May 9 – 23, 2026
This two-week tour followed the path of Alexander the Great along the southern and western coasts of Turkey. It was my third Turkish tour, and my third with Alp Watmough, guide extraordinaire.
About half the group joined me and Alp on a two-day “jet lag recovery” pre-tour in Istanbul. We saw many of the city’s most iconic sights – the Theodosian Walls, Chora Church, Hagia Sophia – and rounded it all off with a visit to the archaeological museum.
After meeting the rest of the group, we embarked on the long bus ride to the Gallipoli battlefields – a speciality of Alp’s – and the ferry across the Hellespont. The next day found us at Troy and the nearby ruins of Alexandria Troas, where all enjoyed scrambling through the ruins of a unexcavated Roman bath. Even Alexandria, however, was overshadowed by the windswept majesty of Pergamon.
The following day, at Sardis, we saw the colossal ruins of the gymnasium and Temple of Artemis just minutes ahead of a thunderstorm. We ate lunch at a nearby cafe, hail rattling on the roof.
We explored the seldom-visited site of Magnesia before continuing to Selcuk. Despite the crowds, Ephesus was as impressive as ever.
The next day, part of the group forayed out to picturesque Priene and marshy Miletus; the rest relaxed in Bodrum. We reconvened the day after and made our way the the marsh-ringed ruins of Kaunos, where a few of us scrambled up to the Byzantine castle for a panorama.
Over the next several days, we visited the iconic ancient cities of Lycia. Remote and rugged Pinara was a group favorite.
Other highlights included the seaside ruins of Patara (where the more intrepid travelers crawled into the vaults of a Roman mausoleum) and the soaring rock tombs at Myra.
We rented a boat to explore sunken Kekova and swim in the clear, cool Aegean. 
We saved the best site for last: Termessos, perched among cloud-swept peaks.
Then, somehow, it was over, and we were enjoying our farewell dinner under the stars in Antalya.
A fantastic tour! I look forward to working with Alp again next year.
You’ll find the full itinerary here.