Start with early morning pickup from your hotel in Istanbul and transfer to the airport. Take the morning flight to Izmir and upon arrival, your guide will meet you in the arrivals hall and take you to Pergamon. Once at the archaeological site embark on a guided tour. See the majestic acropolis, which was modelled after the Acropolis of Athens. Marvel at the impressive Athenaeum Library and the partially reconstructed Temple of Trojan. Discover steep slopes of the Theatre of Pergamon which once could accommodate around 10,000 people, and is the steepest theatre of its kind. Enjoy the panoramic views from the hilltop overlooking the site. Later, explore the famous Sanctuary of Asclepius, located in the valley. See the remains of the sacred fountain where people with health problems are reputed to have received visions from the Greek God of Medicine, Asclepius, in order to cure their ailments. After a delicious lunch with Turkish specialities, visit the Red Basilica where you can see many original artefacts found on the site. At the end of the day, ride through the countryside to Izmir Airport for your flight back to Istanbul. Upon arrival in Istanbul, meet your driver will take you back to your hotel.

Journey through Turkey's history on a day trip from Izmir to Pergamon and the Asclepion. Pergamon is a Unesco site that bears traces of the Ionian, Hellenic, Roman, and Byzantine civilizations. After pickup, drive to Pergamum Acropolis. Bergama, with its historical and cultural richness, is one of the most special cities in Turkey with 3,000 years of history. Bergama witnessed many civilizations and continues to share the traces and manuscripts of this background. Arrive in Pergamon and get on a cable car for Acropolis (about a 5-minute ride). See the Altar of Zeus, the Temple of Dionysus, the Temple of Demeter, and the Great Library, containing 200,000 bundles of books. Continue to see the theater, gymnasium, royal palaces, the Temple of Trojan, aqueducts, fountains, cisterns, and arsenals, some of the most important structures constructed in Pergamum Acropolis. Drive for about 10 minutes to the Pergamon Asclepion, one of the first hospitals in history. Ancient historians said this is ”the place where death is forbidden to enter and testaments are not opened.” The Asclepion is accessible from the Sacred Way and is a 1-km-long street. The Asclepion is the largest medical center of the period, including the serpentine column which became the symbol of modern medicine and pharmacies and was named after Asclepios, the god of healing and medicine. Findings reveal that surgical operations were also performed in Asclepion in addition to diets, hot and cold baths, and physical exercises as the three basic components. Patients were treated in this center with medicines, herbs, music, mud and sunbaths, and psychotherapy. Later, make an optional visit to the Pergamum Carpet Weaving School. Pergamum is also an important city for the carpet business. Pergamum carpets are among the most advanced crafts of the city and have an ethnographic value.

Take in a full-day tour of Pergamon and the Asklepion from Kusadasi or Selcuk and learn about this important ancient center of medicine. Get picked up at your hotel by your guide and start your tour of the ancient city of Pergamon. Explore centuries worth of history ranging from the Stone Age to the Classical period. Visit the Asklepion, an ancient medical center named after the god of health and medicine. See the place where famous medical scholars like Hippocrates and Galenus worked. Explore the Acropolis, the Altar of Zeus, and other wonders in this ancient marvel. Have lunch at a local Turkish restaurant. Enjoy a convenient transfer back to your hotel at the end of your tour.