Mystical Turkey - 12 Days

Upon landing at Istanbul New Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökcen Airport (SAW), our team will be there to greet you with a sign displaying our agency code. You’ll be swiftly transferred to your hotel, where you can settle in and relax. Overnight in Istanbul. Dinner on own. Your host will be there to give suggestions and go together as a group for those interested.

Overnight: Germir Palas Hotel (Deluxe Room) or similar

After breakfast, embark on a full-day tour of Byzantine and the Ottoman relics.

Tour of the "Sultan Ahmet Center", the heart of the "Old City" from where the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires were ruled.

Hagia Sophia, the Church of Divine Wisdom, is one of the greatest marvels of architecture, constructed as a basilica in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian.

Visit the famous Blue Mosque, facing Hagia Sophia, famous with its blue İznik tiles and unique with 6 minarets, built in the name of Sultan Ahmet.

Hippodrome, center of sportive events (chariot races, athletics) and political activities of the old city. See the Serpentine Column, the Obelisk of Theodosius and the German Fountain of Wilhelm II. These are just a few of the many famous are the monuments decorating the Hippodrome.

Then we tour to the Underground (Basilica) Cistern, the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul. This cistern was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.

Enjoy lunch at a traditional Turkish restaurant, savoring local delights like succulent kebabs and sweet baklava. (on own cost).

In the afternoon visit the Spice Bazaar (Egyptian Bazaar), and smell the mystical smells of different aromas of various spices. . Stroll through shops selling fruits, vegetables, fish, flowers etc.

After these visits we’ll return to the hotel and will get ready for a wonderful night. We’ll be transferred to the pier and then embark on a private boat for an unforgettable Bosphorus Cruise, through the waterway separating the two continents, Europe and Asia, with a possibility to take photographs of marble palaces, ancient wooden villas of Ottoman architecture besides modern residentials and luxurious apartments. We will also see the Rumeli Fortress (from the boat – no interior visit), a historical armament built by the Conqueror to control and protect the Bosphorus. A unique example of military architecture. While drinking a glass of wine or two and watching the sunset, we’ll listen from our guide the story of the distinctive sound of clinking glasses.

Dinner on own. Our guide will give us some unique recommendations and accompany us as a group for those interested.

Overnight in Istanbul.

Overnight: Germir Palas Hotel (Deluxe Room) or similar

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast we are leaving the hotel and you will have the opportunity to visit the The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops - a total area of 30,700 m2, attracting between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is often regarded as one of the first shopping malls of the world. After this historic tour, so let’s go to Cagaloglu Hamam, Turkish Bath and have a magical and entertaining massage.

Transfer to Ataturk airport for an afternoon flight. Fly to Cappadocia, where surreal landscapes await. Dinner and Overnight in Cappadocia.

Overnight: SC Yunak Evleri (Deluxe Room) or similar

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

(Early Morning Optional Balloon Tour). Own Cost (Note – for people opting in for the balloon ride, you will still be able to participate in the below tour.

After breakfast you’ll start your tour. Visit to Devrent Valley where various types of fairy chimneys are abundant. We will walk through this amazing valley. Thereafter visit Pasabagi (Monk's Valley) with multiple stems and caps, peculiar to this area. After visiting Pasabagi, drive to Avanos which is known for the pottery, a craft dating back to the Hittite period. The red clay which is worked by local craftsmen comes from the residue in the Kizilirmak river, the longest river of Turkey. We will have time for lunch, then we’ll proceed to Goreme, an open Air Museum to visit the churches, chapels and monasteries carved into the fairy chimneys from the 10th to the 13th centuries with frescos painted on the walls. Afterwards, we’ll have time to take photos in the neighboring valleys before going to the hotel. Dinner on own. Our guide will give us some unique recommendations and accompany us as a group for those interested.

Overnight in Cappadocia.

Overnight: SC Yunak Evleri (Deluxe Room) or similar

Meals: Breakfast

Meet at the hotel lobby with your guide and visit to Rose Valley, one of the most beautiful trekking valleys in Cappadocia, and explore the famous rock- cut churches by hiking through the valley. Rest in Cavusin, an old Greek village, known for its Christian houses and churches. After having time for lunch visit Ortahisar Castle, similar to Uchisar Castle in style, where storage caves can also be observed. In the afternoon visit Kaymakli Underground City where early christians lived in fear and faith. On the way back visit to panoramic Pigeon Valley where pigeons contributed to the lives of locals with their manure to fertilize the wineyards. You may also like to taste Cappadocia wine in a local winery. Finally, you stop at Avanos, to watch a demonstration in a carpet-weaving workshop before returning to your hotel. “Optional Whirling Dervishes show”. Dinner on own. Our guide will give us some unique recommendations and accompany us as a group for those interested. Overnight in Cappadocia.

Overnight: SC Yunak Evleri (Deluxe Room) or similar

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast drive to Antalya. First stop in Konya, to visit the imposing green – tiled Mausoleum of Mevlana, the mystic founder of the Sufi sect (Whirling Dervishes). After the Konya Mevlana tour drive to Antalya via Taurus Mountains. Upon arrival go to Antalya Old City (Kaleiçi) Marina, where we will stay for nights and visit the Clock Tower, Hadrian's Gate, Broken Minaret, Hıdırlık Tower: Kaleici is a small historic part of Antalya’s modern city, also known as the Old City of Antalya. In history it was once the sprawling modern Roman town, then the Byzantine Empire, then Seljuks, and finally the Ottoman Turkish town. The Hadrian's Gate (or Hadrianus Gate or The Three Gates is a triumphal arch which was built in the name of the Roman emperor Hadrian. Antalya's broken wonder is the Broken Minaret of the Korkut Mosque, which itself was built originally as a Roman temple in the 2nd century AD, and thus did not have a minaret at all. Hıdırlık Tower is a landmark tower of tawny stone in Antalya, Turkey, where Kaleiçi meets Karaalioglu Park. It is believed to be built in Hellenistic era on a square plan and later turned into a circular tower in the 2nd century AD and was used as either a fortification or a lighthouse in the past. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight in Antalya.

