7 Days, 6 Nights: Istanbul, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Cappadocia.

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Day 1: Arrival in Istanbul

  Arrival in Istanbul. Transfer. Arrival at the hotel. Possibility to organize an optional dinner cruise at night.

• day 2

  Day 2: Istanbul

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

• day 3

  Day 3: Ephesus

  Departure from the hotel. Transfer to the airport. Flight to Izmir. Arrival in Izmir. Transfer and visit of the ancient city of Ephesus, once the Roman capital of Asia Minor. The city has 250,000 inhabitants and is said to have been visited by Saint John and the Virgin Mary. Visit of Harbour Street, the theater, Marble Street, the Library of Celsus, the Gate of Mithridates and Mazues, the Commercial Agora, the latrina, the Temple of Hadrian, the Baths of Scholastica, the Fountain of Trajan, Curetes Street, the Fountain of Pollio, the Monument of Memnius, 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 4

  Day 4: Pamukkale

  Departure from Selcuk for Pamukkale. Arrival in Pamukkale (Cotton Castle). Lunch. Visit of the white cascades, formed by sedimentary rocks deposited by the water from the hot springs. Visit of the ruins of the ancient city of Hierapolis, founded as a thermal station 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 5

  Day 5: Cappadocia

  Departure from the hotel. Transfer to the airport. Flight to Cappadocia. Arrival in Cappadocia. Transfer and tour of the region. We will introduce you to the lunar landscape of Cappadocia in the Devrent Valley. Take a walk through this unique landscape, where different rock formations can be observed. We then continue to the best examples of fairy chimneys in Pasabag and the Zelve Valley. We proceed to the town of Avanos, famous for its tile and pottery workshops. We will have lunch in a typical restaurant in this small town. After lunch, our next stop is the Göreme Open-Air Museum, where you can admire the fantastic rock churches and the magnificent frescoes from different centuries that adorn the walls. We then head to Uchisar Castle, the highest and most dominant point in the region, offering a breathtaking panorama. We end the day with a visit to Esentepe Windy Hill for a panoramic view and photo opportunities. Arrival at the hotel and overnight stay. (Other hot air balloon excursions in the valleys can be organized early the next morning, as an option).

• day 6

  Day 6: Cappadocia

  (Waking up early, 5:40 am for the hot air balloon tour. Hot air balloon tour in the valleys of Cappadocia. Arrival at the hotel. Optional) Departure from the hotel to visit the Three Sisters Fairy Chimneys in Urgup, which are the most popular and visible in advertisements. Next, we go to Pigeons Valley. Pigeons have always been important for Cappadocia. That is why people carved dovecotes to keep them in certain places. You will see that the pigeons' houses resemble those of the inhabitants. Then, we go down to the center of the earth in the underground city of Kaymakli, one of the largest and deepest among the 200 other cities in Cappadocia. After that, we head to Mustafapasa, passing 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 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, remaining intact since the beginning. End of the walk. Arrival at the ancient village of Cavusin. We finish the tour by visiting the Turasan wine factory in Urgup, where you will have the opportunity to taste the famous wines of Cappadocia. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

• day 7

  Day 7: Departure

  Transfer to the airport. Flight to Istanbul. Check in for the international flight.