Mediterranean Turkiye 16 Days

Day 1 – Arrival Istanbul
Arrival in Istanbul and Meet&Greet at the airport, transfer to the hotel, check- in. Leisure afternoon. Overnight Istanbul.
IST airport: After luggage section, continue to Exit Gate Number 9. We will be waiting there with a digital sign.

Day 2 – Sultanahmet – Old Istanbul (B.)
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:00am
Visit to Topkapi Palace, which was used by the Ottoman Sultans from the 15th to 19th centuries. We will also see the impressive collection of priceless jewels, crystal, silver and porcelain, robes worn by the sultans and relics of the prophet Mohammed (Entrance to Harem is included). We will see the Blue Mosque, built for Sultan Ahmet I, which is a unique piece of architecture with its six minarets and features 20,000 beautiful Iznik tiles. After lunch break visit the ancient Hippodrome with Obelisk of Theodosius, Snake Pillar and German Fountain of Wilhelm II. Walk through the back streets of Old Istanbul and visit the Yerebatan underground Cistern. At the end of the tour, at request, free time to see the Grand Covered Bazaar (except Sundays). Overnight Istanbul.
*May be done as a walking tour if your hotel is located in Old City area. *Order of visits may be reversed..

Day 3 – Bosphorus Cruise with Beylerbeyi (B.)
Meeting at the hotel reception at 08:45am
Visit The St. (Haghia) Sophia, which was built by the Emperor Justinian. It was the largest building in the world for over 1000 years. See its intricate mosaics and huge central dome. Visit the exotic Egyptian Spice Market on the Golden Horn. Board your cruise* of the Bosphorus, the waterway, which separates the continents of Europe and Asia. Pass Rumeli fortress, built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452 to prepare for his conquest of Istanbul. Time for lunch in a restaurant. Cross over the Bosphorus Bridge to Asia and visit Beylerbeyi Palace, which was the summer residence of the Ottoman Sultans, then on to Camlica Hill for a magnificent view of Istanbul.
*Order of visits may be reversed..
*Cruise is done by public boat unless other arrangements are made. For private boat alternative please ask.

Day 4 – Istanbul – Cappadocia (B.)
Pick-up from hotel 3 hours before flight departure.
Transfer to the airport to take the afternoon/evening flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia. Arrival at the airport and meeting just outside the arrival’s gate with a sign bearing your name with your driver. Transfer to the hotel in Cappadocia.

Day 5 – Cappadocia (B.)
*Optional Hot air ballooning: Pick up from hotel around 04:00-05:00 (according to the season) and drive to balloon take off place. Take the balloon flight and after the flight you will have your certificate and return to hotel around 07:00-08:00 (according to the season). Refresh and relax a little and ready for your day tour.
Meeting at the hotel reception at 10:00am
After breakfast, first meeting with the lunar landscape of Cappadocia: rock formations beyond belief in Devrent valley; walking in Pasabag near Zelve ; "fairy chimneys" where the voice of wind mixes with the "songs of fairies". Lunch in Avanos, centre of terra cotta work of art since 3000 BC. and a demonstration in a traditional pottery workshop. Afternoon, visit the famous Goreme Open Air Museum and see the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia in rock-cut churches with frescoes and paintings (10th to 13th century). Continue to Uchisar to have a panoramic view of the valleys of Cappadocia. Overnight Cappadocia.

Day 6 – Cappadocia – Antalya (B.)
Meeting at the hotel reception at 10:00am
Start the day with Pigeon Valley. Then tour to Özkonak or Kaymaklı Underground City, one of the most interesting underground settlements in Cappadocia. Visit to Mustafapaşa (Sinasos), an old Greek town with its spectacular old houses; very fine examples of late Greek settlements and architecture. After lunch visit Ürgüp fairy chimneys. Then continue to Ortahisar see the castle then have a Turkish Coffee break. Finish the day with panorama of the Red Valley, with its fabulous volcanic rock formations, is in the heart of Cappadocia but away from the tourist crowd.
Transfer to Kayseri airport to take the flight to Antalya.
Arrival and meeting at the airport with your name sign. Transfer to your hotel in Antalya. Overnight Antalya.

