| 15 Days ~ Turkey
Tour Pace
A well paced tour with relaxing 2 night stays
often punctuating the itinerary where necessary. Day 8 in Antalya is
completely at leisure for guests to relax or hit the beach and shops. In
towns and cities where we stay only one night, the driving days are not too
long, with frequent stops for sightseeing.
DAY 1 –
ISTANBUL AT LEISURE
Welcome to Turkey! You
are met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Get together in the
evening to meet your Tour Director and fellow passengers for a Welcome
Drink. Hotel: Conrad.
DAY 2 –
ISTANBUL – BURSA
Embark on a superb
Highlight cruise along the Bosphorus past Ottoman palaces, old mansions and
fortresses. Leaving Istanbul, take a short ferry trip and drive to Iznik.
Visit the ruins of St Sophia and see the city walls before continuing to
Bursa. In the afternoon there is time to haggle in the bazaar and silk
markets. Hotel: Kervansaray Termal. (Buffet breakfast, dinner)
DAY 3 – BURSA
– ANKARA
Visit the glorious Green
Mosque and Mausoleum complex and Grand Mosque in Bursa before driving to the
charming Cumalikizik Village with its traditional wooden houses and narrow
cobblestone streets. Visit Gordion, where Alexander the Great cut the famous
Gordion Knot, en route to Turkey’s modern capital, Ankara. Hotel: Sheraton.
(Buffet breakfast, dinner)
DAY 4 – ANKARA
– CAPPADOCIA
Sightseeing includes
visits to the Hittite Museum and Anit Kabir, the mausoleum of Ataturk,
Turkey’s greatest leader in modern times. Visit the mausoleum of Sufi
philosopher Haci Bektas before heading to Nevsehir in the historic
Cappadocia region. Hotel: Dedeman. (Buffet breakfast, dinner)
DAY 5 –
CAPPADOCIA – GöREME EXCURSION
In
this unique region of volcanic landscapes and ‘fairy-chimneys’, visit Göreme’s
rock-carved churches, see ancient frescoes in the open-air museum and seethe
Zelve valleys, where the scenery is dotted withcaves and troglodyte
dwellings. Visit the underground city of Kaymakli and see the cone of
Uchisar. Enjoy dinner at the hotel followed by a colourful folklore show in
an underground cave, featuring dancesfrom the different regions. (Buffet
breakfast, Specialty Highlight Dinner)
DAY 6 –
CAPPADOCIA – KONYA
Visit the Caravanserai
of Sultanhani before driving to Turkey’s most religious city, Konya,
which was once the home of the mystic sect of Whirling Dervishes and the
old capital of the Anatolian Seljuk Empire. Visit the Mevlana Museum, with
its beautiful fluted turquoise dome, and see the Karatay Medrese and Ince
Minaret. Hotel: Dedeman. (Buffet breakfast, dinner)
DAY 7 – KONYA
– ANTALYA
Descend the Taurus
mountains and drive to Aspendos to visit what is considered the best
preserved Roman Theatre anywhere in the world. Drive to the Hellenistic or
Roman city of Perge to visit the extensive ruins, including the great
Theatre, the Stadium, and the gate-towers leading into a street where
ancient chariot ruts can still be seen. As night falls, enjoy a walking
tour of Antalya’s Old Town. Hotel: Sheraton Voyager. (Buffet
breakfast, dinner)
DAY 8 – ANTALYA
AT LEISURE
The day is set aside to
relax and explore Antalya or enjoy the leisure facilities of the hotel.
Other suggestions include a stroll around the harbour area or taking a boat
trip off the coast. (Buffet breakfast, dinner)
DAY 9 – ANTALYA
– PAMUKKALE
Pass pine forests and
cross the Taurus mountains on your way to Pamukkale. On arrival, visit the
ruins of Hierapolis and the beautiful ‘Cotton Castle’ – an apt
description of its dazzling white limestone terraces. Hotel: Colossae
Thermal. (Buffet breakfast, dinner)
DAY 10 –
PAMUKKALE – KUSADASI
Visit the Temple of
Aphrodite at amazing Aphrodisias before continuing to your beautiful
beach-front hotel in the lively coastal town of Kusadasi. Hotel: Korumar.
(Buffet breakfast, dinner)
DAY 11 –
KUSADASI – IZMIR
Tour one of the world’s
finest archeological sites, Ephesus. Visit the Amphitheatre and walk
alongthe Arcadian Way to view the splendid facade ofthe Library of Celsus.
Visit the House of the Virgin Mary, situated above the ruins, before
continuing to the Selçuk archeological museum, where many artifacts from
Ephesus are displayed. Stay overnight in the Aegean port of Izmir. Hotel: Crowne
Plaza. (Buffet breakfast, dinner)
DAY 12 – IZMIR
– ÇANAKKALE
Stop in Pergamon, the
impressive site of an ancient kingdom, to visit the Acropolis, the Temple of
Athenaand library, before viewing the Red Courtyard andthe ruins of the
Asklepieon. Drive to Homer’s Troy tosee the ruins of nine cities built on
top of each other, and an enormous reconstruction of the famous wooden
horse. The evening is spent in Çanakkale. Hotel: Kolin. (Buffet
breakfast, dinner)
DAY 13 –
ÇANAKKALE – ISTANBUL
Cross the Dardanelle
Straits by ferry and continue to the Gallipoli Peninsula, scene of fierce
fighting in World War One. Pay your respects at Anzac Cove and visit the
emotive Lone Pine Cemetery before returning to Istanbul. Hotel: Conrad.
(Buffet breakfast)
DAY 14 –
ISTANBUL SIGHTSEEING
Visit the Blue Mosque and
the Hippodrome, where Roman chariot races were held. Also visit St Sophia, a
former cathedral and a mosque which is now a magnificent museum. The
afternoon is dedicated to the Topkapi Palace, a walled city perched above
the Bosphorous and the Golden Horn. Test your haggling skills now as you
visit the glittering Grand Bazaar. Consider an evening of dinner and
belly-dancing. (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 15 –
ISTANBUL
Our tour ends after
breakfast with a transfer to the airport. (Buffet breakfast)
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