Shore Excursion Locations

Please click on the port names for details.

İstanbul

Bursa

Çanakkale

Pergamum

İzmir

Kuşadası

Didim

Bodrum

Marmaris

Fethiye

Kaş

Antalya

Alanya

Anamur

Silifke

Mersin

Antakya

Batum

Trabzon

Amasya

Samsun

Sinop

Safranbolu

Amasra

Odessa

Varna

Nesebur

Turkey

The Cradle of civilization, the land where history, legend and nature have knitted a bridge between Europe and Asia, a land unlike any other in the world. A glorious past of 10,000 years, the relics of seventeen different civilizations, a very temperate climate, surrounded on three sides by turquoise waters, miles and miles of beaches either in their natural state or developed to suit the needs of travelers, a people generous by nature, one of the three most acclaimed cuisines in the world and the traditional Turkish hospitality.

In a single moment, it can take you back to the way of life thousands of years ago. Your memories remain with you for hours. You breathe the air of ancient times and live the life of those who lived then. And in the evening, you are back again in the modern comfort of the 21st century. It makes one feel as if events of the day were all a dream.

The population of over 80 million on its 296,503 sq. miles of which 96.88 percent lies in Asia and 3.12 percent in Europe, Turkey is characterized by the variety of its landscapes and the widely differing climates. On its coasts of Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, hot and dry summer is extremely convenient for swimming, the springs and long autumn days are always pleasant. Their mild winters present an "all year round" traveling possibility to the tourists among the historic and natural beauties. The region of Thrace offers distinct winters, warm and pleasant summers. As you move east across Anatolia, winters become considerably more severe due to the high altitude where summers are cool and mild. Seasonal events that attract foreign visitors to Turkey 365 days a year include a full program of festivals, folklore events, all sorts of sports and many other cultural attractions.

İstanbul

Istanbul is a treasure chest of East and West and a unique destination which served as the capital of empires, religions, cultures and cuisine. It is one of the very few existing cities of the world that contributed to any existing cultures and peoples for thousands of years. Bringing together elements from Byzantine, Greek, Roman, Ottoman and Turkish civilizations, a visit to Istanbul is like walking through a time tunnel where history and tradition live alongside in perfect harmony As well as its popular historical and religious sites, the city has a wide range of Christian, Muslim and Jewish monuments and packed with contemporary museums and art galleries which captivates visitors with a mix of historic icons and contemporary flavors.

Bursa

Bursa was the second capital of the Ottoman Empire which is also known as “green Bursa” due to its parks and gardens. It is also famous for its peaches, chestnuts, and silk industry. The mausoleums of the early Ottoman sultans are located in Bursa and the city's main landmarks include numerous edifices built throughout the Ottoman period. Bursa also has thermal baths and several museums, including a museum of archaeology.

Çanakkale

Canakkale is located on the narrowest point of the straits of Dardanelles which links the Sea of Marmara to the Aegean Sea and has always been strategically one of the most critical and important locations in the history of Asia Minor. The nearby site of fabled Troy, the place of childhood fantasies of battles over Helen of Troy or perhaps the place where Western literature had its beginnings is one of the main sites of interest. Along with Troy, another important place of interest is the Gallipoli Peninsula, which sits right across Canakkale, witnessed one of the most tragic battles of the entire history where half a million innocents lost their lives. Visiting the battle fields, graveyards and monuments located on the Gallipoli Peninsula is a truly moving experience for everyone.

Pergamum

The acropolis, the seat of the Pergamene rulers who stretched their terriories to the Eastern Meditarranean, rising above the modern town of Bergama is one fo the most dramatic settings one can ever see. It housed the second largest library of the ancient world and also cited in the Book of Revelation as one of the seven churches of Asia Minor. Galen, the famous physcian was born here. He taught and practiced medicine here

İzmir

Izmir is the third largest city in Turkey also known as Smyrna in ancient times. It is credited to be the birthplace of Homer. The Levantine, Jewish, Greek heritages of Izmir make it a multicultural city. As a port city, it is located in the heart of three major ancient sites such as Sardes, Pergamon and Ephesus. Sardes was the capital of the Lydians and houses the oldest existing Jewish Synagogue. Pergamon was the birthplace of Parchment paper and was the largest healing center where Galen taught. Ephesus was famous for its Biblical history and wealth. Izmir is also a fascinating city where one can see one of the best archaeological museums, the Roman Agora, the Velvet Castle, the Church of St. Polycarp and the Havra Sokak (Synagogue street).

