After early pickup from your Bodrum hotel, settle inside your air-conditioned coach and travel into Turkey’s picturesque countryside to Ephesus, the best-preserved classical city in the Mediterranean.
On route, hear about the UNESCO-listed archaeological site. Once one of Asia’s largest Roman cities and sea ports, Ephesus’ harbor silted up long ago, leaving its present-day ruins sprawled across an inland plain.
Stop for breakfast and after an approximate 2.5-hour journey, arrive and head inside with your guide. Then, tour the marble-paved streets, passing crumbled shops and houses that once bustled with Roman citizens. Admire the magnificent façade of the Library of Celsus, and see highlights like the Temple of Hadrian and the bathhouse.
Walk to the Great Theater, and marvel at this huge amphitheater, where St. Paul preached, and up to 25,000 spectators regularly watched plays and gladiatorial games.
After lunch at a local restaurant, continue to the House of the Virgin Mary (Meryemana). This pocket-size chapel stands on the foundations of a house held by some to be Mary’s last home. See the chapel from the outside, or head inside to view the interior and altar (own expense).
Finally, return to Bodrum, ending your trip with a hotel drop-off.
