Here is an overview of our expert led gulet cruise and cultural tour from Halicarnassus to Ephesus. If you would like to know more about this escorted archaeological holiday in Turkey, please don’t hesitate to contact us, or visit our travel FAQ’s.
Crusader castle, Bodrum
A chance to visit some of the biggest and best preserved classical cities in the world, travelling by luxurious gulet on the Aegean coast of Turkey.
Herodotus, a local, claimed that the climate of Ionia was the finest in the world. South-west Turkey’s autumn climate remains splendid indeed. We’ll cruise on a warm sea and under a balmy sun along a coast which developed a civilisation of quite exceptional brilliance.
In the centuries before Alexander the Great, the dynamic cities of Ionia helped lay the foundations of Greek literature, science, and philosophy.
Under Rome, these cities became ever more rich, prosperous, and beautiful - full of the finest temples, theatres and markets that money could buy. Combined with the luxury of sailing, beautiful swimming stops, and heavenly food, this archaeological cruise is the perfect way to explore this remarkable area.
Theatre at Miletus
The highlights are plentiful: from the small harbour of Myndos, where Cassius fled after murdering Julius Caesar; to the marvellously preserved Hellenistic city of Priene, where the houses, streets, and public buildings are laid out in a perfect grid across a hillside.
We’ll visit beautiful Herakleia, nestling under the mighty Latmus Mountains; Labraunda, a mountain sanctuary to Zeus; and of course, Ephesus, capital of Roman Asia. One of the very first cities to have street lighting, the site is magnificent - marble streets, agoras, villas, a theatre for 28,000 and an extraordinary library.
Medusa carved capital, Didyma
Day 1: Our gulet is about forty minutes from Bodrum airport, in the city’s great ampitheatre style harbour, on Turkey’s south west coast. Welcome drink and dinner.
Day 2: A chance to unwind as we set sail west around the Bodrum Peninsula past the Greek island of Kos, to the secluded harbour of Yalikavak.
Day 3: We cruise east to visit the lonely ruins of Bargylia, now marooned beside marshes and old salt pans. Its unroofed temple was once renowned, for neither rain nor snow ever fell inside on the cult statue of Artemis.
Day 4: Inland to Milas, where a Roman tomb modelled on the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, still survives. 2,400 years ago the city of Mylasa was once the capital of Mausolus and his Hecatomnid dynasty.
Day 5: On the shores of Lake Bafa lies a city stupendously set beneath the Latmus mountains - Herakleia. The circuit of city walls built by a Hellenistic king nearly 3,300 years ago are 6.5 km long, and still rise mighty and majestic.
Day 6: To one of the very finest Ionian sites: Miletos, with its vast theatre, baths, and brooding atmosphere.
Day 7: North past the beautiful beaches of the Dilek national park, and the island of Samos. We visit the attractive Greek hilltop city of Notion, still standing sentinel over the sea, and Claros with its vast oracular temple of Apollo.
Day 8: Inland from Kusadasi lies one of the most celebrated ancient sites in the world: Ephesus. After seeing its glorious museum we have ample time to explore the spectacular remains.
Day 9: Heading back south, we walk the ancient roads of Priene, an almost perfectly preserved Hellenistic (4th century BC) city.
Day 10: Cruising south we anchor off Altinkum’s golden beach to visit the colossal and awe-inspiring oracular temple of Apollo at Didyma.
Day 11: A romantic stroll to the temple of Zeus at Euromus, one of the best preserved in Asia Minor. Then on into the mountains to Labraunda, Caria’s most sacred sanctuary, site of the great oracular shrine to Zeus Labraundus.
Day 12: We sail south to moor in the harbour of ancient Iasos, where archaeological excavations are revealing a vital and beautiful classical city.
Day 13: A gentle cruise southwest to the pretty coastal village of Gümüslük, ancient Myndos. The scant ruins offer a glimpse of this once bustling fortified harbour.
Day 14: After a final swim we cruise east to Bodrum, to explore Mausolus’s great capital city, with time for any last minute shopping.
Day 15: Transfer back to Bodrum airport.
