ITINERARY
DAY 1 : Istanbul arrival
Meet at Airport & transfer to your hotel. You will be given your room key and the rest of the day is yours to explore Istanbul. Overnight at Istanbul.
DAY 2 : Istanbul city tour
Picked up around 8 am, and brought to the Sultanahmet district, the oldest, most historic part of the city. The first stop of the day will be the Hagia Sophia. afterward, we will pass the Hippodrome of Constantinople, before reaching the Blue Mosque. Next, we will continue to the Grand Bazaar, a massive, bustling complex to find clothing, decorative furnishings, food, and more. On the way to the bazaar, we will see other historical monuments, like the Tomb of Sultan Ahmet I, the Firuz Aga Mosque, and the exterior of the Tomb of Mehmed II. After our visit to the Grand Bazaar, we will make a brief stop for lunch. In the afternoon, we will visit Topkapi Palace, the primary residence of the Ottoman sultans for nearly 400 years. Afterward, we will visit the Little Hagia Sophia, the final stop on the tour before we returned to the hotel.
DAY 3 : Half Day Bosphorus Cruise Tour – Flight to Cappadocia
Guests of this half-day tour can choose the morning or afternoon option, and will be picked up from their hotel at the selected time. We will first visit the Spice Bazaar. The tour guide will give us tips on the best stalls and kiosks to visit so we do not become overwhelmed by the busy market, where we will have roughly 45 minutes of free time to explore and shop. Next, we will head to the shores of the Bosphorus Strait for a cruise, learning about this important, strategic waterway that straddles the Asian and European continents. On our voyage, we will see an impressive showcase of many historic Istanbul buildings: the decadent façade of Dolmabahce Palace; 15th-century fortress Rumelihisari; the Beylerbeyi Palace, the summer home of Ottoman sultans; and many more. After tour, you will be transferred to Airport to catch flight to Cappadocia. Arrive & transfer to hotel.
DAY 4 : North Cappadocia tour
An impressive day will start with Dervent valley. Then we keep going on with Pasabag “fairy chimneys”, where you can feel the mystic of Fairy Chimneys. We will break at Avanos center of terracotta art. A visit to ceramic & tile center to see how the ceramics made by hand. After lunch we visit the famous Goreme Open Air Museum to see the best examples of Icons in Cappadocia. A visit to the carpet weaving co-operation to see how the Turkish carpet made by hand. We will enjoy the day by taking a look to the Goreme Valley from next to the Uchisar Rock-Castle. After tour, transfer back to hotel.
DAY 5 : Cappadocia to Kusadasi
After breakfast you will have free time until we depart to airport for our domestic flight to Izmir. Arrive & transfer to Kusadasi Hotel. Enjoy the free day for leisure in Kusadasi.
DAY 6 : Ephesus tour
Tour start from the port of Kusadasi proceed to the House of the Virgin Mary includes scenic views of the Byzantine fortress in Selcuk and the Temple of Artemis. A long and winding road affords wonderful views of the valley en route to the Shrine of St. Mary. The diminutive house, beautifully situated in the Solmissos Mountains, is considered by the Vatican to be the final resting place of the Virgin Mary.
Your tour continues to ancient Ephesus, where you’ll pass through the arched Magnesia Gate and begin a slow, downhill walk to the ruins of the Roman provincial capital. The beautifully preserved Temple of Hadrian, the magnificent Trajan Fountain, the Odeon Theater, once used for both political and entertainment purposes, and the beautiful Celsus Library with its imposing façade and two story Corinthian-style columns. The dramatic Great Theater is one of the few structures still used today. Temple Of Artemis (Diana), on the side of one of the seven wonders of ancient World.
DAY 7 : Pamukkale tour
You will be picked up from your hotel at around 08:00 for the tour of Pamukkale, which is the center of natural thermal spring waters with healing properties. Due to the chemical properties in the water, pure white colored travertines and stepped water terraces have been created on the mountain slope. It is for its resemblance to cotton piles that it is called "Cotton Castle" in Turkish. Upon arrival, you will visit the travertines and the ancient city of Hierapolis which has the biggest Necropolis with 1200 gravestones in Anatolia. Also, the Sacred Pool is one of the highlights of the site. There shallow thermal waters ripple over a wonderful scattering of ancient roman ruins that lie beneath. After tour, transfer back to hotel.
DAY 8 : Istanbul airport to home.
After breakfast you will have free time. Then we depart to airport for our domestic flight to Istanbul and then back to home.