Türkiye, Istanbul

The essentials of Türkiye on a private tour 4^*

On arrival in Istanbul, you will be greeted at the airport and transferred to your hotel for the night.
Welcome gift: Nazar Boncuk (Turkish Blue Eye amulet).

After breakfast, we set off for a full day of sightseeing in Istanbul. We start at the Sultanahmet Mosque, better known as the Blue Mosque, famous for its Iznik tiles and six minarets. We then visit the Hippodrome, the former centre for chariot races and the city's political activities. Then on to the Hagia Sofia, a church built
in the 6th century under Emperor Justinian. After lunch, we visit the Topkapi Palace, the former residence of the Ottoman sultans and now a museum. The day ends with a visit to the Grand Bazaar, a huge covered market with almost 4,000 shops.

Çanakkale region
After breakfast, departure for Çanakkale with a visit to Gallipoli, the site of First World War battles, including Cape Helles, Suvla Bay, and Anzac Cove. We cross the Dardanelles to Çanakkale, where we will enjoy dinner and spend the night.

Kuşadası
After breakfast, visit Troy, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its legendary wooden horse. Then it's on to Pergamon to discover the Acropolis - the steepest ancient theatre, the Temple of Trajan, and the Library. We will also visit Asklepion, an ancient healing centre, and the Red Basilica, one of the seven Churches of the Apocalypse. Dinner and overnight stay in Kuşadası.

Kuşadası

After breakfast, we drive to the town of Selçuk. From here, we take in the breathtaking view of the ancient port of the ancient city of Ephesus. We 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, we'll head back down to visit Isabey's 14th-century mosque. After this tour, our driver will pick us up to take us to the ruins of Ephesus, the city mentioned several times in the Bible. We'll take a walk around the archaeological site, where we'll be able to see the spectacular excavations in the main streets of this ancient city, where you'll find the library, the Agora, the theatre, and the mosaic-covered pavements. As we climb the hills behind Ephesus, we'll discover the place where the Virgin Mary is said to have spent the final days of her life. To round off our visit, we can spend some free time in Kusadasi city centre.

Pamukkale
After breakfast, we will leave our hotel to visit Aphrodisias. The sculptors of Aphrodisias became famous throughout the Roman world. In Greek times, the site was dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of love and fertility.

We will then visit Hierapolis. When we arrive at the site, we'll be greeted by spectacular views over limestone basins that have been irrigated by the spring waters of Hierapolis for thousands of years.

We continue our exploration of the ancient site, visiting Domitian's Gate, the Byzantine baths, and one of the best-preserved Roman theatres in the archaeological world. Built in the 2nd century, the theatre of Hierapolis was used for theatrical performances and violent spectacles.

Konya
Today, we leave Pamukkale, the 'Cotton Castle', for Konya, a city renowned for its Seljuk architecture and also as the home of the 'Whirling Dervishes'. We arrive in the afternoon and visit the Mausoleum of Mevlana, with its distinctive tulip-shaped dome covered in turquoise tiles. We'll have the chance to admire the works of the 13th-century leader Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi, one of Islam's greatest mystical poets. After exploring the museum, we'll meet up with other travellers for dinner.

We'll set off for Cappadocia, visiting the magnificent Sultanhani caravanserai en route. We then visit Guzelyurt, a fine example of cave dwellings and Greek influences in the Cappadocia region. After lunch, we continue our journey to Nevşehir, in Cappadocia. On arrival, we will visit a carpet workshop and watch a carpet weaving demonstration. We will then check into our hotel and enjoy some free time before dinner. This evening, you can enjoy an optional performance by the Whirling Dervishes; their captivating mystical ritual places us witin an infinite circle of perfect harmony.

After breakfast, we'll set off to explore the famous valleys of Cappadocia. This is place like no other in the world, featuring exceptional natural rock formations. A very long time ago, volcanic eruptions produced a flow of lava that dried above the Earth's crust, forming the tuff rocks. Erosion has sculpted them into famous formations known as "fairy chimneys". But it's not just the scenery that makes this place unique. The Hittites carved the stone into houses, stables, shops, churches, hospitals and more. We'll visit the Göreme open-air museum, the Kaymakli underground reservoir, and the valleys of Devrent, Pigeon, Pasabag and Avanos, the latter offering the chance to purchase pottery made using the foot-lathe method, which has been practiced here for thousands of years.

After breakfast, we set off for Ankara. On the way, we'll take a picturesque excursion along the salt lake, passing by the 13th-century Agzikarahan Seljuk caravanserai. On arrival in Ankara, we will visit the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. We will then visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations, where numerous relics from the Stone Age, the Neolithic Age, the Hittites, the Urartians, the Phrygians, and many other civilisations are on display.

We will have dinner and spend the night at our hotel in Ankara.

Return to Istanbul with free time in the afternoon.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your return flight.

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.