Tour Style : Small Group Tour
Duration : 12 Days -11 Nights
Departures : Everyday (East Turkey Section From Apr till Oct )
Highlights : Istanbul, Pamukkale, Hierapolis, Cappadocia, Goreme Open Air Museum, Mt. Nemrut, Sanliurfa and Harran

Day 1 – Arrival in Istanbul
Upon your arrival we will pick you up from the airport and transfer your hotel. Overnight in Istanbul. Celal Sultan Hotel in old town of Sultanahmed.

Day 2 – Byzantine and Ottoman Relics Tour
8:30am – Picked-up from hotel and met by your tour guide for a full day to discover the city of Istanbul. The tour will include visit to the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace and the Rustem Pasa Mosque. At the end of the tour, you will be dropped back to your hotel at approximately 5:00 pm. Overnight in Istanbul. Celal Sultan Hotel in old town of Sultanahmed (B, L)

Day 3 – Half Day Morning Bosphorus Cruise
8:30 am – You will be picked-up from your hotel to visit the Spice Bazaar (or Egyptian Bazaar). Filled with spices, dried fruits, nuts and seeds, lokum (Turkish delight) and other edibles, Spice Bazaar has a smell of the fragrance of the exotic East. Then join a boat excursion on the Bosphorus on a shared tour. Enjoy viewing Ottoman palaces, Bosphorus bridge, citadels, centuries-old mansions and the European and Asian shorelines at the same time. At the end of the tour, you will be dropped back to your hotel at approximately 1:00 pm.
Evening Flight to Pamukkale

Stay Pamukkale

Day 4 -Pamukkale and Hierapolis Tour at 08:45am
After breakfast we will depart from Kusadasi to Pamukkale, as soon as we arrive we will continue onto guided tour of Pamukkale and Hierapolis. Pamukkale means cotton castle in Turkish. It is the result of limestone formations built over thousands of years. Warm calcium rich mineral water flowed over the cliffs and as it cooled it deposited the calcium into the formations that are seen today. Pamukkale is now a world heritage site. Hierapolis was founded as a healing care center in 190 BC, taking advantage of the mineral waters in the area. It was one of the most important intellectual, artistic, religious and commercial centers of the Roman Empire.

Stay Kusadası

Day 5:Ephesus Tour at 09:00am
First visit the Temple of Artemis, which once was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Then you will visit the world famous ancient Greco-Roman City of Ephesus, the most well preserved example in the world. After visiting this impressive site, you will have a lunch break. After lunch, you will visit The House of Virgin Mary, where it is believed she spent her last days. This is a holy place for both Christians and Muslims. After the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel at around 5:00 pm.

Evening Flight to Kayseri

Stay Cappadocia

Day 6 –Fairy Chimneys Tour at 09:30am

In this day you will be able to see:
DEVRENT VALLEY: Devrent is situated on the northern slopes of Aktepe, 1km from Pasabaglari (Monks’ Valley) and 5 km from Avanos. The ruins at Devrent are spread over three valleys, which also house several pointed fairy chimneys with large stems.

LOVE VALLEY: The best place to see three-headed fairy chimneys. Pasabag, the Pasha’s Vineyard, is surrounded by incredible natural rock formations; a spectacular scene.

AVANOS: A center of terra cotta work of art since 3000 BC, it is a town where you will be invited to visit a traditional pottery workshop, which is possibly set deep into the hillsides. The clay, which comes from the Red River passing through the town, gives life both to the land and to the local economy.

UCHISAR: Uchisar is a troglodyte town situated right in the middle of Cappadocia. It is named after the enormous piece of rock in the center of the town, which was once used as a castle. This extraordinary rock is the highest peak of the area with the view of whole Cappadocia and Erciyes (Argeus) Mountain.
After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel.

Overnight in Cappadocia.

Day 7 – Rose Valley & Mazıkoy Underground City Tour at 09:30am

You will be picked up from your hotel for Full day tour of South Cappadocia. In this day you will be able to see:
KIZILCUKUR: is an isolated valley behind Urgup. It has beautiful rock formation with some great hidden rock-carved churches. The most interesting part of this area is the countless tracks connecting the small villages and towns through vineyards and gardens like a spider net. It is always possible to see villagers working in the area and offering grapes, apples or apricots to you.

