Highlights of Turkey Tour | Turkey Vacations | Private Tours in Turkey with Expert Tour Guides

HIGHLIGHTS OF TURKEY TOUR

Your Tour of Turkey, Designed Just For You or Your Group

For those who wish to discover the full extent and variety of Turkey’s treasures, the unique charm of our villages and towns, its storied history, fabled legends, natural beauties of Volcanic Valleys & much more besides, our eleven-day tour itinerary alongside your private driver & tour guide will ensure that you will experience why Turkey casts such a magical spell over all who visit it.

The very well-planned and wide-ranging itinerary
Outstanding, incorporating history, culture, place, and natural environments
Experience the best of Turkey, with comfortable, atmospheric lodgings of variety of accommodations
Extremely helpful Tour Guide - thoughtful about all of the travel details, knowledgeable, good humored.

HIGLIGHTS

PRICING : From (Custom Trip)

(based on two travelers) with 5 Star Hotels

Tour Name: HIGHLIGHTS OF TURKEY

Tour Type: Private & Guided Tour - just for your party. ( It is NOT a shared / group tour )

Tour Start & End Point: Istanbul

Tour Duration: 10 Nights / 11 Days

Operates: All year - round

Transport: Minivan / Minibus / Coach

Stay: According to your preferences ( in a 3 star, 4 Star, Boutique, 5 Star or Deluxe Hotels)

DAY 01: ARRIVE IN ISTANBUL

Your guide will meet you inside the arrivals hall, assist with luggage and escort you to the vehicle.

Transfer you to your hotel.

Night in Istanbul (Meals: No)

DAY 02: TROY & CANAKKALE

After the breakfast, we drive to ancient Channel of Dardanelles to visit Ancient Troy, home of The legend of the Trojan War of Homer’s epic poem of Iliad (as home of Hector & Paris, Helen of Troy, King Priam), is the land where the lines between history and mythology are blurred.

Later we visit the harbor area of Canakkale City for the nice view of Trojan Horse, nice seaside cafeterias & Dardanelles Water Channel.

Night in Canakkale (Meals: B&D)

DAY 03: PERGAMON & ASCLEPION

After the breakfast, we drive north to ancient

ancient city of Assos, one of the must-see historical places with its fascinating Acropolis over looking to Aegean Sea, and Behramkale Village, which fascinates with its stone houses, Temple of Athena, City Walls, Hellenistic Theatre and Harbour, and welcomes you all four seasons of the year.

Later we drive to * Pergamon - It was an important ancient Capital city in Asia Minor (in northwest Turkey) during Hellenistic Ages, It remained as a leading political and intellectual center, boasting the largest & highest Acropolis of ancient World.

Night in Kusadasi (Meals: B&D)

DAY 04: EPHESUS

Today We are going to visit the heart of ancient Ionia, and we start from ;

EPHESUS - "city of the Mother Goddess" an ancient city devoted to Goddess Artemis, is the best-preserved Hellenistic & Roman city in the Mediterranean world, It was a the biggest & the wealthiest Metropolis of Asia Minor & the final Market of the King Trade Route as the most important trading center in Asia.

House of The Virgin Mary - this stone house is located in a nature park on a hilltop above Ephesus, is believed to be the last residence of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. The peaceful site is sacred to both Christians and Muslims, and is visited by many tourists and pilgrims.

Old Village of Sirince, A mountaintop 17 Th C. tiny & beautiful, historic Ottoman village of Sirince (famous for delicious homemade fruit wine) - a hillside of half-timber traditional houses overlooking panoramic views of vineyards and olive orchards. And Yes, We will have the lunch in Sirince - a local restaurant with delicious local cuisine

* APHRODISIAS - an ancient city devoted to Aphrodite (the goddess of love and beauty), The UNESCO World Heritage site is one of the best preserved cities from the Roman period and had a famous sculpture academy in Roman times.

