Welcome to your Beautiful Tales of Turkey Tour, on arrival we will collect you from the airport and transfer you to your hotel so that you can get settled in and relax.

Overnight in Istanbul

After breakfast, today you will visit the 8th biggest city in the world the enchanting ancient city of Istanbul. Spanning Asia and Europe, old and new, a most intriguing city to explore. Some of the wonderful sites that you will see today are the Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome and Obelisks and the Hagia Sophia and Museum. These places will touch your soul and fill your senses, the palaces of the Ottoman king's, places full of history as relevant today as ever, shopping in a labyrinth that will fill your senses, Architecture on a grand scale that has kept its sheer beauty for us to see, arenas of gladiators where life and death were fought on an almighty scale and places of worship that give us peace, beauty and wonder. The city of Istanbul is truly like no other.

We will take you back to your hotel in the late afternoon at the end of your tour.

Our recommendation:
After the day's tour ends and you have your own free time, we recommend also visiting the Spice Bazaar to enjoy the sights and smells of Turkish tea, spices, and candies. You will be on your own here as its not part of your tour package, but you will have plenty of time and can make your own way back to your hotel.

Important Notes:
Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays
Blue Mosque due to prayers on Fridays we are unable to enter
Hagia Sophia is closed on Mondays
Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays

We provide pickups from hotels in central areas in the following vicinities:
Sultanahmet, Sirkeci, Laleli, Aksaray, Taksim area. Pickup from anywhere outside these areas may incur an extra charge. Please speak to our crew if you have any questions.

Today will see you sailing down the Bosphorus Straights and along to the Golden Horn then heading to one of the best viewpoints over the whole city, you will tour inside the Dolmabahce Palace, where the last of the 6 Sultans of the Ottoman Empire lived. In 1923 Mustafa Kemal Ataturk resided here every summer until his death in 1938. This palace is built the Neoclassical and Baroque Rococo styles. We will then embark on our cruise. One of the first sites you will see is the Maidens Tower. This has served as a lighthouse, a radio tower, a hospital, and now as a restaurant and museum.  Sailing up the Bosphorus, You will also enjoy panoramic views of the Old Constantinople Walls, which were built to protect Topkapi Palace from invaders. At the Kucuksu Palace, built by Sultan Abdülmecid, we will stop for one hour, although small it is grand in design. 

You will return to the boat and pass by the Ciragan Palace, the magnificent Sultans palace turned hotel. You will sail past the Ortakoy Mosque, with its distinctive pink mosaics, then cruise under the mighty Bosphorus Bridge where you will get the best views of the Beylerbeyi Palace, the summer home of the Sultans. Then it's on to the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, where, from the boat, you will see Rumeli Castle, built by Mehmed in 1452. At the end of the cruise, we will swap transport for a bus tour and head back to the old city, the bus tour begins in the Sultanahmet district with our tour guide it's then on over to Pierre Loti Hill named after a French novelist, who had a great passion for Istanbul, one of the most romantic spots in the city. Here you will take a cable car to the top of this viewpoint overlooking Istanbul and the Golden Horn. Try Turkish coffee at one of the cafes, the ride back down has even more spectacular views of the city. The bus will take you around the Old City Walls before we return you to your hotel.

Important Note:
Dolmabahce Palace is closed on Mondays, therefore on this day, only the tour will begin 2 hours later (11:30 am departure) on Mondays.
Dolmabahce Palace, Kucuksu Palace, and Pierre Loti Hill are the only sights you will tour by foot. The other sights will be seen from the boat or bus. 

In the morning time, we will pick you up at a pre-arranged time and go directly to the airport to catch a domestic flight to Trabzon in the Black Sea region of Turkey.
Trabzon City Tour
 First recorded as Trebizond in 756 BC, the northeastern city of Trabzon has so much mixed history. It holds a place in the hearts of most Turks as Ataturk’s Pavilion is here, this was the holiday destination for the first president and also where he died. The pavilion is well preserved with original furniture and the gardens are maintained to offer amazing views across the city. We will then go on to visit some beautiful mosques such as Yavuz Sultan Mosque, Iskender Pasa Mosque, and Fatih Mosque. While here we will visit another place of worship, Kaymakli Monastery, an original Armenian church.

