Upon arrival you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Your Hotel: Hotellion is located in the old town Remainder of the day is at your leisure

Meals: Your own

Today discover the sites of exotic city of Istanbul yourself. You can visit the Blue Mosque, famous for its blue Iznik tiles then the St Sophia, Church of the Holy Wisdom, a Byzantine church built in 537 A.D. famous for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture. It was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, and the Topkapi Palace including the treasury, the seat of the Ottoman Empire for over 400 years and the Grand Bazaar with its 4000 shops.

Meals: Breakfast

In the morning, you will be transferred to the airport for a short flight to Izmir. Upon arrival meet your guide. Drive to Selcuk Museum featuring important artfacts found at the Ephesus. Short distance away is the Ancient Ephesus, once the main harbor on the Aegean, now known for its spectacular antiquities and ruins. See the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian, Gate of Hercules, Greek Theater, and other temples, baths, and colonnaded streets. Continue to Bodrum Harbor enroute see the piles of Turkish carpets and colorful kilims at a weaving center. Afternoon board your luxurious sailing yacht in the afternoon. Your captain and crew will be waiting for you on board.

A three-five person crew consisting of captain, cook, first mate and deckhands, will take care of all needs of the passengers and the yacht. Their responsibilities include (among others), steering the vessel, sailing, cooking, cleaning and service for drinks and snacks throughout the day, as well as at meal times. From the fully equipped galley a skilled chef, whose expertise ranges from haute cuisine to regional specialties, guarantees satisfaction for even the most discriminating palate. Cuisine on board a gulet is tasty and imaginative. Seafood is served Mediterranean style, organically grown fresh herbs, vegetables, and fruits of the season ensure true flavor.

Sailing, waterskiing, windsurfing, snorkeling, canoeing, fishing and board games or cards are just some of the extra activities available from the yacht. Each day your captain will arrange visits ashore for hiking, site-seeing, shopping, dining, nightlife and of course the exploration of ancient sites. Spend the next seven days leisurely sailing, sunbathing, swimming and shopping, all while "diving" into three thousand years of ancient history. Spend the first night on board in the Bodrum harbor.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch and dinner

Until midday you have the possibility to visit the castle and Bodrum.

About Bodrum; Year round balmy temperatures, international marinas, elegant boutiques, chic cafes and night clubs and a variety of delightful dining experiences attract many to the lively Bodrum harbor. The 15th century Crusader castle, the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, and the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos, one of Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, add an historical dimension to this resort.

At the noontime depart Bodrum and opt for a stop at the attractive bay of Ada Bogazi for lunch. After the lunch sail to Mersincik, the in the Gulf of Gokova. Mersincik is ringed with high mountains and woods. Its clear waters and seclusion make it a favorite spot for spending the night.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch and dinner

Sailing to the site of Knidos. Here is the border between Mediterranean and Aegean seas, where this two waters mix.

About Knidos; it is famous in antiquity for the cult of Aphrodite started there. Situated at the end of the Datca peninsula, this Dorian city was built on terraces rising to the acropolis. Straddling the peninsula, it had a harbour on either side, and flourished during the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods. The site was excavated in 1857 by C. T. Newton and from 1967 by Iris Love. Famous as a center of art and culture in the fourth century BC, Knidos was established at the same time that Halicarnassus was, as one of the six Dorian colonies in Asia Minor. It seems to have kept a purer Greek character, no doubt because it set its sights seaward and had little contact with the interior. Around 360 BC, the city was rebuilt at the windblown tip of the peninsula, banking on the fact that a good harbor at the outer corner of Asia Minor would become a popular calling-port for ships on the Aegean - East Mediterranean transit routes. The rocky island facing the shore at the new site was joined to the mainland with a causeway, creating two deep harbors on either side of the isthmus: one on the Aegean and the other on the Mediterranean. The island section held the residential quarters, a series of colonnaded walkways rose in tiers on the land side. Two large theaters, an Odeon and three temples completed what must have been a striking ensemble in the midst of a desolate crag. The remains of a circular temple dedicated to the goddess of love Aphrodite overlook remains of the two harbors: the arcaded way was built of white marble heart - shaped columns. The legendary Aphrodite of Praxiteles statue, reputedly one of the most beautiful sculptures of the antiquity, once graced this temple. The city was renowned as one of the most beautiful in ancient Greece.

