Express Turkey 8 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 Boutique 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

This morning you will transfer to airport and take domestic flight to Izmir. 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

• Domestic Flight
• Guided Tour of Ephesus

Breakfast

This morning, 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: 6 hours)

• Overnight at a Hotel in Şirince

• Guided Tour of Pamukkale & Hierapolis

Breakfast

This morning we will transfer to airport and take domestic flight to Cappadocia. Upon arrival, we head to Göreme then visit 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. It was formed a millennium ago as volcanic ash first settled, then hardened into soft rock and finally eroded, forming the strange and fantastic spires, domes, pinnacles and gorges that we will discover during your journey. Afternoon we we take a walk through Love Valley, where its magnificently sculptured, phallic rock formations have created one of the most surreal valleys of Cappadocia. Small valleys, cones, peaks and fairy chimneys blend harmoniously with fascinating caves. The longest river of Kızılırmak (red river) passing through the Avanos Town where you can have your potter kebab! and take the opportunity to discover the local handcraft of pottery. Overnight in Cave Hotel in Cappadocia. (Driving time: 2 hours)

• Overnight at a Hotel in Cappadocia

• Airport Transfer
• Domestic Flight

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 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. There are several fascinating Byzantine cave chapels to explore, most of them decorated with exquisite and colourful biblical frescoes. In the afternoon 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. A chapel dedicated to St. Simeon and a hermit’s shelter are built into one of the fairy chimneys, which appears to have three heads! Later 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. 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 Boutique Hotel in Istanbul

• Airport Transfers
• Free Day

Breakfast

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

Breakfast