With a library that rivalled Alexandria's and the parchment that still bears its name, Pergamon was one of the most brilliant capitals of the Hellenistic world. Your driver collects you from your hotel in İzmir or on the Aegean coast; you ride the cable car up to the Acropolis, then visit the Red Basilica and the Asklepion, the famous healing centre of antiquity, with a lunch of the town's celebrated Bergama köfte in between.
The Acropolis of Pergamon by cable car, the steepest theatre of the ancient world and the Temple of Trajan, the Asklepion where Galen practised and the red-brick Red Basilica: the kingdom that gave the world parchment, by private car from the İzmir area. Suggested duration 8 hours; pickup from hotels in Bergama, Dikili, Foca and the rest of the region. Prices start at €440 per vehicle, paid to the driver on the day.
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Pergamon's three great sites – the Acropolis on the hill, the Red Basilica in town and the Asklepion on the plain – lie a few kilometres apart, and getting between them by public transport is a hassle. With a private car you are dropped at each gate and keep all your walking for the sites themselves.
On the Acropolis you see the Temple of Trajan, the remains of the library, the terrace of the Altar of Zeus and the theatre cut into the slope; below come the Red Basilica and the lanes of old Bergama; and at the end of the day the sacred way, healing tunnel and theatre of the Asklepion. The Bergama Museum can be added.
Pickup from Bergama, Dikili, Foça, central İzmir and Urla is with the eight-hour package; from Çeşme, Alaçatı and Kuşadası with the twelve-hour package. The price is per vehicle, not per person.
Stops are shown in a typical order; your driver waits at every stop.
A cable car takes you in a few minutes up the hill, about 335 metres high, above the town. The most striking building on the Acropolis is the white-marble Temple of Trajan, built under Emperor Hadrian in Trajan's honour and partly re-erected by German archaeologists; from its terrace you look over the Bakırçay plain and the Kestel reservoir.
The library of Pergamon is said to have held 200,000 volumes; its rivalry with Alexandria spurred writing on animal skin instead of papyrus, and parchment (pergamena) takes its name from here. On the terrace just below stood the Altar of Zeus with its reliefs of the battle between gods and giants; taken to Berlin in the 19th century, it has left only its foundation behind.
Cut into the western slope of the Acropolis, the theatre for about 10,000 spectators is known as the steepest of the ancient world. From the top rows the seats seem to drop into the void towards the plain; the view is superb, but take care on the steps going down.
This huge red-brick building in the town centre was a 2nd-century AD temple to the Egyptian gods Serapis and Isis. With the Bergama stream flowing beneath it through twin tunnels, it was later converted into a church – Pergamon was one of the Seven Churches of the Book of Revelation. Old Bergama houses line the narrow lanes around it.
Dedicated to Asclepius, god of medicine, the Asklepion was one of the most famous healing centres of antiquity; the physician Galen, born in Pergamon in AD 129, worked here. You walk the sacred way and see the healing spring, an underground tunnel about 80 metres long and the small theatre; treatments used dream interpretation, music and baths. Legend says the entrance bore the words “Death may not enter here”.
The stone houses of old Bergama, the Kurşunlu Mosque and the bazaar are the place for hand-woven Bergama carpets and the town's famous köfte (meatballs). If time allows, we can add the Bergama Museum, which displays finds from the Acropolis and the Asklepion.
Times are an example; your driver adapts the day to traffic, season and your wishes.
After the death of Alexander the Great, one of his generals, Lysimachus, entrusted a treasure of 9,000 talents to Philetaerus in the fortress of Pergamon. In 281 BC Philetaerus used it to found his own dynasty; with victories over the Galatians and generous patronage of the arts, the Attalids made Pergamon one of the shining capitals of the Hellenistic world.
Its golden age came under Eumenes II, who reigned from 197 to 159 BC: the Altar of Zeus and the great library are his work. Legend has it that when Egypt banned the sale of papyrus to this rival of Alexandria, the people of Pergamon perfected animal skin as a writing material – and parchment was born.
