Turkey is a nation straddling eastern Europe and western Asia with cultural connections to ancient Greek, Persian, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires. Cosmopolitan Istanbul, on the Bosphorus Strait, is home to the iconic Hagia Sophia, with its soaring dome and Christian mosaics, the massive 17th-century Blue Mosque and the circa-1460 Topkapi Palace, former home of sultans. Ankara is Turkey’s modern capital.
Istanbul
2 Hours Before Planned Itinerary
Meet at the airport Transfer to your hotel. You will be given your room key and the rest of the day is yours to explore Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul.
Pick up at 08:00am from your hotel for the a day tour of old Istanbul city. Visit to ST. SOPHIA This ancient basilica, built by Constantine the Great in the 4th century and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, is one of the architectural marvels of all time. TOPKAPI PALACE The great palace of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th centuries housing an exquisite collection of cyrstal, silver, and Chinese porcelain, robes worn by the sultans and their families, the famous jewels of the Imperial Treasury, miniatures, the Holy Mantle; enshrining relics of the Prophet Mohammed. SULTANAHMET IMPERIAL MOSQUE Across from St. Sophia built in the 16th century by the architect Mehmet, is known as the BLUE MOSQUE because of its magnificent interior decoration of blue Iznik tiles. HIPPODROME Ancient Hippodrome, the scene of chariot races, with the three monuments; the Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine. Lunch break at 13:00pm after the lunch .. GRAND COVERED BAZAAR In this labyrinth of streets and passages are more then 4,000 shops with each trade having its own area: the goldsmiths’ street, the carpet sellers, Turkish arts and crafts, such as handpainted ceramic plates, hand-honed copperware, brassware and trays, water ewers, onyx-ware and meerschaum pipes. After the tour, transfer back to your hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.
07:30am we depart for Gallipoli around 5 hours drive to visit the battle fields. Two hours later we will give you 20 minutes for relax in a restaurant area. We arrive Gallipoli around 12:00am and we have lunch break, relax a little bit and then depart for the battle fields. Visit Gabatepe Museum. Start visiting the fields with Ariburnu Cemetery and Anzac Cove because these are the places where the war had started. Then Beach Cemetery, Shrapnel Valley and Plugges Plateau. After the tour,to your hotel. Overnight in Canakkale.
We depart at 08:30 and driving 30 minutes for to Troy. Visit the famous archeological and mythological site of Troy, home of the Trojan Horse and Helen of Troy. After Troy tour, 3 hour drive to Pergamon. Lunch break around 13:00pm and after the lunch depart for tour of the magnificent acropolis of Pergamon. Its impressive temples and library made it a renowned cultural and political centre at that times. Bergamon is a famous city for its jewellery, stones and silver. So on the way, we will visit a jewellery center for 30 minutes. Arrival to Kusadasi around 18:00pm. Overnight in Kusadasi.
08:30 Departure from hotel fully guided tour of Ephesus, one of the best preserved ancient sites in the world en-route, visiting the Temple of Artemis, Curetes street, famous Roman baths, Celsus Library, Grand theatre and House of the Virgin Mary. Lunch break around 13:00pm. After the lunch, we will visit a place which continues to perform one of the oldest arts of Turkey; a carpet weaving centre. Overnight in Kusadasi.
Today we depart for Izmir Airport for our domestic flight to Istanbul and then back to home.
My husband and I cannot begin to say enough positive things about our travel designer and her team at this tour company in Turkey. Our travel was to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary and special birthdays for my husband and me