CAVUSIN: One of the oldest settlements in the area, Cavusin is situated 2km from Goreme, on the Göreme-Avanos road. The Church of St.John the Baptist offers a panoramic view of the village. This church and its paintigs date back to the 5th century, making the oldest church in the region. It had a large courtyard which is unusual for Cappadocia, this has been eroded away 
however.

MAZIKOY: One of largest and deepest of the 40 others in Cappadocia. They both have eight floors, although not all are open to the public.

PIGEON HOUSE: Visit the pigeon houses and rock formations.

Stay Cappadocia

Day 8: Mt. Nemrut, Sanliurfa and Harran Tour from Cappadocia 3 days
CAPPADOCIA – KAHTA
Depart from your hotel in Cappadocia. We begin heading east and make a short photo stop at Incesu Caravansary. We will also get a magnificent view of Mt. Erciyes near Kayseri. Lunch and tea break. We may stop in Kahramanmaras for a taste of Turkey’s most famous ice cream. Arrival in Kahta, near the mountain, check in hotel, dinner and overnight. L.D.

DAY 9 – KAHTA – MT. NEMRUT – HARRAN – SANLIURFA
Rise early for the drive and the walk up to the summit of Mount Nemrut. See the magnificent relics of the tumulus of the Commagene king Antiochus Epipanes I atop Mt. Nemrut (2150m above sea-level) located near Adiyaman and Malatya. The amazing statues of the Gods on the Nemrut summit make it a very impressive site. View a fantastic sunrise from the East Terrace. Visit the East and West terraces, fire altar, statues of Apollo, Zeus, Hercules, Tyche and Antiochus Epipanes I, tumulus, and see the world’s first horoscope. Descend down the mountain through small villages and beautiful scenery. Stop in Arsemia to see the old castle and remains of bridge made during the time of Alexander the Great, then cross the Cendere Roman Bridge built by Septimus Severus in the 2nd century AD and still in use! Visit Karakus, which is the tumulus of the royal Commagene women and features columns with eagle and relief. Breakfast and pack up at hotel. Drive to Harran; city of the prophet Abraham. We will walk through the village with its fortress, old Islamic school and beehive shaped adobe houses. Experience the village life. We continue to Sanli Urfa for lunch and then a view of the castle with Roman columns. Visit Mevlid Halil Mosque and the cave of Prophet Abraham. Halil Rahman Mosque and the sacred fish pool. Time permitting a chance to wander in the old Bazaar. Overnight in Sanliurfa. B.L.D

DAY 10 – SANLIURFA – CAPPADOCIA
We will depart Sanli Urfa after breakfast and continue to Biracik for a view of the fortress, then and cross the Euphrates River. Biracik is known for the nearly extinct Bald Ibis. Lunch. R

EVENING FLIGHT TO ISTANBUL
STAY ISTANBUL

Day 11 :Princess Island Tour

Departs Everyday from 8:30am-5pm
If you feel the need to escape from the bustle of Istanbul for a day, nothing could be easier. You simply join us aboard a ferry bound for the charming Princes’ Island . Our destination is Buyukada, the largest of the island chain, but we will pass by four other islands on the way. All are famous for their mild climates, lush vegetation and ornate Ottoman houses, and on all of them cars are banned. The preferred means of transportation is the charming horse-drawn carriage known as the phaeton, which we will use on our circular tour of Buyukada, passing elegant mansions draped in brilliant purple bougainvillea. You will feel as though you have stepped back into a more leisured and gracious age, almost expecting grand 19th Century ladies and gentlemen to come strolling down to the waterfront on an afternoon promenade. Lunch will be at one of the many excellent traditional fish-restaurants on the waterfront, gazing across the water at the Asian shore of Istanbul, so close though it feels worlds away. Pick up and drop off at your hotel is included.

Day 12:Free Day / Departure
Transfer to Istanbul Airport
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