The last king, Attalus III, bequeathed his kingdom to Rome in 133 BC, and Pergamon flourished under Roman rule too. Excavations begun in 1878 by the German engineer Carl Humann brought the city back to light, and the Altar of Zeus was taken to Berlin. Pergamon and its multi-layered cultural landscape became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.
Prices are per vehicle and include fuel, motorway and bridge tolls, parking and the driver. Guide, meals and hotel are added as options.
| Duration | FirstClass Van (1–6) | Vip Sprinter (1–16) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 hours | €440 | €560 |
| 12 hours | €580 | €780 |
| 24 hours · 1 night | €720 | €820 |
| 36 hours · 1 night | €1060 | €1450 |
| 48 hours · 2 nights | €1560 | €1980 |
| Add-on | Price | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed guide required | €200 | Per day, whatever the group size |
| Lunch | €15 | Per person, for each lunch in the package |
| Dinner | €15 | Per person, for each dinner in the package |
| Hotel accommodation | €60 | Per person per night (sharing a double room) |
Example – 2 persons, 8 hours, FirstClass Van: Private vehicle & driver + Licensed guide + Lunch = €440 + €200 + €30 = €670
Can be added as options: Lunch, Dinner, Hotel accommodation.
Distances are approximate road kilometres to the main sight (one way). We also pick up from hotels and addresses not listed – just enter yours in the form.
| Area | Distance | Suggested package | Airport transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bergama | ≈ 2 km | 8 hours | Bergama transfer |
| Dikili | ≈ 30 km | 8 hours | Dikili transfer |
| Foca | ≈ 75 km | 8 hours | Foca transfer |
| Izmir City Center | ≈ 105 km | 8 hours | Izmir City Center transfer |
| Urla | ≈ 140 km | 8 hours | Urla transfer |
| Cesme | ≈ 180 km | 12 hours | Cesme transfer |
| Alacati | ≈ 175 km | 12 hours | Alacati transfer |
| Kusadasi | ≈ 180 km | 12 hours | Kusadasi transfer |
Ideal for lovers of archaeology and ancient history, visitors based in İzmir who want an ancient city away from the crowds, anyone interested in the history of medicine, and families. You walk for about two hours on stone ground at the Acropolis; the Asklepion is flat and easy.
Our tours in Izmir, Ephesus & Kusadasi are accompanied by a licensed tourist guide; the guide fee is added to the price automatically. In Turkey, only licensed tourist guides may give explanations at museums and archaeological sites (Tourist Guiding Profession Law No. 6326).
No other passengers and no waiting for anyone – the car is yours all day.
The order and length of stops are flexible, with no compulsory shopping stops.
The price is fixed at booking and paid to the driver on the day.
Vixride is a TÜRSAB-licensed travel agency (licence 14798); vehicles and drivers are insured.
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In Turkey only licensed tourist guides may give explanations in museums and archaeological sites; your driver does not guide at the sites. Whether a guide is required in this region, and the fee, are shown in the booking form – if required, the fee is added automatically.
About two hours on uneven stone at the Acropolis, including the steep theatre steps, and about an hour and a half in total on flat ground at the Red Basilica and the Asklepion. The car waits at each gate, so there is no walking in between.
Yes. Çeşme, Alaçatı and Kuşadası are about 175–180 km from Bergama, a little over two hours; these departures need the 12-hour package, and the programme stays the same.
The altar itself was taken to Berlin in the 19th century and is displayed in the Pergamon Museum there; that part of the museum is closed for a long-term renovation. On the Acropolis you see its foundation and its magnificent position above the plain.
We don't recommend it: the two are about three hours apart and each needs at least half a day. We suggest two consecutive days with the same driver; the Ephesus & Şirince tour can be booked separately.
The tour price is per vehicle: the package costs the same whether one or six people travel in the van. Only lunch, dinner and hotel accommodation are charged per person. The guide fee is per day and does not depend on the group size.
Nothing is charged online at booking; you pay the driver on the day of the tour in cash (EUR, USD, GBP, TRY) or by card. Free cancellation and date changes; please let us know at least 24 hours in advance.
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