Daily Private Ephesus Miletos Didyma Tour from Istanbul

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Miletus, Didim Turkey

Judging by the modest number of tourists reaching the ruins of Miletus, it is hard to believe that in the antiquity it was one of the most important cities of the region, in its heyday challenging the power of Ephesus. Founded by the Greeks on the coast of Asia Minor, Miletus will be remembered in the annals of history as the birthplace of mathematician Thales and two famous philosophers, Anaxagoras and Anaximander. Miletus was also one of the oldest and most important Greek cities of Ionia, boasting not one, but four harbors. Today, the crowds of sightseers from all over the world rub shoulders in Ephesus, leaving the pleasure of discovering the secrets of Miletus to small groups of curious visitors who manage to reach this site.



Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Temple of Apollo, Ataturk Boulevard Yenihisar, Didim Turkey

The Didymaion was the third and largest temple that the Greeks built around the site of a natural spring, which they believed to be the source of the oracle’s prophetic power. The first temple was a humble structure that replaced a much earlier Carian sanctuary. In the 6th century BCE the people of nearby Miletus began construction on a second, much larger temple. Wider than and as long as the Parthenon in Athens, this second temple reflected the growing fame and influence of the oracle. This temple, however, was plundered and destroyed, either in 494 BCE by the Persian king Darius or in 479 BCE by his son and successor Xerxes. Legend has it that the sacred spring ceased to flow until none other than Alexander the Great passed through on a conquest of his own and re-consecrated the site in 331 BCE. Not surprisingly, the first recorded pronouncements of the reestablished oracle were in favor of the young Macedonian king.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Stop At: Ancient City of Ephesus, Selcuk 35920 Turkey

The largest open-air museum in Turkey, Ephesus contains more than 30 buildings and structures linked together by streets that still bear the marks of chariot wheels. Your guide will show you the awe-inspiring Great Theater, where St. Paul preached against the pagans and gladiators once engaged in battle. Walk along Marble Street to the Library of Celsus and be dazzled by its restored façade. Visit the Temple of Hadrian, Roman baths, and other remarkable ruins.

Duration: 2 hours