Treasures of Turkey

Day 1

Fly to Istanbul. You will be met on arrival and transferred to your city centre hotel for our 3-night stay.

Day 2

Explore Istanbul’s landmark sites including the once mighty Hippodrome, the Blue Mosqueand the Hagia Sophia, the crowning achievement of the Byzantine Empire. Discover the beauty of Topkapi Palace and immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the Grand Bazaar. Later, dine at the atmospheric Cicek Pasaji (Flower Passage) which is a small, covered street of traditional restaurants that serve typical Turkish dishes. 2 Explore Istanbul’s landmark sites including the once mighty Hippodrome, the Blue Mosqueand the Hagia Sophia, the crowning achievement of the Byzantine Empire. Discover the beauty of Topkapi Palace and immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the Grand Bazaar. Later, dine at the atmospheric Cicek Pasaji (Flower Passage) which is a small, covered street of traditional restaurants that serve typical Turkish dishes.

Day 3

Explore the Fener and Balat districts and walk through their colourful and labyrinth-like historical streets. We visit the Egyptian Bazaar and Tahtakale, the traditional hardware district, with its beautiful 16th-century Mosque. This afternoon, enjoy a private cruise along the Bosporus Strait, to witness the city’s minaretstudded skyline. In the evening enjoy your dinner at a fish restaurant overlooking the Bosporus

Day 4

After breakfast drive approximately 4 hours to reach the arid hills of the Gallipoli Peninsula. Visit the key battlefields and memorials from World War I. Later travel from Europe to Asia across the Dardanelles – either
by ferry or across the 1915 Canakkale Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world. After checking into the hotel in Canakkale (1-night), enjoy a complimentary drink and raise a toast in memory of the 111,000 lives lost in one of the WWI’s bloodiest campaigns

Day 5

Discover the fabled World Heritage site of Troy, with its multi-layered history and wonderful legends. Continue to the Greco-Roman city of Pergamon, perched on its acropolis, with farreaching views. Enjoy a special lunch at typical village houses before continuing to Selcuk (2-nights).

Day 6

This morning explore the World Heritage site of Ephesus, one of the best-preserved ancient sites in the world. Enjoy a picnic lunch with a cookery class experience. Later, learn how hand-woven Turkish carpets are produced, then continue to the beautiful old village of Sirince, known for its olive oil, fruit and wine production. In the evening dine at a traditional koftecisi, specialising in local delicacies.

Day 7

After breakfast set off to the little-visited ancient site of Magnesia, continuing to the extraordinary thermal waters and geological formations of where you have the chance to relax in Pamukkale (1-night) and enjoy the hotel’s facilities.

Day 8

Explore the Hellenistic site of Hierapolis, an important trading post on the routes connecting East to West. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by spectacular views of the calcium pools that have been formed by the spring
waters of Hierapolis. Later drive to the coastal city of Antalya (2-nights)

Day 9

Today you will visit the impressive ruins of Perge and Aspendos, as well as the picturesque waterfalls of Manavgat, rounded off with a private boat trip along Antalya’s attractive shoreline.

Day 10

Drive northeast from the coast onto the Anatolian Plateau arriving at the traditional town of Konya (1-night).

Day 11

Set off from Konya and drive first to Sultanhani Caravanserai – one of the most significant and best-preserved camel stopovers on the historic camel trail from China or Central Asia. Continue to the other-worldly landscapes of Cappadocia (3-nights). After dinner at the hotel, visit the historic Saruhan Caravanserai to see the Sema Ritual performed by Whirling Dervishes, a deeply mystical experience where the dancers fall into a rhythmic trance-like state.

Day 12

This morning at sunrise you have the optional opportunity (Not Included) to enjoy an unforgettable experience: to float in a hot-air balloon over Cappadocia’s extraordinary landscapes of volcanic cones. Later, start a full
day exploration of the region with a visit to the monastic centre of Goreme now the area is an ‘open-air museum’, with rock-hewn churches and monastic dwellings dotting the landscape. Later visit the picturesque Pasabag Valley and the underground city of Kaymakli, before stopping at the rock-carved natural citadel of Uchisar with its spectacular views of the whole region. Enjoy dinner at a popular local restaurant
this evening.

Day 13

Enjoy the scenic beauty of Mustafapasa and the rock-cut churches of Soganli. Also discover the art of Turkish home cooking! In the afternoon continue to Soganli Valley, where the rock-cut churches date from the 9th to 13th centuries .This evening, once again, we head out to a local restaurant for dinner.

Day 14

Say goodbye to Cappadocia and drive around 3 to 4 hours to Ankara (1-night), capital of Turkey and the country’s second-largest city after Istanbul. We visit the Anatolian Civilizations Museum and the colossal
Mausoleum of Ataturk.

Day 15

To Ankara Airport for our flight to Istanbul. Here, transfer to the hotel for lunch and enjoy a free afternoon in one of the world’s great cities. You can either explore independently or choose from a number of optional excursions (Not Included).

Day 16

After breakfast at the hotel transfer to Istanbul Airport for your flight back home.