Essential Turkey 10 Days

Arrival in Istanbul, former capital of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, Turkey's largest metropolis and its commercial hub. Your private driver will greet you at the airport and transfer the hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you will visit to the Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşı, literally “Egyptian Bazaar”) that draws its name from the Ottoman-ruled districts in Egypt that provided the revenue to build the structure in 1660, where you will experience the smells of cinnamon, cloves and thyme rising from every store. We will then embark a ferry for a scenic excursion up the Bosphorus, the natural waterway that divides Asia from Europe. Lean back and enjoy the view of city's dramatic skyline, filled with Ottoman palaces, citadels, centuries-old mansions on both the European and Asian shores with two magnificent suspension bridges. (Driving time: 1 hour)

• Overnight at a Hotel in Istanbul

• Airport Transfer
• Spice Market & Bosphorus Cruise

There are no meals included on this day

Begin the day by exploring the Topkapı Palace, where was the imperial residence of the Ottoman sultans for more than 400 years, now houses the priceless collections of porcelains, jewelery, calligraphy, holy relics and many masterpieces of art. The next stop on your tour will be one of the greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture, the Hagia Sophia (literally the Church of “Holy Wisdom”), built in 537 A.D. and converted into a mosque in 1453 right after the conquest of Constantinople by Ottoman Turks. Wander slowly through the masterpiece to take in the amazing mosaic scenes of the Virgin Mother, Jesus, the saints, many biblical narratives. After lunch, we visit the Sultan Ahmet Camii (Blue Mosque), an early 17th century building, beautifully crafted blue Iznik tiles adorn the interior with its wonderfully curvaceous exterior featuring a cascade of domes and six slender, fluted minarets. The Hippodrome was first constructed in 200 A.D. by the emperor Septimus Severus. It was the focal point of civil activities. The ancient Hippodrome with Obelisk of Theodosius, Snake Pillar and German Fountain of Wilhelm II are also visited. En route to the Grand Bazaar, we will stop at the sixth-century charming and mysterious Underground Cistern, constructed using 336 columns, many of which were salvaged from ruined temples and feature finely carved capitals. The atmosphere and mystic music will amaze you at once. The Grand Bazaar itself is one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the World. With sixty-one covered streets, more than three thousand shops.

• Overnight at a Hotel in Istanbul

• Guided Tour of Istanbul

Breakfast

After breakfast we head to Bursa. We visit the Ulu Cami (the great Mosque) with its splendid painted inscriptions. After that we will we explore the Silk Market (Koza hanı) famous with silk production in Ottoman Era. Then we continue to the most interesting buildings of the early Ottoman Empire: Green Mosque & Tomb with its outstanding tile work and its magnificent marble façade. Optional: We may cross the Dardanelles and visit the Gallipoli Peninsula - a place of enormous significance to Australians and New Zealander's. Located at Turkey's most westerly point this area is now serene, but the role it played in April 1915 during the First World War. We visit the beach and cemeteries of Anzac Cove, then head up the hill to pay homage at the poignant memorials of Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair. Arriving in Çanakkale, wandering around this vibrant waterfront town and perhaps view the Trojan horse used and subsequently gifted to the city by the producers of the movie Troy filmed in 2004. (Driving time: 5.5 hours)

• Overnight at a Hotel in Çanakkale

• Guided Tour of Bursa - Gallipoli

Breakfast

This morning we will visit Troy (Truva) was a city that existed over 4.000 years ago and was known as a major ancient civilization. For many years people believed that it was the city mentioned only in the tales and never truly existed, as the area had become known as Ilium. Archaeological digs subsequently proved that there had been nine separate periods of settlement. (3000 BC-AD 400) on what became accepted as the site of ancient Troy. Each successive period of habitation lies on top of its former incarnation. Here we can see the remnants of the ancient city walls in addition to a replica of the famous wooden horse. Historian's are still at odds as to whether or not this fable or indeed the battle itself is stuff of lore or reality. Then we will drive to Bergama, more famously celebrated as the ancient Greek city of Pergamon. A major center for culture, commerce and medicine and teeming with philosophers, scientists and artists, Pergamon boasted an outstanding library, a famous school of sculpture, excellent public buildings and monuments and numerous celebrated art works of the ancient world. We will visit the Acropolis by cable car, then the theatre and the library, whose 200,000 volumes were bequeathed by Mark Anthony to Cleopatra. Head to Şirince Village, İzmir. (Driving time: 5 hours)

• Overnight at a Hotel in Şirince

• Guided Tour of Troy & Pergamon

Breakfast

Our tour of Ephesus begins with the House of the Virgin Mary in the hills above the ancient city, where she is believed to have spent her final years. Ephesus was the second largest city in the Roman Empire, one of the greatest seaports of the ancient world, commercially prosperous and an important center of early Christian practice. Ephesus was founded by Ionian Greeks in the 11th Century BC and flourished under Roman rule. The Greeks replaced the cult of the Anatolian fertility goddess Cybele with Artemis and built a fabulous temple in her honour. With the arrival of the Romans, it became the Temple of Diana and was one of the original seven wonders of the ancient world. We visit the vast amphitheatre, walk the marble street once trodden by Cleopatra and Mark Antony, and marvel at the gymnasium, baths and wonderfully restored Library of Celsus. We end the day at the village of the last Ephesian residents, Şirince, where we taste the locally produced wine and enjoy our leisure time with the villagers, who sell fresh figs, peaches, cherries, pears, fresh almonds, and walnuts in the village market.