Day 7 – Antalya (B)
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:30am
Visit to Perge – Aspendos and Kursunlu waterfalls or Antalya Museum. Overnight Antalya

Day 8 – Antalya – Kaş (B)
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:30am
We will see the Lycian tombs of Myra and the Church of St. Nicholas (Santa Claus). We will continue along the scenic coast and visit the ancient site of Phaselis with its harbors, harbor way, Roman theater and aqueduct. Overnight Kaş.

Day 9 – Kaş (B)
Free day at leisure.
We may suggest to join one of the daily cruises to go to Kekova Sunken city and the Lycian rock tombs. Overnight Kaş

Day 10 – Kaş – Fethiye (B)
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:30am
Drive to visit Xanthos, which was the capital of Lycia. It has a fine Roman theater and Lycian pillar tombs. The next stop is Patara, with its 17km long white sandy beach and ruins half buried in sand dunes. Patara was the birthplace of the 4th century Byzantine bishop known later as Santa Claus. Continue to Fethiye for overnight.

Day 11 – Fethiye – Tlos – Saklıkent – Dalyan (B)
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:30am
Our journey takes us up into the mountains. Today’s visits will include the ancient site of Tlos, which is carved out with Lycian tombs and crowned by a ruined stronghold of an 18th century robber baron. There is a relief of Bellerophon riding the winged horse Pegasus and an ivy-covered ruin of a Roman bath. We will also visit the gorge of Saklikent, with its Kayakoy steep walls, by walking on a boardwalk over the rapids and/or depending on time Oludeniz (known as Turkiye’s most beautiful beach) or Kayakoy (abandoned Greek village). Overnight in Dalyan

Day 12 – Dalyan (B)
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:30am
Have an enjoyable day in this fishing town with a riverboat tour, where you may enjoy thermal waters and a mud bath, visit the ancient site of Caunos and lay on sandy Iztuzu beach, which is a breeding ground of the famous Caretta Caretta turtle. Overnight in Dalyan

Day 13 – Dalyan – Pamukkale (B.D) (200 km, 3 hours drive)
Meeting at the hotel reception at 08:30am
Drive to Pamukkale (2,5 hours), on the way, visit to Laodicea (present name Denizli) yet one of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. Excavations still going on and an ancient city as beautiful as Ephesus will be uncovered soon. We see the ancient theatres, the remains of basilica which was recently uncovered, ancient stone water pipes, Temple A, agora, monumental fountain. After Laodicea, Discovery of Travertine terraces and Hierapolis. The travertine terraces at Pamukkale are one of the most spectacular natural wonders that you can see from various mineral springs in a vast white cliff side. About 200 m overlooking the plain, calcite-laden waters have dripped down over a series of terraced levels and created a fairyland of bizarre solidified cascades and shell-shaped basins. It looks like creations from snow or like balls from cotton, which gave the scenery the Turkish name Pamukkale (cotton castle): “pamuk” for cotton and “kale” for castle. Moreover the water in the basins is changing its color according to how the light enters. Overnight Pamukkale.

Day 14 – Pamukkale – Kusadasi (B.D) (200 km, 3 hours drive)
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:00am
Drive to Ephesus, on the way, visit to Aphrodisias. Aphrodisias was primarily known as a center for the arts, specifically sculpture. The Aphrodisias School of Sculpture had a distinctive style and was very well circulated throughout the Greek and Roman world. Overnight Kusadasi.

Day 15 – Kusadasi – Ephesus (B.D)
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:00am
Visit to the ancient city of Ephesus. We will spend several hours walking in the footsteps of Alexander the Great, Caesar, Cicero, Apostles Paul and John and many other familiar historical names. The recently opened Terrace Houses (optional visit with extra entrance fee) where the wealthiest Romans lived are an excellent example of sensitive excavation and presentation. The mosaics and frescos are spectacular. The next stop is The House of Virgin Mary. Tradition has it that Virgin Mary was brought here by St John after the Crucifixion and lived her final years near the city of Ephesus on an isolated mountaintop. A lovely chapel is constructed on the site tended by Franciscans and open to visitors. It has been designated a pilgrimage site by the Pope. We will continue with Saint John Church where Apostle John spent his final years and he was buried. Visit to temple of Artemis to see the remains of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Overnight Kusadasi near Ephesus.

Day 16 – Izmir – Istanbul (B)
Pick-up from hotel 3 hours before flight departure.
Transfer to Izmir airport to take your flight to Istanbul and connect to your international flight.

Abbreviations

B = Breakfast L= Lunch D = Dinner (Lunch excluded on private tours)

Customized Tours

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