Snow-white limestone terraces flowing with aquamarine thermal water, subterranean worlds of cave and fantasy, and storied sites of mythic proportions - welcome to Turkey. Here you’ll lose yourself in intoxicating flavour, wander bustling bazaars, and walk the same streets that Cleopatra and Mark Antony once walked. Turkey is an incredible melting pot of culture and history, where east meets west, religions collide and the old meets the new. Over the course of this trip you’ll experience everything from the thriving metropolis of Istanbul to the sparkling waters of the Aegean. This is one not to be missed.
Overview
Collapsible content
9 days | 10 nights | 3-4 cities
12-15 travellers
Fly into / out of Istanbul Airport (IST)
16 meals - 8 breakfasts | 4 lunches | 4 dinners
9-12 activities
3-4 seperate hotel stays with double or single occupancy rooms
Local guide and tour manager
Arrival and Return airport transfers
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Inclusions
- 10 night’s accommodation, including 2 nights in a Cappadocia Boutique Cave Hotel
- 9 day’s transportation in your own air conditioned, private minivan
- Welcome and farewell dinner
- Entry into and guided tour of the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Place, and Suleymaniye Mosque
- Day trip to Gallipoli to pay your respects at the Lone Pine Cemetery and ANZAC Cove
- Day trip to the ancient town of Ephesus
- Guided tour of Kaymaklı Underground city in Soganlı Valley
- Walking tour with a local guide of Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, the Galata Bridge, and the Spice Markets
- Scenic drive along the beautiful Sea of Marmara
- Entry into the Goreme Open Air Museum
- Entry into to the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations
- Day trip to Izmir, the storied birthplace of Homer
- Local experience with village women making Soğanlı dolls, followed by an afternoon tea service
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Exclusions
- Flights to and from tour destination
- Travel insurance
- Entry visas
- Additional meals & alcohol (not in itinerary)
- Any tips and porterages
Itinerary
9 days | 10 nights
DAY 1
> TOUCH DOWN in Istanbul, Turkey
> MEET your fellow travellers and crew for the next week
DAY 2
> MARVEL at the tiled and sacred wonder that is Istanbul’s Blue Mosque
> LOSE YOURSELF in the bustling alleyways of the Grand Bazaar
> SOAK in a traditional Turkish bath
> BELLYDANCE the night away, following the lead of women decked in bangles and sequins
DAY 3
> COMMEMORATE at Gallipoli, visiting ANZAC Cove, Chunuk Bair & Lone Pine Cemetery
> DAYDREAM en route to Cannakale in a scenic drive passing the Sea of Marmara
> FERRY across the storied waters of the Dardanelles to Cannakale
> SUNBATHE the afternoon at one of the ancient Aegean cities sparkling beaches
DAY 4
> FUEL yourself for the day in a traditional Turkish breakfast of baked eggs
> HEAR stories of love & war as you travel back in time to the ancient world and learn about the myth of Troy
> SNAP a photo with the famous (and towering) Trojan Horse
> TRAVERSE Pergamon’s storied hillside ruins
> STROLL the palm tree-lined streets of Izmir, the birthplace of Homer, by night
DAY 5
> STEP into the shoes of Mark Antony and Cleopatra at Epheseus, the best preserved classical city in the Mediterranean
> EXPLORE incredible ruins, like the Temple of Artemis and the Library of Celsus
> MARVEL at the incredible natural landscape of Pamukkale (‘cotton castle’ in Turkish), with its flowing mineral water and snow white limestone terraces
> DINE with the crew on Turkish delicacies, trying piyaz salad and manti, a kind of turkish dumpling
DAY 6
> TOUR Hierapolis archaeological site, the famous aegean city of thermal spas
> HEAL in the magical thermal waters of a natural spring
> PILGRIMAGE to Konya, a city that dates back to 3000BC and is a captivating mix of old and new worlds
> HYPNOTISE at the sight of whirling dervish ceremonies, tessellated mosque walls and bustling bazaars
DAY 7
> LOSE yourself in Cappadoce at the Goreme Open Air Museum, ancient Byzantine monastic settlement and astounding complex of rock formations
> COMMUNE at the Dark Church, an 11th century monastery carved into a rock face
> DINNER by candlelight inside a restaurant carved deep inside the Turkish hills
> SNOOZE in the depths of a traditional cave hotel
DAY 8
> DESCEND to Kaymakli Underground City, a subterranean world of churches, homes, and stables
> SEE local village women make Soğanlı Dolls, a symbol of the region
> SIP TEA with locals in a special afternoon tea of turkish coffee and sweet tea, learning about their way of life
> WANDER the streets of Sinasos Greek Village, a charming town renowned for its well-preserved Greek architecture
DAY 9
> TREK through Zelve Open Air Museum, a cavernous world of homes, churches, and schools
> FANTASISE at Pasa Baglari, famous for its whimsical ‘fairy’ chimneys
> ARRIVE in Ankara, Turkey’s capital and home of the famous Kocatepe Mosque
> INDULGE yourself, feasting on grapes, ripe pears, and perhaps shopping for the city’s famous Angora wool
DAY 10
> LEARN about the past at the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations
> RECALIBRATE back in Istanbul, the ‘Paris of the East’
> FAREWELL dinner with the group