Our Classical Tours propose a very large panel of the Highlights of Turkey and will help you to prepare your vacations all around Turkey.
Day 1
Arrival in Istanbul and meeting at the airport, transfer to the hotel, check- in. Leisure afternoon.
Overnight Istanbul.
Day 2 – Sultanahmet – Old Istanbul
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:00am
Visit to Topkapi Palace, which was used by the Ottoman Sultans from the 15th to 19th centuries. We will also see the impressive collection of priceless jewels, crystal, silver and porcelain, robes worn by the sultans and relics of the prophet Mohammed.(Entrance to the Harem is extra). After lunch break we will see the Blue Mosque, built for Sultan Ahmet I, which is a unique piece of architecture with its six minarets and features 20,000 beautiful Iznik tiles. Visit the ancient Hippodrome with Obelisk of Theodosius, Snake Pillar and German Fountain of Wilhelm II. Walk through the back streets of Old Istanbul and visit the Yerebatan underground Cistern. At the end of the tour, at request, free time to see the Grand Covered Bazaar (except Sundays). *May be done as a walking tour if your hotel is centrally located. Overnight Istanbul.
Day 3 – Bosphorus Cruise with St. (Haghia) Sophia & Beylerbeyi
Meeting at the hotel reception at 08:45am
Visit the exotic Egyptian Spice Market on the Golden Horn. Board your cruise of the Bosphorus, the waterway, which separates the continents of Europe and Asia. Pass Rumeli fortress, built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452 to prepare for his conquest of Istanbul. Cross over the Bosphorus Bridge to Asia and visit Beylerbeyi Palace, which was the summer residence of the Ottoman Sultans, then on to Camlica Hill for a magnificent view of Istanbul. Time for lunch in a seaside fish restaurant. Cruise is done by public boat unless other arrangements are made. Visit The St. (Haghia) Sophia, which was built by the Emperor Justinian. It was the largest building in the world for over 1000 years. See its intricate mosaics and huge central dome. Order of visits may be reversed.. Return to Hotel around 17:00pm
Day 4 – Istanbul- Cappadocia
Pick-up from hotel 2 hours before flight departure.
Take the early morning flight from Ataturk Airport in Istanbul to Cappadocia. Arrival at the airport and meeting just outside the arrival’s gate with a sign bearing your name with your driver. Transfer to Cappadocia. Tour to Kaymaklı Underground City, one of the most interesting underground settlements in Cappadocia. Drive to to Sahinefendi ( Sobesos )– Sobessos is newly discovered mosaic houses & Archaeological excavation site. Villages in the valleys, surrounded by the “table top” mountains, are spectacular. Continue with Kemeslik Monastery near Cemil, that hides it’s frescoes behind a very thin smoke layer which we can only see by torch light. Lunch break. Visit to Mustafapaşa (Sinasos), an old Greek town with its spectacular old Greek houses; very fine examples of late Greek settlements and architecture. Visit toSaruhan Caravanserai, a roadside inn where travellers could rest and recover from the day’s journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across a network of trade routes of Asia, North Africa and South-Eastern Europe on the legendary Silk Road and the Spice road. Continue with panorama of the Red Valley, with its fabulous volcanic rock formations, is in the heart of Cappadocia but away from the tourist crowd.
Overnight Cappadocia.
Day 5 – Cappadocia
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:30am
In the morning, first meeting with the lunar landscape of Cappadocia: rock formations beyond belief in Devrent valley; a journey in the past with its troglodyte houses, visit to Pasabag “fairy chimneys” where the voice of wind mixes with the “songs of fairies” nearZelve. Lunch break in Avanos, centre of terra cotta work of artt since 3000 BC. and a demonstration in a traditional pottery workshop. Afternoon, visit the famous Goreme Open Air Museum and see the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia in rock-cut churches with frescoes and paintings (10th to 13th century). Continue to Uchisar Rock-Castle to have a panoramic view of the valleys of Cappadocia. Overnight Cappadocia.
