Wonderful 14 day tour - available every Sunday
(Explore Istanbul, Gallipoli, Dardanelles, Troya, Ephesus, Pamukkale and Cappadocia)
Small groups, skip the line admissions & excellent services

Program

- Monday - Day 2 - Istanbul -
In the morning , we will meet you at your hotel and take you on this enlightening walking tour of the old part to the Grand Bazaar area then we will make our way down to the water front near Eminonu.
You'll see hundreds of interesting shops lined up cozily side-by-side. Of course, there will be time for for a break at a typical Turkish cafe before indulging our taste buds in the Egyptian Spice Bazaar, tasting lokum (Turkish Delight) and other sweets.
* The Spice Bazaar/Egyptian Bazaar (Misir Carsisi) transports you back to the Silk Road days with its mystical aromas of various spices. Here, you'll also find other shops selling fruits, vegetables, teas, flowers, fish, and Turkish Delight (lokum).
* Bosphorus Cruise takes you though the waterway separating the two continents, Europe and Asia; along its shores, you can take photographs of marble palaces and antique wooden Ottoman-era villas that sit beside luxurious modern residences.
You will also see Dolmabahce Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, and Ortakoy Mosque from the Sea which will give you great advantage of taking wonderful photos.
Enjoy rest of the afternoon at leisure.
( You might take an optional afternoon tour to Topkapi Palace or another walking tour to the new part of the city. )
Overnight in Istanbul.

- Tuesday - Day 3 - Istanbul - (B/L)
In the morning we will meet you at your hotel and take you on a guided tour of the old part of the city.
Sites you’ll see today:
* Blue Mosque/Sultanahmet Mosque (Camii) built during the reign of Sultan Ahmet I during 1609-1616. It is the only mosque in Turkey with six minarets. Due to its magnificent hand-dyed blue, green and white Iznik tiles it has been named the "Blue Mosque" by Europeans. The central dome is 43 m in height and is 33.4 m in diameter; it also boasts 260 windows.
* Hagia Sophia/Aya Sofya is a truly awe-inspiring, 1,400-year-old Byzantine cathedral which houses mosaics, relics and iron work. Hagia Sophia was, for nearly a thousand years, the largest enclosed space in the world, and still seen as one of the world's most important architectural monuments.
* Hippodrome: the backdrop of chariot races and the center of Byzantine civic life. Of the ornaments which once decorated it, only three remain: The Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column, and the Column of Constantine.
The Obelisk is in the Egyptian style and was erected in 1547 BC and stood 60m tall.
* Grand Bazaar: this is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 streets and over 4,000 shops attracting between 250,000 and half-a-million visitors every day!
The Bazaar's construction began in 1455 and opened in 1461, and is still renowned today for its jewelry, ceramics, spices, textiles, and of course, carpet shops. Many of these shops are grouped together according to the wares being sold.
Enjoy rest of the afternoon at leisure.
Overnight in Istanbul.

- Wednesday - Day 4 - Istanbul to Canakkale - (B/L/D)
Early in the morning we will drive west, skirting the northern shore of the beautiful Sea of Marmara, heading towards the Aegean Sea.
Sites you’ll see today:
*Gallipoli (Gelibolu) and the Dardanelles --After our lunch, we will devote our afternoon to visiting Gallipoli, where fierce World War I fighting took place between Allied forces and the Turkish Army. At ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand Armed Corps) Cove, thousands lost their lives on one fateful dawn morning. We'll also visit other famous WWI battle sites and cemeteries in this area, including Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair. From here, we'll board a ferry and cross the Dardanelles Strait. World War I history buffs will know that the Dardanelles Strait was a strategic crossing point for the Allied armies to cross from Europe into Asia Minor.
*Canakkale will be our final destination for today and where we will spend our evening. After dinner, you might want to stroll the harbor and enjoy watching sunset.
Overnight in Canakkale

Thursday - Day 5 - Canakkale to Kusadasi - (B/L/D)
In the morning we will take you on a half day tour of the Ancient City of Troy.
*Troy (Truva) is the ancient site written about by Homer in the classic Iliad. It dates back to approximately 3,000 BC and has been the site of nine different cities through the thousands of years it has been in existence. Upon entering Troy, a large wooden Trojan horse full-scale reproduction will dominate your view. You'll definitely want to climb up and get your picture taken! There is also a small museum on-site to help you get oriented. After lunch, you will depart from Canakkale,
driving along the Aegean Sea south to the seaside city of Kusadasi. Upon arriving, you will check into your hotel.
Overnight in Kusadasi.

