Beautiful Histories

Today you will begin your Turkey tour adventure, you will be picked up from the airport and take to your hotel. You will get to meet your guide and driver who will be with you during your vacation. 

After breakfast, meet your professional local guide at the hotel and begin your walking tour through Istanbul’s historic Old City.
 
Visit the Hippodrome of Constantinople, the magnificent Blue Mosque, and the iconic Hagia Sophia. Continue to the colourful Grand Bazaar and explore the aromatic Spice Bazaar, filled with spices, Turkish delights, teas, dried fruits, and local products.

An optional visit to the Basilica Cistern can also be arranged. The entrance fee is not included.
 
Highlights
Hippodrome of Constantinople
Blue Mosque
Hagia Sophia
Grand Bazaar
Spice Bazaar
Optional Basilica Cistern
 
Overnight in Istanbul.
 
Important Notes:
Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays
Blue Mosque is closed on Fridays due to prayers; we are unable to enter

OPTIONAL TOUR: BOSPHORUS DINNER CRUISE
In the evening, we will drive you to the water's edge for an evening that will show you some amazing places. You will enjoy great food and also some fantastic traditional Turkish entertainment.
The mighty waterway of the Bosphorus Strait, which cuts the city into two sides, Europe and Asia, and as you sail along the city's banks, you will pass under the iconic Bosphorus Bridge and also sail by incredible ancient buildings such as Kucuksu Palace and Rumeli Fortress. The night's entertainment will take you on a journey across Turkey with Belly Dancing, Folk Dancers, and some stirring music played on traditional instruments. Your meal will be a great introduction to the food of this country, with classics such as Baklava, mezzes, and Turkish coffee; all you have to do is relax and enjoy the ride.
 

After breakfast, meet your professional guide at the hotel and visit the magnificent Topkapi Palace, the former residence of the Ottoman sultans for nearly four centuries.
 
Explore the palace courtyards, imperial chambers, historical collections, and panoramic views over the Bosphorus.

After the palace visit, enjoy a scenic two-hour Bosphorus Cruise between Europe and Asia. Along the way, admire Istanbul’s waterfront palaces, mosques, fortresses, traditional Ottoman mansions, and spectacular skyline.
 
Highlights
Topkapi Palace
Golden Horn
Galata Tower
Dolmabahce Palace
Cıragan Palace
Ortakoy Mosque
Bosphorus Bridge
Rumeli Fortress
European and Asian shores
 
Important Notes:
Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays

Overnight in Istanbul

Today your Turkey tour takes you to Lake Abant, where you will have free time, followed by a journey to Cappadocia

Lake Abant is a beautiful natural landscape, with green mountains and the deep blue water of the lake. This stop is a perfect step away from the busy streets of city life and a perfect destination for photos. Here you will have the opportunity to have lunch with a breathtaking view.

After Lake Abant, you will travel to Cappadocia, where you will spend the night.

- Early Morning - 
OPTIONAL TOUR: CAPPADOCIA HOT AIR BALLOON FLIGHT
If you choose to wake up in the early hours of the morning to take advantage of a Sunrise Hot Air Balloon flight, this experience can be added to the tour. This activity is famous in Cappadocia and is the perfect way to start the day by seeing the awesome views of the mountains from high in the sky. This tour will cost extra.

Full-Day North Cappadocia Tour
The tour of North Cappadocia is a wonder of natural beauty. Its natural beauty is breathtaking as you explore this stunning landscape. Devrent Valley and Pasabag Valley, Monks Valley, are beautiful valleys that spread out in Cappadocia. The Three Beauties, these rock formations, are a landmark for the town of Urgup. The stories say that the three rocks- two taller, one smaller represent a runaway princess and her husband and child that was not approved of.
Goreme Esentepe viewpoint is located between Uchisar and Goreme. Here you can look over the town of Uchisar as well as the famous fairy chimneys and valleys. Goreme’s open-air museum houses a wide collection of items from churches and chapels. This museum is a highlight for both tourists and locals. As you tour the museum, you will be astounded by the beautiful frescoes that are well preserved.

The town of Avanos is famous for its pottery, whose industry dates back as far as 3000 B.C. The town has many small pottery workshops, which are fascinating to watch these traditional masters at work. The clay pots made in this town use local materials from the river that comes from the river that flows through the town.

- Evening -  
OPTIONAL TOUR: TURKISH NIGHT SHOW & DINNER.
Tonight's optional entertainment is organized so that you have the chance to experience Turkish Culture and Traditions and also enjoy a great show. You will be picked up from your hotel in the evening and taken to a cave restaurant in the heart of Cappadocia for a night you will always remember.

Today you will continue your adventure of Cappadocia as part of your Turkey package tour.

Today's tour will continue with South Cappadocia; here you will see beautiful valleys that have been carved throughout the ages. Some have been inhabited and now make the valley just as beautiful, although using man’s ideal of beauty. Meskendir Valley offers a casual walk through the valley houses, including a small church, complete with stunning red frescoes, which has the ceiling carved into a cross formation.  Rose Valley is a beautiful yet agricultural place, where scattered vineyards and paths link nearby villages and towns. These vineyards are still worked on by locals who usually don’t mind sharing a taste or having a friendly conversation. Red Valley is a stunning walk in a natural landscape of shades of red, from which it gained its name. The peacefulness combined with all of the different shades of red as well as other colours occasionally gives a feeling of having the place to yourself.

Cavusin Village is a maze of houses carved directly into the rock formations. Being one of the oldest dwellings in Cappadocia makes the houses even more impressive to think they were dug out of the rock to create them. There is also a Church of John the Baptist, which has been dated back to the fifth century.

Throughout the area, there are underground sections of an overall city; the population created these cities as an escape and can be dated back to before the 14th century. Within these breathtaking structures can be found most amenities you would expect in a home, including stables in a few places. Your tour guide will have more information on the varying groups that inhabited these amazing structures.

Pigeon Valley may look a little like an ancient ruin, but the carving here has been made by local farmers over the generations to use pigeon manure to fertilise their fields. The view from here makes you appreciate how well locals have mixed their lives with the natural flow of the land. Heading to the centre of Uchisar, you will find the highest point offering outstanding views of the surrounding areas. This rock formation is called Uchisar Castle, and it’s a place most people never forget.

An unusual place that you will visit is Love Valley, with its phallic rock formations, for which gained it the name. At these formations, the landscape has formed these formations from erosion. This valley is especially unusual, even in an area with conical mushrooms, rock pillars, and fairy chimneys.

Your Turkey package tour sees you travelling to Istanbul with a stopover in Ankara, before heading back to Istanbul.

Ankara is the capital of Turkey. This modern city has aimed to make it beautiful as well as functional. Here in this prestigious city, you will be visiting Ataturk’s Mausoleum. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was the foundation of modern Turkey, as is revered as an incredibly intelligent man that everyone should try and follow his example he laid out.

Your journey will continue to take you to Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul.

Today you will be dropped off at the airport. We hope you enjoyed your time travelling to this wonderful country and hope you will return soon to discover even more of Turkey with us.