Day 6 – Cappadocia- Please choose one of the options below:
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:30am
OPTION 1: TURKISH VILLAGE LIFE & CULINARY TOUR Starting the day with a visit to local market ( available only on Monday, Friday and Saturdays ) or a morning walk to the fruit orchards of Ayvali Village. We will collect and taste fresh fruits from the trees (harvesting between June and October) or visit the cave storages for lemons and potatoes. The tour continues with a walk through the narrow streets of the village. Each door opens for an invitation as the villagers invite you for a cup of tea, a plate full of dessert or fruit from their house. According to the season, we join the villagers to learn and help make grape syrup, tomato sauce productions and pumpkin seed collecting. Visiting the local meeting point, Kahvehane,(coffeehouse) to learn more about their lifestyle and local games while drinking the Turkish coffee and tea.Visit the mosque in the village and learn more about the religious customs. For the lunch, we are invited to a real village house to join a Turkish family. We’ll collect the ingredients from their garden and we will participate in cooking a delicious Turkish meal. We are going to have lunch by sitting together with the family in a traditional Turkish fashion. After the lunch, a walk through a beautiful hidden valley near the village. Drive to see a cave wine house to see the process of making delicious and famous Cappadocia wine. Before going back to the hotel, there may be an optional stop to see an art and handicraft center of Cappadocia. Overnight Cappadocia.
OPTION 2: IHLARA CANYON HIKING Drive to Ihlara, on the way, Walking in Ihlara Canyon, a “mirage” in the Steps of Anatolia up to Belisirma village, the ancient Peristrema: “Valley of the Sky” along the Melendiz River. Rock-cut churches, spread across a wild plantation, will surprise you with their successfully painted representations from the Bible. Lunch in Belisirma, a local restaurant by the river. Stop by Selime, a village with cave houses at the end of the canyon and a “star wars” like landscape.
Day 7- Cappadocia- Antalya (by flight via Istanbul) to Cirali
Pick-up from your hotel 2 hours before departure of your flight.
Take the flight from Cappadocia to Antalya via Istanbul. Meet your guide and driver in Antalya Airport waiting you with a sign your name on it. Transfer to Cirali (1.5 hrs). Dinner and overnight in a boutique hotel near the beach. Details about the tour will be given by your guide.
Day 8- Beycik to Cirali via Chimera (5 hrs hike)
We have a short transfer (30 min.) to village Beycik located on the skirt of Mt Olympos. Start to walk from village in to the forest. Most of our lycain way walk will be on a dirt road in the morning to Ulupinar. Lunch in a fish restaurant with local appetizers in the same town. We continue to walk in to the valley and pass a stream. Ascend to the top of hill to have the beautiful view of Mediterranean. Descend to the eternal flames of Chimera. Flames coming out of rock is accepted as a sacred place for thousands of years. Continue to our vehicle which will transfer us to our base or walk another 45 mn to the hotel. Dinner and overnight in same hotel.
Day 9-Olympos to Adrasan (6-7 hrs hike)
We have a short transfer (5 mn) to the beginning of the hike. We hike through the beach in to the ancient site Olympos. After seeing the ancient graves and temple we get in to the path in forest that will take us to the top of Musa Dag (Moses Mountain, 650 mt). We have lunch after the peak overlooking Adrasan plain. Our afternoon hike will take us down to Adrasan beach Transfer back to Cirali after the hike. (45 mn). Dinner and overnight in same hotel.
Day 10- Adrasan to Gelidonia Light House (6-7 hrs walk)
Day starts with a transfer (45 mn) to Adrasan. We start to walk near an abandoned camel farm and get in to our path which will take us to a pass. We will always walk by the view of islands and Mediterranean. We descend to the famous Lighthouse of Gelidonia built in 1936. After having breathtaking views from Light House we walk down to road to meet our vehicle to transfer back to Cirali (1 hr). Dinner and overnight in same hotel.
Day 11 -Antalya- Istanbul- Bosphorus Cruise
We will transfer you to Antalya Airport (1.5 hrs) and take an early morning flight Arrival and meeting at the airport , free afternoon. Overnight Istanbul.
Day 12-Pick-up from hotel 3 hours before flight departure.
Transfer to Airport to connect to your international flight and leave Turkey
Excluded:
Drinks, tips to guide and driver, personal expenses and optional tours.
This itinerary is subject to change and may be reversed without prior notice according to weather, museum closing days, daily events or other unforeseen circumstances outside the control of Custom Travel Services.
Contact us at info@customturkeytours.com for a detailed personalised quotation according to seasonal rates and child discount.
Tags: Bosphorus tours, Cappadocia tours, classical, cultural, hiking, Turkey tours
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