Day 1: Arrive Istanbul
Arrival in Istanbul and transfer to your hotel. Day at leisure until we meet for a welcome drink this evening.
Overnight Azade Hotel or similar Istanbul
Day 2: Istanbul – Blue Mosque – Underground cistern
Welcome to Istanbul, the gateway between East and West,
Europe and Asia, between Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, and Turkish.
At 2:00 we’ll meet our guide for an orientation at our hotel. Then we’ll
set out on foot to explore the city. Starting from the famous
Sultanahmet square we’ll begin to perceive how this marvelous city has
been shaped by overlapping civilizations. In one direction we’ll face
the square of the ancient roman hippodrome with its towering obelisk, in
another the Hagia Sophia, originally the church of Holy Wisdom designed
by Greek mathematicians in the sixth century A.D., in another direction
the shimmering waters of the Bosporus, and in another the Blue Mosque
whose hand painted tiles and powerful arches open to quiet contemplation
for its colleges of math and jurisprudence. After visiting the Blue
Mosque we’ll descend into one of the city’s ancient underground cisterns
whose massive columned-rooms feel more like gothic cathedrals of
medieval Europe than Byzantine era storage facilities for drinking
water.
Overnight Azade Hotel or similar Istanbul B
Day 3: Hagia Sophia – Spice Market – Süleymaniye Mosque
This morning we’ll begin our local guided tour with a
visit to the former church Hagia Sophia. For nearly a thousand years it
was the largest church in Christian Dom with its astonishing dome and
gorgeous mosaics. It was the seat of the Eastern Patriarch until the
fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans when it was converted into a
mosque. After our visit to this holy marvel we’ll hop on a tram and head
over to the spice market for an introduction to Turkish spices, teas,
halva, and perhaps the worlds tastiest Turkish delight. For lunch our
guide will introduce us to an assortment of street-food treats before
bringing us to one of Istanbul’s greatest architectural marvels, the
Suleymaniye Mosque. Designed in the middle of the sixteenth century by
the architect Sinan, it is a mathematical wonder of beautiful
proportions like the greatest buildings of the renaissance.
This afternoon we take a scenic cruise of the Bosphorus
strait, we will be straddling Europe and Asia! We will marvel at the
grand palaces, colorful neighbourhoods and bustling Istanbul skyline.
Overnight Azade Hotel or similar Istanbul B
Day 4: Topkapi Palace – Grand Bazar
This morning our local guide will lead us through the
luxurious fifteenth century Topkapi Palace. The former residence of the
Ottoman sultans, the story-book beauty of the gardens, gate-towers,
kitchens, armory, and royal rooms feels almost enchanted. This place is a
window for the imagination, the intrigue of palace romances, political
aspirations, and the royal setting of the Ottoman court. We’ll also
visit Hagia Irene, the church of Holy Peace. It is one of the oldest
churches in city, originally constructed during the reign of
Constantine. It was here that the second ecumenical council of Nicaea
took place.
After our visit to the Topkapi Palace and museums we’ll
stroll over to the Grand Bazar, one of the largest and oldest covered
markets in the world. With over sixty streets and 4,000 shops, a visit
to the Grand Bazar is a multi-sensory experience like stepping into a
covered city out of a story-book, filled with craftsmen, jewelers,
ceramics, and the vaulted ceilings where the expertise of thousands of
years of artisan culture is gathered into one place. After our visit to
the Grand Bazar we’ll be free for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
Overnight Azade Hotel or similar Istanbul B
Day 5: Cappadocia – Turkish Bath – Traditional Turkish dinner
After breakfast this morning we’ll head to the airport to
fly to Cappadocia. Famous today as a site of natural wonders and hot-air
balloons floating over fairy-chimneys at dawn, the underground forth
century A.D. cities of churches, homes, stables, and warehouses are
equally marvelous. After lunch and checking into our hotel we’ll have a
quick orientation to Sinassos village, one of the oldest settlements of
Cappadocia. The architecture here is unique for its stonebrick houses
with spacious courtyards and castle-like feel.
This afternoon we’ll make a trip to a Turkish bath where
we’ll experience the next-of-kin to the ancient roman bathhouse. Men and
women will remain separate for this invigorating steam and exfoliating
olive-soap massage by our local Turkish masseuse. Tea, hot marble slabs,
relaxation, and another massage.
Tonight we’ll enjoy a Turkish family style meal with
terracotta pots of eggplant, sauted beef, and the traditional comfort
food whose recipes grandmothers have passed down from generation to
generation.
Overnight Old Greek House or similar B, L, D
Day 6: Optional Balloon ride! Goreme open Air Museum
We’ll set out around 5.30 am this morning for an optional hot-air ballooning experience.