- Friday - Day 6 - Kusadasi - (B/L/D)
In the morning we will met you at your hotel and take you on a guided tour of Ephesus, Temple of Artemis and the House of Virgin Mary.
About the sites you will visit ;
*Ephesus is the best-preserved classical cities from ancient times, and was inhabited by Greeks, Macedonians, Romans and Turks. St. Paul lived here circa 60 AD, when it was at its most populated at 250,000.  During your visit, you’ll walk its stony boulevards, stand in the grand theatre, marvel at the beauty of the Celsus Library, the agora, as well as the baths, giving you the unique chance to get up-close-and-personal with history by literally being able to walk into it.
*The Temple of Artemis is situated in serene countryside celebrates the Greek goddess Artemis, the virginal huntress and twin of Apollo, who supplanted the Titan Selene as goddess of the Moon.  This temple, known as Artemision in Greek times, was the largest of its kind at the world
*The House of The Virgin Mary, (Turkish: Meryemana Evi), high on a hill overlooking the town of Selcuk, is where it is believed that St. Mary came to live with St. John the Baptist in the later years of her life.
Overnight in Kusadasi.

- Saturday - Day 7 - Kusadasi to Pamukkale - (B/L/D)
After breakfast, we will depart from Kusadasi to Pamukkale; upon arrival we will continue on the guided tour of Pamukkale and Hierapolis. Our drive will take us through a rich agricultural area, teeming with cotton fields and fruit orchards.
* Pamukkale ("cotton castle" in Turkish) is the result of limestone formations created over thousands of years. Warm, calcium-rich mineral water from nearby thermal hot springs flowed over these cliffs and, as these waters cooled, they deposited the calcium that we see today.
* Hierapolis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was founded as an ancient healing care center in 190 BC, taking advantage of the mineral waters. It was one of the most important intellectual, artistic, religious and commercial centers of the Roman Empire.
Overnight in Pamukkale.

- Sunday - Day 8 - Pamukkale to Kas - (B)
After breakfast, a scenic drive through the Taurus Mountains will take us to Kas,
Upon arrival,  you will check into your hotel and have a free day to relax and explore Kas at your own pace.
Overnight stay.

- Monday - Day 9 – Kas - Kekova - Kas - (B/L)
Around 09:30 am you will be picked up from your hotel and go on this wonderful all day tour.
You will first visit Myra the you will get on the boat and go on a full day tour to Kekova
18:00 Approx.. time for the tour ending. 

KEKOVA (SUNKEN CITY): Sunken ruins of kekova, an ancient town which was destroyed by an earthquake during the 2nd century. Rebuilt and still flourishing during the Byzantine Empire period, it was finally abandoned because of Arab incursions. Tersane (meaning "dockyard", as its bay was the site of an ancient city Xera and dockyard, with the ruins of a Byzantine church) is at the northwest of the island.
The Kekova region was declared a specially protected area on 18 January 1990 by Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forest.
Kalekoy is a Lycian site on the Turkish coast. It is a small village with the partly sunken ruins of Aperlae and a castle. Access to the village is possible only by sea.
Ucagiz is a village one km from Kaleköy, north of a small bay by the same name, with the ruins of Teimioussa to the east. The name Ucagiz means "three mouths", referring to the three exits to open sea.

-Tuesday - Day 10 - Kas - (B)
Breakfast at the hotel Day at leisure ---
Kas:The town of Kas is on a hill running down to the sea. The district has a typical Mediterranean climate of hot, dry summers and warm, wet winters, which allows the growth of oranges, lemons and bananas.
Kas itself is a quiet pleasant town with its blue sea and narrow streets scented with jasmine flowers. There are plenty of little guest houses, quiet cafes serving home cooking, or small bars to relax after a day's scuba diving. Kas has an annual arts festival, jazz concerts in the Hellenistic theatre and the Kiln Under the Sea arts collective have held underwater ceramics exhibitions here.
Overnight in Kas.

