Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) is one of the most fascinating historical characters of all times. During his short life, the young and charismatic king of Macedon took on the Persian Empire and conquered vast territories, travelling over 35,000 kilometres with his army. His name is still the stuff of legend in the areas he traversed and beyond.
Peter Sommer Travels shares in that fascination. Our first ever tour, in 1996, followed the great kings route, retracing his campaigns through Turkey. This year, we are running it as the glorious 11-day trip In the Footsteps of Alexander: The Conquest of Anatolia, a classic itinerary that follows the dramatic course of Alexander’s army through Western Turkey.
The tour offers travellers a truly profound insight into Alexander’s life and times, while taking in some of the main cultural highlights of the region. It starts in Istanbul, the great metropolitan city that straddles the continents of Europa and Asia, and end in Bodrum, ancient Halicarnassus, a city Alexander only conquered after a protracted siege.
Along the way, we visit a whole array of extraordinary sites: the great prehistoric city of Troy, where Alexander stopped to honour his hero Achilles; the now bucolic battlefield on the river Granicus; the vast excavations at cities such as Sardis, Miletus and Ephesus; and the huge temple of Apollo at Didyma. ach of them is part of the story of Alexander the Great and his whirlwind campaign through Western Anatolia.
Tempted? Read more about the tour on our blog! And why not also have a look at our Exploring Macedonia, a tour that concentrates on Alexander’s homeland in Northern Greece?