Land of miracles and wonders at your fingertips through this once in a lifetime exclusive Turkey Tour. Ever wanted to discover the mystery and charm of this legendary land? This is your best opportunity to do so and fall in love in the process. Fall in love with Turkey and its million treasures, of course. If there is a place on Earth that we can definitely say will exceed your expectations and leave you with a strong and permanent desire to come back, that land is Turkey. There is no other destination where you can see and do so many things, things that you must travel to the four corners of the Earth to do otherwise. A land where ancient history meets with modernist reality, where several religions and many cultures live in harmony, where the Sea embraces the land from everywhere, Turkey will be revealed to you in these eight days of revelations.

1ST DAY – ARRIVAL TO ISTANBUL

You will arrive at the beautiful and magnificent city of Istanbul, for the first part of your journey that will set the pace for what is left to come. You will spend several intense and inciting days in this unique city, discovering the most interesting and intriguing of its sights. This will give you the perfect chance to experience one of the most important destinations of the country. You will be met and greeted at the airport by our dedicated staff and transferred to your exclusive hotel.

2ND DAY – ISTANBUL OLD CITY TOUR

The second day of your tour will be dedicated to the discovery of the treasures that lie in the old city of Istanbul. Magnificent and impressive palaces, mosques and other structures embellish this ancient area of the city. Istanbul is where east and west met from ancient times and while this meeting was not always peaceful in the past, Istanbul has thrived, under one civilization or the other and with whatever name it had at the moment. Today, East and West, Europe and Asia, Muslims and Christians, all live together in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

You will be picked up from your hotel at around 9.00 am and you will be guided through the old city of Istanbul, mainly the old Byzantine and Ottoman landmarks found in Sultanahmet area. You will discover these unbelievable places on foot, as most of the attractions are located in a small and dense area. You will visit the magnificent Hagia Sophia Museum, one of the most beautiful and interesting structures of Istanbul, a former church and mosque, now a charming museum. Another extraordinary visit will be made to the Blue Mosque, one of the most beautiful mosques in all Turkey, renowned for its blue mosaic tiles that decorate the interior.

The tour will continue with an exclusive insight into the life and space of Ottoman Sultans, with the Topkapi Palace, one of the most impressive buildings in the city. Residence of the sultans for over 4 centuries, the palace now houses a lavish and exquisite museum, showing the wealth and luxury of those times. You will also visit the Harem, a very intriguing and interesting space, occupying a part of the private apartments of the sultan. Lastly, the beautiful and mystical Basilica Cistern will be visited, showing an underground wonder of ancient engineering.

This rewarding day of cultural discovery will end with a visit to the Grand Bazaar, the most popular historical center of Istanbul, where you will have the chance to see the famous Turkish commerce. Breakfast and lunch are of course included in this wonderful day on the streets of old Istanbul.

3RD DAY – DOLMABAHCE PALACE & BOSPHORUS & PERA TOUR

The third day of this inciting tour across Turkey will once again amaze you with some unforgettable sights. You will depart from your hotel around 8.30 am and we will start the day with a visit to the impressive Dolmabahce Palace, the last residence of the Ottoman Sultans, boasting with luxury and opulence, a true reminder of the power and influence of the Empire. The palace also houses an impressive collection of European art. From the magnificent palace located on the Bosporus shores, you will embark an exclusive Bosphorus cruise for about 2 hours. You will see the city from the sea, admiring the memorable landmarks on the shores. You will awe at the sight of the Ciragan Palace, Bosporus Bridges, Rumeli Fortress, Beylerbeyi Palace and Maiden’s Tower.

The Istanbul tour will continue in the afternoon, with a visit to the Istiklal Street and Pera district. This is one of the most famous and popular streets of Istanbul, with millions of people walking and admiring the charming architecture, also featuring an array of music and bookstores, movie theaters, cafes, restaurants, bars and countless other attractions. We will have lunch at a local traditional kebab restaurant in this area and continue our visits throughout the Pera District, one of the most charming areas outside the old city and Golden Horn. Ending this great day in Istanbul, public transport will be used to get back to the hotel. Breakfast and lunch are included in this inviting tour.

4TH DAY – GOLDEN HORN TOUR

The Turkey tour continues with another historic part of old Istanbul. You will once again be amazed and impressed by the sheer beauty and diversity of Istanbul’s heritage, present on every street and every corner. The Golden Horn is one of the most beautiful parts of the city, with the scimitar shaped gulf being a safe haven for ships from ancient times. We will depart from your hotel around 8.30 am and drive to the first visit of the day, to the magnificent Suleymaniye Mosque. The largest mosque in the city is truly an overwhelming sight, with its tall minarets and large domes; it is one of the most famous landmarks of Istanbul. Next, we will continue the day tour with the Chora Church Museum, one of the most beautiful examples of Byzantine architecture, with charming interior decorations. This small but impressive church dates back to the 11th century and features unique religious frescoes and mosaics.

To get a glimpse of the true beauty and charm of this place, we will go up to the Pierre Loti Hill, from where the whole panorama of the Golden Horn will be revealed. We will spend a few moments gazing at this magnificent sight, while we have a cup of delicious Turkish coffee. In order to get the full experience of these places, we will next embark on a short Bosphorus boat tour and admire the Golden Horn from the Sea. After lunch, this amazing tour will end with a shopping session in the Egyptian Market (Spice Bazaar), where you can see and feel the wonderful array of spices and delicacies of Turkey. In the late afternoon, you will be transferred to the airport for the flight to Cappadocia. There, you will be greeted at the airport and transferred to your new hotel. Breakfast and lunch are included, as always.

