12 Days Classical Turkey Tour

Welcome to Turkey! Upon your arrival at Istanbul Airport, our transferman will welcome you and take you to your hotel. After you check-in to your hotel and rest a little bit, our guide will meet you in the lobby and give you an orientation about Istanbul and our 12-day tour.

• Overnight in Istanbul

• Blue Mosque

For our first stop on our “Turkey in 12 Days” program, we will visit the Blue Mosque, which was built in 1616 by the Ottoman Sultan Ahmet I.

• Turkish Islamic Art Museum

After, we will stop by the Turkish Islamic Art Museum to see some of the best work from Islamic Art with spectacular antiquity Turkish Carpets.

• Topkapı Palace

We will continue our tour by visiting the great Ottoman Palace, Topkapi where Sultans lived for five centuries.

• Lunch at a local restaurant

• Grand Bazaar

After lunch, we will stop at the Grand Bazaar – one of the oldest shopping malls in the world, which dates back to the 16th century.

• Suleymaniye Mosque

We will then walk to Suleymaniye Mosque, which was built in 1557 by the great architect Sinan of the Ottoman Empire.

• Spice Market

We will complete our adventures of the first and busiest day of the program by walking downhill from the Suleymaniye Mosque to the Spice Market where you can find delicious spices and Turkish delight.

We will return to the hotel

• Overnight in Istanbul

Estimated Time: 6 to 8 hours.
(This time range can be changed depending on crowd of the area and timing of the departure)

• Hippodrome

Our first stop on Day 3 will be the great Roman Hippodrome, which dates back to 2nd century A.D. In the Hippodrome, you can see the Obelisk of the Tuthmosis the third, German Fountain, Serpent Column and the Obelisk of Constantine

• Underground Cistern (Basilica Cistern)

We will stop and see the Basilica Cistern, which was built at the same time as Hagia Sofia. In this 6th century structure, you will be able to see the heads of Medusa, which brought here from the temples of Constantinople.

• Hagia Sophia

We will visit Hagia Sophia, the great church built in 537 by Justinianus.

• Lunch at a local restaurant

• Chora Church

After lunch, we will go to the Chora Church, built in 6th century A.C., to see the spectacular, one-of-a-kind mosaics and some frescoes.

We will return to our hotel.

• Overnight in Istanbul

Estimated Time: 6 to 8 hours.
(This time range is subject to change, depending on crowds and timing of the departure)

• Bosphorus Boat Tour

We will start by checking out from our hotel. We will then take a Bosphorus Cruise (approximately two hours). During this trip, you will be able to see some historical scenes of Istanbul such as the palaces, summer mansions, houses from the Ottoman Empire, and more.

• Lunch at a local restaurant

• Fly to Cappadocia

Transfer to the Istanbul Airport to catch our flight to Cappadocia.

We will check in to our hotel and rest up for Day 5.

• Overnight in Cappadocia

Estimated Time: 6 to 8 hours.
(This time range is subject to change, depending on crowds and timing of the departure)

• Devrent Valley (Imagination Valley)

Day 5 will begin with an exploration of Cappadocia with Devrent Valley (also known as Imagination Valley), where we will see the different types of Fairy Chimney formations, which formed almost 30 million years ago.

• Pasabag (Monks Valley)

We will then stop in Pasabag, where we will see the most interesting fairy chimneys, resembling those seen in the Hobbit and Smurfs.

• Pottery Workshop

This trip offers the opportunity to stop by a local pottery shop, where details are shared of how people survived and created beautiful art dating back to the Hittite period.

• Lunch at a local restaurant

• Goreme Open Air Museum

The stop at Goreme Open Air Museum allows you to discover some of the best cave churches of the 530 in Cappadocia.

• Uchisar Castle Region

We will stop at Uchisar Castle and Pigeon Valley, two of the best spots for photography and photo opportunities in the world.

• Pigeon Valley

Pause for a photo break at Pigeon Valley.

We will return to our hotel.

• Overnight in Cappadocia

Estimated Time: 6 to 8 hours.
(This time range is subject to change, depending on crowds and timing of the departure)

• Kaymaklı Underground City

To start Day 6, we will drive to Kaymakli Underground City to see how Christians protected and defended themselves from the persecutions and invasions for centuries.

• Nar Lake (Photo Break)

We will drive approximately one hour to Nar Lake for photo break.

