Turkey Tour Package

Day 01: Istanbul (D)
Arrival in Istanbul  
Upon arrival in the legendary city of Istanbul, you are met by our representative with a friendly "Merhaba" (hello) and escorted to your hotel. Relax, unwind and prepare for the cultural adventure through time ahead. During dinner get acquainted with the other members of your group. Overnight at the hotel.

Day02: Istanbul (BLD) 
A full day tour to explore Istanbul, a fascinating city which was the capital of the Roman and Byzantine Empires, and in 1453, became the third and last Capital of the Ottomans, starting by a morning cruise on the Bosporus. Glide past the minarets and palaces, stone fortresses and wooden Ottoman mansions of the only city in the world that bridges Europe and Asia. After lunch, visit the magnificent Haghia Sophia, originally the largest church in the Christian world, it was converted into a mosque in 1453 by Mehmet II and under Atatürk, it became a museum and is a living testament to the beauty of Christianity and Islam that adorn the interior. Then, add spice to your life back home by bartering at the Spice Market. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 03: Istanbul - Ankara (BLD) 
Early wake up and morning drive to the capital of modern Turkey. After lunch, visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations housed in the beautifully restored 15th century "bedesten" (covered bazaar). The museum displays rich and unique collections of Anatolian civilizations, such as treasures of the Hittite Empire. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 04: Ankara - Cappadocia (BLD)
Enjoy the scenic drive along Salt Lake to Cappadocia. Discover the unusual landscape with fairy chimneys twisting valleys and table mountains. See the natural rock citadel of Uchisar, reflecting a variety of colors through the day on its eroded, malleable tuff body. Visit Soganli village and valley, explore early rock carved churches, see typical Cappadocia houses and barter at the local handicraft market. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 05: Cappadocia (BLD)
A full day tour to explore the rugged beauty of this fantastic region. The winding landscape is decorated at every twist and turn with a maze of cones, slopes and fairy chimneys, products of centuries of wind and rain. Visit the the Göreme Valley. Now an open-air museum, Goreme's churches were carved into the stone between the 7th-13th centuries and are decorated with frescoes that provide a record of early Christianity. Some of the churches you may see include the Church of St Barbara, the Church of the Serpent, the Church of the Sandal and the Church of the Apple. Stroll through the underground galleries of Ozkonak where the first Christians hid themselves from rivals for months at a time undetected, take a walk in Avcilar, Pasabagi and the red valley of Derbent where you will admire the chimney like volcanic formations. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 06: Cappadocia - Konya - Antalya  (BLD)
In the morning, drive to Konya, the capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum from the 11th to the 13th centuries. Visit the Museum of Mevlâna, the famous mystic and poet who founded the Sufi Order of the Whirling Dervishes in the 13th century. After lunch, continue south to Antalya. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 07: Antalya - Perge - Aspendos - Antalya  (BLD)
Begin your Greco-Roman quest today by visiting Perge where you can stroll along the mosaic sidewalk of a colonnaded street past the stadium and theatre. Continue to Aspendos, whose theatre is the best preserved Roman theatre in Asia Minor. The acoustics are still as perfect as they were when it was built in the 2nd century AD that a coin dropped from the orchestra pit can be heard in the top row. Lunch during sightseeing. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
 
Day 08: Antalya - Aphrodisias - Pamukkale (BLD)
In the morning, crossing the Taurus Mountains, drive to Aphrodisias the ancient city dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of Beauty, Love and Fertility. Aphrodisias was known as a center for the arts throughout the ancient world, specifically for its school of sculpture. Visit the stadium, seating 30,000 people dating to the 1st century AD, which is the best preserved in Anatolia, as well as the Temple of Aphrodite, the Tetrapylon and the Theatre. After lunch, continue to Pamukkale, a unique natural site. Visit this " Cotton Castle " where the hot waters, leaving their limestone deposits, have created a surreal landscape with petrified waterfalls and basins cascading down the hillside in the midst of a dry, barren landscape. Then visit nearby Hierapolis, an ancient Roman health spa whose well preserved necropolis is one of the largest in the ancient world. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
 
Day 09: Pamukkale - Ephesus  (BLD)
After breakfast, drive to Ephesus, one of the most fascinatingly complete cities of antiquity in the entire world, dedicated to the goddess Artemis, the temple of whom is one of the seven wonders of ancient world. During the Christian era, Mary was dedicated her first church in Ephesus, where ecumenical councils gathered during the Byzantine reign. Visit the antique city by travelling back in time as you stroll down the Marble Street, past the Roman villas, the Agora, the Odeon, the Nympheaum of Trajan, the Temple of Hadrian, the Celsius Library and the Theatre. Lunch during sightseeing. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 10: Kusadasi - Pergamum - Troy - Canakkale  (BLD)
In the morning, depart for Pergamum, the capital of the Attalid dynasty and visit this ancient city where parchment was invented. Highlights include the Acropolis with the ruins of the agoras, temples, palaces, the library which contained 200,000 volumes, the podium on which stood the Zeus Altar which was sent to Berlin, and the impressive theatre built into the steep hillside which provides a wonderful panorama of the surroundings. Lunch. Continue to the legendary city of Troy, whose history covers a period of about 3,400 years with nine layers of settlements (Troy I to IX). King Priam's glorious city, which was immortalized in Homer's epic poem, the Iliad brought to life the stories of Helen, Menelas, Pâris, Agamemnon, Achilles and Hector. A reconstruction of the infamous Trojan Wooden Horse stands at the entrance of the site. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 11: Canakkale - Gallipolis - Istanbul  (BLD)
In the morning, cross the Strait of the Dardanelles by ferry to the Gallipolis Peninsula where the Dardanelles War took place. We will stop to see the battlefields, trenches and memorials to the Turkish, English, French, Australian, New Zealand and Indian soldiers that gave their lives between 1915-1916. After lunch, drive to Istanbul, rising from the shores of the Sea of Marmara. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
 
Day 12: Istanbul  (BLD)
In the morning, visit the Blue Mosque, renowned for its six minarets. Built between 1609 and 1616 for Sultan Ahmet I, it is the beautiful 21,043 Iznik tiles dominant shade of blue that give the mosque its name. Next discover the Hippodrome where political, cultural, and sports activities took place during Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman times. After lunch, explore Topkapi Palace, the opulent residence of the Ottoman sultans overlooking the Bosphorus between the end of the 15th and the first half of the 19th centuries. You will discover why it is renowned for its treasures. In the late afternoon, make the most of your free time wandering through the labyrinth tunnels of one of the oldest covered market places in the world, the Grand Bazaar. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 13 Departure  (B)
Transfer to airport.