Early evening moor near the idyllic Bay of Aktur.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch and dinner

The mountainous coastline offers numerous anchorages within. Stretching for 30 nautical miles into the Aegean Sea between the Greek Islands of Kos and Rhodes, this gulf provides a sailing paradise with late morning winds and deep blue seas with secluded coves, rugged mountains as a backdrop, and small tranquil villages.

Bencik Bay resembles a miniature fjord. The inlet extends inland about 1.5 nautical miles and has steep wooded slopes on either side. Bencik is located at the narrowest part of the peninsula that divides the Hisaronu Gulf from the Gokova Gulf.

Afterwards cruise into the wide Bay of Selimiye, one of the safest natural harbors in the Gulf of Hisaronu. Surrounded by magnificent scenery and largely unspoiled, Selimiye village seems as though it was frozen in time.

Sail to the quiet Orhaniye Bay for the night. Behind the village of Orhaniye there is an ancient acropolis, crowned by the ruins of a medieval castle. This bay also has a unique movement of sea-water swishing up and down, known as "kiz mumu" (girl's candle), owning to numerous myths about this reddish sandy way going from the shore to the inner parts of the sea. Anchor near the bay's small island where you can see the ruins of the castle and offers spectacular views of the bay. You are spending the night in Bozburun.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch and dinner

You have a chance to walk around before cruising from Bozburun, a quiet little fishing village. It is used to be the center of sponge diving along the Turkish coast, but nowadays locals here earn their living in a much less dangerous way by building the typical broad-beamed wooden gulets.

Set sail for the tiny Greek Island of Simi in the Straights of Marmaris, directly hugging the Turkish Coast. The scenic natural landscape consists of jagged coastline with sheer cliffs, narrow fjords, private coves and high mountains. Ever since the classical times, Simi flourished due to the success of it sponge-diving and boat-building industries, launching up to 500 ships a year. It became the third richest island of the Dodecanese. The islands well protected natural harbors led to the Italian occupation in the beginning of the 20th century along with the German occupation in World War II. After this Simi never recovered and the mansions built in better times slowly crumbled. Today elaborate churches, elegant boutiques, seafood restaurants and cafes line the fairy tale-like harbor, painted in numerous shades of pastel colors. It is different than the other Dodecanese islands, remaining refined with an aristocratic charm, seen both in the carefully restored neo-Classical homes and in the gracious hospitality of the island's inhabitants. Early evening arrive in the fairytale harbor filled with pastel, neo-classical homes.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch and dinner

Depart the Simi harbor and cruise to the island's western side to the peaceful setting of the Panormitis Monastery of the Archangel Michael, with its Byzantine frescos. Enjoy a swim break at the Bay of St. George, before returning to the Turkish coastline.

Set sail to picturesque resort of Datca. Enjoy a brief stroll through town, offering limited shopping and cafe possibilities. Renowned for its natural beauty and climate, this town provides a window into the life of rural Turkey of 50 to 100 years ago. Village life is still based on agriculture, fishing, and the building of the gulet (the traditional 2-masted Turkish wooden sailing vessel). Pine, oak, and myrtle filled mountains plunge down to a serene beach and two natural harbors.

Cruise to Palamut Buku, the most western anchorage in the Gulf of Hisaronu. It is well known for its sparkling clean sea, fresh fish, and delicious big almonds which are produced locally.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch and dinner

Take advantage of the calm morning hours, sailing smoothly along the Gokova shores. Opt for a stop at Karaada Island. Late afternoon come into the Bodrum harbor for night.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch and dinner

Meals: Breakfast