• Ihlara Valley & Hike

During the photo break, we will have to drive a bit more to reach Ihlara Canyon for 3.8 km hike by the river and beautiful nature.

• Lunch

Lunch at the Canyon.

• Sarıhan Caravanserai

En route back to the hotel, we will stop in Sarihan Caravanserai to visit the 13th century residence for the merchants and their camels.

We will return to our hotel.

• Overnight in Cappadociaz

Estimated Time: 6 to 8 hours.
(This time range is subject to change, depending on crowds and timing of the departure)

• Soganli Village

We will meet in our hotel lobby to start our last day in Cappadocia. Our first adventure of the day will take us to Soganli Village where we can see one of the greatest examples of monastic life.

• Sobessos

We will then drive to Sobesos Excavation site of a Roman City with one-of-a-kind floral mosaics that have only recently been discovered.

• Keşlik Monastery

Upon arrival at the Keşlik Monastery, you will have the opportunity to understand how the people survived and practiced their religion on a small site. This also gives us an idea about their little known social lives.

• Mustafapasa (Sinassos)

We are going to drive to Sinassos where we will see an Old Greek Village, which was re-inhabited after 1927.

• Lunch at a local restaurant.

• Red Valley Hike

We will drive (approximately 20 minutes) to Red Valley to begin our lovely 2-hour hike.

We will return to our hotel and rest up for another day of adventures.

• Overnight in Cappadocia

Estimated Time: 6 to 8 hours.
(This time range can be changed depending on crowd of the area and timing of the departure)

We will transfer to the airport and take a flight to Izmir (schedule varies based on flight time). Upon our arrival at Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport, we will check in to our hotel. The rest of the day will be spent relaxing. Dinner and overnight will be in Kusadasi or Selcuk.

Estimated Time: 6 to 8 hours.
(This time range can be changed depending on crowd of the area and timing of the departure)

• Ephesus

Day 9 will begin with a tour of Ephesus, where we can stroll and get lost inside the beautiful ancient site.

• Lunch at a local restaurant.

• Temple of Artemis

After lunch, we will drive to the Temple of Artemis, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

• St. John’s Basilica

Later, we will visit the Basilica of St. John, which was donated by Justinianus, who financed Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.

• Virgin Marys’ House

• Selcuk Ephesus Museum

We will visit the Selcuk Ephesus Museum and see some of the amazing artifacts from Ephesus.

We will return to our hotel.

• Overnight in Selcuk or Kusadasi

Estimated Time: 6 to 8 hours.
(This time range is subject to change, depending on crowds and timing of the departure)

• Priene

We will begin our tour with a 1 to 2 hour drive to Priene, an Ionian City that was first established in the 7th century B.C. as a port city on the sea, which was silted by the Meander River.

• Miletus

After, we will drive to Miletus. This city is known for some of the great philosophers of ancient times, including Thales, Anaximenes, and Hekaistos.

• Lunch at a local restaurant.

• Didyma

Our last stop of the day will be Didyma, the Temple of Apollon where most prophecies were given. The biggest oracle was serving at the Apollon Temple. Depending on schedule, lunch may be after the visit.

At the end of the tour, we will return to our hotel.

• Overnight in Selcuk or Kusadasi

Estimated Time: 6 to 8 hours.
(This time range is subject to change, depending on crowds and timing of the departure)

• Aphrodisias

Following check-our from our hotel, we will drive approximately two hours to Aphrodisias, which is one of the most well-preserved ancient sites in Turkey. Earliest settlement in Aphrodisias dates back to 5000 B.C. However, the city that we are going to see is from 2nd century B.C.

• Lunch at a local restaurant.

• Hierapolis (Pamukkale / Cotton Castle)

Later, we will drive to one of the greatest healing centers in the world, Hierapolis. Hierapolis can be named as “Woodstock ‘69” of the ancient world. Since it was one of the healing regions of the time, people often carried their tombs with them to die. That’s why the name Necropolis (cemetery) of Hierapolis is so common in Anatolia. During this trip, guests also can see the travertine, Cotton Castle, formed by calcium.

We will return to our hotel and prepare for the next morning.

• Overnight in Pamukkale

Estimated Time: 6 to 8 hours.
(This time range is subject to change, depending on crowds and timing of the departure)

If you plan to depart, we will transfer you to the airport.