Istambul, a city built in two continents. Know it with a cable car ride up to the Pierre Loti viewpoint and you will enter the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent (the largest in Istanbul). You will see the walls, the Golden Horn, the fishing district, and you will admire the exterior of Hagia Sofia. A tour of 10 days visiting Antalya, Aspendos, Side, Karaman, Nigde, Cappadocia, Ihlara, Konya, Egridir, Pamukkale, Ephesus, Kusadasi, Izmir, Bursa, Istanbul.

DAY 01 WED. Antalya-.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Arrival transfer. Dinner included.
Welcome to Europe!!! On arrival at the airport we shall be waiting to transfer you to the hotel. You can enjoy free time until your tour starts, information about the meeting place and start time can be found on the information boards in the hotel reception area. At 17.00 (approx.), we will make a brief visit to ANTALYA a coastal city of more than a million inhabitants, the door of Adrian, the Ottoman district and its great waterfall that falls straight into the sea. Dinner and accommodation.

DAY 02 THU. Antalya- Aspendos- Side- Karaman- Nigde.-
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Contrast of the Anatolian region between the coast and the high mountains. Dinner included.
We leave Antalya for ASPENDOS, we visit the Roman theatre which many believe to be the best preserved in the world. After this in SIDE we can admire the Greek temple of Apollo by the sea. Time to stroll around the port and through its streets full of life. Amidst impressive countryside we cross the Taurus Mountains, their peaks of over 3,500 metres in height are snowcovered for a large part of the year. A stop in KARAMAN where we visit TARTAN EVI, an ancient Ottoman mansion. Continuation to the region of Cappadocia. NIGDE, dinner and accommodation. Note: Sometimes the Tartan Evi may be closed, in which case the visit would be replaced by another to a mansion of similar characteristics in Cappadocia.

DAY 03 FRI. Nigde- Cappadocia.-
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: landscapes with spectacular shapes. Picturesque towns. Dinner included.
A full day in the fantastic region of CAPPADOCIA, with its lunar landscapes, its churches and troglodyte villages. We start by visiting GUMUSLER, an incredible seventh century underground monastery with maybe the best Byzantine frescoes in Turkey. In KAYMAKLI we will see theunderground city that could house 30,000 people. We will visit the natural fortress of UCHISAR. After lunch, we will see the GOREME Valley with its open-air museum and its churches dug out of the rocks, entrance included. Hotel in AVANOS. Dinner included.

DAY 04 SAT. Cappadocia- Ihlara- Konya.-
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Ihlara Valley, Caravanserai, Kon- ya. Dinner included.
At the far end of Cappadocia, we will visit the IHLARA Valley; known for the freshness of its waters, its churches and villages excavated in the rock. Then we continue our route, with a stop in an old CARAVANSERAI from the 13th Century before arriving in KONYA where we visit the Mausoleum of Mevlana. Here we will learn about the sect of the Dervishes (entrance included). Dinner included. At night, we suggest that you attend the dance performance of the whirling dervishes in the cultural centre.

DAY 05 SUN. Konya- Egridir- Pamukkale.-
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Fantastic Cotton Castle at the end of the day. Dinner included.
We take a scenic road between the lakes, and get to know EGRIDIR, a beautiful town next to a large lake, with its walls and mosques. There’s time to have lunch. We then continue to PAMUKKALE Hierapolis, whose calcareous waters have created the Cotton Castle (entrance included). Dinner included.

DAY 06 MON. Pamukkale- Ephesus- Kusadasi.-
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Ephesus. Dinner included.
We leave for EPHESUS, the best-preserved ancient city of Asia Minor; 2000 years ago it had a quarter of a million inhabitants. We see the house of the Virgin Mary, the Basilica of Saint John and the impressive ruins of Ephesus (entrance included). We then go on to KUSADASI, a popular coastal town with a lot of atmosphere, commercial life and a small castle. Dinner included.

