Day 1: Arrive in Istanbul
Upon arrival in Istanbul, pick up from the airport transfer to the hotel.
Day 2: Istanbul
After breakfast, you will visit the Blue Mosque, built only seven years by order of Sultan Ahmet I in 1609. It gets its name from the blue Iznik tiles that cover the inside. Next, stroll through Topkapi Palace, with its impressive displays of jewelry, porcelain, clocks, miniatures, textiles, and religious artifacts. "Topkapi" means "Gate of the Cannon" for the Byzantine arsenal once situated where the Palace now stands. Next, visit St. Sophia, the Christian masterpiece whose construction was presided over by Emperor Justinian. The day's tour ends with a visit to the Grand Bazaar, a shopper's delight with more than 4000 shops from which to choose.
Day 3: Istanbul - Ankara
Today you will cross the Bosphorus to the Asian Continent and continue to Ankara. You will visit the Anatolian Civilization Museum housed in the 15th century covered bazaar and inn. It contains a rich collection of Hittite artifacts dating to the beginning of the 2nd century B.C. There are also masterpieces of other cultures that flourished in the Anatolian heartland.
Day 4: Cappadocia
After breakfast, your tour continues to Cappadocia, passing a large salt lake. En route, you will visit a Caravanserai, many of which were built throughout the countryside by Seljuk and Osmanli rulers as inns for weary travelers and their animals. You will then stop at the picturesque village of Uchisar.
Day 5: Cappadocia
Today's visit takes you to the labyrinthine tunnels of an underground city, with numerous levels carved out of the earth containing chapels, living quarters, kitchens, stores, and cellars. So many of these fantastic cities were so well hidden that they were not discovered until the 1950s. The tour then proceeds to Goreme Valley and the open-air museum of Zelve, with their impressive rock churches and frescoes.
Day 6: Cappadocia - Konya - Antalya
After breakfast, drive to the holy city of Konya, home of the Sufi mystic Mevlana Rumi, and visit the Museum of the Whirling Dervishes and the Selcuk Mosaic Museum. Then, continue to Antalya, the jewel of Turkey's Mediterranean coast aptly named the "Turquoise Coast."
Day 7: Antalya
Today's half-day tour takes you for a visit to the vast ruins of Perge, with its Acropolis, thermal baths, Roman basilica, and paving stones that still exhibit the marks of chariot wheels. The Aspendos Theater is next. The remainder of the day is free. We recommend you stroll through the charming old section of Antalya.
Day 8: Pamukkale
Today, your tour travels to Pamukkale, where calcareous water cascades over the mountainside, forming numerous levels of water basins and white stalactites, which has given it the colorful name "Cotton Fortress." While there, you will visit the ruins of Hierapolis, founded in 190 B.C. by the King of Pergamum.
Day 9: Kusadasi
After breakfast, visit Aphrodisias, the remains of an ancient city that flourished in the 1st century B.C. Archaeological excavations are ongoing, uncovering many artifacts, the remains of a once-thriving community of 60,000 inhabitants. Then, continue to the resort town of Kusadasi.
Day 10: Kusadasi - Ephesus
You will have a half-day tour of the ruins of Ephesus, one of the most significant archaeological sites in the world. Founded in the 13th century B.C., it was an important center of Christianity, where the Apostles Paul and John preached the infant religion. Return to Kusadasi. The afternoon is free.
Day 11: Canakkale
After breakfast, drive along the Aegean to the famous ruins of Pergamum, the site of one of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. Next, visit legendary Troy, where you can see a replica of the wooden horse. Once thought to be the figment of literary imagination, Troy was uncovered due mainly to the efforts of Heinrich Schliemann, who steadfastly believed in its existence, using his own money to find nine different settlements in Troy successively.
Day 12: Istanbul
After breakfast, the tour will cross the Dardanelles, the Hellespont of antiquity, and the site of fierce battles during World War I. Continue to Istanbul. You will have the evening at leisure.
Day 13: Istanbul
Full-day to explore Istanbul at your leisure, head on to your next destination or flight home.