We will also visit the sister museum of the great Hagia Sophia Ist, Trabzon’s Hagia Sofia, once a Greek church now converted to a mosque, today the building is home to artefacts that show the history of the region.   We will also take the time to visit the beautiful Zagnos Bridge it is a historical monument, origins of the bridge are Roman, however, the bridge we see today was added to and renovated by the son-in-law of Sultan Mehmet it has been maintained to keep the original structure.

Overnight Stay in Trabzon.

Today you will travel to the stunning Ayder Plateau and the wonders of this part of the Black Sea region. This northern area of Turkey is famed for its tea plantations. In Ayder there is a fantastic old Ottoman Stonebridge in the storm valley. The whole area of Ayder is filled with stunning landscapes of intense green, small traditional villages where the local craftsmen and women weave cotton fabrics.
 
Overnight in Trabzon

The mountains in the distance and gently sloping hills close by this town makes for an idyllic place for hikes and walks and fabulous photographs, the Uzungol Lake Tour a protected area and a fantastic Lakeside Town, here modern life blends sympathetically with nature. Many walking trails can also be found here. It is one of the most beautiful regions in Turkey.

Overnight in Trabzon

Today we head to the airport for a Domestic flight to Izmir. On arrival, we will transfer you to your accommodation in the incredible and ancient region of Ephesus.

Ephesus is a place that most people have seen pictures of or heard of but it never really prepares you for the entirety of the city where over 200,000 people lived. It's magnificent. There is so much here that has been preserved, it is not difficult to see how the city was 3000 years ago. On today's tour of the ancient capital of Roman Asia, you will visit the Grand Amphitheatre with over 25,000 seats. The Library of Celsus which is one of the most photographed ruins in the world, the Gymnasium, Agora, Latrines and Brothel. The main street is amazing to walk down the atmosphere hard to describe almost transporting you back in time with the shop fronts, prison and civic buildings.
Temple Of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was built in the area of Ephesus. Today one can only see the ruins of the foundations of this incredible construction of the Hellenistic Age, entirely made of marble and full of sculptured columns capitals and shafts.
Some of the most beautiful excavations are today exhibited in the London British Museum. The oldest remaining relics date back to the 6th century BC, it was surrounded by 36 huge columns, later enlarged upon the orders of the Lydian King Kreisos.
House Of Virgin Mary
A popular place of pilgrimage for many Christians, it is believed Virgin Mary spent the remainder of her days here. The house is located on top of Bulbul Mountain, it offers visitors a panoramic view over the town.
Isabey Mosque
Constructed between the years of 1374 and 1375. One of the most delicate examples of Seljukian architecture, situated below the Basilica of Saint John. An inscription decorates the doorway.
The mosque was built by the master builder Ali of Damascus. Crown-like doors from the Seljukian architectural style open up to the rest of the Mosque now combined with the decoration elements of Ottoman style. The influential details including the plant motifs and the beautiful marble workmanship with the variety of glazed mosaics create the unique atmosphere of Isabey Mosque.

Today's tour will take you to the Denizli province and the strangely haunting yet beautiful site of Pamukkale. We will arrive around lunchtime and eat before taking a guided tour of the white almost moonlike travertines flowing down the mountainside it truly is a strange sight to see but amazing, just above the Pamukkale is the Ancient city of Hierapolis a World Heritage Site. There is also a museum here worth visiting. The theatre is one of the best-preserved and almost intact with a seating capacity of 10,000 people it dates back to the 2^nd century. The Agora is an ancient market where many of the population would have come shopping or trade their goods. Outside the city is a Necropolis this cemetery tells us that people from different cultures and periods died here. Many came for the famed healing properties of the waters.

Ephesus overnight accommodation

This morning after breakfast you will take a domestic flight from Izmir to Cappadocia, where you will be met and taken to your Cave Hotel Accommodation.

OPTIONAL TOUR: ATV (QUAD) BIKE SAFARI.

If you love Adventure and want to see Cappadocia from a different perspective then our fully guided Quad Safari is suited to you. Ride on a sturdy ATV (quad) bike and experience this landscape in a completely different way. Our Safari starts at approximately17:00 pm a great opportunity to see an amazing view of this ancient valley.

Overnight Cappadocia

- Early Morning - 
OPTIONAL TOUR: CAPPADOCIA HOT AIR BALLOON FLIGHT
If you choose to wake up in the early hours of the morning you can take advantage of a 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, along with a champagne toast, by seeing the awesome views of this extraordinary landscape from high in the sky. (This tour will cost extra and is not included in the tour price).