- Wednesday - Day 11 - Kas to Cappadocia - (B/L)
Today you will depart from Kas on a flight from Dalaman Airport to Cappadocia.
In the afternoon we will provide a transfer to Cappadocia, after arrival you will check in the hotel & have a free day to relax and explore Cappadocia on your own. Overnight stay in URGUP Cappadocia. 

- Thursday - Day 12 - Cappadocia - (B/L)
Today will be devoted to exploring more of Cappadocia's unforgettable sites.
(If you have purchased the optional hot-air ballooning tour, please note that you'll need to rise very early in the morning to go to the balloon-launch site. After the trip has concluded, we'll come back to the hotel for breakfast and have a rest before setting out in later in the morning to see the rest of the sites listed below.)
Sites you'll see today:
* Goreme Open-Air Museum - A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Goreme is an ancient town carved right out of the rock (tufa); you'll explore Byzantine-era churches, chapels and monasteries which house wonderfully-preserved 11th- and 12th-century cave frescoes.
* Fairy Chimneys--This strange geological phenomenon was created over millions of years, and were formed during regional volcanic eruptions. Reaching at times 40 meters in height, they are conical in shape and have a whimsical "hat" top to them.
* Devrent Valley--This valley is known as "the pink valley" because of the color of its soil. This is a lovely place to wander about and really take in the magical rock formations indicative to Cappadocia, including the Fairy Chimneys.
* Uchisar Castle, also known as Uchisar Fortress, is actually a formation of two gigantic rocks surrounded by smaller ones that together, form a natural fortress with towers. These formations were inhabited during both the Byzantine and Ottoman periods.
We'll also visit local crafts people and learn the special art of making dolls and traditional pottery.
Overnight in Cappadocia.

- Friday - Day 13 - Cappadocia to Istanbul - (B/L)
As we have a lengthy drive to our first destination, we'll be starting out quite early this morning. Today, we'll stroll through an amazing subterranean city where ancient Christians once hid from Arab invaders; we'll then wander through the Ihlara Gorge and spend time in a classic Anatolian village.
* Underground City of Derinkuyu--You'll gradually make your way down into the depths of the earth of this ancient settlement that has 18-20 floors which boast depths as long as 40 meters. (Don't worry, we'll only go down to the 8th floor!) You'll marvel at the fact that Derinkuyu is just one of 36 Cappadocian underground cities, which archaeologists date back to the time of the Hittites around 4,000 years ago.
* Ihlara Gorge is an oasis in the middle of the Anatolian plain. We'll explore the canyon and take in the beautiful green scenery as we stroll casually alongside the river. Here, you'll see ancient monasteries complete with pigeon holes carved into the cliffs by the monks; the pigeons acted as messengers to communicate with neighboring monks!
* Traditional Anatolian village -- You'll see head-scarved women in the fields (where they work from sun up until sundown) and the moustached, vest-wearing men hard-at-work playing cards or tavla (backgammon) in the kahvehane (coffee shop). You'll get time to stroll in a village such as this and see the average Turkish villager at work...or play.

After the tour we will provide a transfer to Cappadocia Airport and put you on a short domestic flight back to Istanbul.
Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
Overnight in Istanbul.

- Saturday - Day 14 - Istanbul to Home -
Gule, Gule! Farewell! It is time to go home. We will transfer you to the airport and wish you well, asking you to keep Turkey in your heart, and hope that our paths will cross again.

*** Program ends ***

Total cost $1.885.00 US Dollars for per person in a double room

Small group tour

Note: ( Rates are subjected to change for late and last minute bookings, contact us for definite rates)

Price includes
* Centrally located superior hotels
* All land transfers with comfortable vehicles
* All of the meals mentioned in the itinerary (B-breakfast, L-lunch & D-dinner)
* Professional, English-speaking tour guides
* Admissions to Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Cappadocia sites
* Cruise on the Bosphorus
* Domestic fight tickets from Dalaman to Cappadocia
* Domestic flight tickets from Cappadocia to Istanbul
* All taxes and service charges

Excludes
* International flight tickets to Istanbul
* Hot Air Balloon tour on Cappadocia (%15 percent discount if booked with this package)
* Drinks with meals