Istanbul Ankara Cappadocia
Tour -
Istanbul Western Turkey Tour
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Western
Turkey & Cappadocia 11 Days Tour -
Eastern
Turkey & Cappadocia 11 Days Tour
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Western Turkey, Blue Voyage &
Cappadocia 15 Days Tour
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Eastern Turkey 15 Days Tour
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The Grand Tour Of Turkey 30
Days Tour -
Biblical Sites Tour
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Abkhazia Tour
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WESTERN TURKEY & CAPPADOCIA 11 DAYS
DAY
1 ISTANBUL After clearing customs, I will meet you on your way out from the
airport with a sign indicating your
 names. Today after a short briefing we will
drive to the historical part of the town and take a stroll around the Grand
Bazaar and wander through the exotic sights and smells of the Spice Market.
Overnight in Istanbul.
DAY 2 ISTANBUL Early check out after breakfast. Visit Blue Mosque, the
Hippodrome and the cistern of Binbirdirek. Proceed to Topkapi Palace
located by the Cathedral of St. Sophia. In Topkapi we will see the kitchens,
Divan and the pavilions of Bagdat and Mecidiye. Where you will enjoy nice
panoramic views over the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Marmara Sea. Drive
to the Church of St. Saviour in Chora. In the afternoon driving along the
ancient the city walls of Constantinople, we will arrive to Eyup Mosque and it's
complex by the end of the Golden horn. Embark the boat for a cruise on the
Bosphorus. Disembark at the Asian side and catch the overnight train at 10 pm. (
2 bunks per compartment.)
DAY 3 ANKARA - CAPPADOCIA Arrival to Ankara early in the morning. Visit the
Museum of Anatolian Civilizations and Ataturk's Mausoleum. Proceed to
Cappadocia. Uchisar village and pigeons valley will be our first stop in long
summer days if not we will proceed to Red Valley to catch
the sun set. Sleep in
a small Cappadocian
village.
 DAY 4 CAPPADOCIA . Surrounded by Cappadocia's "fairy chimney" rock
formations, walk to the village of Goreme through valleys. Drive to the remote
Valley of Onions lying in the end of a silent canyon. While driving there we
will make stops in villages and vineyards where we will find
fresh fruits and
meet local people. When we will get to the valley we will explore the
underground dwelling places of the ancient Christian monks
and
interpret the biblical frescoes found inside the rock dug churches. There will
be Mazikoy underground city to
visit on our way. Overnight in Cappadocia.
DAY 5 CAPPADOCIA - KONYA After breakfast visit Pasabag where you will see
lots of
mushroom rocks so called fairy chimneys. In Cappadocia
we will also have
the opportunity to see traditional workshops where women weave carpets, men
carve stones or make
pottery. Our tour will proceed by the Ihlara Valley where
the nature created a canyon
of an extraordinary beauty. While exploring this
Canyon we will discover Churches carved in the rocks. Konya the capital of the
old Seljukian Empire will be our next destination. On our way we will visit an
old Caravanserai from the Seljukian times. Overnight in
Konya.
DAY 6 KONYA - EGRIDIR This morning we will explore Konya. Our first stop will be
Karatay School where a high education was given to the
Seljukian youth in many
fields including even the Astronomy. Mevlana's world wide famous dervish
monastery will be our next stop in Konya. We will proceed to Beysehir in
the afternoon. In Beysehir we will visit the Mosque of Esrefoglu located by the
Beysehir Lake. This mosque was entirely made of wood and has a very particular
atmosphere. Our final destination will be Egridir today which a small town
located by the lake of Egridir. We will stay in a hotel located by the
lake.
DAY 7 EGRIDIR - PAMUKKALE - EPHESUS We'll drive to Pamukkale today, famous for
its calcified cliffs and historic Roman ruins. While there, you'll have time to
swim and soak in a natural spring pool amid Roman columns. After Pamukkale we
will proceed to Aphrodisias through high plateaus and hills. As we will start
strolling among the ruins you will be surprised to see such an heritage in the
middle of nowhere.