North Cappadocia tour
This morning you will tour the north region of Cappadocia and visit Pasabag which is also commonly known as Monks Valley. This stop is one of the most famous as it showcases the three-headed fairy chimney. The viewpoint is a highlight of many people's North Cappadocia day tour as it showcases the magnificent and unique landscape of Cappadocia and the famous fairy chimneys. Also on the tour is the Goreme Open Air Museum an impressive area full of churches, chapels, and monasteries that date back to the middle ages. You will be amazed at how rich the museum is in history, you will view many frescoes that have been beautifully preserved. Later on the tour, you will visit the town of Avanos famous for its pottery some pieces of which date back as far as 3000 B.C. There are many small pottery workshops where you can still see the skills of the potters at work. The Devrent Valley is well known for its strange landscape full of small pointed fairy chimneys. In Urgup, there is a legendary story about a runaway princess be sure to ask your guide to tell you the tale when visiting the Three Beauties a recognizable rock formation. Panoramic views at Goreme Esentepe, between Uchisar and Goreme, is a panoramic viewpoint that shows the incredible beauty of Cappadocia. Be sure your camera batteries are charged.
After the day's tour, we will return you to your accommodation.

- Evening -  
OPTIONAL TOUR: TURKISH NIGHT SHOW & DINNER.
 But the fun isn't over once the sun is down, this evening we offer the option to add an evening of traditional food, entertainment, and fun at our Special Turkish Night watching Turkish belly dancing while trying foods that are unique to Turkey. This fully catered evening is an event too good to turn down! ( The Turkish night show is not included in the price of your tour and will cost extra)

Overnight cave hotel

This morning again there is an opportunity to add the balloon Flight to your tour.

- Early Morning - 
OPTIONAL TOUR: CAPPADOCIA HOT AIR BALLOON FLIGHT
This is the same option as yesterday if you missed it. and you choose to wake up in the early hours of the morning to take advantage of a Hot Air Balloon flight, this experience can be added to the tour. Famous in Cappadocia and the best way to see the awesome views of this extraordinary landscape from high in the sky, along with a champagne toast. (This tour will cost extra and is not included in the tour price).

South Cappadocia tour
This morning after a good breakfast your day will be in the South Cappadocia region, following on from yesterdays tours of seeing the most interesting sites of Cappadocia at Meskendir Valley

You will get to stretch your legs on a casual walk through the Valley which houses a small church that has a ceiling carved out into a cross formation adorned in frescos of the saints and geometric red shapes. After visiting the church enjoy a small walk through the valley that is a cool escape from the dry landscape surrounding you.

Rose Valley is just behind the town of Urgup, which makes it fascinating to most visitors are all the narrow tracks that link up nearby villages and small settlements. There are scattered vineyards and gardens throughout the valley where you can see the locals still working they will give you a taste if you're lucky. Red Valley which gets its name from the layers of different coloured rock formations with a predominantly red colour.

Cavusin Village a maze of rock houses scattered that make up the town. One of the oldest areas of Cappadocia and today you will visit the village and see how the people dug into these rocks to create homes, some of which date back several centuries. The village is also famous for housing the Church of John the Baptist dating back to the 5th Century.

Underground City The early Christians fled here from persecution and created these amazing underground cities back in the 14th Century. Some of the cities date back further and all tell us about an amazing moment from our ancient past. You will be amazed at the architecture and the organisation of these labyrinths, which include many levels that separated the houses from schools, cellars and even animal stables. Your tour guide will walk you through and show you how these people lived under these extreme conditions.

Pigeon Valley named because everywhere you look in every rock face, tree on every house you will see thousands of holes which are the homes to thousands of Pigeons used for there manure a rich source of fertilizer. In the centre of Uchisar is one of the largest rock formations in Cappadocia, known as the Castle of Uchisar. It is the highest point over Cappadocia, which allows amazing views even as far as the Erciyes Mountains. it is a view that you will never forget. Love Valley when you arrive here you will see clearly why it gets its name. The rock formations here are phallic. These have been formed over the millennia by the natural erosion of volcanic rock. This valley is an especially unusual landscape of being made up of cones, pillars, pinnacles, mushrooms, and the well-known fairy chimneys.

After your tour in the evening, you will be transferred to your hotel.

Today your tour ends with us and we will say goodbye after you take a domestic flight to Istanbul. We look forward to seeing you again!