Today you will be collected from your hotel for a full day tour of Istanbul*.  You will see Topkapi Palace, the official and primary residence in the city of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years (excluding harem) and the Hippodrome, where the city’s chariot races used to take place. You will visit the stunning Blue Mosque, famous for its ceramics, and St. Sophia (or Hagia Sofia), which was once a Church, then a Mosque, before eventually becoming a museum.  You will also have the chance to visit the famous Grand Bazaar, where can test your bartering skills or simply explore.  At the end of the tour you will be transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Istanbul. (B, L)

Ephesus, one of the most magnificent excavations in the world. Visit the Odeon (concert hall), the Fountain of Trajan and the steam-heat Baths of Scolastika. Continue to the majestic Temple of Hadrian, Latrines (public toilets) and the marble Library of Celsus, built to hold 12,000 scrolls. Also enjoy the Great Theatre, the largest one in antiquity with a capacity of 24,000 seats where St. Paul preached. Walk along the Arcadian Way, the same path that Mark Antony and Cleopatra once rode in procession. Afterwards visit the humble chapel on the site of the little house where the Virgin Mary is believed to have spent her last days. Despite many controversies, the Vatican has officially sanctioned the site for pilgrimage. Overnight in Izmir. (B, L.  Please note that Dinner is included tonight for the Superior Hotel category only)

Today you will be transferred to Izmir airport, where the tour ends. (B)