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Turquoise Coast Turkey
Cruise aboard Luxury Yachts
If you are interested in
Turkey cruises, then the Turkey cruise program
will exceed your high expectations. Operating from
Rhodes
and only 35 min by air from Athens,
our Turkey cruises showcase the best of the
Eastern Aegean Sea,
also known as the “Turquoise
Coast”: Turkish Riviera ports of Kusadasi, Didim and Bodrum, as
well as the Greek islands of
Rhodes,
Patmos and Symi. Explore the greatest classical sites of the
Aegean Sea
and enjoy the bright skies and the crystal sea. Variety Cruises
promises to provide the best
Turkey cruises you’ve ever had!
Day 1-2 (Saturday): Rhodes - Symi/Greece
Afternoon embarkation in port 15:00 to 16:30 hrs. At
17:00
hrs we sail for Symi. In the evening, we reach the quaint
port
of Symi with its typical architecture and lively atmosphere.
Late at night we will sail north. Overnight at sea.
Rhodes--The biggest island of the
Dodecanese
(twelve
Islands),
Rhodes lies at the southeastern corner of the Aegean, about 11
miles from
Turkey.
The City of
Rhodes
is actually divided into two parts, the Old City or Medieval
City and the
New City.
The old is surrounded by strong imposing walls, and today it is
among the largest and most well-preserved medieval settlements
in Europe. The Medieval City offers a testament to the island’s
past, and is home to the stunning Palace of the Grand Master.
The
village
of Lindos, to the south on the eastern coast, features
whitewashed houses, pebble-paved courtyards, narrow alleys and
buildings influenced by Byzantine, medieval, Arab and Rhodian
architecture.
Symi
is a mountainous
Greek Island once known for shipbuilding and sponge industries
to the point that the population reached 22,500. Today, Symi's
main industry tourismand the population has declined to
2,500. Its interior is dotted with small valleys, and its
coastline alternates between rocky cliffs and beaches, and
isolated coves. Its main town, located on the northeast coast,
is also named Symi and consists of the lower town around the
harbour, typically referred to as Yialos, and the upper town is
called Hora. Panormitis is the island's famous monastery which
is visited by people from all over the world, and many Greeks
pay homage to St Michael of Panormitis each year.
Day 3 (Sunday): Patmos/Greece
In the morning we will stop at an island for a short swim stop
(weather permitting). Mid day we arrive at magnificent
Patmos,
the Island of St. John's exile. Your optional Patmos afternoon
excursion includes two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Grotto
and Monastery of St. John and the historic centre of the
medieval town of Chora. Overnight in port.
Patmos is one of the northernmost islands of the Dodecanese
(twelve Islands) complex and in 1999, the island's historic
center Chora along with the Monastery of Saint John the
Theologian and the Cave of the Apocalypse, were declared World
Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Patmos is mentioned in the Christian
scriptural Book of Revelation
Day 3 (Monday): Kusadasi/Turkey
The bustling
port
of Kusadasi is your gateway to Ephesus, one of the greatest
classical sites of the
Mediterranean.
The white marble library, the marble theatre and the Roman baths
will show the facets of Ancient Greek and Roman culture. Morning
excursion to Ephesus. Overnight in port.
The primary appeal to Turkey's Kusadasi is, of course, its
proximity to the ancient Roman city of Ephesus, the best
preserved classical city in the Eastern Mediterranean. And while
Ephesus is the main reason people come from all over the world
to Kusadasi, the city also offers a perfectly pleasant
opportunity to kick back and sip Turkish wine at a seafront cafe
or dine on just caught fish at local restaurants. Find pockets
of old-style Turkey amidst the narrow, winding streets of its
old town which house vibrant markets and traditional Turkish
baths and offer a chance to bargain for oriental carpets.
Day 4 (Tuesday): Kusadasi - Didim/Turkey
Early morning sailing to Didim. Didim, home of the antique city
of Didyma was successively a Mycenaean, Cretan, Persian, Roman
and Byzantine settlement. The optional excursions showcases the
Oracle Shrine of Apollo and the Ancient city of Miletus once a
powerful Ionian and is considered to have given birth to Western
philosophy and to Thales in particular. Overnight in port.
Day 5 (Wednesday): Didim - Bodrum/Turkey
We leave Didim in the early hours to sail to Bodrum. Today we
reach Bodrum known in the Antiquity as
Halicarnassus,
the capital city of Caria Kingdom. Herodotus the father of
History was born here. Centuries later the Knight of St. John
took over the city and built St. Peter's Castle.
Our optional excursion includes the Halicarnassus site, the
castle and the Mausoleum, once one of the
Seven Wonders of the World.
We leave Bodrum after dinner for a night sailing to Fethiye.
From the Greek word didyma or twins. The city was an ancient
Ionian sanctuary, containing a temple and oracle of Apollo.
Along with Delphi, Didyma was the most renowned oracle of the
Hellenic world, first mentioned among the Greeks in the Homeric
Hymn to Apollo. Didyma was the largest and most significant
sanctuary on the territory of the great classical city Miletus.
To approach it, visitors would follow the Sacred Way to Didyma,
about 17km long. Along the way, were ritual way stations, and
statues of members of the Branchidae family, male and female, as
well as animal figures. Some of these statues, dating to the 6th
century BC are now in the British Museum.
Day 6 (Thursday): Fethiye - Marmaris/Turkey
We arrive at Fethiye, known as Telmessos in ancient times. The
city was very prominent and a centre of prophecy, pledged to
Apollon. That the city life was rich and highly cultured during
the Hellenistic and Roman periods is evident from the existing
monuments. Today, the majority of ancient ruins in Telmessos are
rock-tombs, Lycian-type sarcophagi, the fortress and the Roman
Theatre. Your morning excursion will also bring you to Pinara.
After lunch you will return to port and board the Halis Temel to
sail to the Cleopatra Sunken baths site. After a last swim and
farewell dinner, we sail to Marmaris. Arrival late at night and
overnight in port.
Fethiye, an ancient Greek city is located on the site of the
ancient city of Telmessos, the ruins of which can be seen in the
city, e.g. the Hellenistic Theatre by the main quay. The Fethiye
Museum, which is very rich in artifacts, displays and testifies
to the successive chain of civilisations that flourished in the
area, starting with the ancient Lycians. A major attraction of
Fethiye is the rock tombs that are in absolute unity with the
beautiful geographical setting of the region. You will continue
your sightseeing with a ride that will take you to the ancient
city of Pinara. Several of the city’s remains including an
acropolis, theater, agora and a royal tomb are still traceable
Marmaris is a port with a charming atmosphere, due to its
exceptional location between two intersecting set of mountains
by the sea. One of the main sites is the Marmaris Castle once
conquered by Alexander the Great and finally rebuilt from
scratch in 1522 by the Ottoman sultan Süleyman the Magnificent,
when he had set out for his campaign on Rhodes against the
Crusaders. The castle also includes a small Ottoman caravanserai
built by Süleyman's mother Ayşe Hafsa Sultan. Our embarkation
port is also a major boating port in the area with several
marinas and it enjoys a year around nightlife.
Day 7 (Friday): Marmaris/Turkey - Rhodes/Greece
Time for an optional morning 1/2 day excursion and day at
leisure to visit a local beach. In the afternoon we leave for
Rhodes.
This evening we reach Rhodes, the city famous for its amazing
fortified
Old
City, one of the best preserved Medieval settlement in
Europe.
Overnight in Rhodos port.
For special group arrangements
contact us. |
