Turkey Highlights + 7 days Gulet Cruise ( Total 16 Days )

Istanbul - Cappadocia - Sardis - Laodicea - Ephesus -  Aphrodisias - Hierapolis - Pamukkale

Private escorted VIP tour with boutique, cave and superior high quality hotels.
Professional and experienced tour personnel by luxury transportation.

Day 1
Arrival in Istanbul and meeting at the airport, transfer to the hotel, check- in. Leisure afternoon.
Overnight Istanbul.

Day 2 - Sultanahmet - Old Istanbul (B)
Visit The St. (Haghia) Sophia, which was built by the Emperor Justinian. It
was the largest building in the world for over 1000 years. See its intricate
mosaics and huge central dome. Continue to the Topkapi palace, which was used by the Ottoman Sultans from the 15th to 19th centuries. We will also see the impressive collection of priceless jewels, crystal, silver and
porcelain, robes worn by the sultans and relics of the prophet Mohammed.
(Entrance to the Harem is extra). After lunch we will see the Blue Mosque,
built for Sultan Ahmet I, which is a unique piece of architecture with its
six minarets and features 20,000 beautiful Iznik tiles. Visit the ancient
Hippodrome with Obelisk of Theodosius, Snake Pillar and German Fountain of Wilhelm II. Walk through the back streets of Old Istanbul and visit the
elegant little Sokullu Pasa mosque and the hidden underground Theodosian
Cistern. See the Grand Covered Bazaar. *May be done as a walking tour if
your hotel is centrally located.
Overnight Istanbul


Day 3 - Bosphorus Cruise with Dolmabahce (B)
The tour starts with a visit to the exotic and aromatic Egyptian Spice Market. You may buy spices, caviar, and almost anything imaginable. Continue over the Galata Bridge and the Golden horn. We will visit the “Selamlik” chambers of the incredible 19th c. Dolmabahce Palace. We continue up the Bosphorus and cross over to Asia to Camlica Hill for a view of Istanbul. After lunch visit the Sadberk Hanim Museum, with its well-organized archaeological and ethnographical sections.  The Bosphorus cruise begins in the afternoon (ferry). We pass by the Rumeli Fortress and you will enjoy crossing from continent to continent traveling down the Bosphorus, which is lined with old Ottoman seaside mansions, marble palaces and small fishing villages. 
Overnight Istanbul
 
Day 4 - Istanbul- Cappadocia (B)
Take the early morning flight by Turkish Airlines from Istanbul Ataturk airport to Kayseri. Arrival and meeting at Kayseri airport just outside the arrival's gate with a sign bearing your name and transfer to Cappadocia. Tour to Kaymaklı Underground City, one of the most interesting underground settlements in Cappadocia. Soğanlı Valley, an Open Air Museum in a wild natural setting near a typical Cappadocian village with its different style Rock-Cut churches and frescoes. Villages in the valleys, surrounded by the "table top" mountains, are spectacular. Lunch and Visit to Sahinefendi newly discovered (01 May 2002) mosaic houses & Archaeological excavation site. Continue with Keslik Monastery near Cemil, that hides its frescoes behind a very thin smoke layer which we can only see by torch light. Our tour finishes with a visit to Mustafapaşa (Sinasos), an old Greek town with its spectacular old Greek houses; very fine examples of late Greek settlements and architecture. Overnight Hotel Cappadocia.

Day 5 - Cappadocia (B)
In the morning, first meeting with the lunar landscape of Cappadocia: rock formations beyond belief in Devrent valley; walking in Zelve Open Air Museum: a journey in the past with its  troglodyte houses; visit to Pasabag "fairy chimneys" where the voice of  wind mixes with the "songs of  fairies". Lunch in Avanos, center of  terra cotta work of art since 3000 BC. and a demonstration in a traditional pottery  workshop. Afternoon, visit the famous Goreme Open Air Museum and see the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia in rock-cut churches with frescoes and paintings (10th to 13th century). Climb on top of the Uchisar Rock-Castle to have a panoramic view of the valleys of Cappadocia. Overnight Hotel Cappadocia. 
 
Day 6 - Cappadocia - Izmir - Sardis - Hierapolis - Pamukkale (B.D)
Take the morning flight from Kayseri to Izmir
(On Saturdays & Wednesday direct flights by Sunexpress Airlines departure at 09:25am, arrival 11:00am, Other days by Turkish airlines via Istanbul departure at 07:00am arrival 12:00pm).

