Western Turkey Tour 2

Day 1: Arrival Istanbul
Friday Dinner
Upon arrival in the legendary city of Istanbul, you are met by your representative with a friendly "Merhaba" (hello) and escorted to your hotel. This evening, you will be briefed by your guide at the hotel then you will enjoy a group dinner.

Day 2 : Istanbul - Assos
Saturday 380 km Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Departure for Gallipolli Peninsula where the Dardanelles Battle took place in WWI. Visit the landing point of ANZAC forces. Cross the Strait of the Dardanelles by ferry to Canakkale located on the Asian side. Continue to explore the legendary city of Troy whose history covers a period of about 3,400 years with nine layers of settlements (Troy I to IX). King Priam's glorious city, which was immortalized in Homer's epic poem, the Iliad brought to life the stories of Helen, Menelas, Paris, Agamemnon, Achilles and Hector. A reconstruction of the infamous Trojan Wooden Horse stands at the entrance of the site. After lunch, continue to Assos. Hotel is located in the ancient harbor.

Day 3 Assos - Izmir
Sunday 255 km Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
In the morning, visit the ancient site of Assos where the Temple of Athena overlooks the sea from the highest spot of the acropolis. Continue to Pergamum. the capital of the Attalid dynasty. Visit this ancient city where parchment was invented. Highlights include the Acropolis with the ruins of the agoras, temples, palaces, the library which contained 200,000 volumes, the podium on which stood the Zeus Altar which was sent to Berlin, and the impressive theatre built into the steep hillside which provides a wonderful panorama of the surroundings. In the lower part of the ancient city, visit the Asclepion, a sanctuary and a healing center dedicated to the god of healing, Asclepius. Continue to Izmir. Dinner at your hotel.

Day 4 Izmir - Ephesus - Izmir
Monday 150 km Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
visit the imposing city of Ephesus, one of the most fascinatingly complete cities of antiquity in the entire world. Travel back in time as you stroll down the Marble Street, past the Roman villas, the Agora, the Odeon, the Nympheaum of Trajan, the Temple of Hadrian, the Celsius Library, the Theatre and the remains of the Temple of Artemis which was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Also visit the House of the Virgin Mary which has been designated by the Vatican as a place of pilgrimage and which is located in a remote setting in the heights of Ephesus. Lunch at Sirince, a Greco-Ottoman village which 19th century wooden houses marvelously preserved. Return to Izmir.

Day 5 Izmir - Pamukkale
Tuesday 245 km Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Drive to Sardis, the capital of the Kingdom of Lydia where the world's first coinage was invented and which was famous for its wealthy King Croesus : visit the Bath - Gymnasium Complex, the 3rd century AD marble paved Synagogue and the Temple of Artemis located in the Pactolus Valley. After lunch, continue to Pamukkale, a unique natural site. Visit this "Cotton Castle" where the hot waters, leaving their limestone deposits, have created a surreal landscape with petrified waterfalls and basins cascading down the hillside in the midst of a dry, barren landscape. Continue to nearby Hierapolis, an ancient Roman health spa whose well preserved necropolis is one of the largest in the ancient world. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 6 Pamukkale - Antalya
Wednesday 355 km Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Drive to Aphrodisias the ancient city dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of Beauty, Love and Fertility. Aphrodisias was known as a center for the arts throughout the ancient world, specifically for its school of sculpture. Visit the stadium, seating 30,000 people dating to the 1st century AD, which is the best preserved in Anatolia, as well as the Temple of Aphrodite, the Tetrapylon, the Theatre, and the Museum. After lunch, continue to Antalya.

Day 7 Antalya - Aspendos - Perge - Antalya
Thursday 90 km Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
In the morning, drive through the coastal plain of Pamphylia to Aspendos, whose theatre is the best preserved Roman theatre in Asia Minor. The accoustics are still as perfect as they were when it was built in the 2nd century AD that a coin dropped from the orchestra pit can be heard in the top row. After lunch, continue to Perge where you can stroll along the mosaic sidewalk of a colonnaded street past the stadium and theatre. Drive back to Antalya Stroll in the narrow streets of the picturesque old town (Kaleici) with its narrow streets and typical wooden houses overlooking the marina, to discover Hadrian's Gate, the Fluted Minaret, the Truncated Minaret, and Hidirlik Tower. Dinner at a fish restaurant and overnight at the hotel.

