Cruising to Ephesus Family Tour

Cruising to Ephesus Family Tour Overview

A classic cruise that takes in a series of Turkey’s most important and interesting archaeological sites, including the stunning ruins of Ephesus.

When we think back on our childhood and youth, many of us find that the most vividly remembered scenes and moments are often ones that took place on holidays and while travelling. It makes perfect sense: travel is a wonderful and formative experience for children and adults alike. The adventure of exploring new places and meeting new people, combined with the intense sense of enjoying that adventure together as a family, is what memories are made of.

Out of all the cultural experiences travel can offer, archaeology is one of the most appealing for children and teenagers. They delight in the idea of tracing the course of long-lost civilisations, finding out about the mysteries of the past, but also simply learning how people long ago lived and organised their lives, from a simple household via the organisation of city or empire, to the great events and battles that made history what it is. After all, archaeology, by looking at the physical remains of the past to understand the lives and thoughts of its people, is a particularly instructive way to understand how humans act and interact. Our family cruises include a diverse, but not too heavy, archaeological programme, taking in sites and monuments that we carefully select for their beauty and grandeur, but also for the stories they tell.

Rather than having to deal with the usual hassle of finding hotels, getting from place to place by car or public transport, having to arrange meals and so on, guests on our family cruises can simply relax. The tour takes place on a beautiful handcrafted wooden gulet (a traditional Turkish motor-yacht), cruising along the shore and adding to the sense of adventure. Meals are freshly prepared by an on-board chef, so there is also ample time to play, swim, snorkel, read, sunbathe, nap, or simply enjoy the beautiful boat and the wonderful scenery in the company of friends and loved ones - the holiday of a lifetime.

Beginning in Gümüşlük and following the shores of the ancient regions of Caria and Ionia, this cruise makes for an ideal introduction to the glories of Turkey’s archaeological heritage. It takes in some of the most impressive and best-understood sites in the country, a veritable succession of “must-see” highlights, as well as a number of more intimate “off the beaten track” remains, and includes a visit to the astoundingly monumental ruins of Ephesus.

Cruising to Ephesus opens up a panorama of the ancient world, presenting a great variety of extraordinary visits, ranging from prehistory via Classical Greek and Roman antiquity to the Middle Ages and beyond. Every day will bring new insights and new beauties to behold.

Ancient cities and sanctuaries are the central themes of this cruise. From ancient Myndos, where excavations have only just started, it leads to Iasos, where the remains of a once-vibrant port town are scattered amongst olive groves. An inland excursion leads to the mysterious mountain-top sanctuary of Zeus at Labraunda and to the beautiful Temple of Zeus at Euromos.

At Miletus, we explore the vast ruins of a “lost” city that was a major centre of culture in Greek and Roman days, as well as its main shrine, the huge oracular Temple of Apollo at Didyma. Priene, in its remarkably beautiful wooded setting, is the most clearly accessible and comprehensible of all Greek cities, its private homes and public buildings there to see. The final site on our cruise is Ephesus, capital of Roman Asia and one of the most magnificent ancient sites in the world, its vast theatre, ornate library and wonderfully decorated Roman mansions offering a memorable and fitting conclusion to this fascinating tour.

Archaeology apart, Cruising to Ephesus also includes much time for swimming, sunbathing, admiring the scenery or simply relaxing on our beautiful gulet.