Classical Turkey Tour

2. Day:

We will start the day with a nice cruise tour on Bosphorus. Your guide will explain all the magnificent palaces and mosques and houses that you see along the way. After that our car will take us to the most ancient part of Istanbul. We stroll across the former Hippodrome, today‘s Sultan Ahmed Square – a great attraction with its German Fountain, Egyptian Obelisk and Serpentine Column – on our way to Sultan Ahmet Mosque. This masterpiece of Classical Ottoman architecture is also known as the “Blue Mosque” because of its beautiful blue tiles. We visit amazing Basilica Cistern, water supply for Constantinople once upon a time. We will then view the famous Topkapi Palace, from which the Ottoman sultans once ruled their empire, before paying a memorable visit to the imposing Hagia Sophia, a fascinating piece of Byzantine architecture. At the end we visit Spice Bazaar.  Overnight in Istanbul…

3. Day:

This morning we will check out from our hotel and travel to the national capital of Turkey, Ankara – a city with origins extending back to the time of Phrygian settlements. We will visit monumental building of  the mausoleum of the founder of modern Turkey (Atatürk). It  is a masterpiece of architecture and we will see a very beautiful museum which is the witness of the last century. Than We will visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations which houses the greatest collection of the Anatolian cultures, ranging from the Early Bronze Age up to the present day.  After this, we will travel onward through the steppe region of the Anatolian high plateau, passing  near the salt lake and into the Central Anatolian landscape of Cappadocia. At one of the rarest lakes in the World, we make a photo shoot stop.  Once we have arrived, we will start seeing the strange and fascinating moonlikelandscape. Overnight stay in the Cappadocia region.

The day begins with a visit to the unique rock formations and cave churches of the Göreme open-air museum (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Then we can look forward to a visit to the valley of the pigeons, followed by  a natural hill sculptured into a cas-tle .(Uchisar cas-tle). A  photo break in Dervent Valley with its bizarre natural rock sculptures. In a traditional carpetweaving factory we will experience the fascinating, centuries-old craft of carpet-making. You will be enthralled by the variety, craftsmanship and rich colours of the hand-woven carpets.We will also take an easy walk in the Valley of Love. The day will end with a stop at the Valley of Imagination. Overnight stay in the Cappadocia region.

5. Day

Cappadocia is also famous for its underground cities. Many of us are fond of civilisations above ground but underneath it?!! We are sure thats a fascinating and unique experince  for us all.On the way, we will take a break, in a medieval caravanserai. Then we will journey on to Konya, the antique Ikonium, and visit the monastery of the dancing dervishes, whose ceremony was declared a UNESCO Intangible World Heritage in 2008. It was from here that the teachings of the mystic Mevlana Cellaleddin, the founder of the order, spread out into the world. After this, our journey will continue our journey. Overnight stay in Pamukkale

6.

In the morning we drive to ancient Hierapolis, today’s Pamukkale (cottoncas-tle). We start our tour from the North gate of the UNESCO World Heritage listed ancient Roman spa town of Hierapolis. Hierapolis was an important place for healing in Roman times because of the believed therapeutic qualities of its waters.As we wander the ruins, we will see highlights such as the necropolis (graveyard), one of the biggest in the region, with over 1500 graves, the Roman bath, the theatre and the Agora (ancient market). You’ll also hear stories of some of the famous characters from history who visited or lived here including Cleopatra and St Philip, whose tomb is on top of a hill outside the northeastern section of the city walls, and which you will be able to see from a distance.We’ll then take a break at the Cleopatra Antique Pool whe-re the water is a pleasant 36 degrees Celsius and filled with invigorating minerals. Here, you have the chance to swim over Roman columns which believed to have fallen into the water during an earthquake. Then we drive to Kusadasi, a small port city. Overnight in Kusadasi.

In the morning we start the day with the visit of Virgin Mary House. This is the house in which she lived the last days of her life. We continue with Ephesus. It was once the fifth most populated city in the ancient World and it was the second politically important city after Rome. It houses a beautiful collection of Structures such as Hadrian Temple, Traian Fountain, Celcus Library, Great Theatre of Ephesus and many more. We will admire the Basilica of St. John whe-re there is the tomb of St. John.  Overnight in Kusadasi

Transfer to the Izmir airport for your flight. This will be the end of our tour.