Day1: Istanbul
Arrival in Turkey (Istanbul) and meeting at the airport, transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day2: Istanbul Old City, Cappadocia
The tour starts with a visit to the ancient Hippodrome. The original building of the Hippodrome was built in the 3rd century A.D by Septimus Severus. The Hippodrome was the civil center for the people. In the Hippodrome, you may also see the Egyptian Obelisk (Dikilitaş), The Serpentine Column, The Constantine Column and the German Fountain of Wilhelm 2.
The tour continues with a visit to The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii). It was built by Sultan Ahmet I in the 17th century. Visitors are fascinated with its beautiful blue tiles. This is followed by a visit to Topkapi Palace which was the second palace in Istanbul for the Ottoman sultans between the 15th and 19th centuries.
After lunch, the tour continues with a visit to the Hagia Sophia which was built by the Emperor Justinian. It was the largest church in the world for many centuries and today it is the fourth largest. You will see its beautiful mosaics, exquisite samples of Byzantine art. We will also visit the Underground Cistern which is the largest and most ornate cistern in Istanbul.
The tour continues with a visit to the Grand Bazaar. (You will have free time in Grand Bazaar to wander through the vast maze and see the beautiful crafts.)
Transfer to the airport for the flight to Kayseri. Upon arriving at Kayseri airport, we will make the one hour trip to our hotel in the heart of Cappadocia.
Day3: Cappadocia
After breakfast in the hotel, we will visit Devrent (Imagination) Valley to see the lunar landscape and fantastic rock formations.
We will walk in Pasabag to see the tallest fairy chimneys and the caves where the Christian monks lived in their small communities.
Lunch in Avanos and a visit to a traditional pottery workshop for a demonstration.
In the afternoon we will visit Goreme Open-Air Museum and see the rock-cut churches and beautiful frescoes and paintings of the 10th through 13th centuries. After the museum, we will go to Uchisar rock castle for a beautiful view of Cappadocia's valleys.
Overnight in Cappadocia.
Day4: Cappadocia
Visit Kaymakli Underground City. It is one of the many underground settlements in Cappadocia, and it was used as a shelter by the Byzantines.
Drive to Soganli valley. Visit rock-cut churches with frescoes dating from the 13th century. Then enter the village which is surrounded by tabletop mountains.
Lunch in Soganli village at a small village restaurant.
Drive to the archaeological site Sahinefendi (Sobesos), a roman town from the 4th to 9th centuries. It was discovered by the local people in 2002. You will see beautiful mosaics and a Roman bath.
The tour continues to the Keslik Monastery and a look at the cave community with its frescoes from the 9th and 11th century.
Next, visit Mustafapasa, an old Greek village. You will see very fine examples of Greek houses and churches.
Overnight Cappadocia.
Day5: Cappadocia, Izmir, Pergamum
Check out from hotel and drive to Kayseri airport for the flight to Izmir.
Drive to Pergamum, an important kingdom in the Hellenistic period. In the Archaic Period, Pergamum had the second biggest library in the world, after Alexandria.
We will visit the Acropolis and the Asclepion, which was a sanctuary and healing center built for the god of health, Asclepius.
Drive to Kusadasi and check in to the hotel.
Overnight in Kusadasi.
Day6: Ephesus
Visit the House of the Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary was brought here by St. John after Jesus' crucifixion and lived her final years near the city of Ephesus on an isolated mountaintop. It has been designated a pilgrimage site by the Pope.
After visiting the House of the Virgin Mary we will visit Ephesus, the best-preserved ancient city of Turkey. Ephesus, where Heraclitus (the philosopher who said "There is nothing permanent except change.") lived, boasted the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
This Temple, which Alexander the Great visited and in which St.Paul preached to the early Christians, was beautiful beyond compare. Lastly, we will visit the Basilica of St.John in which he was buried.
Overnight in Kusadasi.
Day7: Priene, Miletus, Didyma
Priene is an ancient Hellenistic city located just North of Miletus. It was an ancient Greek holy city and the home of an important temple of Athena. By the 8th century, BC Priene was a member of the Ionian League. The Leagues central shrine, the Panionion, lay within the city's boundaries, making Priene an important holy city.
Miletus owed its importance to its position on trade routes and was the home of the 6th century BC philosophers Anaximander, Anaximenes, and Thales.
Didyma is not an ancient city but it was a sanctuary place of Apollo. We will visit the Temple of Apollo in Didyma.
Overnight in Kusadasi.
Day8: Kusadasi, Pamukkale, Aprodisas, Istanbul
Check out from the hotel and drive to Aphrodisias Ancient City, the city of Aphrodite.
Continue to the travertine terraces and the ancient city of Hierapolis. The terraces were formed by hot spring water flowing over the surface and down the hill. These are different colors and shapes in the form of terraces with pools. Pamukkale, which means cotton castle, takes its name from these formations.
After the tour ends drive to Denizli Airport. Fly to Istanbul.
Overnight in Istanbul.
Day9: Istanbul
Today we will go to the Bosphorus. First, we will visit the Egyptian Spice Market. It was built in 1664 as part of the Yeni Cami complex. Today, you may buy spices and Turkish delight. The tour continues to the Galata Bridge and Golden Horn.
We will visit the incredible 19th-century Dolmabahce Palace. The palace was built by Sultan Abdulmecid. It consists of 285 rooms and 46 halls that house approximately 600 paintings. We continue up the Bosporus and cross over to Asia, going up Camlica Hill for a view of Istanbul.
After lunch, we will visit the Sadberk Hanim Museum, with its well-organized archeological and ethnographical sections.
The Bosphorus cruise (ferry) begins in the afternoon. Bosphorus is a narrow strait between Europe and Asia connecting the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea. We pass by the Rumeli Fortress and you will enjoy crossing from continent to continent.
Overnight in Istanbul.
Day10: Istanbul
Transfer to the airport for your international flight to leave Turkey.
