[ Image – Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey ] 

Itinerary

Day 1 – Istanbul Arrival Day
Meet at the airport. Transfer to your hotel. You will be given your room key and the rest of the day is yours to explore Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul. D

Day 2 – Istanbul City Tour
Pick up at 08:30 am from your hotel for a day tour of old Istanbul city. Visit Topkapı Palace, the great palace of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th centuries, housing an exquisite collection of crystal, silver, and Chinese porcelain, robes worn by the sultans and their families, the famous jewels of the Imperial Treasury, miniatures, and the Holy Mantle enshrining relics of the Prophet Muhammad.

Sultanahmet Imperial Mosque, across from Hagia Sophia, built in the 16th century by the architect Mehmet, is known as the Blue Mosque because of its magnificent interior decoration of blue İznik tiles. Ancient Hippodrome, the scene of chariot races, with three monuments: the Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column, and the Column of Constantine.

Lunch break at 13:00 pm, after which we will take you to the Grand Covered Bazaar. In this labyrinth of streets and passages are more than 4,000 shops, each trade having its own area: the goldsmiths’ street, the carpet sellers, Turkish arts and crafts such as hand-painted ceramic plates, hand-honed copperware, brassware and trays, water ewers, onyx-ware, and meerschaum pipes. After the tour, transfer back to your hotel. Overnight in Istanbul. B, L, D

Day 3 – Gallipoli Tour
06:30 am we depart for Gallipoli to visit the battlefields. Two hours later we will give you 20 minutes to relax in a restaurant area. We arrive in Gallipoli around midday and have lunch, relax a little, and then depart for the battlefields. Visit Kabatepe Museum. Start visiting the fields with Anzac Cove and Ari Burnu Cemetery, the places where the war had started. Then Beach Cemetery, Shrapnel Valley, and Plugge’s Plateau.

After the tour, drive to your hotel. Overnight in Çanakkale. B, L, D

Day 4 – Troy Tour – Pergamon – Kuşadası
We depart at 08:30 and drive for 30 minutes to Troy. Visit the famous archaeological and mythological site of Troy, home of the Trojan Horse and Helen of Troy. After the Troy tour, we have a 3-hour drive to Pergamon. Lunch break around 1 pm and after lunch we depart for our tour of the magnificent acropolis of Pergamon. Its impressive temples and library made it a renowned cultural and political centre at that time. Pergamon is a famous city for its jewellery, stones, and silver. On the way, we will visit a jewellery centre for 30 minutes.

Arrival in Kuşadası around 6 pm. Overnight in Kuşadası. B, L, D

Day 5 – Kuşadası – Ephesus Tour – Turkish Village Şirince
08:30 Departure from the hotel for our fully guided tour of Ephesus, one of the best-preserved ancient sites in the world, visiting the Temple of Artemis, Curetes Street, the Roman baths, Celsus Library, Grand Theatre, and House of the Virgin Mary. Lunch break around 1 pm. After lunch, we will visit a carpet weaving centre.

After lunch we will do a Turkish Village Tour. Şirince’s construction style today belongs to Anatolian Greeks. The houses on the slope are all original with their white paint. Şirince Village also has a fantastic reputation for making some of the best wines in Turkey, especially fruit wines. We will visit the vineyards and learn how to make fruit wine with Turkish winemakers.

In the evening, you will be tested on your knowledge of making fruit wine. On the way, we will visit one of the famous leather production centres 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. Overnight in Kuşadası. B, L, D

Day 6 – Kuşadası – Pamukkale Tour
At 08:30 we depart for Pamukkale. We shall visit the calcium terraces of Pamukkale (Cotton Castle) and the ruins of Hierapolis, then walk around this natural phenomenon. You have the option of lying in the waters of the natural springs. Afterwards, we transfer to our hotel for check-in. Overnight in Pamukkale. B, L, D

Day 7 – Pamukkale to Antalya
After breakfast, at 10 am we depart for Antalya. After 2 hours we will have a coffee break. Afterwards, we will continue to Antalya. Overnight in Antalya. B, D

Day 8 – Antalya Old City Tour and Waterfall
After breakfast at approx. 08:30 am we drive to Antalya Old City (Kaleiçi), Marina, Clock Tower, Hadrian’s Gate, Broken Minaret, Hıdırlık Tower. Kaleiçi 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 Roman town, then Byzantine, then Seljuk, and finally Ottoman.

