Charms of anatolia

Guaranteed Daily Departures EXCEPT Sunday

Minimum 2 people

Day 1 - Istanbul

Arrival and welcome by our representative at Istanbul Airport. Transfer to the hotel.

OPTIONAL: Bosphorus Cruise by Night: Includes dinner, 2 local alcoholic drinks, a folklore show, and a DJ.

Day 2 – Istanbul (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Meet your guide in the hotel lobby to begin the tour, Istanbul between Asia and Europe. Start the day with a visit to the colorful and aromatic Spice Bazaar, also known as the Egyptian Bazaar. It specializes in typical products such as sweets, nuts, and spices. Then, at the Eminönü port, you will board the boat for a cruise through the Bosphorus, the strait that separates the two continents, Asia and Europe. From the sea, you will enjoy panoramic views of both continental shores. The beautiful Ottoman villas, the palaces of Dolmabahce, Ciragan, and Beylerbeyi, the Rumeli Hisari fortress, the Maiden's Tower, etc. Back on land, transfer to the hotel.

Day 3 – Istanbul - Airport - Cappadocia (B, D)

Breakfast at the hotel. At the indicated time, transfer to Istanbul Airport for your domestic flight (included) to Kayseri. Arrival in Kayseri and transfer to your hotel in Cappadocia. Dinner and overnight stay.

Day 4 - Cappadocia (B, L, D)

OPTIONAL: At dawn, you will have the opportunity to participate in an optional hot air balloon excursion.

Breakfast. After breakfast, visit this fantastic region with its fascinating and unique landscape formed by lava ejected from the Erciyes and Hasan volcanoes 3 million years ago. We will then stop in Esentepe to photograph the beautiful Göreme Valley. Visit the valleys of Love, Devrent, Avcilar, and Guvercinlik, which boast a spectacular landscape of "Fairy Chimneys." Then, we'll visit one of the onyx and turquoise jewelry workshops. Lunch. Visit a troglodyte town, either Uchisar or Cavusin. Stop in Avanos, famous for its pottery, which has been the town's livelihood. We'll conclude at a traditional carpet workshop to learn about the making of this centuries-old Turkish tradition. Dinner at the hotel.

OPTIONAL: Possibility of attending a folk dance performance, the famous "Turkish Night," in a typical cave with unlimited regional drinks.

Day 5 – Cappadocia - Pamukkale (B, L, D)

Breakfast. Early departure via Konya. Stop at an ancient 13th-century caravanserai that was part of the old Silk Road. After lunch, we continue to Pamukkale, a spectacular and unique place in the world for its dazzling white waterfalls and natural pools. Its name translates from Turkish as "cotton castle." Nearby is Ancient Hierapolis with one of the largest necropolises of antiquity. Dinner and overnight stay.

Day 6 - Pamukkale – Ephesus – Izmir (B, L, D)

OPTIONAL: Opportunity to take a hot air balloon flight over Pamukkale.

Breakfast. Continue to Ephesus, an ancient Greco-Roman city and one of the best preserved today, where we will visit the Temple of Hadrian, Temple of Trajan, the Theater, the fabulous Library of Celsus, etc. Lunch at the restaurant of the railway museum, which can also be visited. Continue to the House of the Virgin Mary, where she spent the last years of her life. Opportunity to visit one of the typical leather factories. Arrival in Izmir. Dinner and overnight stay.

Day 7 - Izmir – Bursa - Istanbul (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire. Visit to the Silk Bazaar, or Koza Han, built in 1491 as a center for the city's silk industry. We will also visit the Grand Mosque of Bursa, which, with its 20 domes, was the largest mosque in Turkey for over 500 years. Continue to Istanbul. Arrival and transfer to the hotel.

Day 8 – Istanbul (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Free day for personal activities.

OPTIONAL: Visiting the Old City, where the most outstanding Ottoman and Byzantine monuments are concentrated. We will begin with a visit to the ancient Roman Hippodrome, where highlights include the Obelisk of Theodosius, the Egyptian Obelisk, the Serpent Column, and the German Fountain. Afterwards, visit the famous Blue Mosque, the most important mosque in Istanbul and, until 2016, the only one in the world with six minarets. Continue with a panoramic tour to take photos of the world-famous Hagia Sophia, a symbol of Istanbul and one of the masterpieces of Byzantine art. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 (you can enter it on your own later). We will also visit Topkapi Palace, the famous and gigantic complex from which the Ottoman Empire was ruled for almost 400 years. Finally, your guide will take you to the Grand Bazaar. Free time for shopping.

Day 9 – Istanbul - Return (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport.

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