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Turkey Package 5
Highlights of Turkey
10 days/ 9 nights
(click on photos to enlarge)
This is a private, luxury tour, designed for two people traveling together. You will have your own private English-speaking guide and your own vehicle. If you are traveling in a group of 4 or more, the prices per person will decrease significantly.
What's Included
9 nights hotel accommodations in 4-star or 5-star hotels
All airport transfers by PRIVATE vehicle
All tour-related road travel by PRIVATE vehicle.
Domestic flight from Istanbul to Kayseri (Cappadocia).
PRIVATE professional English-speaking tour guide
All breakfasts
All admission to sites, museums
All taxes
What's Not Included
International airfare
Meals not listed in tour description
Drinks and beverages
Frequently Asked Questions
Day 1
Arrival at Istanbul airport , you will be met and transferred to your hotel. |  |
|  | Day 2
Departing in the morning, we head for the airport for the flight to Kayseri, the gateway to Cappadocia. Upon arrival you will be met and driven to your hotel. In the afternoon we visit the Sultanhani Caravansary. The caravansary (a type of medieval "rest-stop") was built in the 13th century and provided free lodging, stables and food to merchants heading along the Silk Road.
From there we drive to the natural citidel of Uchisar. Uchisar Castle is a rocky volcanic outcrop. The rock is riddled with tunnels and caves, probably built for defensive reasons. From the top of the rock you have great views of Goreme and Cappadocia. Finally, we return to our hotel for a night of relaxation. (B) |
| Day 3
Today we visit the Valleys of Goreme and Zelve as well as the underground city of Derinkuyu.
No one knows how many underground cities lie beneath Cappadocia. Eight have been discovered, but there are doubtless more. The largest, Derinkuyu, wasn't discovered until 1965. Eventually, spelunking archeologists found a maze of connecting chambers that descended at least 18 stories and 280 feet beneath the surface, ample enough to hold 30,000 people. Needless to say, this is a spectacular experience for any visitor.
We now journey further into Cappadocia, where the sights of the Fairy Chimneys are phenomenal. The natural wonder of Cappadocia is a result of volcanic deposits being eroded away by wind and water over millions of years. These soft rocks were hollowed out by early Christians and used as secret dwellings when they were being sought first by their Roman and later by their Byzantine persecutors. There are hundreds of these fantastic rock houses in Cappadocia, some with staircases and doors. We will also visit many churches that have been decorated with vivid frescoes which have withstood the corrosive effects of time.
Return to hotel and overnight. (B) |  |
|  | Day 4
Early in the morning, we drive to Konya and visit the Mausoleum of Mevlana. Mevlana was a philosopher and mystic of Islam. We'll stop for lunch on the way. We then drive on to Pamukkale, with its unique formation of petrified calcium cliffs. Pamukkale has been a spa since the Romans built the city of Hierapolis around a sacred warm-water spring. The sacred pool is still there, littered with marble columns from the Roman temple. Hot calcium-laden waters spring from the earth and cascade over a cliff. As they cool they form dramatic travertines of hard, brilliantly white calcium pools. You will have an opportunity to bathe in these thermal waters on the next day of your tour. Overnight at your hotel in Pamukkale. (L,B) |
| Day 5
After breakfast we visit the ancient city of Hierapolis, named after Hiera, wife of the founder of Pergamon. Highlights include the Roman Baths, the Temple of Apollo and the Nymphaeum. We then visit the thermal-spring pools of Pamukkale, where warm water flows from natural pools on to white terraces.
After that, we will visit one of the most attractive ancient sites of the Aegean Region, Aphrodisias. Aphrodisias was famous throughout the ancient world for the Temple of Aphrodite and enjoyed great prosperity during the Roman period. We continue on to Kusadasi, a nearby resort city on the Aegean Sea, where we will spend the night.(B)
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|  | Day 6
After breakfast on the way to Izmir we visit the house of the Virgin Mary. It is the place where Mary is said to have spent her last days. Indeed, she may have come to the area together with Saint John, who spent several years here spreading Christianity. In the 1960's, Paul VI was the first pope to visit this place. Later, in the 1980's, during his visit, Pope John-Paul II declared the Shrine of Virgin Mary a place of pilgrimage for Christians.
From there we move on to the ancient city of Ephesus and first visit the Basilica of St. John, who came here with the Virgin Mary and wrote his Gospel. To the southwest of the Basilica stands the Isa Bey Mosque and further in the same direction is the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Ephesus was undoubtedly one of the most important cultural centers of that world. Impressive structures we will see include the Library of Celsus, Temple of Hadrian, Theater and Odeon. We also visit the Museum of Seljuk. We drive to Izmir (also known by its Greek name of Smyrna), to spend the night. (B)
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| Day 7
While in Izmir we will stop at the hauntingly beautiful Pergamon. Among the impressive structures of this ancient city, dating from 399 B.C., we will see the Altar of Zeus, Temple of Dionysus and the 200,000 volume library. Leaving Pergamon behind we drive on to Canakkale and settle in to our hotel for the night. (B) |  |
|  | Day 8
We drive to Troy, the legendary town of Homer's Iliad. Troy has in fact nine cities superimposed one upon another. It was Troy VI that was the site of the Trojan War, when the legendary heroes included Agamemnon, Achilles, Ulysses and Nestor on the Greek side and, Priam, Hector and Paris on the Trojan side. After touring the various sites of Troy we stop for lunch before driving on to Istanbul, where you will spend the night. (B,L) |
| Day 9
Following breakfast, we drive to the 'Old City' where we will visit the Hippodrome, The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, the Blue Mosque, famous for its delicate blue ceramic tiles and Saint Sophia. This church - turned mosque - turned museum takes the breath away with the sheer size of its interior and magnificent dome. (B) |  |
|  | Day 10
Transfer to the airport for your flight home. |
| Trip Price Per Person
This tour is offered in two price categories, superior and deluxe. The difference is in the hotels. The tour itself - the vehicle, the guide, the places visited - is exactly the same in each category. Both categories of hotels are quite nice and you will be staying in clean comfortable surroundings whichever category you decide upon. The only difference is that the deluxe category hotels are, as you might expect, more luxurious. If you click on the website addresses for the various hotels, you should get an idea of what they are like. You'll see that even in the less expensive "superior" category, we are still providing you with very fine hotels. The deluxe hotels are a step up in terms of luxury and the hotels offered in this category are among the best available in any given location.
Prices are per person based on double occupancy. If you are traveling in a group of four or more, then the price per person would go down considerably, usually around 20%. Please call or write us to get those prices. Please note that due to fluctuations in the U.S. Dollar, these prices may fluctuate as well.
If you would like to travel solo, then, of course, the price would be higher. Please contact us for solo pricing.
Superior Category Hotels: $2995 per person
Deluxe Category Hotels: $3395 per person | |
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