Overnight: SC Alp Paşa Hotel (Deluxe Room) or similar

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

After breakfast visit Perge Ancient City. Perge was once the capital city of the Pamphylia region. During your visit, you will be able to see The Stadium, Roman Gate, Nymphaeum, Roman Bath, Hellenistic Gate, The Column Street and The State Agora. We will continue our tour with Aspendos Ancient Theatre. Aspendos is the best preserved and the most complete example of a Roman theatre in Turkey. The theatre was still in use for concerts, festivals and events until recently. After the visit, we will drive back to Antalya and visit Antalya Museum, which is one of the best in the country. Return to your hotel. Dinner on own.

Overnight in Antalya.

Overnight: SC Alp Paşa Hotel (Deluxe Room) or similar

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast drive to Pamukkale. On the way visit one of the most spectecular ancien site of Turkey: Aphrodisais, the city of Aphrodite. Visit the Museum, the Temple of Aphrodite, the Theatre, the Stadium, the Agora, the Hadrian Baths, the Odeon, and the Bishop's Palace. Continue to Pamukkale.

Pamukkale, meaning “cotton castle” in Turkish, is a stunning natural wonder in Denizli Province, southwestern Turkey.

Pamukkale is one of Turkey’s top attractions and a precious in the world with its cotton-look terraces. The underground water once gave life to the ancient city of Hierapolis and now helps Pamukkale to be one of the most important thermal centers of Turkey.

Tourists and locals visit Pamukkale and Hierapolis frequently not only for its extraordinary look and its ancient history but also for wellness. Scientifically proven to cure many diseases, the waters attract people and there are many thermal hotels in the area that serve 12 months a year. Visit Hierapolis which is an archaeological site with remains from Greco Roman and Byzantine era.

In the afternoon check-in to the hotel and enjoy the ternal pools and SPA facilities. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight in Pamukkale.

Overnight: Colossae Thermal & Spa Hotel (Deluxe Room) or similar

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

(Early Morning Optional Ballon Tour). For those opting in for this balloon ride, it will get back in time to partake in the below tour.

After breakfast departure from Pamukkale and drive to Selçuk. Today discover the ancient Ionian city of Ephesus, which dates from the 1st century B.C., near the Aegean Sea, this was one of the great cities of the Greeks in Asia Minor and home to the Temple of Artemis, also one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is a sacred site for Christians for its association with several biblical figures, including St. Paul, St. John the Evangelist and the Virgin Mary. On the way to Ephesus, you stop at the house of the Virgin Mary, where she supposedly spent her later days. The Vatican has recognized this small house in the Solmissos Mountains (Bulbul Mountain) as the final resting place of the Virgin Mary. A small shrine dedicated to St. Mary was found when the ruins of the house were first discovered. In Ephesus you have the chance to see spectacular ruins, some of which have recently been excavated. Enter through the Magnesia Gate walk with your guide into the ruins of this Roman provincial capital. Your route takes you past the Odeon, the Bouleterion, the Fountain of Trajan, the Temple of Hadrian, the Brothel, the Celsus Library, the Agoras, the Roman Baths, the Gymnasiums and the Great Theatre. The theater had seating for 25,000, and is where St. Paul preached to the Ephesians. After lunch, visit the Basilica of St. John, now in ruins, built over the tomb of St. John the Apostle. It once rivaled St. Sophia in size and you still see graceful columns, mosaics and frescoes. The Temple of Artemis was completely rebuilt three times before its eventual destruction in 401. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight in Kusadasi.

Overnight: Scala Nuova Beach Hotel (Deluxe Room) or similar

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

After breakfast, we will visit a Turkish Village of Sirince. Sirince, also known as Kirkintzes, is a charming neighborhood in the Selçuk district of İzmir Province. The construction style today belongs to Anatolian Greeks. The houses on the slope are all Original with their white paints. Sirince Village also has a fantastic reputation for making some of the best wines in Turkey - especially fruit wines. There will be some free time to explore around of the village. On the way, we will visit one of the famous leather production centers of the region, where you will have the opportunity to get a good factory rate. On this guided tour, you will avoid the constant nagging and sometimes bullying that is well known in the markets of Turkey. Enabling you to enjoy the shopping experience whilst gaining the knowledge of the ancient craftsmen.

In the afternoon explore the charming coastal town of Kusadasi. Relax on sandy beaches or wander through colorful markets. Witness a magical sunset over the Aegean Sea. Dinner on own. Our guide will give us some unique recommendations and accompany us as a group for those interested.

Overnight in Kusadasi.

Overnight: Scala Nuova Beach Hotel (Deluxe Room) or similar

Meals: Breakfast

Transfer to Izmir airport. Fly to Istanbul. Transfer to the hotel. Free afternoon.

Dinner on own. This will be our farewell dinner so your host will pick a unique, affordable venue and those interested can come as a group.

Overnight in Istanbul.

Overnight: Germir Palas Hotel (Deluxe Room) or similar

Meals: Breakfast

Transfer to the airport for your flight home, carrying cherished memories of Turkey.

Meals: Breakfast