7-night A Journey Of Greek Treasures & Soulful Shores

2027 Kusadasi Local Highlights Option - 4 Hours - Provided by Sea Song Tours

Guests will enjoy a pre-arranged sightseeing itinerary with a Private Car and Guide to explore the following destination highlights.

You will meet your professional guide, holding a name sign, outside of the terminal building at the port for a half day private sightseeing. First, you will visit the House of Virgin Mary, where the Virgin is said to have lived the last years of her life. The building was rediscovered in the late 19^th Century by Lazartis from Smyrna based on the vision of a German nun. The site is officially declared a shrine of the Roman Catholic Church and visited by Pope Paul VI in 1967, Pope John Paul II in 1979, and Pope Benedict XVI in 2007.

Next, you will visit Ephesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous throughout the ancient world for its Temple of Artemis.  You will first visit the Odeon Theatre where the state affairs used to be held. Then, view the Hadrian Temple - it was dedicated in 118 AD to Hadrian, Artemis, and the people of Ephesus, but greatly reconstructed in the 4^th Century. This impressive Corinthian style temple has beautiful reliefs on the porch. According to the belief of the Ephesians, the Medusa head on the porch would protect the city from its enemies.

The Terrace Houses (Villas) on Curetes street belonged to the rich people of Ephesus. Many of them were three-storied and had peristyles surrounded by rooms without windows but included frescoes and mosaics of mythological scenes. Some of the frescoes were scenes from the comedies of Menander and the tragedies of Euripides. They were luxuriously furnished private houses with fountains and central heating. Between the street and houses was a portico with a mosaic floor, behind which were shops.

The Celsus Library is a Roman mausoleum and library built in the early 2^nd Century AD. The Library of Celsus was commissioned by the Julius as a mausoleum for his father, Roman governor of the Asian Provinces. It is one of the most beautifully reconstructed buildings in Ephesus, it has become an icon of the ancient city. The Great Theatre dates to the Hellenistic period. It is one of the most impressive buildings in Ephesus which has a capacity of 25,000 seats. The theatre was used for concerts, plays and religious, political, and philosophical discussions and for gladiator and animal fights.

Marble Road runs between the Library of Celsus and the theater and is a part of the sacred walkway.  At the end of your tour, you can return to Kusadasi for some shopping in town or visit one of the carpet villages along the way before embarking on the ship. If you are not interested in shopping, please advise your guide that you would like to return directly to the ship.

Included:

• Private Luxury Van (Mercedes Vito) with English-Speaking guide and driver for 4 hours
• Entrance fees for listed sights
• Gratuities to guide and driver*
• Bottled water in the vehicle

Excluded:

• Cost of meals and refreshments other than bottled water
• Items of personal nature

*Gratuities have been prepaid. Additional gratuities are at the guest’s discretion.

2027 Kusadasi Customize Your Day Option - 4 Hours - Provided by Sea Song Tours

Guests have the flexibility to customize their day to explore as they wish. Guests may advise their Private Guide on the day of the tour where they would like to go. Please plan ahead to secure any necessary reservations or entrance tickets for your guests' planned stops. *

Included:

• Private Luxury Van (Mercedes Vito) with English-Speaking guide and driver for 4 hours
• Bottled water in the vehicle
• Gratuities to guide and driver**

Excluded:

• Cost of meals and refreshments other than bottled water
• Entrance fees
• Items of personal nature

*Mileage restrictions may apply.
**Gratuities have been prepaid. Additional gratuities are at the guest’s discretion.

2027 Istanbul Local Highlights Option - 4 Hours - Provided by Sea Song Tours

Guests will enjoy a pre-arranged sightseeing itinerary with a Private Car and Guide to explore the following destination highlights.

You will meet your professional guide, holding a name sign, outside of the terminal building at the port.

Your private tour of Istanbul starts with a visit to the Byzantine Hippodrome, which was one of the largest chariot race grounds of the Byzantine Empire. Istanbul's Byzantine Hippodrome was the heart of Constantinople's political and sporting life and the scene of games and riots through 500 years of Ottoman history as well. This was the largest hippodrome of the ancient world with a design that was conceptually based on the Circus Maximus in Rome. You will see Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine Column, and Constantine Column, which are remnants from the original Hippodrome.

