12 Days 11 Nights Istanbul-Çanakkale-Kuşadası-Pamukkale-Cappadocia-Ankara-Istanbul

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Day 1: Arrival in Istanbul

  Arrival in Istanbul. Transfer, check-in at the hotel.

• day 2

  Day 2 Istanbul

  Departure from the hotel, start of our tour in the Sultanahmet area. Visit of the Hippodrome (at the center of 3 main empires). Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet, unique with 6 minarets). Lunch. Visit of the Hagia Sophia museum, the largest center of worship in the world between the 6th and 13th centuries. Visit of the largest palace of the Ottoman Empire. Visit of the Grand Bazaar, built in 1455, with its 3000 shops. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

• day 3

  Day 3: Istanbul-Çanakkale

  Departure from the hotel to visit the Spice Bazaar (famous for its variety of spices). Visit of the Bosphorus. The Bosphorus is a strait that connects Asia and Europe. You will have the opportunity to see the mansions and fortresses during the visit. Lunch. Transfer to Canakkale. Crossing the Dardanelles strait from Europe to Asia by ferry boat. Arrival at the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

• day 4

  Day 4: Canakkale - Ephesus

  Early departure from Canakkale for Kusadasi? On the way, visit the ruins of the ancient city of Troy. Arrival in Kusadasi. Transfer to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

• day 5

  Day 5: Ephesus

  Departure from the hotel. Visit of the ancient city of Ephesus. Once the Roman capital of Asia Minor, the city had 250000 inhabitants and is said to have been visited by St John and the Virgin Mary. Visit of Harbour Street, the theatre, Marble Street, the Celcius Library, the Gate of Mihridates and Mazues, the Commercial Agora, the latrina, the Temple of Hadrian, the Scolastica Baths, the Trajan Fountain, Curetes Street, the Polio Fountain, the Memnius Monument, the Temple of Domitian, the Prytaneion, the Odeon, and the State Agora. Lunch. Visit of the House of the Virgin Mary, discovered in the 19th century by following the descriptions of the visions reported by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824), a Roman Catholic nun and visionary. Visit of the Temple of Artemis, dedicated to the goddess Artemis and considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

• day 6

  Day 6: Ephesus - Pamukkale

  Departure for Pamukkale (Cotton Castle). Visit the white cascades, formed by sedimentary rocks deposited by the water from the hot springs. Visit the ruins of the ancient city of Hierapolis, founded as a thermal resort at the beginning of the 2nd century BC. It was inhabited by the Phrygians, the Seleucids, the Greeks, the Romans, and the Seljuks. Transfer to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

• day 7

  Day 7 Pamukkale-Cappadocia

  Departure from the hotel. Drive to Cappadocia. Lunch. Arrival in Cappadocia. Dinner and overnight stay.

• day 8

  Day 8 Cappadocia

  First encounter with Cappadocia: we will introduce you to the lunar landscape of the region, starting with the Devrent Valley. Stroll through this unique setting, where various rock formations can be observed. We will then continue to the best examples of fairy chimneys in Pasabag and the Zelve Valley. We will continue to the town of Avanos, famous for its tile and pottery workshops. We will have lunch in a typical restaurant in this charming little town. After lunch, our next stop will be the Göreme Open-Air Museum, where you can admire the rock-hewn churches and the magnificent frescoes from different eras that adorn the walls. We will then head to Uchisar Castle, the highest and most dominant point in the region, offering a breathtaking panorama. We will end the day with a visit to Esentepe Windy Hill to enjoy a panoramic view and take photos. Arrival at the hotel and overnight stay. (Other hot air balloon excursions in the valleys can be organized early the next morning. Optional.)

• day 9

  Day 9: Cappadocia

  Early wake-up, 5:40 am for the hot air balloon ride. Hot air balloon ride in the valleys of Cappadocia. Arrival at the hotel. (Optional) Departure from the hotel to visit the Three Sisters Fairy Chimneys in Ürgüp, which are the most popular and seen in advertisements. Then, we continue to Pigeons Valley. Pigeons have always been important for the people of Cappadocia. That is why people have carved dovecotes to keep them in certain places. You will see that the pigeons' houses are like people's houses. Then, we go down to the center of the earth in the underground city of Kaymakli, one of the largest and deepest of the 200 other cities in Cappadocia. After that, we head to Mustafapasa through the untouched villages of Cappadocia, surrounded by the "table-top" mountains. On the way, we visit the village of Ayvali. We continue to Mustafapasa (Sinasos), an old Greek town with its spectacular old Greek houses; very beautiful examples of late Greek settlements and architecture. We will have lunch in Ürgüp. After lunch, our next stop is Red Valley. We walk about 4 km in one of the most beautiful valleys of Cappadocia: the Red Valley, with its fabulous volcanic rock formations, is at the heart of Cappadocia but away from tourists. The hermit churches carved into the rock, with frescoes and paintings, blend into the meditative atmosphere of the valley and have remained intact since the beginning. At the end of the walk, we arrive at the old village of Cavusin. We end the tour by visiting the Turasan wine factory in Ürgüp, where you will have the chance to taste the world-famous Cappadocian wines. Dinner and overnight stay. Optional folk dance performance.

• day 10

  Day 10: Cappadocia-Ankara

  Departure from the hotel for Ankara. Lunch en route. Visit to the mausoleum of Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic. Visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilization. I arrive at the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

• day 11

  Day 11: Ankara-Istanbul

  Departure from the hotel for Ankara. Lunch en route. Visit to the Atatürk Mausoleum, the founder of the Turkish Republic. Visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. I return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay on site.

• day 12

  Day 12 Departure - Istanbul

  Transfer to the airport. Check in for an international flight.