Frontinus Street, Agora, Byzantine Gate, Triton Fountain, Cathedral, Apollo Temple, Plutonium, and the Theatre.

You will enjoy a lunch break at a local restaurant. After lunch, you’ll have approximately 60 minutes of free time to explore the natural beauty of the Pamukkale Travertines on your own. You may also choose to swim in the Pamukkale Antique Pools (at your own expense), relaxing in the same thermal waters that Cleopatra is believed to have bathed in.

You will regroup with your guide and have the unique experience of walking barefoot down the famous travertine terraces, feeling the soft limestone underfoot.

After the tour, around 4:00 PM, you will be transferred to your hotel in Kuşadası, arriving at approximately 7:30 PM for check-in. Once settled, the evening is yours to relax or explore the town at your leisure.

After breakfast, check out from your hotel in Kuşadası. At around 8:30 AM, your tour guide will pick you up to begin your full-day tour of Ephesus, the ancient Greek city that played a crucial role in the classical era and early Christianity. During your visit, you’ll explore the ruins of Ephesus, including key sites such as the Temple of Hadrian, the Great Theater, and the Trajan Fountain.

After a morning of exploration, you will break for lunch before visiting the House of the Virgin Mary, a peaceful site where it is believed the Virgin Mary spent her final years. Following this, you’ll pass by the Temple of Artemis. Although only a few remnants remain, it once stood as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Next, you will visit the Isa Bey Mosque, a masterpiece of 14th-century Seljuk architecture. The tour will conclude around 4:00 pm.

After the tour, you will be driven back to Kusadasi, where you will have some free time before boarding a public bus to Canakkale at approximately 6:00 pm. The bus journey will include two breaks for personal needs. You are expected to arrive in Canakkale around 12:30 am, where a representative will meet you at the bus station and transfer you to your hotel for check-in. Overnight in Canakkale.

After breakfast, you will check out of your hotel in Çanakkale and be picked up around 8:30 am. Your morning will begin with an exciting Troy Tour, where you will explore iconic historical sites including the famous Trojan Horse, a replica symbolizing the legendary trick used during the Trojan War, and the Sacrificial Altars, ancient ceremonial sites that date back thousands of years. The 3700-year-old City Walls will provide a glimpse into the ancient fortifications of the city. You will also visit the Houses of Troy I, dating from 3000 B.C. to 2500 B.C., the Bouleuterion (Senate Building) where councils and meetings took place, and the Odeon, an ancient concert hall. Finally, you will witness the remains of cities from Troy I through Troy IX, offering a fascinating look at the layers of history spanning different eras.

The Troy tour will conclude around 11:30 am, after which you will be transferred to Eceabat. Here, you will have some free time until 1:00 pm to explore at your leisure. Lunch will then be provided at a local restaurant in Eceabat, giving you the opportunity to enjoy regional flavors.

In the afternoon, the Gallipoli Tour will commence. You will visit several significant sites, starting with Brighton Beach, the intended landing site during the Gallipoli campaign, followed by Beach Cemetery located at Anzac Cove, the resting place of many soldiers from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). Continuing on, you will see Ari Burnu Cemetery, situated near the landing place of the first ANZAC wave, and the ANZAC Commemoration Site, which honors the soldiers who fought in this historic campaign.

The tour will then proceed to the Lone Pine Australian Memorial, which commemorates the capture of Turkish trenches by Australian forces during the August offensive. You will explore Johnston’s Jolly, where the preserved trenches and tunnels used by both Allied and Turkish troops can still be seen. The journey continues to the 57th Regiment Turkish Memorial, a tribute to the heroic Turkish soldiers who fought valiantly, followed by a visit to The Nek, a narrow ridge that became the site of a tragic battle for ANZAC forces. The tour will conclude at the Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial, dedicated to the New Zealand soldiers who participated in one of the campaign’s most critical battles.

At around 6:00 pm, the tour will end, and you will begin your journey back to Istanbul. The expected arrival in Istanbul is around 11:00 pm, at which point you will be dropped off at your hotel. This will mark the end of the day’s excursion and our services.