WONDERS OF TURKEY

Your itinerary

10 Days ~ Turkey

Tour Pace

This tour captures the highlights of Turkey in 10 days, so the pace can be fairly brisk. However, there are two-night stays in Istanbul and Cappadocia, and the flight back to Istanbul from Ankara, the capital, alleviates driving time.

DAY 1 – FRI – UK - ISTANBUL

Welcome to Turkey - a land rich in archeological sites, historic monuments, warm-hearted people and an enormous variety of spectacular scenery. On arrival at Istanbul Airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel for your two-night stay. This evening, get together with your Tour Director and fellow passengers for a Welcome Drink. Hotel: Radisson SAS Bosphorus.

DAY 2 – SAT – ISTANBUL SIGHTSEEING

Get your cameras ready today. Embark on a superb Highlight cruise along the Bosphorus Waterway. Travelling towards the Black Sea, the scenery complements the grandeur of the Ottoman palaces, old mansions and fortresses. Visit the Blue Mosque with its beautiful tiles and the Hippodrome where Roman chariot races were held, and visit St Sophia, at one time a Cathedral and a mosque, and now a magnificent museum. Move on to visit the fabulous Topkapi Palace, a walled city perched above the Bosphorous and the Golden Horn, and then the famous Grand Bazaar where – all under cover – there are more than 4,000 shops, cafes and tea houses. Consider sampling some traditional apple tea, or spending the evening watching some belly-dancing. (BB)

DAY 3 – SUN – ISTANBUL – ÇANAKKALE

Drive along the shores of the Sea of Marmara to the peninsula of Gelibolu, better known in the west as Gallipoli. Here are the battlefields where, for nine disastrous months during the Great War, Anzac troops fought unsuccessfully to gain control of the strategic Dardanelle Straits. Visit Anzac Cove and Lone Pine Cemetery, final resting place of soldiers who gave their lives over the entire Gallipoli campaign. From Eceabat, a 30-minute sea crossing to Çanakkale takes you from one continent to another as you leave Europe for Asia. Stay in seaside Çanakkale. Hotel: Kolin.(BB,D)

DAY 4 – MON – ÇANAKKALE – IZMIR

Drive to Homer’s legendary city of Troy, where archeological excavation has established nine levels of habitation. See an enormous reconstruction of the famous Trojan wooden horse before continuing to Pergamon, the seat of an ancient kingdom. Visit the Acropolis, the Temple of Athena and the famous library, which is said to have contained 200,000 volumes. View the Red Courtyard and visit the ruins of the Asklepieon, one of the most famous shrines and therapeutic centres in the ancient world. Continue to the pretty port of Izmir on the Aegean Sea. Hotel: Crowne Plaza. (BB,D)

DAY 5 – TUE – IZMIR – KUSADASI

En route to Ephesus, visit the archeological museum at Selçuk where many of the excavated artifacts of Ephesus are displayed, and visit the House of theVirgin Mary, spectacularly situated above the Ephesus ruins. Finally, tour Ephesus itself, one of the world’s finest archeological sites. Visit the colonnadedArcadian Way, the splendid facade of the Library of Celsus and see the Amphitheatre, the largest andmost impressive structure to survive from Hellenistic Ephesus. Head to the lively coastal town of Kusadasifor an overnight stay. Your hotel is one of the newestand most luxurious in this resort town - relax with acool drink and take advantage of the hotel’s indoorpool, Turkish bath and fitness centre. Hotel: Charisma. (BB,D)

DAY 6 – WED – KUSADASI – PAMUKKALE

Drive inland to Pamukkale, famous for its ‘Cotton Castle’, a dazzling chalk-white array of fantastically shaped limestone terraces. Visit the ruins ofancient Hierapolis and the fairyland terraces andsee the glistening pools and cascades in scallop-shell basins. The rest of the day is yours to relax and enjoythe blissfully warm thermal pools at the hotel. Hotel: Colossae Thermal. (BB,D)

DAY 7 – THU – PAMUKKALE – CAPPADOCIA

Head to Konya, the old capital of the Anatolian Seljuk Empire, now Turkey’s most religious city and home to the mystic Whirling Dervish sect. Visit the Mevlana Tekke, a museum and national monument, with its beautiful fluted turquoise dome, which contains the tomb of the Whirling Dervishes’ founder. See the Karatay Medrese and Ince Minaret before driving on to the historic region of Nevsehir in Cappadocia. Hotel: Dedeman. (BB,D)

DAY 8 – FRI – CAPPADOCIA – FULL DAY EXCURSION TO GöREME

Enjoy an excursion to Göreme, a unique region of volcanic landscapes and rock-hewn churches decorated with ancient wall paintings, some of which you can see in the open-air museum. Continue to the Zelve Valley where the scenery is dotted with churches, caves and troglodyte dwellings. Tour the underground city of Kaymakli, and see the cone of Uçhisar. Enjoy dinner at the hotel followed by a colourful folklore show in an underground cave, featuring dances from different regions. (BB,HD)

DAY 9 – SAT – CAPPADOCIA – ISTANBUL

Visit Agzikarahan, one of the best-preserved Seljuk caravanserais in Anatolia. Continue on to Ankara to visit the Hittite Museum and Anit Kabir, the mausoleum of Ataturk, Turkey’s greatest modern leader. Later, transfer to the airport for an included scheduled flight back to Istanbul. Consider celebrating the tour with a farewell dinner with your new friends at a colourful local restaurant. Hotel: Movenpick. (BB)

DAY 10 – SUN – ISTANBUL - UK

This morning, our tour comes to an end with a transfer to the airport. (BB)

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