Tour Style : Small Group Tour
Duration : 9 Days – 8 Nights
Departures : Guaranteed Departure
Highlights : Bosphorus Cruise, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Hierapolis, Goreme Open Air Museum, Underground City, Cavusin

Day 1 – Arrival in Istanbul
Upon your arrival we will pick you up from the airport and transfer your hotel.
Half Day Afternoon Bosphorus Cruise
13:00pm – 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 17:00pm.
Overnight in Istanbul.

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. Evening flight to Izmir.
Overnight in Kusadasi.

Day 3 – Ephesus Tour at 09:00am
Ephesus for a full day of sightseeing. 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. Overnight in Kusadasi.

Day 4 – Pamukkale and Hierapolis Tour at 08:20am
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.
Evening Bus to Antalya. Overnight in Antalya.

Day 5 – Antalya Perge Aspendos Tour at 08:15am 

PERGE: Perge was founded by Akhas, Mopsos, and Arnphilokhos who came here after the Trojan wars. Perge was first mentioned in 334 BC when Alexander the Great passed through here. In the following years, Perge went under the control of Pergamon when the Kingdom of Pergamon became a part of the Roman city. Especially in the first and the second centuries BC, Perge became one of the richest towns in Pamphylia. Therefore it is not a surprising that St. Paul started his campaign in Anatolia from Perge in 46 AD. It is one of the better-preserved archaeological sites in Turkey. After the tour of Perge, we will depart for Aspendos. Lunch break on the way.

ASPENDOS: The eastern land of Antalya was called Pamphylia in ancient times. Aspendos (Belkis) lies 47km east of Antalya in the Pamphylian plain. A naval battle was fought off Aspendos in 469 B.C. during which the Persian fleet was defeated by the forces of the Athenian general Cimon. Despite this however we see Aspendos being used as a Persian base in 411 B.C. With Alexander’s defeat of the Persians in 334 B.C., Aspendos was freed of Persian rule. It was ruled by various Hellenistic period kings following the death of Alexander and like most other cities in Asia Minor it came under Roman rule in 133 B.C. Aspendos is most renowned for its theatre, the best-preserved ancient theatre in Turkey. It was built by Romans and maintained by Byzantines and Seljuks. The ruins of the ancient city are extensive and include a stadium, an agora, and a basilica.
EVENING BUS TO CAPPADOCIA

Day 6 – Morning Arrive to Urgup Bus Stataion at 7:30am
Meet and Transfer to Hotel for breakfast

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.

At end of the tour, collect luggage from hotel reception in Cappadocia. Transfer to Kayseri or Nevsehir airport for your evening return flight to Istanbul. Upon arrival you will be picked-up from the airport & transfer to your hotel
Overnight in Istanbul

Day 8 – Princes’ Islands Tour at 008:30am 
Departure from European side and accross the Bosphorus by the first bridge. Drive along the Asian side through Kadiköy all the way to Bostanci admiring the different facets of Istanbul.

Once we reach Bostanci you’ll have a chance to see one of the most beatiful districts of Istanbul. After having little time in Bostanci, embark the boat going to Princes’ Islands. Disembark at Büyükada which is the largest and the most famous of this chain of islands. There are several small hotels where people stay for the weekend. Some of the historical buildings are Aya Yorgi Church and Monastery from 6th century, Ayios Dimitrios Church, Hristos Church and Monastery and enjoy the lunch in a nice waterfront restaurant. After a small tour in the town centre, listening to the history of this lovely island, you’ll have free time to enjoy the beautiful island shores by renting a phaeton (horse-drawn carriage) or bycle until the departure time. As there are no cars alllowed on the island, this promenade will be an unforgettable memory for you.

On the way back we’re going to catch a cruise ferry which is going to call at Heybeli, Burgaz and Kinali Island before reaching Kabatas port on the European side. Overnight in Istanbul.
Option : Evening transfer to Istanbul Ataturk Airport according to your flight details.

Day 9 – Departure
After breakfast check out from hotel (before 12:00), transfer to Istanbul Ataturk Airport according to your flight details. End of tour and services. (If you would like, you can extend your trip by adding extra nights in Istanbul, please advise.)