5TH DAY – NORTHERN CAPPADOCIA TOUR

Cappadocia tour from Istanbul, we will continue our tour of the Turkish beauties with some amazing natural and historical sights, unique in the world and particularly intriguing. Cappadocia is a land of wonders and you will see this for yourself in the next two days of our tour. The fifth day starts at about 9.30, when you will be picked up from your hotel and we will drive to Devrent Valley of Imagination, where unique rock formations formed during millions of years give the impression of another world, with strange shapes and forms. This lunar landscape will surely impress anyone. Next, we will go to Pasabagi, where amazing stone pillars form a unique natural area, known as the Fairy Chimneys.

The next stop of our tour in Northern Cappadocia is Avanos, where we will have lunch and attend a pottery making workshop, a traditional art in these parts. From Avanos, we will visit the magnificent Goreme Open Air Museum, where impressive churches and monasteries have been cut in the rock inside caves, one next and above another, forming a unique landmark. This museum has been included in the UNESCO heritage list and it truly amazed anyone. There are many monasteries, most having its own church with beautiful and still preserved paintings and frescoes. This will be the last visit of the day and we will return to the hotel in Cappadocia at about 17.30. Breakfast and lunch are included.

6TH DAY – SOUTHERN CAPPADOCIA TOUR

The sixth day of your adventure in Turkey will take you to other amazing and inspiring parts of the country, Southern Cappadocia in particular, where millennial history and heritage awaits to be discovered and admired. Our Cappadocia tour starts with the departing from your hotel at about 9.30 am and we will have an unforgettable hike through the Rose Valley. This unique landscape of Cappadocia will provide infinite opportunities to be amazed, with rock churches, fairy chimneys, and orchards. Next, we will visit the magnificent village of Cavusin, where an entire village was constructed on a rock, including churches and a monastery. Today, the village is in ruins, but the site is truly inspiring.

We will then have lunch in the Pigeons Valley, with the same man-made caves in the rocks, but also with hundreds of pigeons that made a home inside the small niches. Our next visit will be made to the Kaymakli Underground City, one of several where people used to hide from danger and enemies. This underground city is the most famous, with almost a hundred tunnels, going deeper for several levels, including a church on the second level. Our last visit of the day will be the Ortahisar Natural Rock Castle, with its wonderful view over the valley below, with caves and houses. We will conclude our day in Cappadocia in the afternoon when you will be taken back to your hotel. Breakfast and lunch are included, of course.

# NOTE: You can add Cappadocia hot air balloon tour into your itinerary.

7TH DAY – EPHESUS TOUR

Continuing our tour through some of the most beautiful and attractive places in Turkey, we will reach another amazing destination, one that has both amazed and intrigued travelers and archaeologists alike. Here, history seems to come alive like nowhere else and it is one of the best places to see and learn about the ancient history of an entire era. You will be transferred from your hotel in Cappadocia to the airport and take the early flight to Izmir. You will be met at the airport and transferred to the marvelous ancient city of Ephesus. For the next two hours, you will have the unique chance to walk through the most beautiful ancient city in whole Turkey and one of the best preserved in the world. Unlike any other ancient site in the world, Ephesus used to be the best mix of Greek, Roman and Byzantine civilizations. You will visit the most important sights and structures on the site.

The next visit in this pleasant day is to Virgin Mary House, where she is thought to have spent her last years. The house itself is a typical Roman building, made entirely of stone. After lunch, we will continue to visit the incredible sights in the area. First, we will start our Ephesus tour with the visiting the Ephesus Museum, containing some of the most important pieces discovered at the nearby site of Ephesus. Unlike other museums, the collections are presented according to a theme and not in chronological order. The Diana Temple was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world and we will visit the place where this awesome building used to stand, made entirely of marble and with many statues and columns. Next, the tour will take you to St. John Castle and the remains of the Church on the Ayasuluk Hill. The most important Turkish heritage site in this area is the Isabey Mosque. Ending this great day, you will be taken to your hotel in Kusadasi. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.

8TH DAY – APHRODISIAS ANCIENT CITY, HIERAPOLIS AND PAMUKKALE TOUR

This unique and exhilarating tour of Turkey will end in a grandiose way, with a visit to several of the most famous and beautiful places in the country. You will have the chance to discover some amazing sights and places, visiting a part of the ancient history that will leave a strong mark on you. We will start the eighth day of our tour at 8.30 in the morning, when we will drive to Aphrodisias ancient city, one of the best preserved ancient sights, a famous sculpture center and school in this area. The Museum of Aphrodisias holds many of the best works discovered in this ancient site, including exquisite Greek and Roman sculptures.

From here, we will head towards Pamukkale, where the idyllic white terraces made of travertine were formed due to the chemical properties of the water, which also has healing properties. The white calcium cascade terraces form one of the most impressive sights you will encounter in the whole country. Close to this natural wonder, the ancient city of Hierapolis still has some of the ancient charms. The large site of the ancient city was located on top of the white terraces and there are still archaeological traces that show the great importance of this city. In ancient times, this was one of the most important places in the area and whole of Turkey, with churches, baths, and fountains. This was a healing center from ancient times and the Roman Pool is still being used. If you want to swim in the pool, you must bring your swimming wears on the Pamukkale Tour. The Turkey tour will end with this charming sight and you will be transferred to the airport for a late afternoon flight to Istanbul. Here, you will be transferred to your hotel. Breakfast and lunch are surely included. Further arrangements can be provided upon request.