Next, you will visit one of the greatest buildings in the world: St Sophia Mosque, built during the reign of Emperor Justinian (AD 537) and remained the greatest church in Christendom until the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 by Sultan Mehmet II who ordered to convert Hagia Sophia into a Mosque.

Your last stop will be the famous Grand Bazaar. It is the largest and oldest covered Bazaar in Turkey with more than 4,000 shops. A variety of Turkish Handicrafts, Oriental carpets, rare jewels, and inexpensive souvenirs all sold in small shops next to each other. The streets are named according to the trades, such as gold and silver sellers, carpet sellers, booksellers, etc. The most oriental atmosphere in Istanbul is found in the bazaar.

At the end of your sightseeing, you will return to your ship.

Included:

• Private Luxury Van (Mercedes Vito) with English-Speaking guide and driver for 4 hours
• Entrance fees for listed sights
• Gratuities to guide and driver*
• Bottled water in the vehicle

Excluded:

• Cost of meals and refreshments other than bottled water
• Items of personal nature

*Gratuities have been prepaid. Additional gratuities are at the guest’s discretion.

2027 Istanbul Customize Your Day Option - 4 Hours - Provided by Sea Song Tours

Guests have the flexibility to customize their day to explore as they wish. Guests may advise their Private Guide on the day of the tour where they would like to go. Please plan ahead to secure any necessary reservations or entrance tickets for your guests' planned stops. *

Included:

• Private Luxury Van (Mercedes Vito) with English-Speaking guide and driver for 4 hours
• Bottled water in the vehicle
• Gratuities to guide and driver**

Excluded:

• Cost of meals and refreshments other than bottled water
• Entrance fees
• Items of personal nature

*Mileage restrictions may apply.
**Gratuities have been prepaid. Additional gratuities are at the guest’s discretion.

2027 Mykonos Local Highlights Option - 4 Hours - Provided by Travelive

Guests will enjoy a pre-arranged sightseeing itinerary with a Private Car and Guide to explore the following destination highlights.

Explore Mykonos, a pearl in the Aegean Sea, filled with whitewashed buildings and narrow winding paths. Your tour starts from the Port where you will meet your driver and head to Ano Mera. Visit the interesting Orthodox Monastery of Panagia Tourliani, with its renowned marble fountain. Once you enter the church, you will see an impressive wooden iconostasis (altar screen) made in 1775 by Florentine artists. There are icons of apostles and saints as well as scenes from the New Testament.

After Ano Mera you will continue to Mykonos Town, also known as "Chora". Here you will have a chance to stroll along the seafront, past the local fish and vegetable market. Keep your eyes peeled for the island’s cheerful avian mascot, Peter the Pelican. Visit the antique-filled Folklore Museum, situated in a charming 11^th Century house on your way to Paraportiani Church. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the Church is a famous example of Cycladic architecture and is one of the most photographed spots in the Mediterranean. From here, you will continue onwards to the picturesque area of Alefkandra, known as the Little Venice of Mykonos. Gorgeous old houses are perched precariously on the edge of the sea, and the neighborhood is a popular area for local artists to set up their workshops.

By the harbor, the iconic windmills stand guard facing North, offering a strikingly beautiful photographic opportunity. End your tour with a stop at a local tavern for Greek ouzo and a sampling of Greek meze, including various traditional Greek dips and olives, feta cheese, and tomatoes along.

Included:

• Private Luxury Sedan with English-Speaking guide and driver for 4 hours
• Entrance fees for listed sights
• Gratuities to guide and driver*
• Bottled water in the vehicle

Excluded:

• Cost of meals and refreshments other than bottled water
• Items of personal nature

*Gratuities have been prepaid. Additional gratuities are at the guest’s discretion.

2027 Mykonos Customize Your Day Option - 4 Hours - Provided by Travelive

Guests have the flexibility to customize their day to explore as they wish. Guests may advise their Private Guide on the day of the tour where they would like to go. Please plan ahead to secure any necessary reservations or entrance tickets for your guests' planned stops. *

Included:

• Private Luxury Sedan with English-Speaking guide and driver for 4 hours
• Bottled water in the vehicle
• Gratuities to guide and driver**

Excluded:

• Cost of meals and refreshments other than bottled water
• Entrance fees
• Items of personal nature

*Mileage restrictions may apply.
**Gratuities have been prepaid. Additional gratuities are at the guest’s discretion.