After you meet your professionally-trained guide, you will set off for the drive to the ancient city of Ephesus. Famous in antiquity for its temple of Artemis, during the years of the Roman Empire, the Greek port of Ephesus became the greatest city in Asia Minor. Upon arrival at Ephesus, you will set off on foot with your guide through the upper (Magnesia) Gate. Discover innumerable monuments including the Forum, the Odeon, the Library of Celsus, the Thermal Baths of Scolastika and the Great Theater built in the Greek era and reconstructed in the Roman period. The theater, where Paul preached to the Ephesians, is still noted for its remarkable acoustics. In every direction you will see remarkable signs of a trully advanced civilization and marvel at the fact that one is still able to read the inscriptions in the ancient Greek language. As you walk to your transportation along the Arcadian Way, picture the days when Mark Anthony and Cleopatra rode in procession along the very same street. As you depart the site of Ephesus, your guide will point out the few remaining stones from the Temple of Artemis, dating from around 550 B.C., and known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. You will also view the ruins of the Basilica of St. John from a distance, which was erected over his grave in the 6th century A.D. by Emperor Justinian.

Your next stop is the Ephesus Archaeological Museum located in Selcuk. The museum is different from other museums in that it is not laid out according to chronological order, but by theme. The first exhibit one comes to is the Roman Period House Finds Room, with artifacts from the Slope Houses owned by upper-class Ephesians. Among the interesting household items recovered are a bronze Eros with the Dolphin from a 2nd-century fountain and a faded 3rd-century fresco of Socrates. Other everyday items include a collection of medical and cosmetic tools, used by the important medical school in Roman Ephesus, and a wall of portraits of Ephesian physicians. One of the most impressive and illuminating sections in the museum is dedicated to the mother goddess and dominated by two colossal statues of Artemis. One is called "Beautiful Artemis" and dates from the 1st century AD; the other is "Great Artemis" from the 2nd century AD. Relics from monumental fountains include a beautiful headless Aphrodite, a head of Zeus dating to the 1st century AD, and statues of Dionysus with members of the imperial family (these last are from the Fountain of Trajan). The final exhibit contains Roman sculptures, the most important of which is a frieze from the Temple of Hadrian. A copy of the frieze is in the original position on the elegant temple among the ruins. The frieze depicts the founding of Ephesus, the birth of the cult of Artemis, and the flight of the Amazons. .

After your visit to the museum, drive to a local restaurant for a typical Turkish lunch. After lunch, guests will have the opportunity to see a Turkish carpet demonstration.