The Hadrian’s Gate (or Hadrianus Gate or The Three Gates) is a triumphal arch built in the name of the Roman emperor Hadrian. Antalya’s broken wonder is the Broken Minaret of the Korkut Mosque, which was originally a Roman temple in the 2nd century AD. Hıdırlık Tower is a landmark tower of tawny stone in Antalya, Turkey, where Kaleiçi meets Karaalioglu Park.

It is believed to be built in the Hellenistic era on a square plan and later turned into a circular tower in the 2nd century AD. It was either used as a fortification or a lighthouse in the past. We have lunch then depart for Düden waterfalls.

After our tour we head back to the hotel and the rest of the day is yours. Overnight in Antalya. B, L, D

Day 9 – Antalya – Konya – Cappadocia
After breakfast early in the morning at 8 am we drive to Konya. Once we reach Konya we will stop at a restaurant for lunch at 1 pm. After lunch, we visit the imposing green-tiled Mausoleum of Mevlana, the mystic founder of the Sufi sect (Whirling Dervishes). After the Konya Mevlana tour, drive to Cappadocia.

Arrival in Cappadocia around 6:30 pm and check into our hotel. If you wish to join our optional activity of ballooning tomorrow, please talk to your guide and register, as it will take place early the next morning. Overnight in Cappadocia. B, L, D

Day 10 – Cappadocia Tour including Underground City and Göreme Open Air Museum
You will be picked up approximately 09:30 am. We will drive to Derinkuyu Underground City, one of the best-preserved and deepest underground cities in Cappadocia. Derinkuyu Underground City is 55 meters deep and 8 levels are open to visitors. Then we visit Uçhisar Castle, the highest point of Cappadocia.

After Uçhisar, you visit Göreme Open Air Museum, the heart of Cappadocia. Göreme Open Air Museum is famous for frescoes dating back to the 10th century. Next stop is Çavuşin, an abandoned village with old cave Greek houses.

After Çavuşin you go to a restaurant in Avanos for lunch. After lunch, we visit a pottery workshop. Then you go to Paşabağı where you can see three-headed fairy chimneys. After Paşabağı we visit another workshop to see Cappadocian handwoven carpets and kilims.

Next stop is Devrent Valley, also called Imagination Valley, where you can see natural rock formations looking like animals. Then we head to a wine shop in Ürgüp for some wine tasting. Last stop is Three Beauties, three beautiful fairy chimneys with their hats, which are the symbol of Cappadocia. This tour will end approximately 6 pm when we transfer back to our hotel. Overnight in Cappadocia. B, L, D

Day 11 – Cappadocia to Ankara City Tour – Istanbul
We depart at 8 am for Ankara (4 hours’ journey). On the way, we will stop at Salt Lake, a natural salt lake and the second-largest lake in Turkey. Arrival in Ankara around 12:30 and we have a lunch break. After lunch, we visit Atatürk Museum at the Atatürk Mausoleum (Atatürk is the founder of modern Turkey). Then depart for Istanbul. After 2.5 hours we will have a coffee break in a restaurant area. After the break, 2.5 hours’ drive to Istanbul. Arrival in Istanbul around 7 pm. Overnight in Istanbul. B, L, D

Day 12 – Istanbul – End of Tour
After breakfast check out from the hotel and transfer back to Istanbul Atatürk Airport. B

THIS ITINERARY IS THE PROPERTY OF THE TOUR COMPANY AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.

Available dates: April to September
Pricing: Price on application. Email info@travlink.net or within NZ call 0800 99 77 88 for more about this unique tour