Türkiye, Istanbul Great Anatolia Private Tour 4*

On arrival in Istanbul, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel for the night.

After breakfast, you'll set off for a full day of sightseeing in Istanbul. You'll start with a visit to the renovated Sultanahmet Mosque, popularly known as the Blue Mosque, renowned for its Iznik (Nicaea) blue tiles and the unique character of its six minarets. You will then continue to the Hippodrome. From here, you can visit the famous Hagia Sophia, the Church of Divine Wisdom. Ranked as one of the world's greatest architectural wonders, this impressive edifice was built as a basilica in the 6th century by the Byzantine emperor Justinian. After lunch, the next stop is Topkapi Palace, the imperial residence of the Ottoman sultans for over 400 years. The day will end with a visit to the Grand Bazaar, the vast and legendary covered market, the largest souk in the world, with almost 4,000 shops selling antiques, jewellery and carpets.

After breakfast, you will drive to Istanbul airport for your domestic flight to Ankara. On arrival in Ankara, you will visit the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. You will then visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations, where numerous relics from the Stone Age, the Neolithic Age, the Hittites, and many other civilisations are on display. After this tour, you will set off for Cappadocia.
Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Cappadocia.

After breakfast, set off to explore the famous valleys of Cappadocia. This is place like no other in the world, featuring exceptional natural rock formations called "fairy chimneys". The Hittites carved the soft tufa stone into this fairytale wonderland of houses, stables, shops, churches, hospitals and more. We'll visit the Göreme open-air museum, the Kaymakli underground reservoir and the Devrent, Pigeon, Pasabag and Avanos valleys. The latter will give us an opportunity to discover the foot-lathe pottery that has been made here for thousands of years.

Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Cappadocia.

Early departure for Konya. On the way, you will visit the 13th-century Seljuk caravanserai "Sultanhan". The next stop is Konya, famous for the Mevlana Museum and the theological school of the Whirling Dervishes. Lunch en route, then on to Pamukkale.

After breakfast, you will leave your hotel to visit Aphrodisias, which was built from a marble quarry. You will then visit Hierapolis, founded during the Hellenistic period as a checkpoint for trade routes linking East and West. On arrival at the site, you'll be greeted by spectacular views of the limestone pools that have been fed for thousands of years by the thermal waters of Hierapolis. After a short break, you can continue your exploration of the ancient site, which is still being excavated by Italian archaeologists. You will then continue your tour of the ancient site by exploring the Domitian Gate and the Byzantine baths.

Dinner and overnight stay in Kuşadası.

After breakfast, you will drive to the town of Selçuk. From here, you can enjoy an uninterrupted view of the ancient port of Ephesus. You can also see the only remaining column of the Temple of Artemis, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. After visiting the Basilica of St John, you'll head back down to visit Isabey's 14th-century mosque. After this tour, your driver will pick you up and take you to the ruins of Ephesus, the city mentioned several times in the Bible. Stroll through the extensively excavated archaeological site, including the Great Theatre where St Paul preached and the Church of the Councils (where two of the Christian Councils were held). As you climb the hills behind Ephesus, you will discover the place where the Virgin Mary is said to have spent the last days of her life. To round off your visit, you can spend a little time relaxing in Kuşadası town centre.

At the end of the tour, you will head to Izmir airport for your flight back to Istanbul. On your arrival in Istanbul, we will take you to your hotel.

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Istanbul airport for your flight home.

Please note: This itinerary is subject to change due to technical or weather-related reasons, or other unforeseen events relating to the organisation of the trip.