Ainos

Aeneas’ journey continued to a region that used to be called East Thraces and the ancient city of Ainos, sitting on the Northern Aegean coast at the mouth of the river Meriç, it is here where Aeneas and his companions briefly founded a new home before fate again dealt them a blow to their settled lives. Here you will arrive in the more recognisable and charming town of Enez. 

According to the legend, after a couple of day’s journey, they land in the Thracian shore where Aeneas hoped to set up a colony. They reached to Ainus, established at the confluence of the Meriç River and the Saros Gulf, and located in modern-day Edirne. The ancient city of Ainus takes its name from Aeneas. Yet this place was not the “promised lands” as a Trojan ghost (Polydoros) who had been murdered by the Thracians warned them. Yet, before leaving the shores of Anatolia, you can still enjoy the city of Edirne, once the capital of the Ottoman Empire, is another essential destination that offers activities such as diving, paragliding, and trekking, as well as historic structures and aristocratic dishes from the palace cuisine. 

Located in modern-day Edirne, Ainos has settlements dating to antiquity. Edirne, once the capital of the Ottoman Empire, is another essential destination that offers activities such as diving, paragliding, and trekking, as well as historic structures and aristocratic dishes from the palace cuisine.

 

Here you will find yourself at the final point of the Aeneas Route in Türkiye, and where the Trojan hero would continue his quest, eventually heading for Italy and fulfilling his duty and destiny to the gods. 

Saros Gulf, with its clean sea extending from the Gelibolu Peninsula to Enez, will welcome you when you are entering to Enez with wide and sandy beaches and cool water is one of the ideal places for holiday and also a natural protected area. Erikli Beach (Altınkum), one of the longest beaches of Türkiye, lies in the Saros Gulf, which is very rich in terms of living species due to the high oxygen content of its waters and the rivers bringing abundant nutrient salts. 

Three types of air you will enjoy in the Saros. One is the calming iodine and seaweed-scented sea air, the other is the refreshing mountain air from Kaz Mountain, and the third is the forest air that burns your nostrils and embraces you. 

Saros Gulf and the National Parks in Edirne offer a range of leisure and sports activities for nature lovers. Surfing and sailing are very popular in Saros Bay, and there are also many diving points. Especially due to its proximity to İstanbul, Saros is one of the most preferred destination for divers of all levels, and there are beautiful holiday resorts on the shores of Saros. It is possible to do alternative tourism activities such as hiking, underwater photography, bird watching and diving on the coastline.