DAY 07 TUE. Kusadasi- Izmir- Bursa- Istanbul.-
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Interior of Anatolia. Hanging bridges crossing the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus Strait.
We leave for the city with the fourth largest population in Turkey: IZMIR. We see the church of Saint Polycarp, the oldest in the city, which reminds us of the importance of this area in early Christianity (entrance included). We then return to inland Turkey. Stop en route for lunch before reaching BURSA, the fourth largest city in Turkey, whose historic centre has been declared UNESCO World Heritage, with its traditional commercial districts, mosques, religious schools, public baths… The green mosque stands out. Arrival in ISTANBUL at the end of the day.

DAY 08 WED. Istanbul.-
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Sightseeing tour. Cable car to Pierre Loti viewpoint. Topkapi Palace. Evening transfer to Taksim.
A sightseeing tour of the city. We find ourselves in a city built in two continents. On our tour, we will include a cable car ride up to the Pierre Loti viewpoint and we will enter the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent (the largest in Istanbul). We will see the walls, the Golden Horn, the fishing district, and we will admire the exterior of Hagia Sofia. After the visit, we will offer tick- ets and a visit to the Top Kapi Palace, which was the administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire, with its magnificent courtyards and its pavilions. At the end of the afternoon we will provide a transfer to the Taksim neighbourhood, the most commercialised and lively area of the city. There will be time to dine in one of its many restaurants, and you can also take the old tram that crosses the area or go to see the nearby Galata Tower.

DAY 09 THU. Istanbul.-
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Boat trip on the Bosphorus.
Today we include a boat trip on the Bosphorus that will last about two hours. We will undertake the trip on a boat exclusively for ours travellers. The Bosphorus is a strait that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, which separates Istanbul into two parts: the European part and the Asian one. We will enjoy seeing the liveliness of the strait with its multitude of boats. We will pass under the two bridges that unite Europe and Asia and we will admire the palaces of the sultans, the typical wooden houses and the Ottoman villas. Free time.

DAY 10 FRI. Istanbul.-
After breakfast, end of our services.

• Travel by bus with English speaking guide.
• Basic travel insurance.
• Hotels according to the itinerary.
• Breakfast buffet.
• Arrival transfer
• Boat: Lycian tombs and lake in Dalyan
• Ticket admission: Roman theatre in Aspendos, Greek Temple of Apollo in Side, Tartan Evi in Karaman, Gumusler Monastery; Underground city of Kainacli; Goreme Valley; Uchisar in Nigde, Valley of Ihlara in Ihlara, Caravanserai; Mevlana Mausoleum in Konya, Pamukkale – Hierapolis in Pamukale, house of the Virgin Mary, Basilica of St. John, Ruins of Ephesus
• 7 Lunch or Dinner Included in: Antalya, Nigde, Cappadocia, Konya, Pamukale, Kusadasi, Marmaris.
• Boat: on the Bosphorus in Istanbul.
• City tour in: Istanbul.
• Evening Transfer: Taksim Square in Istanbul.
• Ticket admission: Suleiman the Great Mosque and Top Kapi Palace in Istanbul.
• Funicular: Viewpoint of Pierre Loti in Istanbul.

2022

• May.22: 04, 11, 18, 25
• Jun.22: 01, 08, 15, 22, 29
• Jul.22: 06, 13, 20, 27
• Aug.22: 03, 10, 17, 24, 31
• Sep.22: 07, 14, 21, 28
• Oct.22: 05, 12, 19, 26
• Nov.22: 02, 09, 16, 23, 30
• Dec.22: 07, 14, 21, 28
  
  

2023

• Jan.23: 04, 11, 18, 25
• Feb.23: 01, 08, 15, 22
• Mar.23: 01, 08, 15, 22, 29

PRICES PER PERSON

SEASON              DBL                 SINGL
High S.               $854                $1.232
Mid S.                 $858               $1.232
Low S.                $811               $1.190

• Sometimes the Tartan Evi may be closed, in which case the visit would be replaced by another to a mansion of similar characteristics in Cappadocia.
• It is a general policy in the hotels that may request a deposit of money on arrival at each of the hotels where you will be staying. This deposit is charged at the time of check in and is refunded upon departure if you did not make any expenses at the hotel.
• The space in the holds of the coaches and in the train wagons is limited and this determines the maximum amount of luggage authorized per passenger on our circuits: one suitcase per person and one handbag. Carrying more luggage than allowed can be checked in at destination.