Turkey History Private 13 days Guided Tour & Flights in 4 star

Day 1: Arrival to Istanbul

1. Istanbul
   1h
   Welcome to Turkey. Arrive in Istanbul Airport ( IST ) or to Sabiha Gokcen Airport ( SAW ) , Our representative will meet you at the airport with your name sign and private transfer to the hotel for overnight stay in Istanbul.

Day 2: Full Day Istanbul Walking Tour (Breakfast)

1. Hippodrome
   20m
   Our tour starts with Hippodrome Square where used to take place for chariot races and the Byzantine riots during Roman and Byzantine period.
2. Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque
   1h
   Only a short walk away, reaches Hagia Sophia built in 532 AD by Roman Emperor Justinian I.
   
   Update for St. Sophia interior visit :
   Live guiding is not allowed in St. Sophia after the 15th January 2024. Guests have to have their smart phones and headphones during their visit. If guests do not have a headphone, they can buy at the entrance at the cost of 3,5-USD
   The system is similar to audio guide system. Guests who does not have smart phones will follow the signs and the given informations on the signs .
3. Blue Mosque
   45m
   Visit Blue Mosque, which has its fame from its beautiful blue Iznik tiles
4. TopkapI Palace
   2h · Admission ticket included
   We will continue walking to Topkapi Palace, was not only the residence of the Ottoman sultans, but also the administrative and educational center of the state. It was constructed between 1460 and 1478 by Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople. We will visit the Topkapi Palace including weapons section.
5. Misir Carsisi
   1h 15m
   We will visit Spice Bazaar (Egyptian Bazaar): The air here is filled with the enticing aromas of cinnamon, caraway, saffron, mint, thyme and every other concievable herb and spice.

Day 3: Istanbul – Gallipoli – Canakkale (Breakfast, Dinner)

1. Istanbul
   Pass by
   You will have a morning departure for Gallipoli which takes around 4 hours.
2. Gallipoli National Park
   4h · Admission ticket included
   You will visit Anzac Cove ,Chunuk Bair, Lone pine cemetery and Gabate War Museum in the national park and then, you will have a ferry for crossing the Dardanelles to Canakkale.
3. Canakkale
   Pass by
   After the tour program drive to your hotel for overnight in Canakkale.

Day 4: Canakkale – Troy – Pergamum -Kusadasi (Breakfast, Dinner)

1. Canakkale
   Pass by
   After breakfast, check out from your hotel and drive to Troy around 30 minutes.
2. Troy (Truva)
   1h 30m · Admission ticket included
   We will visit the famous archaeological and mythological site of Troy, home of the “Trojan Horse” and “Helen of Troy”.
   Then, departure for Pergamon.
3. Akropolis
   3h · Admission ticket included
   After a 3 hour drive, we will reach to Pergamum, called Bergama nowadays.
   We will visit The city of Pergamon in the north of the Aegean of West Anatolia with the frontiers to ancient Mysia, forms a significant part of the Aegean and Asia Minor history with Acropolis, one of the centres of Helenistic and Roman ages.
4. Kusadasi
   Pass by
   End of the tour, drive to Kusadasi for around 2,5 hours and check in to your hotel for overnight in Kusadasi.

Day 5: Kusadasi – Ephesus Tour – Kusadasi (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

1. The Temple of Artemis
   20m
   Your guide will meet you at your hotel lobby after breakfast, and you will depart for Ephesus region and arriva there in 25 minutes.
   First, visit the Artemission Temple where is one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World.
2. Ephesus Ancient City
   2h · Admission ticket included
   Continue to Ephesus.visit Ephesus, one of the 12 cities of Ionia (an ancient Greek district on the western coast of Asia Minor) is located near Izmir. As a port city at the mouth of the Cayster (modern Küçükmenderes) River, it was a major departure point for trade routes into Asia Minor. Known in antiquity for its sacred shrines, notably a famous temple (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) to the goddess Artemis, or Diana, the city was also an important center of early Christianity.
3. Selcuk
   1h 30m
   After Ephesus, lunch will be served in the garden of a local handicrafts center. Here you can see some of the traditional carpet weaving techniques used and enjoy viewing some splendid displays of beautiful carpets.
4. The House of the Virgin Mary
   1h · Admission ticket included
   After Lunch visit House of Virgin Mary. This house is located on the Aladag Mountains 5 miles from Ephesus. At the third Ecumenical Council of 431 in Ephesus, it was claimed that Mary came to Ephesus with St. John in 37 A.D. and lived there until her death in 48 A.D. After the discovery of the house, the Archbishop of Izmir declared it a place of pilgrimage in 1892. On July 26, 1967, Pope Paul VI visited this place and prayed here.
5. Kusadasi
   Pass by
   End of the tour, drive back to your hotel in Kusasdasi, for overnight.

Day 6: Kusadasi – Pamukkale Tour (Breakfast, Dinner)

1. Kusadasi
   Pass by
   After breakfast check out from the hotel and drive to Pamukkale for around 3 hours.
2. Hierapolis & Pamukkale
   4h · Admission ticket included
   Upon your arrival to Pamukkale; Visit the ancient city of Hierapolis with the Theatre, Apollo Temple and magnificent Necropolis, the graveyard . We wil visit The travertine terraces at Pamukkale are one of the most spectacular natural wonders we ever have seen from various mineral springs in a vast white cliff side. It looks like creations from snow or like balls from cotton, which gave the scenery the Turkish name Pamukkale (cotton castle)
3. Pamukkale
   10m
   End of the tour, drive to your hotel for check in and overnight.
   You can use the thermal pools until 22:00.

