Cultural Turkey

DAY 1: ISTANBUL
Arrival in Istanbul, reception and transfer to the hotel. Accommodation for 3 nights, with breakfast. Rest of the day free.

Istanbul is a city rich in history and cultural icons, as well as being the capital of three empires: Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman.


DAY 2: ISTANBUL
Breakfast at the hotel. Full-day city tour visiting the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, the Cistern, the Grand Bazaar, and the Topkapi Palace, with an English-speaking guide.

• Hippodrome, known as At Meydani - Horse Square, gives an idea of the magnificence of the Hippodrome in Byzantine times, when it was the center of city life. The venue used to be a stadium for carriage races and public activities.
• Blue Mosque: The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, is next to the Hippodrome. Built between 1609 and 1616, its interior is decorated with 21,000 blue Iznik tiles.
• Serefiye Cistern or Theodosian Cistern: it is one of the many ancient Constantinople cisterns found underneath the city of Istanbul. It was built by Emperor Theodosius II to store water supplied by the Valens Aqueduct.
• The Grand Bazaar is one of the oldest bazaars in the world, with a wide variety of products. Those who like shopping can be delighted in more than 4,000 stores spread over streets and passages.
• Topkapi Palace was the residence of the Ottoman sultans between 1453-1852 and is a symbol of the entire empire.

Optional activity suggestion (not included):

• Visit to the Hagia Sophia: built between 527 and 532 during the reign of Emperor Justinian, it served as the cathedral of Constantinople and was the center of religious life in the Byzantine Empire.

Notes: Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque are closed on Fridays. Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays. The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays.


DAY 3: ISTANBUL
Breakfast at the hotel. Free day for independent activities.

Suggested optional activities (not included):

• Half-day tour, with a regular Bosphorus cruise, which takes place along the Sea of Marmara, on the Asian and European sides of the city.
• Full-day tour of the Gallipoli Peninsula in northwestern Turkey.
• Visit to the Spice Bazaar.

DAY 4: ISTANBUL/KAYSERI - CAPPADOCIA
Breakfast and check-out at the hotel. Transfer to Istanbul airport and departure to Kayseri (flight not included).

Transfer to the hotel, for accommodation for 2 nights, with breakfast.


DAY 5: CAPPADOCIA
Breakfast at the hotel and full-day cleaning, visiting Uschisar Castle, the Goreme Open Air Museum, the Love and Drevent Valleys, and the town of Avanos.

• Uchisar Castle: known for its significant elevation, being the highest point in Cappadocia.
• Goreme Open Air Museum: it is one of the most famous attractions in the country. It is a complex of several churches/caves painted and sculpted by Orthodox monks between 900 and 1200 A.D. The paintings and decorations represent the flourishing of a unique Cappadocian artistic style.
• The Valley of Love is named after its geological formations, the hallmark of the city, the Fairy Chimneys.
• Devrent Valley: also known as the fairytale chimney valley, it can be viewed from the road or explored on foot, filled with rock formations.
• Avanos: it is famous for its carpet weaving and ceramic workshops. The city, whose name derives from the Latin Vanesa, was once the second most important city after Caesarea, the capital of Cappadocia. It has a history that dates back to the Bronze Age, based on the findings of nearby Topakli Hoyuk (Mound). There are nearly 300 ceramic workshops using the same techniques as Neolithic Anatolian men. The Avanos onyx workshops are also well known, as nearby quarries produce high-quality onyx.

Optional activity suggestion (not included):

• Early in the morning (around 5:30), a balloon overflight (subject to weather conditions).

DAY 6: CAPPADOCIA/Izmir
After breakfast and check-out at the hotel, private transfer to the airport and board a flight to Izmir (flight not included).

Arrival, private transfer to the hotel. Accommodation for 2 nights, with breakfast.


DAY 7: IZMIR - Ephesus - Izmir
After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the Greco-Roman archaeological site in Ephesus for a private half-day tour with an English-speaking guide. Visit the ongoing excavations of the Greco-Roman palaces, the “Yamac Elite Antiquity Houses” (Terraço Casas), with their mosaics and frescoes being restored by archaeologists.

Still in Ephesus, visit the House of the Virgin Mary, a small chapel believed to be the last house of the Virgin Mary.

Return to the hotel in Izmir and free afternoon for independent activities.

Optional activity suggestion (not included):

• Wine tasting in the Urla wine region.

DAY 8: IZMIR
Breakfast and check-out at the hotel. Transfer to Izmir airport.