Kuşadası

Kusadasi – meaning Bird Island, is one of the most popular holiday resorts on the Aegean coast of Turkey. Not only for its beautiful beaches or night life, Kusadasi is also an excellent location for visiting some of the most important and best preserved ancient sites of Turkey such as the world famous ancient city of Ephesus, House of Virgin Mary, Basilica of St. John, or Priene, Didyma, Miletus and Aphrodisias which are located within a short distance of the city.

Didim

Didim has become very popular as a holiday resort due to its long sandy beaches, crystal clear waters and the ancient ruins around it. Although the port of Didim is currently available only for tenders, it attracts small cruise ships as a gate way to the largest and best preserved ancient temple dedicated to Apollo which was the largest oracle centre of ancient times in Asia Minor known as Didyma. It is also a short drive to the Ancient Site of Miletus which was once more important and larger than Ephesus and is also known as the birth place of one of the architects of St. Sophia. Miletus was the largest colonizing city who founded many cities along the shores of the Black Sea in the 7th C. BC. and is the centre where the grid city planning was first developed. You can also extend your visit to another ancient site which is probably the best preserved of all the Hellenistic cities in Asia Minor called Priene and famous for its dramatic setting and the Temple of Athena.

Bodrum

Bodrum, also known as ancient Halicarnassus, is the birth place of Herodotus and the home of one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, Mausoleum. Today, Bodrum who is also called as “St Tropez of Turkey”, is the most lively holiday resort famous for its luxury brand hotels, traditional gulets and beach clubs. For anyone, a must see place is the famous Crusader’s Castle which houses the world famous Museum of Underwater Archaeology where you can see the oldest shipwreeck of the world put on display along with thousands of amphoras and glass wrecks.

Marmaris

Marmaris is a port town and holiday resort on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey with its exceptional location between two intersecting sets of mountains by the sea. It is the most convenient gateway for visiting one of most spectacular corners of Turkey. The town of Dalyan, which is located on the banks of the meandering Dalyan River, is home to one of the ancient sites of Turkey known as Kaunos. The city of Kaunos with its Lycian rock-cut tombs above the river’s sheer cliffs was a port city in ancient times. The Iztuzu Beach is kept as a National Park and is the largest breeding ground for the endangered loggerhead sea turtle species.

Fethiye

Fethiye is one of Turkey’s best holiday centers located on the site of the ancient city of Telmessos, whose remains can still be seen in the city including the Lycian rock-cut tombs rising above the modern town and the Hellenistic theatre located just next to the modern port. It is the most convenient base for visiting some of the best-preserved Lycian ancient cities such as Pinara. Tlos, Patara, Xanthos and Letoon.

Kaş

The picturesque town of Kas located on a hill running down to the Mediterranean Sea, is a heaven for scuba diving and snorkeling. It is the only official port of entry between Antalya and Fethiye and is the best gateway to visiting many historical sites and submerged cities. Kas is pleasant town with its blue sea and narrow streets also known as an ancient Lycian city called Antiphellos. Besides the biological diversity, Kas offers a vast variety of underwater cultural heritage. It is a perfect base for visiting the famous city of Myra with its fascinating rock-cut tombs on the cliffs and known as the city of St. Nicholas. Around the bays of Kas, there are many wrecks of ancient ships and ancient cities sunk under the sea by earthquakes over the centuries.

Antalya

Antalya is the largest resort center on the Mediterranean Coast of Turkey and a gateway to the Turkish Riviera. Antalya houses one of the best museums of the country with a very rich collection of pre-historic and Greaco-Roman artifacts discovered in the vicinity. There are so many ancient sites in the neighborhood of the city such as Perge, Aspendos Termessus, Phaselis and Side. Antalya offers all kind of facilitties as a base to experience all of those sites and National parks around.

Alanya

Alanya is a very popular holiday resort on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey which offers a very long summer holiday season and famous for its long and sandy beaches. The city is located on a great promontory and dominated by a sprawling Seljuk Castle rising above the town which is 6,5 km in length, 140 towers and hundreds of ancient cisterns. It is like an open air museum which reflects the beauty of the Seljuk art and architecture. The port is located just near the center next to the famous octagonal tower and offers many facilities around. You can not only enjoy a day trip to visit the many wonders of Antalya Castle but also enjoy the blue waters of the Mediterranean for swimming. Antalya has a lovely small museum which displays hundreds of artefacts which represent various cultures of ancient Turkey. You can also use Alanya as a base to tour the nearby ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Side with its rich museum and ancient theatre.

Anamur

Anamur is a province of Mersin on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey also known as the site of ancient Anemurium. It was originally founded by the Phoenicians in the 3rd century A.D. and is Turkey's southernmost point. It is a coastal resort famous for its bananas and peanuts. Mamure Kalesi, which just outside the modern town is an impressive Crusader Castle. It was once used by the Crusader Rulers of Cyprus and later the emirs of Karaman and more latterly by the Ottomans.

Silifke

Silifke is picturesquely located along the banks of the Göksu River, which flows from the nearby Taurus Mountains. It is the ancient Seleucia ad Calycadnum and was a significant centre of Christianity and a popular embarkation point for pilgrims to the Holy Land. It is also a fantastic base for a visit to Uzuncaburc also known as the site of untouched Zeus Olba, which is only 30 Kms up hill drive from Silifke, and has a stunning location where one can see a lot of Greco- Roman ruins including the temple of Zeus Olba, a Roman theater, colonnaded street, Roman monumental fountains, and many more.

Mersin

Mersin is a busy port city as a gateway to Tarsus, which is the birthplace of St. Paul, and there are some fascinating ruins to be seen there. There are many historical ruins to be seen there, such as the Roman Road, the Well of St. Paul, and the Gate of Cleopatra. There is also a very interesting mosque known as the Kilise Cami, which was originally built over a 14C Armenian Church dedicated to St. Peter. Muslims believe that prophet Daniel is buried there.

Antakya

Antakya or Antioch was the most important center for early Christianity with non-hidden churches and was also the place where the first followers of Jesus were first called as” Christians”. It is one of the richest multicultural and Biblical cities of the world where Christianity, Islam as well as Judaism are all well represented with their temples. The mosaic museum, which has the second largest collection of the world, the Church of St. Peter, one of the oldest churches of Christianity, the Titus Tunnel, a Roman engineering marvel or Seleucia Pieria, the port city of Antioch where St. Paul sailed back and forth are the "must-see" places.

Batumi, Georgia

Batumi is a very dynamic city famous for its historical buildings, sculptures and boulevards with shady tree-lined parks, fountains, statues, cafes and restaurants. It is one of the oldest cities in Georgia and the capital of the Ajara region. Set on a warm semitropical coast with a backdrop of mist-wrapped hills near the Turkish border, Batumi has become the country’s summer holiday capital and is famous for growing tea, citrus fruits and tobacco. The city offers many activities either for wine lovers, foodies or nature lovers. It is a fantastic stop for visiting the world famous Botanical Gardens which is created by the Russian botanist Andrey Nikolayevich Krasnov in the 1880s and ranked as the second largest and richest in the world with 5000 species of plants. You can also visit the famous Farmer’s Market where you can meet local Georgians selling their fresh vegetables and is a real experience. You can also take a tour to the Georgian Gonio Fortress located close to the Turkish border history is closely bound with the myth about the Argonauts and Golden Fleece.

Trabzon

Trabzon, the ancient Trapezus, was founded by settlers from Sinope towards the end of the 7 C BC. Because of its geographical location, the city benefited from its position on the busy trade route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. The Genoese and the Venetians came here to trade and soon after the city became the center of the northern branch of the Silk Route. Grand Comneni Alexius managed to escape the crusader’s sacking of Constantinople in 1204 and landed in Trebizond. He proclaimed himself as the legitimate Byzantine Emperor which marks the golden age of the city. Trebizon was a melting pot of religions, cultures and languages for centuries. There are many interesting buildings to be seen in the city from the medieval times along with a National Park where the World famous Sumela Monastery is located.

Trabzon is a fantastic port of call for visiting the ancient city walls, numerous mosques and churches from the medieval period, the local market, archeologicall museum, the famous Church of St. Sophia, Ataturk’s Mansion and also the Sumela Monastery with its breath-taking location built on a steep rock cliff and is a unique example of the Pontic Orthadox Monastic architecture.

Amasya

Amasya is an inland city and can easily be reached from the port of Samsun which is the nearest port. Amasya has a long history as a wealthy provincial capital producing not only famous apples, but also kings and princes, artists, scientists, poets and intellectuals. From the kings of Pontus to many generations of the Ottoman imperial dynasty, it was the most important city of the Pontic region of Anatolia. Amasya is located on the banks of Iris river and is one of the most picturesque cities of Turkey with priceless remains of history and culture and homeland of Strabo, the famous geographer.

The city has many historically and architecturally precious buildings; the Ferhat water channel, the 13th century Seljuk Burmali Mosque, the 15th century Yildirim Beyazit Mosque, the extraordinary octagonal Kapi Aga Medrese (Theological school), the Torumtay Mausoleum and the Gök Medrese (outside visit). There are traditional Turkish mansions which have been well preserved and represen Turkish architecture. The Archaeological Museum with its interesting collection including the mummies of the Ilhanli rulers of Amasya. You will also view the impressive rock tombs of the Pontus kings from a distance.