Day 7: Pamukkale – Konya (Breakfast)

1. Pamukkale
   Pass by
   After breakfast, drive to Konya for around 4,5 hours.
2. Mevlana Muzesi
   3h · Admission ticket included
   Upon your arrival to Konya, visit to Mevlana Sufi temple. Mevlana is the founder of Sufism and whirling Dervishes. visiting the Mausoleum of Mevlana, the world-wide famous mystic, proceed to Karatay Theological School in which beautiful tiles are on display.
3. Konya
   Pass by
   End of the tour, check in to your hotel for overnight in Konya.

Day 8: Konya – Cappadocia (Breakfast)

1. Konya
   Pass by
   After breakfast, check out from your hotel and drive to Cappadocia region for around 3 hours.
2. Sultanhani Kervansarayi
   1h · Admission ticket included
   On the way to Cappadocia, visit to Sultanhani Caravanseria where is around 1 hour drive from Konya. It is a roadside inn where travellers could rest and recover from the day’s journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across a network of trade routes of Asia, North Africa and South-Eastern Europe on the legendary Silk Road and the Spice road.
3. Cappadocia
   Pass by
   Upon your arrival to Cappadocia region, check in to your hotel for overnight.

Day 9: Cappadocia Tour (Breakfast)

1. Kaymakli Underground City
   1h · Admission ticket included
   After breakfast you will first visit the Kaymaklı Underground City, one of the most interesting underground settlements in Cappadocia.
2. Soganli Valley
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Then, continue with Soğanlı Valley, an Open Air Museum in a wild natural setting near a typical Cappadocian village with its different style Rock-Cut churches and frescoes. Villages in the valleys, surrounded by the “table top” mountains, are spectacular.
3. Keslik Monastery
   50m · Admission ticket included
   After, visit the Keslik Monastery near Cemil, that hides its frescoes behind a very thin smoke layer which we can only see by torch light.
4. 45m
   Our tour finishes with a visit to Mustafapaşa (Sinasos), an old Greek town with its spectacular old Greek houses; very fine examples of late Greek settlements and architecture.
5. Cappadocia
   Pass by
   Drive back to your hotel for overnight in Cappadocia.

Day 10: Cappadocia Tour (Breakfast, Lunch)

1. Devrent Valley
   1h · Admission ticket included
   After breakfast your guide will pick you up from your hotel lobby.
   First meeting with the lunar landscape of Cappadocia: rock formations beyond belief in Devrent valley; a journey in the past with its troglodyte houses.
2. Pasabag Vadisi
   1h · Admission ticket included
   We will continue with Pasabag “fairy chimneys” where the voice of wind mixes with the “songs of fairies” near Zelve.
3. Avanos
   1h 30m
   Lunch in Avanos, centre of terra cotta work of art since 3000 BC. and a demonstration in a traditional pottery workshop.
4. Goreme Open Air Museum
   2h · Admission ticket included
   Afternoon, visit the famous Goreme Open Air Museum and see the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia in rock-cut churches with frescoes and paintings (10th to 13th century).
5. Uchisar Castle
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Before driving back to your hotel, our last visit will be to Uchisar Rock-Castle to have a panoramic view of the valleys of Cappadocia.

Day 11: Cappadocia – Ankara (Breakfast)

1. Ankara
   Pass by
   After breakfast, check out from your hotel and drive to Ankara for around 3 hours. Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and it is the second largest city with over 5,5 million population.
2. Anitkabir
   1h 15m
   You will first, visit the Anıtkabir.
   Anıtkabir, the eternal resting place of the Great Leader Atatürk, founder of the Republic of Turkey, is located in the heart of Ankara.
   The themes of reliefs and statues prepared for Anıtkabir are chosen from the history, the history of the Turkish War of Independence and the Republic, and Atatürk's life.
3. Anadolu Medeniyetleri Muzesi
   1h · Admission ticket included
   The history of Ankara's first museum dates back to 1921. With Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s idea of establishing an Hittite Museum in the center of the country, Hittite art works were collected from all over the country. Mr. Mubarek Galip, Cultural Director at the time, took the first step by converting the Ankara Castle's Akkale Bastion, Augustus Temple and the Roman Bath into a museum.
   
   When the limited area of Akkale was not enough, the restoration of idle Mahmutpasa Covered Bazaar and Kursunlu Inn, which were in the vicinity of Ankara Castle started. The restoration started in 1938 and was completed in 1968. While the restoration was going on, the central area of the closed bazaar was completed in 1943 and was opened to visitors.
4. Ankara
   Pass by
   End of the tour, check in to your hotel and overnight in Ankara.

Day 12: Ankara – Istanbul (Breakfast)

1. Ankara
   Pass by
   After breakfast drive to Istanbul through Bolu, for around 4,5 hours.
2. Grand Bazaar
   1h 15m
   Afternoon you will have free time in Grand Bazaar for shopping.
   Grand Bazaar; where is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 1,200 shops which attract between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. Opened in 1461, it is well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops.
3. Bosphorus Strait
   1h 15m · Admission ticket included
   After Grand Bazaar visit, you will have a boat trip on the bosphorus A traditional excursion by boat along the waterway seperating Europe and Asia. The shore is lined with old wooden villas, palaces of marble, fortresses, and small fishing villages.
4. Istanbul
   Pass by
   End of the tour, check in to your hotel for overnight in Istanbul.

Day 13: Istanbul - Home (Breakfast)

1. Istanbul
   Pass by
   Our driver will take you from your hotel upon your departure flight time, and transfer you to airport for your flight back home.
   End of our services.

Pickup details

Private pick up and transfer from Istanbul Airport ( IST ) and Sabiha Gokcen ( SAW ).

• Specialized infant seats are available
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness