Turkish Express Tour - 9 days
Small Group Tour / Guaranteed departures
Accommodation in Superior First Class Hotels (4-5 star)
• Istanbul (1) • Ankara (1) • Cappadocia (2) • Pamukkale (1) •Kusadasi (1) •
Canakkale (1) • Istanbul (1)
Category:
Guaranteed departures, land journey, roundtrip, most popular cities, ideal for first-time travelers
Day 1: Arrive Istanbul
Arrive at Ataturk airport in Istanbul and transfer to our hotel.
Overnight: Istanbul Hotel
Day 2: Istanbul City Tour - Ankara (B, D)
After breakfast, we will begin our full day sightseeing tour of
Istanbul. We will visit Topkapi Palace, stunning palace/museum
which was the imperial residence and the administrative center
of the Ottoman Empire for 400 hundred years. Later we will
explore the ancient Roman Hippodrome (center of the chariot
races) and proceed to the Hagia Sophia, ancient Byzantine church
which was converted to a mosque in 15th century. This is a
remarkable structure where you can see the Christian mosaics and
fine examples of Islamic calligraphy next to each other. We will
continue our Sultanahmet tour with the Blue Mosque which is
famous for its six minarets and beautiful blue Iznik tiles.
Finally we will stop at Grand Covered Bazaar and will have free
time to discover 4000 tiny shops in the passageways of the
world’s largest covered bazaar. You can enjoy local tastes in
one of the little snack shops where locals stop to refresh
before they continue drifting in the alleys of the bazaar.
Late departure to Ankara and check in to our hotel in Ankara.
Optional Tours: Visit Harem and the Imperial Treasury in Topkapi
Palace.
Overnight: Ankara Hotel
Day 3: Ankara - Cappadocia (B, D)
After breakfast we will visit the Ataturk Mausoleum and
Anatolian Civilizations Museum. (selected Best European Museum
of the Year in 1997) Then we depart to Cappadocia. After a
picturesque trip along the Salt Lake, we will visit 13th century Agzikarahan
caravanserai; caravanserais are inns built by Seljuk Turks to
ensure travel and trade safety of the merchant caravans
traveling on the Silk Road.
Arrival to the Cappadocia region and overnight.
Overnight: Cappadocia Hotel
Day 4: Cappadocia (B, D)
Today we will begin our tour on this magical land; the
unique landscape of cone-shaped volcanic formations called fairy
chimneys. We will walk through the volcanic valleys to view the
spectacular fairy chimneys at Pasabagi, visit the rock-carved
churches and chapels containing remarkable frescoes in Goreme
Open Air Museum and the
natural carved fortress Uchisar. We will return our hotel for
dinner.
Optional: Sunrise Balloon Tour; glide over this magical land at
the dawn.
Optional1: Whirling Dervishes performance
Overnight: Cappadocia Hotel.
Day 5: Cappadocia – Pamukkale (B, D)
After breakfast we will drive to Pamukkale, ancient spa center
and the unique natural site of white limestone terraces
cascading down the mountain slope. En-route we will pay a visit
to Konya, city where Mevlana Rumi is
buried, founder of the most well-known Sufi order, Mevleviye.
They are also known as the “Whirling Dervishes” due to their
famous practice of whirling ceremony called Sema which
represents a spiritual journey through mind and love to
"Perfect”. Chanting of poetry, rhythmic rotation, and mystical
music create a synthesis which is a very unique experience. In
Konya, we will visit the Mevlana Museum and then continue to
Hierapolis, the ‘Sacred City’, it is a World Heritage Site, and
a "must-see" location with the largest Necropolis (large
cemetery of monumental tombs) in Anatolia, temple of Apollo, and
Roman health spa ruins.
Overnight: Pamukkale Hotel
Day 6: Pamukkale – Kusadasi- Ephesus & St. Mary tour (B,
D)
Morning departure to Kusadasi. We will visit the glorious
Greco-Roman ruins of Ephesus, one of the best preserved
classical city of the Eastern Mediterranean dated back to 2000
years BC. We will walk along the sacred marble street connecting
the Great Theater with the library of Celsius. We will see the
Commercial Agora and walk along the marble Curetes Street which has beautiful mosaics
paved on sidewalks, explore the gymnasium, visit temple of
Hadrian, and lots of other interesting monuments of the old
Roman city. Later we will drive to the hilltop where we visit
the miraculously discovered Virgin Mary’s House. Return hotel for dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Kusadasi Hotel
Day 7: Pergamum - Troy - Canakkale (B, D)
After breakfast we will drive to Pergamum, the ancient city of
learning, arts and medicine. Pergamum was home of the famous
physician Galen and the city where parchment was invented. In
well restored Pergamum, we will see the ruins of the magnificent
Acropolis, Altar of Zeus, Temple of Dionysus and the steepest
amphitheater of the ancient world. Then drive to Troy, Homer’s
legendary city in Iliad and Odyssey. We will see Troy's
legendary walls and replica of the famous wooden horse used
during the Trojan War.
Overnight: Canakkale Hotel.
Day 8: Gallipoli - Dardanelles - Istanbul (B)
Today
we will visit Gallipoli, the World War I battlefields, Anzac
Cove, Chunuk Bair, Lone pine Cemetery and Kabatepe War Museum. Then we
will take the ferry across the Dardanelles Strait to Istanbul
for overnight.
Overnight: Istanbul
Day
9: Istanbul – Departure (B)
Transfer to airport for flight back home. Thank you for
visiting Turkey!
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