Itinerary

Fly from the U.S. to Istanbul, Turkey

Founded by Greeks in the 7th century BC and named Byzantion, in AD 324, Emperor Constantine made the city the capital of the Roman Empire and named it after himself, Constantinople. For over 1,000 years, it was the capital of the Byzantine Empire and the most resplendent city in Europe, and from the mid-15th century, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Upon arrival in Istanbul, transfer to the historic Pera Palace Hotel. In the evening, enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.

In the morning, tour Istanbul�s major monuments from the Byzantine period, including the fabled walls and the great palace of the emperors; the Hippodrome; the underground Royal Cistern; and the incomparable Aghia Sophia, the Church of Divine Wisdom, built by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit the Blue Mosque and Ottoman galleys in the Naval Museum.

Spend the morning at leisure to explore on your own the city's colorful bazaars and other sites. In the afternoon, visit the Archaeological Museum, which houses important artifacts and other objects from ancient sites throughout Turkey. Also, visit the Topkap? Palace, the residence of the sultans for three centuries. Continue to the port to embark Callisto and sail in the Sea of Marmara.

From the port of Canakkale, where we will arrive in the morning, travel to fabled Troy, which consists of nine cities superimposed in rings, on a massive mound rising above the windswept plain of Ilium. It was to one of these cities, between 1240 BC and 1200 BC, that the Trojan prince Paris abducted the beautiful Helen, igniting the Trojan War that was fought by Greeks and Trojans. The imposing city of King Priam, after ten years of fighting, finally fell to the Greeks on the clever ruse of Odysseus, the Trojan Horse.

Kusadasi gives easy access to important ancient sites that we will explore. In the morning, drive to Claros. Settled by Greeks since at least the 10th century BC, Claros was an important sanctuary and oracular center of Apollo that became particularly popular during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. In the afternoon, tour Ephesus, one of the most prominent cities of antiquity, now a magnificent archaeological site. Founded by Greeks around 1100 BC, and renowned as the center of worship of the mother-goddess Cybele, later identified with Artemis, Ephesus flourished between 600 BC and AD 500. The city was also central to the missionary work of St. Paul, who lived here from AD 52-54, preaching Christianity. See the stunning fa�ade of the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian, the large Theater, and other buildings. Excavations continue and archaeologists have restored the Terrace Houses, giving a glimpse of the daily lives of the Ephesians.

Founded by Peloponnesian Greeks, Bodrum, the ancient Halicarnassus, was the birthplace of Herodotus, the �father of history,� and the site of the Mausoleum, the grand funerary monument of Mausolus, the ruler of the city during the first half of the 4th century BC, that was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Bodrum is dominated by the Castle of St. Peter, built in the 15th century on a rocky promontory overlooking the harbor with stones from the Mausoleum. The castle houses the superb Museum of Underwater Archaeology, which features artifacts from shipwrecks excavated by Institute for Underwater Archaeology (INA). On a hill outside the town is INA�s Bodrum Research Center, which we will also visit and be welcomed with a cocktail reception by the Center�s archaeologists, curators and conservators. Anchored near Bodrum is Virazon II, INA's research ship, the first to be classed as an archaeological research vessel (ARV); certified divers may choose to dive from this one-of-a-kind vessel.

Spend the day at the Greek island of Rhodes. Inhabited since the Neolithic age, Rhodes flourished during the Classical and Hellenistic periods, when it became a powerful maritime and commercial center, founding colonies on the nearby coast of Asia Minor and elsewhere in the Mediterranean. In the morning, tour Rhodes' Old Town, one of the best-preserved walled medieval towns in Europe. The robust fortifications and other buildings were constructed by the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, who ruled Rhodes from 1309 to 1523. It was also the Knights of St. John who built the castle of St. Peter in Bodrum. Visit the imposing Palace of the Grand Master, and walk the celebrated Street of the Knights to the Archaeological Museum. In the afternoon, drive along the island's east coast to the village of Lindos. With its white-washed houses built below the towering ancient Acropolis, Lindos presents one of the prettiest sights in the Aegean Sea.

From the port town of Fethiye on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, visit Xanthos, ancient Lycia's principal city, built on a great cliff overlooking the Xanthos River and the sea beyond. Xanthos boasts significant remains, including those on the Lycian Acropolis, the Nereid Monument, an exquisite Ionic building whose figured friezes are in the British Museum, the theater, and pillar-tombs with rock-cut facades. Later in the day, Callisto will sail by Uluburun, where, a shipwreck dating from the Bronze Age was found in 1982, and excavated by INA archaeologists.

Sail into Kekova Bay, where the narrow island of Kekova, only five miles long, forms a series of beautiful bays and fjord-like waterways, which contain submerged remains of an ancient town, which we will view from the decks of local boats. Ashore, we will land at the pretty village of Kale, the site of ancient Simena, and may ascend to the medieval castle above the village. The view of Kekova from the castle is magnificent. In the afternoon, the ship will navigate near Cape Gelidonya, the place where the first shipwreck ever was found dating from the Bronze Age.

Disembark in Antalya and transfer to the airport for the return flight home.