Search
Tour

Kusadasi for Second Timers # 3: Sardes(sm) (7 Hours)

Tour Operator
Turkey At Its Best

Kusadasi, Turkey

Valid for Travel Now Through: 20 Dec 2026
Virtuoso Benefits
  • Culture, History & Arts

Your guide will meet you at 9:00 a.m. at the Port of Kusadasi, and take you to a very interesting ancient city:

[Sardes or Sardis (Sart) was the capital of the Lydian Kingdom, going back to the First Millennium B.C. It was the city of King Croesus, a king famous for his wealth. His name has entered the English language to describe someone very rich and ostentatious. Croesus was the last King of the Lydian Kingdom.

The city had owed much of its wealth to gold found in the nearby Pactalos River. Herodotus, known as ‘the Father of History’, wrote that coins were first minted in Sardis from a metal called electrum, a mixture of gold and silver. The value of these coins was guaranteed with the gold in the state treasury. Dyeing of wool also originated here].

Sardes is important for both Christians as it is one of the Seven Churches of Revelation, and also for Jews as it has one of the best preserved synagogues from antiquity.

Some of the sites that you will visit include the Temple of Artemis, which was converted into a church after Christianity was accepted as state religion, parts of the original “Royal Road” (Kral Yolu, or King’s Road) which had once started in Persia, and the restored gymnasium - which is very impressive. One of the highlights of Sardes is the very well preserved synagogue and the attached shops that belonged to the people who had worshipped in the synagogue.

SM: Sales Mark of Turkey At Its Best. All rights reserved. 2018

(c) Copyright Turkey At Its Best. All rights reserved. 2018

Meals

Lunch

Recommended Ages

All Ages

Activity Level

Moderate

Virtuoso Benefits

An "Exclusively Virtuoso" Preferred Specialty Tour Operator, we specialize solely in Turkey, working with Travel Consultants of the Virtuoso Consortium; and, we have the distinction of having in house a former Professional Turkish Tour Guide and Turkish Archaeologist who has served as Official Guide to the British Royal Family during the tour of H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in Ephesus.

Whether arranging a customized Shore Excursion or developing a complex Special Interest Tour itinerary in Turkey, Virtuoso Members communicate directly with the U.S. Headquarters of TURKEY AT ITS BEST(sm), enjoying (1) Immediate responses to their inquiries without delay from the time zone difference with Turkey, (2) Quotes in U.S. Dollars, rather than in Euros, (3) The security and cost savings of having the credit cards of their clients charged in the U.S., and in U.S. Dollars, (4) The peace of mind from receiving enhanced 24/7 customer support and service from our own Operations Center in Turkey for their clients.

Product Terms & Conditions

Please click here to view our current Terms & Conditions.



Please visit http://s3.amazonaws.com/VirtuosoHotelsDestinationsTours/Documents/TurkeyAtItsBestT&C.pdf to view our current Terms & Conditions.

TURKEY AT ITS BEST develops customized private arrangements