Classics of Turkey

11 Days / 10 Nights                                                                                     • Istanbul • Ankara • Cappadocia • Pamukkale • Kusadasi • Ephesus •

                                                                                                                                                  • Pergamum • Troy • Canakkale • Dardanelles • Gallipoli •

Guaranteed Departures                                                                                 

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Day 1   Friday / Istanbul

You will be welcomed on arrival and transferred to your hotel.

Day 2   Saturday / Istanbul
After breakfast discover the Byzantine and Ottoman treasures of Istanbul on a full day tour. We begin at the Topkapi Palace, the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans for almost three centuries is located on the Seraglio Point overlooking the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara. The palace is an extensive complex interconnected with galleries and passages with almost none of the buildings higher than two stories. Your visit will include some of the main highlights. (The Imperial Harem, home to the Sultan’s mother, the concubines and wives of the Sultan and the rest of his family is not included). The ancient Roman Hippodrome, scene of chariot races and the center of Byzantine civic life is next. Remains from the curved end section of the Hippodrome’s walls can be seen on the south side of the square. Nearby is the elegant six minaret mosque of Sultan Ahmet I also known as the Blue Mosque. The interior is lined with more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles made at Iznik in more than fifty different tulip designs. The tour concludes at the Grand Bazaar where you can wander amongst the stalls of over 3500 tiny shops that offer a wide selection of goods. The evening is free. Lunch and dinner on your own.

Optional - Dinner with belly dancing entertainment.  (B)

Day 3   Sunday / Istanbul - Ankara
Optional morning tour of St.Sophia and Bosphorus cruise. Mid-day departure for Ankara, the capital and the second largest city of Turkey. (B,D)

Day 4   Monday / Ankara - Cappadocia
Morning departure to visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. This is the most important museum in Turkey and contains a priceless collection that reflects Anatolian civilizations from Paleolithic to Classical times. Next visit the Mausoleum of Ataturk, founder and first president of the Turkish Republic. Completed in 1960 it dominates the modern part of the city . Drive to Cappadocia, visiting a 13th century caravan inn en route. Built on the Silk Road during the Seljuk period for traders, to provide rooms, food, medical attention, equipment repair and other conveniences. Overnight in Cappadocia. (B,D)

Day 5   Tuesday / Cappadocia

Optional – Early morning Balloon tour. approx. 160 Euros per person.

Experience floating through the volcanic valleys and over the fairy chimneys as the sun rises over Cappadocia.

After breakfast visit the churches of the Goreme Valley which contain the most spectacular paintings of the region. The area has been designated as a huge open air museum. Travel north to Avanos, located 18 kms north of Nevsehir where the tint of the deep red soil also colors the clay used to make the famous pottery of the area. Stop in Pasabagi (also known as Monks’ Valley) which is approximately 1 km from Goreme. The valley contains some of the most interesting fairy chimneys in Cappadocia with twin and triple rock caps. Next is the Red Valley, where the red soil along its banks give the Kizilirmak (Red River) and the valley its name. Brief visit to a regional pottery workshop in a cave. Overnight in Cappadocia. (B,D)

Day 6   Wednesday / Cappadocia - Pamukkale
En route to Pamukkale we visit the famous mausoleum of the sufi philosopher Mevlana. Pamukkale is an extraordinary limestone mountain with cascading hot springs where the Romans built an ancient spa. Pamukkale means “cotton castle” in Turkish, it is a World Heritage Site. (B,D)

Day 7  Thursday / Pamukkale - Kusadasi
Early morning visit to the unique Cotton Castle with the calcium cascades and also one of the first modern spa centers of the ancient world; Hierapolis founded by King Eumenes II of Pergamon around 190 B.C. There are few historical facts that are known about the origin of the city founded as a thermal spa. First excavated in 1957, further excavations unearthed a number of valuable discoveries. The Apostle Philip, a native of Hierapolis was martyred here in 80 A.D. and a basilica erected to commemorate his martyrdom. After our visit of Hierapolis continue to Kusadasi. Overnight in Kusadasi. (B,D)

Day 8   Friday / Ephesus & St. Mary's House - Kusadasi
Full day tour the famous ruins of Ephesus, once the commercial center of the ancient world famous for its Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The sacred city of Ephesus (Rev. 2-1-7) lay largely in ruins forgotten until the early 20th century. Continue to the House of the Virgin Mary. Tradition has it that after the death of Christ, John brought the Virgin Mary to Ephesus where she is said to have spent her last days in a small house built for her on Mt. Koressos. It is now a popular place of pilgrimage. Dinner and overnight in Kusadasi. Afternoon Optional tour of Sirince. (B,D)        

Optional – Tour of Sirince (based on a minimum of 12 participants). Sirince, a pretty Orthodox village is located at the top of a mountain with narrow streets where local women sell their handicrafts. Time for shopping in the village before returning to the hotel.

Day 9  Saturday / Troy – Pergamum - Canakkale

A morning drive to Homer’s fortified city of Troy lost until 1871 until the German adventurer Heinrich Schliemann discovered it using Homer’s Iliad to locate the site. Obtaining permission from the Ottoman government, the site was excavated at his own expense. He uncovered four superimposed towns (9 have since been uncovered). See the legendary walls and the replica of the famous wooden horse that guards the entrance. Crossing the Kaz Mountains we head for Bergama (Pergamum) town, one of the Seven Churches of the Bible and a great center of culture. Bergama’s fame stems from the fact that it was home to Gallen, a great physician and medical authority who set up shop as physician to Pergamum’s gladiators. Most of the ruins of the Acropolis have been moved to Berlin to the Pergamum Museum. The most significant ruins are the great library of Pergamum that once housed over 200,000 books. The main structure of the Acropolis includes the Library as well as the marble columned Temple of Trajan. The Great Theater built into the hillside once seated 10,000 spectators. Pass the Asclepion, one of the foremost medical centers of classical times and the Red Basilica, one of the Seven Churches of the Apocalypse (Rev. 2- 12) before continuing to Canakkale. (B,D)

Day 10   Sunday / Dardanelles - Gallipoli - Istanbul
Morning departure for Gallipoli and visit Anzac Cove, which gained fame as the site of the First World War landing of the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) on April 25, 1915. See the Lone Pine Cemetery which stands on a plateau at the top of Victoria Gully and is located on the road from Gabatepe to the New Zealand Battlefield at Chunuk Bair. Within the Cemetery stands the Lone Pine Memorial commemorating servicemen who perished in the Anzac area. Continue to Istanbul for overnight. (B)

Day 11   Monday / Istanbul - Return
After breakfast a representative will escort you to the airport. (B)