Best of Turkey Tour

The Best of Turkey: 8 days ex Istanbul Trip Code: ETBT

Day 1 Istanbul
Arrive in Istanbul at any time.

ISTANBUL: Istanbul has a population of 13,000,000 with its 28 autonomously governed municipalities. The city lies upon two different continents: Europe and Asia. The continents are connected to each other by two bridges. The strait lying between the two continents is called "The Bosphorus" meaning "The Strait of the Cow" in Ancient Greek. According to the myth, God of the Gods Zeus was married to Goddess Hera. However Zeus was not satisfied with only one woman, by using his attraction and power, he was having affairs with different women. Io was one of them. When jealous Hera found out about the affair between Io and Zeus, she turned Io into a cow. She ordered a bee to chase Io. Io was in pain, so she started to run and the path she made as she ran became today's Bosphorus... The Bosphorus Bridge was constructed between Ortakoy(Europe)Area and Beylerbeyi Area (Asia). It's approximately 1.1km (0.7 miles)long and 63m(180 ft) high. It was constructed in 1973 and is the first necklace of the Bosphorus Straits. Fatih Sultan Mehmed Bridge takes its name from the sultan "Mehmed (the Conqueror)" who conquered Istanbul (Constantinople) in 1453 from the Byzantine Empire and was constructed in 1988. Istanbul is a city of mosques and universities. There are over 8.000 small and big mosques which were constructed over the centuries and are still being constructed. The first university, University of Istanbul, was founded in the 15th century with the order of Sultan Mehmed "the Conqueror". Today, there are about 16 private and public universities in the city.

Day 2 Canakkale (B)
Travel to the Gallipoli peninsula to visit the historical WWI site and the tragic history this peninsula has to offer. Afterwards, make our way to the sleepy little fishing village of Canakkale.

ÇANAKKALE: Canakkale is a city of education, culture, natural splendor and History. The history of the region rewinds back to a period, as early as 5,000 years ago. Fortunately or unfortunately, Canakkale had been witness to two of the bloodiest wars in History – the "mythological" war of Troy and the Battle of Gallipoli.

Owing to its strategic position, Canakkale has always been the strongest point in the defense of the Dardanelles; be it the Trojan War or the First World War. Homer immortalized Troy (Truva) and the characters of king Priam, Hector, Pans and Helen, through his legendary depiction in the Iliad. As per the Archaeological excavations, there had been 9 periods of settlement starting from 3,000 BC to 400 AD.

The battle of Canakkale or the Gallipoli War (1915) took place during the First World War when the Turkish soldiers tried to drive out the Allied Forces from the region, under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The campaign led by Ataturk was a successful one and Canakkale earned its name as “Canakkale: un-passable”. However, 5,00,000 soldiers had to give their lives to achieve the success and in their memory a national park of remembrance has been built here.

Day 3 Ayvalik (B)
Before travelling to Ayvalik, visit the ruins of Troy and marvel in the story behind this great site. Making our way down the Aegean coast, arrive in Ayvalik and explore the town at leisure or just sit back in one of the cafes. There is also time to take a relaxed boat cruise to see the magnificent coastline from the sea.

AYVALIK: Today, Ayvalik and the numerous islets encircling the bay area are popular holiday resorts. The most important and the biggest of these islets is Cunda Island (Alibey Island) which was connected to the mainland by a bridge in the late 1960s.

Since September 1998, Ayvalik has had an international music academy (AIMA) which gives master classes for violin, viola and cello. It brings together students from all over the world and gives them a precious opportunity to work with distinguished masters in their field. Ayvalik also has two of the longest sandy beaches in the whole country, Sarimsakli and Altinova, extending as far as the Dikili district of Izmir nearly 30 km to the south. In recent years Ayvalik has also become an important attraction for scuba divers with its diverse underwater fauna. Ayvalik and its environs are also famous for their high quality olive oil production.

Today, the population of Ayvalik is nearly 30,000 and much more during the summer due to its touristic importance. Ayvalik is also close to Bergama (former Pergamon) which is another important attraction for tourists, with its ruins dating back to antiquity.

Day 4 Selcuk (B)
Travel to Selcuk with a stop at Turkey's third largest city Izmir along the way. Here, explore the ruins of Ephesus. There will also be time to explore Selcuk at leisure.

EPHESUS: The city was established as a port on the mouth of the river Cayster and was one of the foremost cities of the world due to its location on a strategic trade route in Anatolia. The city itself and the ruins are all on the sides of a fertile valley. The extensive ruins including the theatre, library or gymnasium create the special atmosphere of Ephesus, and appeal to every visitor.

Ephesus has been an important centre throughout the ages. Once a trade centre of the ancient world , a religious centre of early Christianity and today, a unique tourism centre attracting visitors from all over the world. Linguists accept that the word "Ephesus" was derived from "Apasas". The town of Apasas under the rule of the Ahhiyava Kingdom mentioned in the written records of the Hittites.

Day 5: Selçuk - Pamukkale (B)
Continue to the inner Aegean region to the well known Cotton Fortress, Pamukkale. Depart on a guided tour of the world-famous site and listen to stories that will make this Holy City come alive (Pamukkale and Hierapolis).

PAMUKKALE: Located 20km from the town of Denizli in the Aegean region of Turkey, Pamukkale is one of the most interesting places in the world, justly famous not only for the entrancing beauty of its unique geological formations but also for its historical remains. The calcium oxide-rich waters flowing down the southern slope of Caldag, located north of the ruins, have, over the millennia, built up deposits of white travertine on the plateau thus fully justifying both the site's ancient name of Hierapolis (Holy City) and its modern one of Pamukkale (Cotton Castle).

Ancient Hierapolis appears to have been founded by King Eumenes II of Pergamon and its name is derived from Hiera, the wife of King Telephos, the legendary founder of Pergamon. The city became subject to Rome in 133 BC. In 17 BC, during the reign of Tiberius, it suffered a heavy earthquake that substantially destroyed the city, requiring it to be rebuilt. Preliminary excavations at Hierapolis were undertaken by a German team towards the end of the last century. Since 1957, excavation and restoration work has been going on under the direction of an Italian group of archaeologists from the University of Lecce.

Hierapolis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As the hot springs of Pamukkale were used as a spa since the 2nd century BC, people came to soothe their ailings here. Many of them retired and died here. The large necropolis is filled with sarcophagi. The great baths were constructed with huge stone blocks without the use of cement, and consisted of various closed or open sections linked together. There are deep niches in the inner section of the bath, library, gymnasium and other closed or open locations. The complex, which was constructed in the 2nd century, constitutes a good example of vault-type architecture. The complex is now an archaeological museum.

Day 6: Denizli - Night train to Istanbul (B)
In the afternoon we board an overnight bus back to Istanbul for one last night on the town.

Day 7: Istanbul
Arrive in Istanbul and check-in to the hotel. Enjoy a free day to discover more of this fascinating city.

Day 8 Departure (B)

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Packed Paradise Turkey 2010