Ancient Turkey Tour - 11 Days (Istanbul-Ankara-Cappadocia-Konya-Pamukkale-Ephesus-Sirince)

Tour Information

1st Day – Arrival to Istanbul
You will be met at the airport by our meet&greet staff and transfer to your hotel with a private van. Stay in Istanbul.

2nd Day – Istanbul Old City Tour
You will be picked up from your hotel by your guide at 09.00 am to visit the Byzantine and Ottoman Relics found in Sultanahmet area. The tour is on foot as the places of visit are walking distance to eachother. You will visit Hagia Sophia Museum, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Harem of the Palace and Basilica Cictern. The tour ends with Grand Bazaar tour, the most popular historical shopping center of Istanbul. Stay in Istanbul. Breakfast and lunch included. 

3rd Day – Dolmabahce Palace & Bosphorus & Pera Tour
Departure from your hotel at 08.30 am and start the day by visiting Dolmabahce Palaca, the last residance of Ottoman Sultans located on the shores of Bosphorus. Following the palace, you will get on Bosphorus boat for a tour of about 2 hours. You will view Ciragan Palace, Bosphorus bridges, Rumeli Fortress, Beylerbeyi Palace and Maiden’s Tower during the tour from the sea. In the afternoon, you will visit Istiklal street and Pera District packed with an arbitrary scattering of music and bookstores, movie theaters, cafes, restaurants and bars. You will have the lunch at a kebap restaurant in the area and walk through street with visits at site. At the end of the tour, public transport will be used for getting back to the hotel. Stay in Istanbul. Breakfast and lunch included. 

4th Day – Golden Horn Tour
Departure from your hotel at 08.30 am and drive to Suleymaniye Mosque, the imperial mosque of Ottoman Empire constructed by Architect Sinan. The next visit is to Chora Church Museum, a small but impressive building dating to 11th century and unique with Christian frescoes and mosaics inside. The best spot looking over the Golden Horn is Pierre Loti Hill where there is a tea house today for breaks. The tour will go on with a short boat tour in Golden Horn to see the site from the sea. After the lunch, the tour ends with shopping at Egyptian Market (Spice Bazaar), the most popular place in the city for spices, Turkish delightes and coffee. You will be transferred to train station for the fast train to Ankara which takes about 4 hours. We will meet you and transfer to your hotel. Stay in Ankara. Breakfast and lunch and included. 

5th Day – Ankara Tour
You will be met at the train station and have breakfast before the tour starts. Afterwards, you will visit Anatolian Civilizations Museum where you can see the objects discovered mostly in Hitit ancient cities of Anatolia like Hattusas. The lunch will be served at one of the traditional Ankara Houses by the Castle serving as a restaurant today. Afterwards, you will be transferred to the bus station for the bus to Cappadocia. Transfer to your hotel. Stay in Cappadocia. Breakfast and lunch and included. 

6th Day - Northern Cappadocia Tour 
The tour starts about 09.30 am from your hotel in the morning, you'll drive to Devrent Valley where the geografical formations remind a place of another planet. Then in Pasabagi, you'll take a stroll among the amazing fairy chimneys of Cappadocia. From there driving to Avanos to have lunch. Cappadocia is also famous with traditional pottery producument where you will also attend a work shop. The next visit is to Goreme Open Air Museum keeping the best preserved Byzantine cave churches in the area. Then return to the hotel about 17.30. Stay in Cappadocia. Breakfast and lunch included. 

7th Day – Southern Cappadocia Tour
Depart from your hotel at 09.30 am and the day starts with a 4km hike through the Rose Valley visiting the churches. The next visit is to Christian&Greek village of Cavusin. We will have the lunch in Pigeons Valley unique with small niches curved in the rocks. Cappadocia has several underground cities used by the residents to escape from their enemies and Kaymakli Underground City is among the famous ones being on our visiting list. You will also visit the Ortahisar Natural Rock Castle offering a beatiful view over the valley. Then return to the hotel about 17.30. Stay in Cappadocia. Breakfast and lunch included. 

8th Day – Konya and Rumi Museum Tour
You will be transferred to the bus station after the breakfast for taking a morning bus to Konya. Konya was the capital city of Seljuk Empire founded by Turks and has been the residance of Rumi Dervishes. Mevlana Rumi spent his life in Konya where he wrote his famous books about Sufi and his ideas spread over the world after his death from here. Following transfer from the bus station to Konya city center, you will make a guided tour in Konya to visit Mevlana Museum and his tomb, Karatay Medrese, Alaaddin Hill, the old bazaar and the other remainings belonging to Seljuk architecture. Stay in Konya. 
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. 

9th Day – Pamukkale Tour 
After the breakfast, you will be transferred to take a morning bus to Pamukkale. You will be met at the bus station and start visiting Pamukkale after the lunch. Pamukkale is famous with white colored rocks formed by thermal waters containing calcium bicarbonate. The ancient city Hierapolis at site was a famous healing center and the hotels are site still preferred for thermal water pools in present day. The Roman Pool at site is still in use. You will be guested in one of the thermal&spa hotels at night to enjoy the hot water pools. Stay in Pamukkale. 
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. 

10th Day – Free time in Sirince 

After the breakfast, you will be transferred to take a morning bus to Selcuk. You will be met at the bus station and transfer to the village of Sirince. This pretty old Orthodox village, 12 km away from Ephesus located on the top of a mountain, anyone will enjoy the impressive wine yards' and peach trees' views on his way. Today the village is a perfect synthesis of Turk-Greek culture. Free time at leisure in the afternoon. You will be hosted in of the traditional Greek village houses at night. Stay in Sirice. 
Breakfast included. 

11th Day – Ephesus Tour
After breakfast, you will picked up from your hotel at 09.30 am for the tour. Ephesus is the most splendid ancient city in Turkey and requires about 2 hours to visit. After the lunch, the next visit is to Virgin Mary’s House where it is believed she spent the last years of her life and burried. The last visit of the day is to Ephesus Museum where the objects discovered in Ephesus are exhibited, Diana Temple which was one of the 7 wonders of ancient world, St. John Castle and the remains of Church situated at the top of Ayasoluk Hill and Isa Bey Mosque being the most important structure belonging to Turkish heritage. At the end of the day, you will be transferred to the airport for an afternoon flight to Istanbul. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. You will be met and transfer to your hotel. Stay in Istanbul. Breakfast and lunch included. 

The tour ends with the last night accommodation in Istanbul. Further arrangements provided upon request. 

The tour including ;
- 4 or 5 star hotel accommodation
- Domestic flight tickets, economy class. Business class flights available upon request if available. 
- Inter cities bus transport  with major companies using comfortable, air-conditioned and new buses. All buses have stops on the way. 
- Private sleeping cabin train tickets
- Private tour arrangements at all sites visited ; Istanbul, Ankara, Cappadocia, Konya, Pamukkale and Ephesus. All your land transport on the tours will be provided with an air-conditioned luxury private van. 
- All the entrance fees on the tours
- Meal services as noted in the itinerary. Breakfasts are continental type, lunch and dinners are local cuisine suitable for foreigners. Vegaterenian or Colyak food available with advance notice. The drinks at lunch and dinner are self payment. 
- Tipping to the guide, drivers, hotel and restaurant staff are optional.
- No other fees for for the services above.

The tour cost is as follows :

All prices are per person including taxes.

We offer a 5% discount for cash payments. You will be requested a down payment to confirm the tour. There is 5% discount over the balance payment if you pay it in cash

 The hotel information on the tour as follows :

All hotels are subject to availability at the time of definite confirmation and may changed with a similiar one with advance notive.