At the end of our magical morning ride we’ll enjoy the
morning’s second breakfast before heading off with our local guide to
explore on foot some of the terrain seen from above. Together we’ll
stroll through the Pasabag Valley, one of the most beautiful places in
Cappadocia, before visiting the Goreme Open Air Museum. These forth
century cave dwellings were once home to a thriving monastic community
who embraced a vision of simplicity and sanctity in a life dedicated to
prayer in the wilderness.
We will enjoy a lunch of home cooking at Fahriye.
After visiting these ancient churches and hermitages we’ll
be free for the afternoon to explore Sinassos, to chat with locals,
hike to nearby monasteries, and to regroup this evening for a casual
wine-tasting and an optional meal of Turkish barbeque.
Overnight Old Greek House or similar B L
Day 7: Kaymakli – Uchisar Castle
This morning our local guide will lead us through a tour
of the underground cities of Kaymakli. Originally carved deep into the
stone for protection from enemies and heavy winters as early as the
seventh century B.C., at one time there were thirty-six-hundred of these
subterranean cities with populations ranging into the thousands.
Lunch at ocakbaşı (Turkish Grill Restaurant)
Following our visit to the ancient cities our guide will
bring us to a ceramic workshop in Avanos. Located along the Kizilirmak,
‘the red river’, and the source of the red clay, the pottery factories
in this area date back to the bronze age and the time of the Hittites.
We’ll witness this three-thousand year-old tradition in artisan
demonstrations and explanations and a quick visit to the museum.
Our afternoon will conclude with a visit Uchisar castle.
This high rock promontory has served as a natural fortification and
offers a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside and fairy
chimneys. We’ll return to Sinnasos for a relaxed late afternoon and free
evening.
Overnight Old Greek House or similar B L
Day 8: Fly to Izmir, Basilica of St John – Temple of Artemis
XQ9039 Kayseri – İzmir 09:25-11:00
This morning we’ll continue our journey with a flight to
Izmir in the western part of Anatolia on the Aegean Sea. Around noon
we’ll take a guided tour through the Ephesus Archeological Museum whose
collection of artifacts dates back to the founding of cities in this
region, about nine-thousand years. These fragments of continuous
civilizations through almost ten millennia help us not only to imagine
the daily lives of ancient cultures but also to understand how history
is collective like a story that continues from one page to another.
After lunch we’ll visit the Basilica of St. John,
the beloved apostle of Jesus who wrote the Gospel and the book of
Revelation. Constructed by the emperor Justinian in the sixth century it
stands over the believed burial site of St. John. According to
tradition, after his exile to Patmos, St. John lived the remainder of
his days preaching the gospel in Ephesus which became an important
pilgrimage site through the miracles that followed his death.
Next we’ll visit the Temple of Artemis, one of the
seven wonders of the ancient world, said to ‘mounted to the clouds.’ The
work of rebuilding this sanctuary will be given to our guide and our
imaginations as we explore the fragments that remain of this temple to
the Greek virgin goddess of the hunt, of nature, the moon, and wild
animals.
In the late afternoon we’ll arrive at the seaside town of Kusadasi where we’ll sleep two nights. After checking into our hotel we’ll be free for the evening.
Overnight İlayda Avantgarde or similar B D
Day 9: Ephesus
After breakfast this morning we’ll drive to the nearby
ancient city of Ephesus. Similar in many ways to the Greek sister-city
of Athens, Ephesus tells the story of beauty, prosperity,
self-governance, and then tragedy, and tyranny. As our guide recounts
the stories of love, possibility, and betrayal we’ll walk the ancient
streets and visit the theater that once housed 25,000 spectators. As we
explore ancient Roman terrace houses and the remnants of temples, shops,
bathhouses, we’ll glimpse the sophistication and simplicity of the
port-city that endured more than a thousand years.
Lunch in a local restaurant.
This afternoon we’ll visit the quaint village of Sirince
famous for its wine production, cobblestone streets, silver smiths,
small textiles shops, olive oil soaps and creams, and friendly artisan
shop-keepers. In the later part of the afternoon we’ll return to
Kusadasi to visit our guide’s favourite seafood restaurant for an
optional meal together of locally caught seabream seabass, calamari, and
the catch of the day.
Overnight İlayda Avantgarde or similar B L D
Day 10: Aphrodisias
After breakfast this morning we’ll drive inland towards
the ancient Greek city of Aphrodisias. Named for Aphrodite, the goddess
of love and beauty, Aphrodisias was one of the most beautiful and
intriguing cities in antiquity. It was tax exempt when it became the
holy city of the roman emperors and was famous for its beautiful
sculptures and school of philosophy. Today it houses perhaps the
best-preserved ancient stadium anywhere in the Mediterranean. It’s
auditorium, the odeon, and the tetrapylon, the monumental gateway to the
sanctuary of Aphrodite both inspire an idea of the former magnificence
of the city. On occasion this wonderful setting is still used to perform
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
Lunch at Anatolia Restaurant.