• Overnight at a Hotel in Şirince

• Guided Tour of Ephesus

Breakfast

This morning, journey through the most fertile land of Anatolia to visit the city of Aphrodite, Aphrodisas. This is one of the most beautiful and exciting archaeological sites in Turkey. Diligently excavated and lovingly restored by teams from New York University, our visit here leads us to understand why the young Augustus was moved to declare, ‘of all the cities in Asia, I choose this one for myself’. The stadium is the best preserved in Asia Minor, while the temple of Aphrodite, the tetrapylon and baths of Hadrian make Aphrodisias an unforgettable site. Most of the statues and architectural remains discovered by Professor Erim and his team are displayed in a well-organized museum at the site. After lunch, we will drive to Pamukkale, also known as 'Cotton Castle' and a truly unique sight. This magical and spectacular natural phenomenon was created by deposits from thermal waters that cascaded down the mountainside over hundreds of years, forming a myriad of pools and terraces. As the water overflows from the pools, dazzling cream-coloured stalactites are formed that, from afar, resemble cotton or snow. The pools are filled with hot spring waters that supposedly have healing properties for a person's circulation and digestive systems. Close to Pamukkale are the ruins of Hierapolis, which was founded by the King of Pergamon in 190 BC and by the 2nd Century AD it had become an important Roman bath centre. The extensive ruins of Hierapolis are well worth exploring and include a theatre, temple, holy area, monumental fountain, bath, basilica and necropolis. (Driving time: 3.5 hours)

• Overnight at a Hotel in Pamukkale

• Guided Tour of Aphrodisias - Pamukkale

Breakfast

Today, we depart early from Pamukkale and head to Cappadocia.  We will drive to Konya, known as 'Iconium' in Roman times, was also the capital of the Seljuk Turks from the 12th to 13th Centuries and home of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi, who founded a mystic Sufi order popularly known as the 'Whirling Dervishes'. We visit Mevlana's Mausoleum and the museum housing manuscripts of his works, as well as various artefacts relating to the mystic sect that he founded. Then we will visit the largest caravanserai in Anatolia, the Sultanhanı was constructed in 1229, during the reign of the Seljuk sultan Alaaddin Keykubad I. 'Caravanserais,' were developed along old trade routes to provide shelters and protection to nomadic traders. These centuries-old buildings were built of stone and housed Caravaneers and their cargos plus their horses, donkeys and even camels as they made their way along the old Silk Road trading route that stretched all the way from China. 

• Overnight at a Hotel in Cappadocia

• Guided Tour of Konya

Breakfast

For early birds, there is the possibility of rising before dawn to take an awe-inspiring optional hot-air balloon ride over the 'other-worldly' Cappadocia landscape and witness an amazing sunrise in the process. This morning  drive to the incredible underground city of Derinkuyu, with some dwellings containing rooms expanding seven levels beneath ground level! Cappadocia is an extraordinary region that has bewitched travellers’ for centuries. Then we visit the Göreme Open Air museum: The people of Göreme, at the heart of the Cappadocia Region, realised that the soft rocks of the area could be easily carved out to form houses, churches, monasteries. Then we drive to the unique Pasabaglar Valley, where multiple fairy chimneys hewn from the earth and shaped by centuries of erosion lend a moon-like landscape and atmosphere to the valley. Afternoon we discover the local handcraft of the region and visit a carpet workshop were we will be fascinated by the beauty of the carpets, a tradition that reveals the nomadic origins of the Turkish people and take the opportunity to discover the local handcraft of pottery. Returning to hotel, we have a night at leisure. We may have an opportunity to attend a folk dance show or witness an original Whirling Dervish 'Sema' performance.

• Overnight at a Hotel in Cappadocia

• Guided Tour of Cappadocia

Breakfast

After breakfast we leave the fairytale landscapes of Cappadocia behind and drive to airport to fly Istanbul and then transfer to your hotel in Sultanahmet district. You will have have leisure afternoon in Istanbul. (Driving time: 2 hours + 1.5 flight to Istanbul)

• Overnight at a Hotel in Istanbul

• Domestic flight
• Free Afternoon in Istanbul

Breakfast

After breakfast, transfer to airport. (Driving time: 1 hour)

• Transfer to Airport