Aphrodite being the main deity in this old city of love she
was highly appreciated. Especially by desperate lovers coming from around the
world
to beg her send her child Eros to hit their loved ones with a magic arrow
which would make them fall in love with them. You will see Eros carvings at
every corner here. Especially the ones in the multifunctional odeon are
remarkable. About the end of our visit among pomegranate, pear trees and tobacco
fields you will find a fantastic stadium of 30.000 people dating from the 1st
century AD. This is the best preserved stadium you can see in all of Turkey. Our next
destination is Miletus and Priene two remarquable ancient Ionian sites. We will
stroll in the ruins while I explain you the historical and archaeological
beauties of these two fantastic sites. In spite of a tiresome day in Priene I am
sure you will still want to see the Alexander's House, the gate of the pier,
Athena temple and the best preserved Greek theater in Turkey with a capacity of
6500 people. Proceed to Ephesus and overnight.
DAY 8
EPHESUS - PERGAMON Visit
Ephesus which was the metropolises of Asia Minor in late Hellenistic and Roman
times. Darius baths, the bouleterion, the prytaneion, Domitian street and the
fountains, Celsuis library, the Agoras and the great theater are just some of the
places we will see here. We will drive by the ruins of the ancient Artemis
temple, one of the seven wonders of the world in the Hellenistic period and stop
at the nearby museum housing the exquisite archaeological findings from the nearby
site. Pergamon will be our next destination.
Overnight in Pergamon.
DAY 9 PERGAMON - TROY This morning we will climb to the Acropolis of Pergamon
where we will see the ancient city walls, the Hadrian and Athena Temples, the
remnants of the famous library which contained manuscripts made of Parchment
paper, the unusual Greek style theater which resembles an eagle's nest, the
little tiny temple of Dionysus located nearby, the promenade alley and the
remnants of the Zeus Temple which was another one of the seven wonders of the world
during Hellenistic period. Later on we will proceed to the ancient
medical center Aesculapion where patients were healed by natural methods and
medicines. This visit to Aesculapion will make us understand how much the good
morale and the natural medicines could be important and could save human lives.
In the afternoon we will proceed towards Ayvalik. Going northward we will
see olive trees along the right side of the road and the Aegean sea on the left.
That will be our main panorama all the way up to Troy located at the south of
the Dardanelles. A strait which was a key point during World War I. After having
listened to the stories of the Trojan war we will make our way to Canakkale. A
charming quiet town situated on the Dardanelles. Overnight in Canakkale.
DAY 10 TROY - BURSA
Visit Canakkale and departure for Bursa, the first capital of
the Ottoman Empire. Prusias the second the king of Bithynia got the city walls
built for Bursa, following a suggestion of Hannibal who had fled Carthage after
the second Punic war. We will visit the tombs of Osman Bey the founder of the
Ottoman Empire and of his son Orhan Bey located in a nice Park outside the
outstanding city walls partially restored at that part of the town. The Green
Mausoleum and the Green Mosque are two beautiful monuments located in an area
called Green, on the cable car station road. In fact this area which hosts these
two beautiful monuments of the early 15th century is quite green with hundreds
of years old plane and chestnut trees. We will also visit the Ulu Cami (the
great Mosque) one of the earliest examples of the Ottoman Mosques and the
biggest in town, the covered bazaar nearby and a silk market located in an old
15th century hotel and much more. Overnight in Bursa.
DAY 11 ISTANBUL - NICEA - BUYUKADA - ISTANBUL Departure for Istanbul via Nicea,
where Constantine the Great arranged the meeting of the first Ecumenical Council
in 325 AD. Visit the Senate's Court and the St. Sophia built by Constantine the
great. Visit Hannibal's tomb, who commitеd suicide by taking
poison when Rome demanded his surrender. Our next destination will be Bostanci
pier to take a boat to the Prince Island Buyukada which is the biggest among
other prince islands. We will take a horse carriage tour here around this
beautiful serene island which has an extraordinary atmosphere with the charming
of the wood villas and green north Mediterranean plantation offering generously
their fantastic smells to us. We will navigate back to Istanbul according to
your time schedule and I will end my services here with a sad goodbye.
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