Samsun

Although Samsun served as a major port for centuries , it has a special place for modern history of Turkey, as this is where the founder of modern Turkey, Ataturk has set foot to start the War of independence on May 19, 1919 Samsun is the major access port for visiting Amasya for those coming by sea and is a heaven for birders in the Kizilirmak Delta. Kizilirmak, which means Red River in Turkish, is the longest river in Turkey and is home for 320 species of birds migrating or nesting there.

Sinop

Sinop is situated on the northern most edge of the Turkish side of the Black Sea coast and is a charming port town which is also known as the city of the legendary Amazon warrior women and the birtbirthplace of the philosopher Diogene. Ancient Sinope was founded as a colony by the Milesians in the 7 th century BC and flourished continuously as an outlet fort he caravans in the following centuries. The ancient fortifications of Sinop are in an amazingly good condition. The aArchaeological Museum of Sinop houses an eclectic collection of objects dating from the Hittite, Hellenistic, Phrygian, Roman and Byzantine periods, including beautiful golden icons, coins, clay, glass, stone as well as metal items and ceramics. You also won’t want to miss the prehistoric objects in the archaeological section. Out in the courtyard you will find masonry, stones, and sarcophagi. A short walk from here will bring you to the Ethnography Museum, where you can see earthenware, vases and other artefacts such as axes, spearheads and jewellery that date back to the Bronze Age. Alaaddin Mosque and Pervane Medrese are the two oldest Islamic monuments constructed after the Seljuk conquest of Sinop Province. The architecture is typical of the Seljuk period, consisting of a rectangular plan featuring five domes. A fountain adorns the courtyard, which also contains ancient tombs.

Safranbolu

Safranbolu is the best-preserved Ottoman town in all Turkey, listed in the World Heritage List since 1994 by Unesco. The town was famous as an isolated source for saffron spice, which has always been very precious and popular attracting many ancient travelers. It is also a must-see place for the travelers with its markets, caravanserais, old Turkish baths, enchanting Ottoman wooden houses, and small boutique hotels

Amasra

Amasra whose name derived from Queen Amastris, is a charming Black Sea town which has become popular very recently. It is located on an isthmus with an enclosed citadel and is a beautiful destination with its small museum, Roman bridge, fortifications, fish restaurants, and beaches.

Odessa, Ukraine

Touring Odessa is one of the best and most memorable experiences of the entire Black Sea. It is considered as the Pearl of the Black Sea as a lively artistic and cultural center packed with architectural treasures. Odessa has a long Greek History as a major historical port until it fell into the hands of the Ottoman Empire and eventually it became part of Russia when it was founded by Catherine the Great in 1794.

Odessa offers countless experiences to visitors. One of the best experiences of touring Odessa is to see the Potemkin steps as an optical illusion, Pushkin Museum which is named after the famed Russian writer Alexander Pushkin who was on exile in Odessa for 13 months. You can also visit the colonnaded Odessa City Hall, the impressive building of the world-known Opera & Ballet Theatre designed by Viennese architects Felner & Gelmer in the 1880s in the Habsburg Baroque style of the day, Odessa Fine Arts Museum and the main Cathedral of the city.

You can also take a day tour to see the world famous catacombs of Odessa as a witness to its military past and also visit a sparkling wine plant to taste the famous Sparkling wine of Odessa. Odessa is also considered as the former Jewish capital and the city has many monuments to eyewitness the Jewish past of the city.

Varna, Bulgaria

After Sofia, Varna is not only the second largest city but also the most popular tourist destination in Bulgaria. With its beautiful sandy beaches, historical churches, and museums packed with historical objects, Varna is one of the most preferred destinations of the entire Black Sea.

Varna offers many activities and amenities. You can not only enjoy a relaxing day on the beach and a tasty sea food meal, but also visit the world famous Archaeological Museum with almost 100.000 objects on display and houses the oldest and richest collection of Thracian Gold. You can also visit the Cathedral of the Dormition of Mary which is an iconic symbol of the city. Another attraction to visit in Varna is the Roman Baths which is the largest bath complex in the entire Balkan Peninsula.

Nessebur, Bulgaria

Nessebur (Nessabar) is charming town built on the edge of a peninsula that was once an island and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its Greek heritage with countless churches decorated with bright stones and brickwork. It is not only one of the oldest towns in Bulgaria but also in Europe. The best way of touring this charming peninsula is by foot where the narrow lanes are lined with small cafes and shops. Nessebur Archaeological museum has four exhibition halls where hundreds of objects are on display brought from the vicinity or found on site including dozens of amphorae found in the bay of the town. It also displays a good collection of Byzantine icons.

« Return to Shore Excursions