After lunch we’ll continue towards Pamukkale, a site that
has been drawing visitors to its thermal waters since antiquity. The
name, which means ‘cotton castle’, derives from the cascading plateaus
of white limestone shaped over the course of millennia as the
calcite-rich springs continuously overflow into pools below. Our hotel
is built at the top of these hot springs with its own thermal pool free
for our use.
Overnight Lycus Hotel or similar/ Pamukkale B L D
Day 11: Pamukkale – Pool of Cleopatra – Tomb of St Phillip
First thing this morning, our guide will bring us to the
outdoor thermal spring at the terraces of Pamukkale. Here we’ll visit
the Pool of Cleopatra, the famed queen of Egypt and we’ll join
the tradition of classical Greeks and Romans with a calming soak in
these waters renowned for their healing properties.
After a barefoot walk over the travertine stone and a relaxed soak, we’ll follow our guide to the nearby tomb of St. Phillip,
one of Christ’s twelve apostles. Recently discovered at the site of
ancient Hierapolis, it was to the church of Colossians in this area that
St. Paul wrote his famous letters.
After lunch today we’ll load our bus and drive west back
to the Aegean coast to Bodrum. After checking into our hotel this
evening we’ll be free for dinner, either at our hotel’s excellent
restaurant and beautiful view of St. Peter’s Castle or in town by the
sea.
Overnight Elvino Hotel or similar/ Bodrum B
Day 12: Etrim authentic local village experience
After breakfast we’ll drive to Etrim for an immersive
experience in the traditional culture of a small Turkish village. Etrim
is not on your average traveler’s guidebook and may give us the most
authentic local experience of the trip. We’ll start our day in the
village coffee house where we’ll meet our host who will introduce us to
the local traditions of wool production and carpet weaving, of wine
making, farming, and beekeeping. Next our host will bring us into a
couple of local houses where we’ll see first hand the artisan practice
of processing and dying wool, boiling caldrons of pigments, and the
looms where the millennial old art of weaving is practiced. This visit
is both a step back in time to an older way of life and a stepping
closer to humanity and the natural gifts of the world.
Next our host’s mother will bring us into her small
kitchen and teach us how to make a dolma, often a communal event in
rural Turkish communities. After lunch, coffee, wine, and conversation
shared with locals we’ll take a tour of locally made carpets and have an
opportunity to learn more about the cooperatives of women that produce
them.
In the late afternoon we’ll return to Bodrum for another relaxed evening by the sea.
Overnight Elvino Hotel or similar / Bodrum B
Day 13 & 14: St Peter’s Castle and start of our Sailboat adventure
This morning we’ll visit Bodrum’s St. Peter’s Castle.
Built by crusaders at the beginning of the fourteenth century this
castle served as a fortification for five hundred years before becoming
home to Bodrum’s underwater archeological museum. It now houses the
treasures of thousands of amphora recovered from the sea floor and
shipwrecks of boats from the twelfth century B.C., and sixth century
A.D. After lunch we’ll board our gulet’ our traditional two-mastered
Turkish sailing boat to explore the beautiful islands, beaches by boat.
We’ll spend two glorious days sailing the crystal waters of the Aegean
while stopping to swim, snorkel, and sunbathe in four or five different
islands. All our meals will be included and we’ll have plenty of time to
chat with our guide about Turkey, it’s long history, and the myriad of
intersecting cultures that create the colorful tapestry of it’s
modern-day identity.
Overnight on our Gulet for 2 nights B L D
Day 15: Bodrum back to Istanbul
After breakfast we’ll land back in Bodrum free time until
we transfer to the airport for our flight back to Istanbul. The rest of
the day is at leisure to explore Istanbul or get ready for your
departure home the next day.
Overnight Azade Hotel or similar Istanbul B
Day 16: Departure home
After breakfast you are free until transfer to the airport for your departure flight home.
Tour Includes:
- 3 domestic flights
- Our local expert guide Mert Tanner
- Anna MacKay Tour Leader with Min 15 people
- Entrance fees to the museums and sites
- Mentioned lunches and dinner
- Group transfer from airport to hotel on day 1 and return on Day 16
Tour Excludes:
- International flights
- Turkish visa
- Optional tours, Tips for guides and bus driver, Beverages with meals, meals not listed above
- All items not mentioned above
Cancellation conditions:
61 days or more deposit is non refundable
60 – 31 days prior to departure 50% is non refundable
30 days or less prior to departure 100% non refundable
This tour offers stunning natural beauty, from
tranquil beaches to dramatic mountains, and an array of well-preserved
historic architecture. Western Turkey is one of the most extraordinary
regions to discover. While traveling throughout this region you will
experience ancient archaeology, centuries of viniculture, beautiful
small towns and villages, and the taste of history when you get to
experience great food passed down from generations of traditional cooks.
We’ll spend two glorious days sailing the crystal waters of the Aegean
while stopping to swim, snorkel, and sunbathe in four or five different
islands.