Classical Turkey Tour
- 9 Days
- From : Istanbul
- To : Istanbul
- Tour
- Guide : English, Spanish
- Minimum age : 10 Years Old
* This product requests separate payment. Promotion code or coupon from Ticket Here is not applicable.
See Turkey’s historical, cultural and natural highlights on this tour. From visiting the metropolis of Istanbul, antique sites of Ephesus and the lunar landscape atmosphere of Cappadocia.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Istanbul: Served as a capital city to the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, Today, while being Turkey’s biggest city, Istanbul population is over six million. You can find anything you might be looking for and more in Istanbul.
Çanakkale: An important town and seaport of the country, is a significant center of tourism and replete with fantastic history as well as mythology.
Izmir: Turkey’s third-largest city is proudly liberal and deeply cultured, situated at the head of a long bay.
Pamukkale: This is one of Turkey’s top attractions and a precious in the world with its cotton-look terraces.
Cappadocia: Ancient district in east-central Anatolia, situated on the rugged plateau north of the Taurus Mountains, in the centre of present-day Turkey. The boundaries of the region have varied throughout history.
What’s included?
TOUR GUIDE:
- Operated with licensed English and Spanish-speaking tour guide.
ACCOMMODATION:
- 8 nights’ accommodation
MEALS:
- 8 Breakfasts
- 7 lunches at local restaurants.
TRANSPORT:
- During transfers and tour based on newer air-conditioned vehicles.
- Inbound/Outbound transfers from and to the airport on shared basis
ENTRANCE FEES AND ACTIVITIES:
- Admissions to attractions, sites and museums as outlined in the program: the St. Sophia basilica, the Topkapi Palace, the Sultanahmet Imperial Mosque, the Blue Mosque, the ancient Hippodrome, the Grand Covered Bazaar in Istanbul, visit the WW1 battlefields at Gallipoli, short ferry trip across the Dardanelles, Church of Pergamon, the Red Court, the Acropolis in Pergamon, the House of the Virgin Mary in Selçuk, visit the ancient city of Hierapolis with white travertines, visit the Mevlana Museum, visit Paşabağı or “Monks Valley”, Göreme Open-air Museum in Avanos, visit Özkonak, stop at Salt Lake and visit visit the Mausoleum of Atatürk.
OTHER:
- All applicable government taxes and fees. Any increases in VAT and other fees will be reflected to the per person prices.
- Meet & greet on day 1.
Exclusions
- International and domestic flights
- Drinks/beverages
- Lunches
- Dinners
- Porterage
- Tips
- Optional excursions and activities
Please note
- The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is closed on Sundays
- St. Sophia Museum is closed on Mondays
- Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays
- An age limit of 7+ to participate in the hot-air balloon ride
- Please note that local conditions prevalent at the time of travel may result in modifications to the tour contents without prior notice.
What do I need to bring?
Visitors should not wear sleeveless shirts, shorts, short skirts or skimpy clothing when visiting religious or official buildings in Turkey. Shoes should be removed before entering a mosque or private house. Sun protection, sun glasses, a hat and mosquito repellent can be very useful during your stay.
Accommodation options
ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS
Day 1-2 Istanbul:
- Superior Hotel Category = Dosso Dossi Old Town or similar 4*
Day 3 Canakkale:
- Superior Hotel Category = Anzac hotel or similar 3*
Day 4 Izmir :
- Superior Hotel Category = Ibis hotel or similar 4*
Day 5 Pamukkale :
- Superior Hotel Category = Hierapark Termal hotel or similar 4*
Day 6-7 Cappadocia:
- Superior Hotel Category = Tas Konaklar Cave hotel or similar 4*
Day 8 Istanbul:
- Superior Hotel Category = Dosso Dossi Old Town or similar 4*
Cancellation policy
- Once ordered, this tour cannot be cancelled or refund or amended at any circumstances.
Day 1 : ARRIVAL ISTANBUL
Arrive at Istanbul airport where a representative will meet and greet you before you are transferred to your hotel for check-in. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure, relaxing in the hotel or exploring the surroundings on your own.
Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 2 : ISTANBUL
After breakfast, join the guided tour of Istanbul, we will visit St. Sophia. This ancient basilica, built by Constantine the Great in the 4th century AD and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, is one of the architectural marvels of all time. Visit the Topkapi 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 Mohammed. Then move to Sultanahmet Imperial Mosque across from St. Sophia, built in the 16th century by the architect Mehmet, also known as the Blue Mosque because of its’ magnificent interior decoration of blue Iznik tiles. Visit the ancient Hippodrome, scene of chariot races, with the three monuments: the Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine. Lunch break at 13:00 pm, after the lunch we will then take you to the Grand Covered Bazaar. In this labyrinth of streets and passages there are more than 4,000 shops with 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. Breakfast and lunch included.
Day 3 : ISTANBUL – CANAKKALE (360 kms – 4.5 hrs)
Start the day with a tasty breakfast and decide if you want to join to join a Bosphorous Cruise tour (additional fee applies); otherwise morning at leisure then meet at the hotel to be taken for lunch at a local restaurant. Lunch time and then, in the afternoon, we will drive to Eceabat, Çanakkale and visit the WW1 battlefields at Gallipoli. This is followed by a short ferry trip across the Dardanelles and then check into our hotel in Çanakkale.
Overnight in Canakkale. Breakfast and lunch included.
Day 4 : CANAKKALE – PERGAMON – IZMIR (300 km – 4hrs)
We leave from our hotel in the early morning after breakfast and head to Bergama to visit the ancient city of Pergamon. Its’ history dates back to the 5th century B.C. We will visit the Church of Pergamon, the Red Court and Acropolis. We then drive onto the city of Izmir, an important port on Turkey’s Aegean coast since ancient times, but now a modern city with an attractive promenade lined with café bars and restaurants.
Overnight in Izmir. Breakfast and lunch included.
Day 5 : IZMIR – EPHESUS – PAMUKKALE (400 km – 4hrs)
After breakfast we depart to Selçuk, the present-day town close to the ancient city of Ephesus. Here we visit the House of the Virgin Mary where the Virgin Mary is said to have spent her last years and Ephesus, once the capital of the Asian State of the Roman Empire. It is said that the Apostle Paul spent two years in Ephesus, also Ephesus was the site of the third ecumenical council in the 5th century A.D. After lunch we leave from Ephesus and drive to the magnificent spectacle known as Pamukkale. We start our tour by visiting the ancient city of Hierapolis, home of Philip the Evangelist. Hierapolis was famous for its’ healing spring water. We will see white travertines which were formed by the warm spring water running down the mountainside.
Overnight in Pamukkale. Breakfast and lunch included.
Day 6 : PAMUKKALE – KONYA – CAPPADOCIA (600 km – 7hrs)
After breakfast, depart to Konya. In the days of the Roman Empire Konya was called Iconıum “city of icons”. After the Seljuks conquered it, it became the capital of the Anatolian Seljuk Empire and home of the Persian Sufi mystic known as Rumi or Mevlana. Here we will visit the Mevlana Museum and then drive to Cappadocia. On arrival, check in at the hotel.
Overnight in Cappadocia. Breakfast and lunch included.
Day 7 : CAPPADOCIA
After breakfast, we will see more of Cappadocia, starting with Devrent Valley (Imagination Valley) where the geographical formations resemble another planet. We will also visit Paşabağı or “Monks Valley” to see the fascinating mushroom-shaped rocks, then we drive to Avanos where the Hittite civilisation began making pottery 4000 years ago. Following this we move on to Göreme Open-air Museum where you will see the most beautiful examples of Byzantine art and medieval churches carved out of the rock. Centuries ago, many underground cities were built in the area, used to shelter from invading armies and we visit one of these, Özkonak, which was probably built around 2000 B.C. and used for centuries. Lastly, we will stop near Uçhisar Castle which is a great vantage point for admiring the valleys below. A hot-balloon tour is optional in the early morning, offering a spectacular view of this amazing landscape, otherwise morning at leisure. It is starting very early morning like 05:00 than finish about 08:30 we depart for hotel to relax then about 09:45 we start the day tour.
Overnight in Cappadocia. Breakfast and lunch included.
Day 8 : CAPPADOCIA – ANKARA – ISTANBUL (750 km – 8hrs)
After breakfast, we will make an early departure for Istanbul stopping on the way at Salt Lake which is the second biggest lake in Turkey then at Ankara, Turkey’s capital, where we will visit the Anıtkabir. This is the Mausoleum of Atatürk, who founded the Turkish Republic. Arrive late evening in Istanbul.
Overnight in Istanbul. Breakfast and lunch included.
Day 9 : DEPARTURE ISTANBUL
After your last breakfast, transfer to the airport according to the time of flight.
Breakfast included.