What You Can Expect

Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Welcome briefing will be held.

Enjoy a full day tour including a visit to Topkapi Palace Museum, residence of the Ottoman Sultans between 1453–1852 (excluding harem). Visit the Hippodrome, which was once the center of life where chariot racing and other public events took place. Tour the Blue Mosque built between 1609 and 1616, famous for its blue ceramic tiles. Next see St. Sophia, a church built in the 6th century Byzantine capital, converted to a mosque by the Ottomans, and now a museum and one of the world’s greatest architectural wonders. Your last stop will be the famous Grand Bazaar, the world’s largest and oldest covered market with over 60 streets. Join an optional dinner with belly dancing entertainment.

In the morning, depart for Gallipoli, the site of many battles during WWI. Visit Anzac Cove, Lone Pine Cemetery and Chunuk Bair, then cross the Dardanelles to Canakkale for overnight.

Visit Troy with its famous wooden horse, best known for being the setting of the Trojan War and many cities built on top of each other. Before arriving into Asclepion, enjoy lunch with locals in a traditional local village. Then continue to Pergamum to visit the ancient Medical Center in Asclepion and continue to Izmir for overnight.

Tour the famous ruins of Ephesus, an important cultural center of the ancient world, and explore 2,000 year-old marble streets, a theater, the Library of Celsius, a gymnasium and Hadrian’s Temple. Take a short drive to see St. Mary’s stone cottage where it is believed Virgin Mary spent her last years accompanied by St. John. Continue to a regional rug production center to have a firsthand experience of this unique art form. Join an optional afternoon tour of Sirince.

Drive through lush valleys to Pamukkale, the Cotton Fortress, with white lime cascades formed by hot mineral springs. Visit ruins of the Roman health spa of Hierapolis and enjoy a swim in your hotel’s thermal pool.

In the morning drive to Antalya, arrive midday and pay a visit to the ancient Greek city of Perge, famous for its Temple of Artemis. Also located there is an acropolis dating back to the Bronze Age. It is also notable for being the home of the renowned, ancient Greek mathematician Apollonius. Enjoy a relaxing afternoon by the Mediterranean Coast.

Enjoy a day at leisure. Join an optional tour of Phaselis, an ancient coastal city, or a lazy yacht cruise along the Turquoise Coast of the Mediterranean. Dinner at a special local restaurant.

After breakfast depart for Konya, en route visit the ancient city Aspendos, known for having the best-preserved theater of antiquity. Visit the Mausoleum of Mevlana who was a Sufi philosopher. This was also the dervish lodge of the Mevlevi order, better known as the Whirling Dervishes. Continue to the Karatay Koran School, an 800 year-old building, once a Selcuk Islamic theological seminary, which houses an outstanding collection of ceramics and tiles. Overnight in Konya.

In the morning, drive to Cappadocia, the land of the fairy chimneys. En route, visit a 13th century caravanserai. Pay a visit to the underground city of Saratli, one of the many underground settlements built for protection and religious reasons. Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant and join an optional Whirling Dervishes performance.

Consider an optional early morning hot air balloon tour and experience floating through volcanic valleys, fairy chimneys and caves at sunrise. After breakfast visit Goreme, a historical region of Turkey, located among the rock formations, which was first settled back in the Roman period. Many rock churches can still be seen today, as Christianity was then the prevailing religion in that region. Continue to the town of Avanos renowned for its high quality earthenware. Also visit Pasabagi, Red Valley and attend a brief regional pottery workshop in a cave.

In the morning, depart for the capital city of Ankara through the salt lake area. Enjoy an afternoon tour of the Ataturk Mausoleum and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, a historic caravanserai holding artifacts from up to 7500 years old including the most extensive and valuable collection of Hittite artifacts in the world.

After breakfast, depart on a scenic drive to Istanbul. In the afternoon join an optional half-day Bosphorus cruise enjoying the strait that separates Asia and Europe. Its shores are lined with fine neighborhoods, Ottoman palaces, fortresses, old wooden villas, hotels, parks and gardens, restaurants and cafés. Tonight enjoy a farewell dinner.

to the airport for your return flight home.

What's Included

• First Class hotels with private facilities
• Meals are indicated on itineraries by B breakfast, L lunch, D dinner
• Licensed guides throughout Turkey
• Private air-conditioned transportation
• Luggage handling
• Local taxes and service charges
• Arrival/departure transfers: only on arrival and departure days. Pre or post stay transfers are not included

What's Not Included

• Personal expenses
• Optional tours
• Customary tips to guide and drivers