Explore incomparable Turkey with our professional guide, Bekir Ucarkus. This fascinating country is a blend of many cultures and empires reaching back into ancient times. Bekir will meet us at Attaturk Airport and transfer us to our hotel in the Sultanhemet district of Istanbul.
Tour Itinerary
- 4 Nights in Istanbul
Day 1: Our representative will meet us at Ataturk Airport and transfer us to our hotel in the district of Sultanahmet in the ancient city Istanbul. There many reminders of the Roman Empire viewed on an everyday basis. For instance, the Roman Aquaduct that spans a major avenue or the Hippodrome. 1500-year-old Aya Sofya, built in the 6th Century, is a splendid Byzantine structure. When the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453 it was converted into a mosque.
This magnificent building, now a museum, bears the marks of both religions. The soaring Blue Mosque, with it’s exquisite tiles, is a feast for the eyes and a mere 500 years old. Topkapi Palace housed the Ottoman Sultans until 1863.
It is a grand collection of buildings and pavilions. Later the Sultans moved to sumptuous Dolmabache Palace. These sights and many more await you on the banks of the Bosphorus, in a city with its feet both in Europe and Asia.Welcome to Turkiye/Istanbul. A brief about Turkey at hotel and meeting dinner.
Day 2: We will visit the Hippodrome, Islamic and Turkish Art Museum, Blue Mosque, Underground Cistern and Arasta Bazaar.
Day 3: Today we will visit Topkapi Palace, Saint Sophia Museum and Grand Baazar.
Day 4: Time to go Bosphorus by small ship and discover beauty of Marmara Sea.Afternoon stop for Dolmabahce Palace and finish our day visiting the Spice market.
- 4 Nights in Cappadocia
Dy 5: We will take an early flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia. Our driver for the rest of our trip will meet us at the airport. We will continue our journey in a comfortable van or bus, depending on the size of our group. Words can barely describe the surreal landscape of Cappadocia.
Three volcano’s repeated eruptions laid the foundation for the remarkable formations millions of years ago. Earthquakes and erosion created the fairy chimneys and sculptured valleys. For centuries local people have carved the soft tufa to make homes.
Day 6: Goreme Openair Museum.Christian monasteries, stables, storage areas and pigeon lofts. The pigeon guano was used to fertilize crops on the valley floors. The Silk Road crosses Cappadocia.
Day 7: Full day Cappadocia Tours. This medieval trade artery stretched from China to Europe and was traveled by Marco Polo. Caravan stops were placed along the route. We expect to spend an evening at one of these Caravanserai and a see a Dervish ceremony.
Day 8: Full day Cappadocia tour. Nearby Underground cities were excavated that could house a few thousand inhabitants as they hid while invading armies ravaged the countryside. For an extra fee, hot air balloon rides are available for those willing to rise before dawn. The sights are well worth braving the chilly morning. The best shopping for carpets, ceramics and many interesting local crafts can be found in this area, as well as the best prices.
- 1 Night Konya
Day 9: Konya/Catal Hoyuk. On our way to Konya we visit the oldest known human community in the world, Catal Hoyuk dating back to 6800 BC. Excavations began in the 1960s and it is still a working site. There are 13 layers of remains. There were no streets, ladders from the roofs accessed homes.
Family members were buried under the floors. When the buildings needed to be replaced, the old one was demolished to a level of about three feet and the new structure built on top of the rubble. Wall paintings have been reproduced in the small museum and an ancient statuette of a plump fertility goddess found in the rubble is on display.
Konya was an old trading center along the Silk Road and now Konya finds itself in the center of a vast grain growing agricultural area. It was the home of the 13th century poet and mystic, Mevlana. After his death his son organized Mevlana’s followers into the Mevlevi or whirling dervishes. Konya also offers a distinctive and tasty pide (pizza).
- 4 Nights Antalya, Olympos
Day 10: Olympos/Aspendos. The next day we’ll drive through the formidable Tarsus Mountains on our way to the Mediterranean Sea. There’ll be a short stop at Aspendos. It is the best-preserved Roman Theater in the world and still magnificent. Concerts are often produced here. After driving through the congested resort city of Antalya we find ourselves in a tropical paradise at Olympos.
Day 11 : Free day and relaxing.
Day 12: A 30-minute walk up the mountainside will bring you to the Chimeira, a site where flames have sprung from the rocky ground for centuries. In ancient times the flames were large enough to be used as a beacon for coastal sailors.
Day 13: Visiting to St Nicholas Church to learn the origin of Santa Claus and at Myra to view the Lycian tombs carved into the cliff. At Olympos there is a fine but rocky beach. At the right times of the year you would find sea turtles nesting here or watch the hatchlings march toward the rising sun.
If you would like to swim, beach shoes are recommended to get to the water. Our hotel is short but winding drive from Ugass where a boat with a glass bottom will carry us over the 3,000-year-old sunken Lycian ruins. If our timing is right a fresh fish lunch will be served in the village of Simena.
- 1 Night Pamukkale
Day 14: Hierapolis/Pamukkale. As we approach Pamukkale it looks like a glacier is spilling down the mountainside. The name translates to Cotton Castle. In truth these are glistening white travertine terraces formed over millennia by mineral deposits as water flowed out of natural springs. The water is credited with healing powers. It is alleged that Cleopatra swam in one of the pools that is open to the public. Nearby are the ruins of the Roman resort, Hierapolis, and a large necropolis.
- 1 Night Bodrum
Day 15: Bodrum, located on a peninsula of the same name, was a fishing village until the 1970s. It is now a lively tourist resort with a long history. The coastline is attractive and the centerpiece is the 15th century crusader Castle of St. Peter Greeks, Persians and Ottomans settled here from the 11th century BC onward.
It’s greatest glory was under Mausolus, who ruled under the Persians in the 4th century BC. When he died his wife Artemisia employed architects and sculptors to construct a monument and tomb for him. It was one of the seven Wonders of the Ancient world and gave us the word mausoleum.
- 2 Nights Kusadasi
Day 16: Priene, Miletus, Didyma. As we travel from Bodrum to Kusadasi we will make brief stops at these three sites. Ephesus may be the creme-de-la-creme of the Aegean ruins but Priene, Miletus and Didyma though less frequently visited are still important ancient settlements.
Priene occupies a dramatic postion overlooking the Meander Valley and plain. Miletus preserves a spectacular theater. And Didyma has a Temple of Apollo vaguely reminiscent of the great temples at Karnak in Egypt. Overnight in Kusadasi.
Day 17: Kusadasi, Ephesus Kusadasi is a beach resort town on the Aegean Sea. Its greatest asset is its closeness to the magnificent ruins of Ephesus. We will spend several hours walking in the footsteps of Alexander the Great, Caesar, Cicero, Apostles Paul and John and many other familiar historical names. The recently opened Slope Houses where the wealthiest Romans lived are an excellent example of sensitive excavation and presentation.
The mosaics and frescos are spectacular. Tradition has it that Virgin Mary was brought here by St John after the Crucifixion and lived her final years near the city of Ephesus on an isolated mountaintop. A lovely chapel is constructed on the site tended by Franciscans and open to visitors. It has been designated a pilgrimage site by the Pope.
- 1 Night Pergamon
Day 18: Bergama/Pergamon. The city of Bergama is historically famous for its antique city of Pergamon and for its traditional quarter of Ottoman houses. After the death of Alexander the Great his generals divided up his kingdom.
Over the following years an impressive metropolis was built in the rocky terrain with beautiful temples, roads, a vast library rivaling that of Alexander’s in Egypt and a school of medicine, which survived for centuries. Eventually, the kingdom of Pergamon was bequeathed to the Roman Empire.
- 1 Night Assos
Day 19: Assos/Behramkale (Assos) is one of Turkey’s hidden gems. There we find a cluster of stone houses turned hotels overlooking a picture perfect harbor.
- 1 Night Canakkale-Troy
Day 20: We will spend the night here after exploring the ruins of Troy. Troy’s ruins are not as breath taking as Ephesus and are a bit tricky to understand. Nine ancient cities were built one on top of the other dating back to 3000 BC.
Amateur archeologist Heinrich Schliemann followed clues in the poetry of Homer and dug for the treasure of King Priam. He did find gold but at the wrong level. It is believed that King Priam’s city was at level VI or VII. And it was during that time the Trojan War raged on the plains below the city.
The next day we will explore the WWI battlefield of Gallipoli. It is located on the eastern side of the narrowest point of the Strait of Dardanelles, a crossing point for travelers and armies over several millennia. It is the site of a sad defeat for the Allies but it was a great military accomplishment for Colonel Mustafa Kemal, later known as Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic.
- 1 Night Istanbul
Day 21: Istanbul. It is time to return to Istanbul for our farewell dinner and for our preparations to return home.
Istanbul Extension - 3Days Haven’t seen as much of Istanbul as you would like? A three day extension can be arranged.
Member discount:
10% discount for InfoHub customer. Request a free gift certificate.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- 20 nights accommodation (H/B) 5 stars or S class hotel
- Luxury transportation
- Experienced guiding
- Entrance fees
- Insurance
- All taxes
Price Does Not Include:
- International airfare
- Drinks and meals which are not listed in the itinerary
- All personal expenses
- Turkish visa fee
- All kind of tips
2 persons $3900 USD
4 persons $3750 USD
6 persons $3600 USD
8 persons & up $3450 USD
Also see tour packages in:
Middle East
Turkey
Cultural Journey
Archeology/History
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