Night in Pamukkale (Meals: B&D)

DAY 05: PAMUKKALE & HIERAPOLIS

On the day five of your Turkey tour itinerary, you will leave visit

Pamukkale; the beautiful, cascading, snow-white terraced cliff-side basins and waterfalls famous for the healing properties of their thermal mineral baths.
Hierapolis; an ancient Hellenic and Roman city. See the vast Necropolis Roman basilica baths, Domitian gate, latrines, Agora, Colonnaded Street, Byzantine Gate, Roman fountains, and Grand Theatre.

Night in Konya (Meals: B&D)

Day 06: KONYA to SILK ROAD & CAPPADOCIA

Your day starts with a visit to

Sultanhani Caravanserai; built on historical Silk Road with its spectacular Seljuk architecture to Konya.

Underground City, We visit one of the best examples of underground dwellings could house more than 40.000 people. Top levels are even dating back to 3000 B.C. Later with the arrival of early Christians seeking freedom & shelters during the age of persecution, Underground cities got bigger & deeper with their living rooms, storage rooms, several air chimneys, indoor water wells, church , winery, labyrinth of tunnels and blind passageways, cemetery and even stables for animals.

Pigeon Valley - offers views of fairy chimneys in many colours, Uchisar Castle and the famous flat top-stone houses. It has wonderful views of thousands of hand-carved pigeon nests lie on the hills.

* CAVE HOUSES IN FAIRY CHIMNEYS - traditional cave houses that locals still live in & with rooms devoted pigeon nests. You can here still get a taste of the elusive and authentic Cappadocian village experience.

Goreme Panaorama Hill over The Goreme National park is in the middle of combinations of several valleys. It has a vast view of town of Goreme & surrunding valleys ( Pigeon Valley, Rose & Red Valleys, Swords Valley with a mesa hill of Aktepe)

Avanos - is a pretty town on the banks of the Red River (The longest river in Turkey) famous for a tradition of pottery, ceramics & tile making which dates back to Hittite ages ( 2000 B.C) You can see pottery being made, including the old techniques, and even make some yourself on the potter’s wheel. Carpet-weaving and tapestry-making are equally important local skills in the town.

Optional Night Activitiy 1 Turkish Night Show in a Cave Restaurant - Folk dances and Belly Dance show

Night in Cappadocia (Meals: B&D)

DAY 07: CAPPADOCIA

Optional Day Activitiy; Balloon Flight Tour - It offers sweeping views of the rocky landscape of Cappadocia.

Start with a stroll through

GOREME OPEN-AIR MUSEUM - Cappadocia’s main attraction – a monastic complex famous for the fresco-adorned rock-cut churches and monasteries, rectories, and cave dwellings of Roman & Byzantine ages, It was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1970's.

PASABAGLARI / Fairy Chimneys Valley - known as Monks Valley as well. Here we see the multi-capped mushroom like rock formations and early Christian monk's cells carved into the Fairy Chimneys.

Cavusin (Old Ghost Town) - Cavusin village has been abandoned because of frequent rock falls. A Huge Yellow Rock Hill/Castle with hundreds of cave-hollowed dwellings & several churches. We hike the Old town & climb to top of Cavusin Castle to see the best view of Rose Valley.

* ZELVE OPEN AIR MUSEUM – it’s clear that the Hittites first began hollowing out the valleys around 18'Th Century BC. Later Zelve became the earliest-settled and last-abandoned monastic retreat by Early Christians in Cappadocia. Zelve is spread over 3 consecutive Pink valleys and with many fairy chimneys, We hike the Valleys and look at most of the cave dwellings, rock-cut monasteries with churches & chapels (Church of the Fish and Grapes, Holy Cross Church & Columned Church), nooks and rooms, pigeon houses, winery and hideaways, dark tunnels, a small mosque built of stone, stable & stone wheels used for grinding grain and more..

Devrent Valley - also called as Pink or Imagination valley with Its famous pink rock formations. Here depends on your imagination power you will see many rock formatins look like different figures..The most remarkable one is the siting stone camel...

Optional Night Activitiy 2: Whirling Dervishes Night Show, in an 13 th C Caravansarai built on Silk Road

Night in Cappadocia (Meals: B&D)

Day 08: SALT LAKE & ANKARA

“Spend a day visiting the capital city with its museums and Castle”
* Salt Lake, Second largest lake in Turkey. A photo stop and walk on it.

