Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey Luxury Voyage  

Cruise to Ephesus, an age-old civilization

Sure, we could chat about the resort town of Kusadasi and its beaches and restaurants, or nearby places like Dilek Peninsula National Park, but let’s talk Turkey: The star attraction in this neck of the woods is Ephesus. Once the second largest city in the Roman Empire, eclipsed only by Rome, here are just a few of the incredible sights just waiting to be gobbled up! (Sorry, we couldn’t resist.)

There’s the Library of Celsus, still magnificent almost 2,000 years later; the Odeon, home of our “Ephesus: Back to Ancient Times” AzAmazing Evenings event^SM; and the 24,000-capacity Great Theatre, where St. Paul used to preach. Stretching from this jaw-dropping amphitheatre to the harbor is the marble-made Arcadian Street. Stroll past the marketplaces, colonnades, and fields of wild fennel, and into bath complexes that once offered piped-in hot water and a sauna.

Surrounding Ephesus, the sites are equally spellbinding. Explore the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; the Basilica of St. John, which stands over the believed burial site of John the Apostle; and the House of Virgin Mary, where Mary is supposed to have spent her last days. (And see what it feels like to be truly struck with awe.)