Day 8 Antalya - Myra - Phaselis - Antalya
Friday 245 km Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
In the morning, drive to the ancient city of Myra where the best examples of Lycian rock-cut tombs that overlook the Roman theatre can be seen. At Demre, where the legend of Santa Claus began, visit the Church of St Nicholas built over the tomb of the martyred saint who was bishop of Myra. After lunch, continue to Phaselis ancient city, a beautiful site on the sea where you can also enjoy a swim in the Mediterranean Sea (weather permitting.) Return to Antalya.

Day 9 Antalya - Konya - Cappadocia
Saturday 535 km Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Drive to Konya, the capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum from the 11th to the 13th centuries. Visit the Museum of Mevlana, the famous mystic and poet who founded the Sufi Order of the Whirling Dervishes in the 13th century. After lunch, continue to Cappadocia. En route, stop at the Sultanhani Caravanserai built during the Seljuk period in the 13th century. The largest in Anatolia, it provides excellent insight into life for an early traveler.

Day 10 Cappadocia
Sunday 50 km Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A full day tour to explore the rugged beauty of this fantastic region. The winding landscape is decorated at every twist and turn with a maze of cones, slopes and fairy chimneys, products of centuries of wind and rain. Visit the Red Valley enroute to the Goreme Valley. Now an open-air museum, Goreme's churches were carved into the stone between the 7th-13th centuries and are decorated with frescoes that provide a record of early Christianity. Some of the churches you may see include the Church of St Barbara, the Church of the Serpent, the Church of the Sandal, the Church of the Apple and the Church of the Buckle. Learn about art and crafts of rural Turkey with a handcraft center visit and attend a lecture on Turkish hand-made rugs. After lunch, Visit Underground City. Also make photo stops at Uchisar and Avcilar, magnificent vista points.

Day 11 Cappadocia
Monday 90 km Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Continue your visits in Cappadocia with Soganli Valley where you will see medieval rock churches within a traditional Cappadocia village. On the road, stop at Sinassos to stroll the streets to see some best examples of 19th century Cappadocia architecture. Stop to see Valley of the Pigeon Houses. Possibility to participate a Hot Air Balloon Ride over the magnificent landscape of Cappadocia.

Day 12 Cappadocia - Ankara - Istanbul
Tuesday 350 km Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Drive to Ankara, the Turkish capital since 1923. After lunch, visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations housed in the beautifully restored 15th century "bedesten" (covered bazaar). The museum displays rich and unique collections of Anatolian civilizations, such as treasures of the Hittite Empire. We will briefly stop to see the Anitkabir, the Mausoleum of Ataturk, father of modern Turkey. Continue to Ankara Airport for your flight to Istanbul. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel.

Day 13 Istanbul
Wednesday Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A full day tour to explore Istanbul, a fascinating city that bridges Europe and Asia which, under the name Byzantium and Constantinople was the capital of the Roman and Byzantine Empires, and in 1453, became the third and last Capital of the Ottomans. Visit the Blue Mosque, renowned for its six minarets. Built between 1609 and 1616 for Sultan Ahmet I, it is the beautiful 21,043 Iznik tiles dominant shade of blue that give the mosque its name. Next discover the Hippodrome where political, cultural, and sports activities took place during Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman times. Explore Topkapi Palace, the oppulent residence of the Ottoman sultans overlooking the Bosphorus between the end of the 15th and the first half of the 19th centuries. You will discover why it is renowned for its treasures and jeweled captivity of its infamous Harem. End the day at Grand Bazaar. Dinner in Kumkapi.

Day 14 Istanbul
Thursday Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Visit magnificent Haghia Sophia, originally the largest church in the Christian world, it was converted into a mosque in 1453 by Mehmet II and under Ataturk, it became a museum and is a living testament to the beauty of Christianity and Islam that adorn the interior. visit the Spice Market (Egyptian Bazaar). Afterwards, discovery of Istanbul's natural beauty and rich historic heritage with a cruise on the Bosporus. Glide past the minarets and palaces, stone fortresses and wooden Ottoman mansions of the only city in the world that bridges Europe and Asia. Lunch at a fish restaurant on the shores of Bosphorus. In the afternoon, visit St Savior in Chora whose mosaics and frescoes are among the most beautiful in the Byzantine World. Farewell dinner in a Turkish restaurant.

Day 15 Departure
Friday Breakfast

All too soon it is time to bid this magical land "gule gule" (goodbye) as you are transferred to the airport for your return flights home.

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Packed Paradise Turkey 2010