* Anatolian Civilizations Museum; which displays rich and unique collections such as the treasures in the Hittite section.
* Ankara Citadel; built by the Galatians in 3’th C BC, with over 20 towers, inner & outer walls dominant to panoramic view of capital city of Ankara.
* Anitkabir – the Mausoleum of Ataturk, The father of modern Turkey, located on a prominent hill in the center of Ankara. Visit the Ataturk and Independence War Museum.

Check in to Hotel

Night in Ankara (Meals: B&D)

DAY 09: DRIVE TO ISTANBUL ( BOSPHORUS, SPICE MARKET & HARBOUR AREA )

After breakfast we drive to Istanbul.

Cruise on the Bosphorus, It is a Cruise trip up the 32 km long strait which joins the Sea of Marmara with the Black Sea. Enjoy the panoramic face of Istanbul’s both European & Asian shores. With this 1.5 hours boat cruise you may see wonderful palaces, mansions, kiosks, modern bridges, wooded hills; villages large and small - modern and old-fashioned; the old wooden waterside Ottoman mansions & kiosks.

Golden Horn; a fresh-water river dividing Old Istanbul from the Pera (New City) and forming the natural harbor that has Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and other ships for thousands of years.

Take a stroll around the Old Bazaar area and Rustempasa Mosque - is built in 1563 by Ottoman architect Sinan as the first example of his masterpieces in Istanbul, interior is covered with the finest examples of exquisite Iznik colored tiles.

Later we walk in to the Spice (Egyptian) Bazaar - It is the second largest bazaar in Old City and still the Center of the commercial hub & a bustling gastronomic paradise since 1664 for exotic spices and dried fruits, nuts, olives, Turkish delight & Turkish Coffee, jewelry and other high-margin goods.

Night in Istanbul (Meals: B)

DAY 10: ISTANBUL - OLD CITY

A day simply filled with classical Istanbul places!

Your private guide will pick you in the morning & go to Old City.

Our first stop is The Hippodrome of Constantinople - It was the heart of Old City as the “Largest Hippodrome of The Ancient World” built as an arena for chariot races and Olympic games.

Later we walk to Blue Mosque - is Istanbul's imperial Mosque of Sultan Ahmet I, built in 17'th C. as one of the most famous mosque complexes in both the Turkish and Islamic worlds, as It is a great example of Classic Turkish-Ottoman architecture

Today we also visit the Hagia Sophia, the Church of Divine Wisdom. Once a Pagan temple, converted to first Church by Constantine the Great, later restored in the 6th century by Justinian I as the largest basilica in the Christian world, Sultan Mehmet II converted it into an Ottoman imperial mosque After the Turkish conquest of Constantinople in 1453. It Is a masterpiece of Roman & Byzantine architecture.

Spend some quality time in Topkapi Palace - the wondrous royal residence of Ottoman sultans for 400 years & one of the main attractions in Istanbul.

Finish the day with visit to Grand Bazaar - In operation since the 15th century, the Grand Bazaar is one of the world's largest covered markets, with 58 streets and over 4,000 shops. The bazaar is especially known for its jewelry, leather, pottery, spices and carpets.

Night in Istanbul (Meals: B)

DAY 11: DEPART ISTANBUL

Pick up from your hotel 4 hour in advance your flight & transfer to airport.

Inclusions

Expertise of Our travel specialists
All accommodations - 5 star or Deluxe Resorts
All ground transportation and airport transfers in Istanbul
Private Guide in your preferred language (English, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Italian, French)
Sightseeing, visits, and entrance tickets/fees
Listed meals only
All parking tickets and petrol.
All taxes

Exclusions (Not Included)

All Drinks & Lunches (We let Customers have the total freedom to choose their lunch, our guide will show the local restaurants)
International airfare for Turkey
Dinners in Istanbul Hotels
All personal expenses.
Services of local porters in hotels, receptions, and other staff
All customary tips to Guide & Driver