Olive Harvest & Pergamon Tour

Day-by-Day Itinerary

1. 1 Day 1 — Arrival to Izmir Airport and Dinner with the Local Family

   Your guide will meet you at the domestic arrivals of Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport. You will leave the airport and start driving into the Aegean Hinterland of the Republic of Turkey. The northern part of the Turkish west coast is among the most fertile lands of the Republic of Turkey. The area has traces from all civilizations that ruled Anatolia in the past. The landscape and the views will change dramatically on the way from the Airport to the village of the local family. You will meet with the family and have lunch or dinner according to your arrival time. You will get more information about the olive harvest you will experience and get instructions of dress code and timings. After the traditional black tea service, you will drive to your hotel located in the modern-day city of Bergama.

2. 2 Day 2 — Experience Olive Picking

   Your guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel in Bergama after breakfast. You will arrive at the house of the local family and use their means of transportation to reach the olive gardens in the mountains after preparations in the house. Olive trees cover the hills of western Turkey like an ocean. You will arrive at the olive gardens, and we will start to experience olive picking, shaking, and packing them for oil production. You will have a barbecue lunch in the field as well as the black tea brewed on charcoal. You will continue working with our local hosts before driving back to the village and then to your hotel. Overnight in Bergama.

3. 3 Day 3 — Experience Olive Oil Production and Olive Process

   You will meet with your guide and driver at your hotel after breakfast and drive to the village of your local hosts. You will witness the process of bringing olive oil to our table. You will first visit a local olive oil factory and see the modern means of oil extraction from nature’s gift, the olives. You will continue your journey with a visit to a local olive oil museum where you can see the evolution of oil production lines in the ancient and modern-day world. After lunch in a small fishing town by the Aegean Sea, you will drive back to your hotel in Bergama for the night.

4. 4 Day 4 — Discover Pergamon & Farewell Dinner with Our Local Hosts.

   You will explore the footprints of the people of Pergamon, Greeks, and Romans today in the modern-day Bergama city. You will first visit the Acropolis which means "the city on top of the hill". The palaces, important temples, theatre, arsenal, and library are standing on the hilltop, overlooking the modern Bergama city and the fertile plains that stretch to the turquoise waters of the Aegean Sea. The Temple of Zeus, which once stood in this magnificent city, is cited in the Bible as being "the throne of Satan". However, the city houses one of the churches of Revelation which will be visited after strolling in the magical Acropolis. Serapis temple was built for the Egyptian water god but it was converted to a church in early Christianity. One tower of this complex is still used by the residents of Bergama city as a mosque and you may have the opportunity to visit it unless it is occupied by the prayers. After lunch in the old town of Bergama city, we will drive to the Sanctuary of Asclepius, the god of health in Greek Mythology. This ancient hospital was the first place on earth where music and psychotherapy were used as alternative treatments to medicine. After resting at the hotel after the tour, you will drive to meet with your local host family one last time before leaving this beautiful part of our country. Overnight in Bergama.

5. 5 Day 5 — Private Transfer to Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport

   After check out from the hotel, you'll be transferred back to Izmir Airport to catch your flight to your next destination