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All excursions are bookable on the ship
Priene & Didyma -
You’ll rub shoulders with the ghosts of antiquity on
this trip. Your experience starts with a one-hour drive
to Priene, an ancient city that dates back to the 4th
century AD. Set at the foot of Mount Mycale, Priene is
divided into four districts. There’s the cultural area,
where you can stroll around an age-old theatre that was
regularly visited by Roman dignitaries, the commercial
district, where the city’s 4,000 inhabitants would have
gone about their daily lives, and the political section,
where Roman senators would have argued. But the area
with the biggest historical clout is the city’s
religious zone. Wander around the crumbled building
blocks here and you’ll find sanctuaries dedicated to
Zeus, the god of thunder, and Demeter, goddess of the
harvest. The icing on the cake is the Temple of Athena,
which was bankrolled by Alexander The Great. After an
hour or so of exploring, you’ll get back on the coach
and make the hour-long journey to Didyma. Dating back to
560 BC, this place was an ancient Ionian religious
sanctuary. The highlight here is the Temple of Apollo,
which was once the home of an oracle as famous in her
time as the Oracle of Delphi. In fact, this prophetess
was so revered that pilgrims from all over ancient
Greece travelled for miles to seek her advice. You’ll
have an hour to take in the ruins here, before returning
to Didim port.
£28.00 / £18.00 (4hrs)
Islands & Bays Boat Trip -
This trip is all about sunbathing, swimming and
snorkelling. After boarding the boat at Didim Harbour,
you’ll head out into the open sea and your captain will
steer a course along the coastline. If you want to soak
up the Turkish sunshine, you can pick a spot on the deck
and let the sea breeze keep you cool as you sunbathe. If
you’d rather stay in the shade, the boat has plenty of
indoor space for you to shelter in. Your trail along the
coast will be broken up by swim stops. Where you drop
anchor will depend on the weather, but Antique Bay,
Academy Bay, Paradise Bay and Aquarium Bay are all on
the list of possibilities. Borrow a snorkel and search
for underwater life like sea cucumbers, groupers and
jack fish. At lunchtime, the onboard team will get a
barbecue going and start cooking up traditional Turkish
dishes, like chicken shish kebab and bulgur pilaf, as
well as international stapes, such as macaroni and
potato salad. We’ll squeeze in one final swim stop
before sailing back to the harbour.
£46.00 / £28.00 (7hrs)
Best of Bodrum -
You’ll travel through a massive 25 centuries of history
on this trip. Your experience starts with a
one-and-a-half-hour drive to Bodrum, where your first
stop will take you back to the 4th century BC. The
Bodrum amphitheatre is one of the oldest in this part of
the world, but you can still clearly see the three
sections where the audience used to sit, the orchestra
used to play, and the actors used to perform. We’ll give
you enough time to take a few pictures for the holiday
album, and then it’s on to the next photo-call at the
Bodrum Windmills. Set on the hillside overlooking the
Mediterranean Sea, these structures were used during the
18th century to grind flour. Your next stop will be the
Castle of St Peter in Bodrum harbour. This age-old
fortification was built by the Knights of St John, and
it’s one of the best preserved medieval monuments in the
world. The best way to see this architectural giant is
close up, so we’ll take you on a walking tour. You’ll
enter the castle through a series of seven gates, which
are all adorned by coats of arms and inscriptions.
Inside, you’ll visit the Museum of Underwater
Archaeology, where the exhibits have all been recovered
from sites under the sea. Once you’ve had your fill of
history, you’ll have some free time to explore Bodrum.
Find a street-side café and enjoy a well-earned glass of
apple tea, or test your bartering skills on the main
shopping street.
£34.00 / £24.00 (6hrs)
Shore excursions and prices are subject to change and
latest prices will be available onboard the ship.
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