Day 1: Departure. Flying from home to Istanbul, Turkey.

Day 2: ISTANBUL Start your tour of the city built astride two continents with visits to St. Sophia Church (later a mosque and now a museum). Visit to the Blue Mosque with its six minarets, the old Byzantine Hippodrome and the Topkapi Palace, the residence of the Ottoman Sultans between the 15th and 17th centuries. Cruise on the Bosporus, the winding strait that separates the city as well as Europe from Asia. Its shores offer a delightful mixture of past and present. Back to the hotel and overnight. (B) 

DAY 3: Istanbul-Tekirdag-Gallipoli Coach transfer to the Town of Tekirdag and starting our bike tour along the Marmara Sea shore. Arrival at Murefte and transfer to Gallipoli hotel and overnight. 

DAY 4: Galipolli-Canakkale 76 KM The day begins with bike fitting, but soon we will be on the road cycling around the Peninsula. During the First World War the Dardanelles defences proved their worth and stopped the allied forces at the narrow and hilly Peninsula. There we have a tour of the battlefields, war memorials and the National Park which are an exemplary experience. In the afternoon we catch the ferry to Canakkale for our overnight stop at Buyuk Truva Hotel. 

DAY 5: Canakkale - Dalyan 81 KM It was at Canakkale that Leander swam what was then called the Hellespont to his love Hero whose legend was narrated by Lord Bryon as a romantic feat. We continue on the south road for 12km to Guzelyali, and then off-road onto Troy (now called Truva). Evocative of the epic struggle highlighted in the Iliad, Troy was believed to be only a work of Homer’s imagination until nine levels of civilization were unearthed in the 1870 archaeological excavation work. The second bottom layer, where a great deal of treasure was found, is believed to be Homer’s Troy. We continue to Geyikli and onto our hotel at Kestanbol

The ancient city of Troy lies across the Gallipoli Peninsula in Thrace, Turkey’s European Part. With its rugged cliffs, pretty hills and flat plains, the area’s stunning natural beauty and wealth of historical treasures help to give it a magical air. Troy’s history, made famous by Homer’s poems, Iliad and The Odyssey, was for a long time thought to have been based on Greek mythology. However, in the 1860’s, archaeological digs in the Çanakkale province of modern Turkey discovered ancient ruins which are thought to be that of the ancient city of Troy, subject of legend and literature and the site of the Trojan War. Troy became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998, and is worth visiting for its ruinssome of which date back to about 3000BC- as well as its ancient walls, beautiful scenery and its close proximity to the WWI battlefield of Gallipoli. 7 Troy is one of the most important historical and archaeological sites in the world. This ancient site, now a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, is set on great plains and contains the remnants of nine different periods of settlement which date back as far as the Bronze Age. Among the jumble of ruins is foundations of houses, the old city walls, the Temple of Athena and a theatre; there are boards which explain the ruins. The Troy site was first excavated in 1868 by German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, who unfortunately destroyed much of it in the process. The site itself is beautiful, with views of the Dardanelles and the surrounding hills. A wooden replica of the Trojan horse has also been erected on site and visitors are free to wander around an inside it. Some of the artifacts excavated from the Troy site are available for viewing at the nearby Çanakkale Archaeological Museum.

DAY6: Dalyan - Assos 63 KM Today we head for Assos, now called Behramkale. Perched on the hilltop is the Temple Athena which looks across the sea Greek Lesbos Island. Assos was considered one of the most beautiful cities of its time attracting even Aristotle. We stay overnight at the hotel Therrace

DAY 8 - Ayvalik - Pergamon - Doganbey 60 KM Today our ultimate destination is Doganbey on the south of Izmir. We start with cycling from Ayvalik-Cunda Island to Kozak. From there we take a rest from cycling and continue by coach to Pergamon where we stop to visit the site. Once considered to be one of the most cultured cities in the world, Pergamon is one of the most impressive classical sites in Turkey. Of particular interest is the Library which once held 200,000 books, competing with the Library of Alexandria. The legend says that Mark Antony creamed the best of the collection and gave it to Cleopatra. We continue by coach trough Izmir, Turkey’s 3rd largest city, and the birth place of Homer, to Doganbey

DAY9: Doganbey - Ephesus - Selcuk 55 KM Back on two wheels again for our last days cycling, and we set off early for our final destination. Ephesus was the capital of the Roman Empire in Asia Minor and is one of the world’s best preserved sites. The first excavations were undertaken in 1896 by an Austrian archaeologist, and have since continued virtually uninterrupted. Ephesus had an important Christian congregation and legend has it that the Virgin Mary came here with St.Paul at the end of her life. From here we will make the short journey to Selcuk, a small town dominated by a Byzantine fortress, once the largest temple in Asia minor. It also has an interesting museum with objects recovered from Ephesus including a life sized figure of Artemis. We will stay here for our last nights.

DAY 10: Selcuk A free day for relaxing in Selcuk. Alternatively you can visit The Selcuk Museum, St. John’s Cathedral, the House of Virgin Mary and the beach resort of Kusadasi. In the evening we celebrate our achievement with a gala dinner and Turkish folklore evening.

DAY 11: Transfer to Izmir Airport for Our Return Flight.

Things You Need To Bring With You On The Bike Tour:

• Panniers

• Camelback

• Rain cape/jacket

• Bungee Cords

• Ziploc bags/plastic shopping bags - for storing your wet and dirty items

• Matches and whistle - in case of emergency

• Pen/sharpie • Journal - to document interesting people and places

• Camera

• Extra batteries and charger for camera

• Bike shorts or long tights

• Cycling jerseys • Bike gloves

• Bike shoes • Sunglasses

• Contact lenses/prescription eyeglasses

• Sunscreen • Lip balm

• Band-aids both for cuts and covering blisters

• Saddle cream

• Icy-Hot or other muscle cream to reduce aching and soreness

• Motrin, aspirin or other pain reliever

• Hat/bandana/visor

Hotels:

Istanbul :  The Independent Hotel Taksim or Similar

Tekirdag: DERİN BUTİK HOTEL or Similar

Galipolli-Canakkale : Engin Hotel or Similar

Dalyan : Hotel Therrace or Similar

Ayvalik:  Ay Işığı Teras Hotel or Similar

Ephesus-Selcuk: Monalisa Hotel or Similar