After arrival at Istanbul Atatürk airport, you are met and taken to a hotel in Sultanahmet for dinner and staying overnight.

 

After breakfast in the hotel the guide meets you in the hotel lobby at 8:45 for a full day of exploration in the magical city of Istanbul. First you walk to the Rustem Pasha Mosque and then the Spice market, where Geneose and Venetian goods were sold at a time when there was no Suez Canal, and all the spices from the East were also brought here after being loaded on vessels in Egypt. After that you get on board a boat and take a leisurely Bosphorus cruise from Eminonu, to the still unspoilt village of Sariyer. Topkapi Palace is the next place you visit. Being more than a palace, it is an assembly of museums, containing collections acquired by the Sultans over almost five centuries. Overnight in Istanbul.

 

After breakfast in the hotel, you go to visit visit the Dolmabahçe Palace, the Chora church and the Süleymaniye mosque. After lunch at a local restaurant, you finish the day witha visit to the Grand Bazaar. Overnight in Istanbul.

 

After breakfast in the hotel, you check out and start your third day in Istanbul with a stroll to the great square which was once the Byzantine Hippodrome. Now it is a great parklike area, surrounded by the most famous sights in İstanbul like the Blue mosque, Hagia Sophia, and the Underground Cistern, commonly called the Basilica Cistern. After that, you are transferred to Istanbul airport for the evening flight to Cappadocia. Our driver waits for you outside the terminal with a sign with your name on it and takes you to Göreme for check-in to your hotel and diner. Overnight in Göreme.

 

After breakfast in the hotel you go to see the fascinating animal-shaped rock formations in Devrent valley, followed by a visit to Zelve open air museum. Zelve used to be the biggest rock-cut village in the area, which was inhabited until 1950ties, when it was turned int an open air museum. Then you walk in Paşabağ where you can see mushroom-shaped fairy-chimneys in the middle of a vineyard. Next you have lunch in a local home in Göreme. After lunch you go to Avanos, the centre of pottery and ceramics since 3000 BC and see a demonstration in a traditional pottery workshop. In the afternoon you visit the famous Göreme open air museum with the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia in the rock-cut churches with frescoes and paintings (from 10th to 13th centuries). The last stop is at Uçhisar rock-castle where you can enjoy th best panoramic view of the valleys of Cappadocia. Overnight in Göreme.

 

After breakfast in the hotel, you are taken on a tour to Kaymaklı underground city, the biggest underground settlement in Cappadocia. From there you continue to Ihlara valley, where you 3.5 km to Belisirma village, where you have lunch in a local restaurant by the river. On the way back you visit the beautiful Selime rock monastery, the biggest one in the area. Overnight in Görme.

 

After an early breakfast in the hotel, you start the journey to Ankara, the capital of Turkey. On the way you stop for a visit at Agzikarahan caravanserai, where the medieval merchants used to stay overnight. Then you continue your journey to Ankara along the shore of the Salt Lake, the second biggest lake in Turkey. After lunch, you visit the Anatolian Civilisations Museum, which was awarded the name of the museum of the year in Europe in 1997. The museum is very famous for its special collection from the Hittite period. After that you take your flight to Izmir, and then you are transferred to Kuşadaşi. Overnight in Kuşadaşi.

 

After breakfast in the hotel you go for a whole day Ephesus tour. First you visit the ancient city of Ephesus which used to be the most important commercial center of western Anatolia. After that you go to the house of Virgin Mary. It is commonly believed it that Virgin Mary was taken there by St John after the Crucification and lived her final year there, near the city of Ephesus, on an isolated mountaintop. A lovely chapel has been built on the site tended by Franciscans and open to visitors. It has been designated a pilgrimage site by the Pope. You can also see the Basilica of St. John on the southern slope of Ayosolug hill, standing over the believed burial site of John the Apostle, who is believed to have spent his last years in the region around Ephesus. You will also see what is left of the temple of Artemision which was known as one of the seven wonders of the Antique World. The day ends with a visit to the Isa Bey mosque, followed by a drive back to Kusadasi. Overnight in Kuşadaşi.

 

After breakfast in the hotel, you first go to Prienne, formerly a leading member of the Panionic League. Going on further South, you visit Miletus and then arrive at Didyma, where you have lunch at a local restaurant. You can see the ruins of the temple of Apollo, which according to the historian Pausanias, together with the oracle there are more ancient than the Ionian settlement. Overnight in Kusadasi.

 

After breakfast in the hotel you are transferred to Izmir airport for a morning flight to Istanbul. If you give us of your departure flight from Istanbul we can try to book you on the best connecting flight from Izmir. If you wish, you can also book extra nights in Kuşadaşi or İstanbul.