Arrival and meeting at the airport. Drive to Pamukkale, on the way visit to Sardis, also Sardes, was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia. As one of the Seven churches of Asia, it was addressed by the author of the Book of Revelation in terms which seem to imply that its population was notoriously soft and fainthearted. In ancient Sardis, Jews held seats on the city council and important offices in the Roman civil administration. Remains of the beautiful and richly-appointed synagogue dating from the 200s C.E. have been uncovered and restored; it is of interest because of its extremely large and rich Roman synagogue. Continue with Discovery of Travertine terraces. The travertine terraces at Pamukkale are one of the most spectacular natural wonders we ever have seen from various mineral springs in a vast white cliff side, about 200 m overlooking the plain, calcite-laden waters have dripped down over a series of terraced levels and created a fairyland of bizarre solidified cascades and shell-shaped basins. It looks like creations from snow or like balls from cotton, which gave the scenery the Turkish name Pamukkale (cotton castle): "pamuk" for cotton and "kale" for castle. Moreover the water in the basins is changing its color according to how the light enters. Overnight Pamukkale.

Day 7 - Pamukkale- Laodicea - Aphrodisias - Kusadasi (B)
In the morning, visit to Laodicea, The city is located in the Lycus River Valley together with Hierapolis and Colossae. This valley is a natural route of travel from east to west. The city was founded by the Seleucid king Antiochus II and named for his wife Laodice about 260 B.C. Drive to Pamukkale, on the way, visit to Aphrodisias. Aphrodisias was primarily known as a center for the arts, specifically sculpture. The Aphrodisias School of Sculpture had a distinctive style and was very well circulated throughout the Greek and Roman world.

Overnight Sirince or Kusadasi near Ephesus.

Day 8 - Ephesus (B)
Visit to the ancient city of Ephesus. We will spend several hours walking in the footsteps of Alexander the Great, Caesar, Cicero, Apostles Paul and John and many other familiar historical names. The recently opened Slope Houses where the wealthiest Romans lived are an excellent example of sensitive excavation and presentation. The mosaics and frescos are spectacular. Tradition has it that Virgin Mary was brought here by St John after the Crucifixion and lived her final years near the city of Ephesus on an isolated mountaintop. A lovely chapel is constructed on the site tended by Franciscans and open to visitors. It has been designated a pilgrimage site by the Pope. Overnight Sirince or Kusadasi near Ephesus.
 
Day 9 - Izmir - Marmaris (B)
Transfer to Marmaris. On the way visit to Priene which occupies a dramatic postion overlooking the Meander Valley and plain. And Didyma has a Temple of Apollo vaguely reminiscent of the great temples at Karnak.

Arrival and check-in hotel overnight Fethiye or Marmaris.

Day 10 Gulet Cruise (B.L.D)
Departure after breakfast. Cruising about 2 hours, we reach Ekincik. From Ekincik, you can make a boat trip to the ancient city of Kaunos, Lycian rock tombs and mud baths where you can take a bath in sulfurous mud. The journey will be made in the labyrinth of the delta of Dalyan Çayı, surrounded with thick vegetation of reed. Here, also in the beach of İztuzu, famous for the sea turtles called Caretta Caretta. Dinner and overnight in one of the bays of Ekincik .

Day 11 - Gulet Cruise (B.L.D)
Cruising approx. 3.5 hours till Ağalimanı behind Kap Kurdoğlu. Swimming and lunch here. In the afternoon, arrival in the bay of Manastır. Swimming breaks here and in the neighborhood (Kleopatra and Hamam bays). Dinner and overnight.

Day 12 - Gulet Cruise (B.L.D)
Visiting other lovely places in the Gulf like Tersane and/or Yassica islands. Late in the afternoon arrival in Göcek or Fethiye for dinner and overnight.

Day 13 - Gulet Cruise (B.L.D)
Embarking the yacht in Fethiye . After lunch, cruising to Ölüdeniz. (Charter yachts are not allowed to enter the inner side of the bay of Ölüdeniz.) a long swimming stop here and than cruising to Gemile Island for overnight.

Day 14 - Gulet Cruise (B.L.D)
A long cruise approx. 4 hours along the Dişibilmez and Baba islands will bring us again to the region of Ekincik. Overnight in one of the bays here.

Day 15 - Gulet Cruise (B.L.D)
Cruise to Inceada - Gebekilise. In the afternoon cruising till Turunç with swimming stops in Kadırga and Kumlubük. Last dinner on board.

Day 16 - Gulet Cruise
Disembarking in Marmaris after breakfast, transfer to Dalaman for your flight to Istanbul - END OF TOUR

B = Breakfast L = Lunch D = Dinner

• Please ask for discounted rates for family and for large groups.
• If you wish to extend your stay at one part of the tour or shorten your visits, we can customize this tour for you.