Request a quote

Spend a week exploring some of the ancient highlights of one of our favourite coastal areas in Turkey.

Base yourselves in a cosy boutique hotel on the Bodrum Peninsula, and balance heading out for adventures with blissful beach time. You’re in just the right location to minimise travel to the must-see spots in the country.

As with all our itineraries, consider this a sample and a starting point only. We can tailor the trip perfectly to your needs.  Contact our Turkey specialists to get started.

 

Your Itinerary

Day 1 - Welcome to the Aegean Coast!

Your hotel is less than an hour from Bodrum International Airport or around 3 hours transfer from Dalaman Airport. Your driver will collect you from Arrivals and take you to your hotel.

Settle in to your cosy hotel, and enjoy some cocktails at the terrace bar. Your hotel is adult-only and has just 20 rooms. You can expect an intimate and relaxing environment.

Accommodation

Day 2 - Wine tasting and vineyard tour

Though not as commonly recognised internationally as wine from it’s neighbours in Europe, Turkey has an ancient winemaking history.

After a leisurely morning swimming in the pool, your driver will collect you for an afternoon trip to Karnas Vineyard. Enjoy an informative farm tour with the chance to try fresh produce from goats cheese to olives, and taste some local wines from the boutique vineyard.

Datca Turkey

Day 3 - Yalikavak Marina

Head to the Marina at your leisure today, it’s especially lovely to be there for sunset. Here you’ll find an exclusive open-air shopping mall featuring 106 brands, gourmet restaurants, bars, cafes, clubs and entertainment venues. Be sure to make a reservation if you’d like to try the in-demand Nurs-et Steakhouse, or one of the special summer pop up restaurants, to avoid disappointment.

Tuesday and Thursday are our favourite days to visit, the local market brings farmers and artisans to the area.

Efes Ephesus

Day 4 - Visit Ephesus UNESCO World Heritage Site

Start early today, and enjoy a scenic two and a half hour drive to Selçuk to visit Ephesus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and a remarkably well preserved site. It’s a large site, having been excavated over more than a hundred years, and particular highlights are the Library of Celsus, the Amphitheatre and the Terrace Houses. It’s also partially uphill and quite exposed, so wear comfortable shoes and plenty of sunscreen.

You can also visit the House of the Virgin Mary, where it is said Mary spent the last days of her life, and the nearby tranquil village of Şirince is a beautiful spot to stop for some food and local fruit wine.

Day 5 - Visit Bodrum City

We recommend heading into the hustle and bustle of Bodrum today. You can visit the historic sites such as the Castle of St. Peter, and carry further along the harbour to the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

This charming coastal town is the entertainment and culture capital of the Southern Aegean, so you can enjoy shopping at the boutiques, dining at beautiful restaurants and there are also often festivals and shows happening in the area in high season.

Day 6 - Pamukkale Natural Springs

Translating as ‘cotton castle’, Pamukkale is a unique World Heritage Site created naturally by heavily mineralized water flowing from springs and pooling in terraces – its striking and almost other-worldly.

Spend the day exploring here, and also the well preserved marble sculptures and greek monuments at Aphrodisias and Hierapolis.

An alternative great option for today is to head to the Dalyan Delta. Sailing along in the river boats you’ll feel lost in a maze and dwarfed by the magnificent rock tombs. You can also spot loggerhead turtles, who nest all along this stretch as you make your way to ancient Caunos and Iztuzu beach. And whether you believe in it’s magic or not, why not cover your bases and stop off at the ‘fountain of youth’ and have a dip in the mud baths….

Day 7 - Last Day

A final day of rest and sun-bathing before your flight home tomorrow.

Perhaps book a relaxing massage in the garden as a final treat.

What's included?

Included

  • Airport transfers
  • 7 nights at the hotel, breakfast included daily
  • Ephesus Day Trip
  • Wine Tour Day
  • Day trip to Pamukkale or alternative option to Dalyan

Excluded

  • Spa treatments
  • Driver on call/other transfers/local transfers
    Additional or alternative tours
  • Additional meals
  • International flights
  • Visa fees
  • Personal expenditure, travel allowances
    Gratuities
 Make a booking
Istanbul
An intoxicating city and the only one in the world to sit across 2 continents. Enjoy breakfast in Europe and lunch in Asia, then back again for the evening.

Most of the popular sights, history and activity are centred on the European side in an area called Sultanahmet. But we recommend you explore further - taking in the Bazaars, cruising along the Bosphorous, and visiting the rooftop bars of Sultanahmet.
Cappadocia
The unique natural caves and ‘fairy chimneys’ in Cappadocia would be beautiful on their own, but they’ve been rendered even more interesting by their history as a refuge for Christians looking to escape Islamic armies. The result is fascinating carvings, frescoes and churches deep in caves.It’s easy to see why drifting over this region on a hot air balloon has become popular.

It’s probably the best region for serious hikers as well, offering challenging mountains and valleys for those who seek them, with rich scenic rewards.
Kalkan
Kalkan is, without a doubt, one of the prettiest holiday beach towns along Turkey’s Turquoise Coast. It calls visitors back again and again.

The charming cobbled-stone town is packed with excellent restaurants, and sits staggered down the hillside to the ocean, with dramatic mountains in the backdrop.
More
Thrace Wine Region
A beautiful region producing wine since ancient times. Guided tours of vineyards are open from April to the October harvest.
Fethiye
The Fethiye region is beautiful, with its verdant valleys and dramatic mountains covered in sweet-scented pine forests, ancient tombs carved into the rock faces and simply magnificent beaches. The most famous are the blue lagoon at Ölüdeniz, and the neighbouring Butterfly Valley, aptly named due to the diverse species of butterflies that have made it their home.

For history and nature lovers this region ticks all the boxes, with its many ancient sites to visit including the ruined temples of Tlos Letoon, and the derelict old Greek houses in the ‘ghost village’ of Kaya Valley. Spring is a wonderful time to visit; with its unique flora and fauna, it is simply bursting with rare wild flowers. More
Göcek
Göcek, in the Fethiye region, is a chic, harbour-side town surrounded by 12 islands – stunning just to look at, and even more spectacular to explore onboard a gulet. More
Datça & Bozburun Peninsulas
For a real taste of unspoilt Turkey, visit the gorgeous peninsulas of Datça and Bozburun with their mountain hamlets, forests of pine and a myriad of fishing villages, beaches and secluded coves, just waiting to be discovered.

The southernmost of the two peninsulas is Bozburun, where the main village is renowned for building traditional gulets, splendid wooden Turkish yachts that are seen along the whole coastline.

The Datça Peninsula is home to ancient Knidos which lies at its tip, where the remains of this Dorian port city overlook 2 stunning bays. More
Bodrum Peninsula
Despite Bodrum being a bustling, cosmopolitan town, the old part is incredibly pretty and has remained unchanged for many years, with old white and blue stone houses in the backstreets covered in colourful Mediterranean flowers.

The area is also packed with ancient history. You can see Bodrum Castle from pretty much everywhere, and the Mausoleum at Halicarnussus (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) is tucked away here too.
More

Your adventure starts here!

Do you fancy having a chat about Explore Ancient Turkey? Personally, it's one of our favourite things to talk about.

Email us now to start planning your holiday
Award-winning and fully-protected holidays
Fleewinter wins an AITO award for customer service
Itineraries & Destinations