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Turkey Package 4
Western Turkey Land & Sea Tour
12 days/ 11 nights
(click on photos to enlarge)
This tour combines three nights in Istanbul with visits to the main archeological sites of Western Turkey. It also includes a 4-night cruise aboard a gulet - a wooden yacht - through the blue waters off Turkey's western coast.
Gulets are the vessel of choice for exploring the Turkish coast. A gulet is a traditional wooden Turkish-style motor sailing yacht built for cruising in the calm warm waters of the Mediterranean and south Aegean coastline of Turkey. These yachts are designed to center life on deck during the voyage. Spacious decks and large a half-mooned shaped dining and lounging area aft are their main features.
Over the years gulets have evolved from traditional crafts for fishing and transport into their present profile with a broad beam and wide deck.
The number of passengers a gulet carries depends on the boat's size, although most of them accommodate between eight and twelve people. Passengers enjoy separate accommodations with private bath facilities. Gulets cabins are not usually air-conditioned. In the warmest weather passengers often choose to sleep on deck under the stars. Gulets used for cabin cruises give you the chance, unlike cruises on large ocean liners, to explore the secluded and often deserted bays and coves of the coastline. Many of these areas are inaccessible to larger vessels. The small harbors and settlements you will visit offer an intimate view of coastal life in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas.
Do not be surprised if you share your gulet cruise with a number of different nationalities. Meal times will provide you with a good opportunity to get to know one another and you will find that strangers who share a love of the sea and an interest in nature and history quickly turn into friends. Gulet cruises provide you with three healthy meals each day Typically, a gulet has a 3-man crew - a captain, a cook and a seaman. Gulets meet all standard security requirements and are equipped with navigation, sailing and cooking facilities. Cruises are usually on engine in order to keep up with the program of the cruise. However, the sails are used from time to time if the weather conditions permit.
What's Included
7 nights hotel accommodations in 4-star or 5-star hotels
4 nights accommodation on a traditional Turkish gulet (wooden yacht)
All airport transfers by PRIVATE vehicle
All tour-related road travel by PRIVATE vehicle.
All breakfasts
Three meals a day during the gulet cruise
Domestic flight returning from Dalaman back to Istanbul
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
Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
Day 1
Arrival at Istanbul airport , you will be met and transferred to your hotel. |  |
|  | Day 2
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 architectural sizeof its interior and magnificent dome.
Next we will visit the spectacular Topkapi Palace. Built on one of the seven hills of Istanbul, this huge complex commands views of the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. It was the seat of government for the Ottoman Empire for many centuries (1453-1852) and we will see the extravagant Treasury, the priceless Chinese porcelain. (B)
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| Day 3
The morning starts with a visit to the aromatic Spice Bazaar, where the smells of cinnamon, cloves and thyme, rise from hundreds of colorful muslin bags at every store-front.
We then board a ferry boat for a relaxing cruise along the shores of the legendary Bosphorus, the natural gateway that divides Asia and Europe. As you sit back and enjoy Turkish coffee or well-brewed tea from traditional small cups, numerous summer palaces and palatial homes will pass by on either side. Disembarking at the northern end of the Strait, we proceed to a restaurant for a tasty meal of local fish.
We then travel to the Suleymaniye Mosque, built by master architect Sinan during the reign of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver. The last stop will be Grand Bazaar with nearly 4000 shops of antiques, jewelry, gold, carpets and leatherwear. (B)
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|  | Day 4
After an early breakfast, we begin a scenic drive down to Gallipoli, historically famous for being the site of a long campaign during WWI. Following a lunch break, we will cross the second strategic waterway, the Dardanelles, and land in Asia and proceed to Troy. Referred to in Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey", Troy has in fact nine cities superimposed one upon another. Troy VI pertains to the famous Trojan War of Homer where the legendary heroes included Agamemnon, Achilles, Ulysses and Nestor on the Greek side and, Priam, Hector and Paris on the Trojan side. We will check-in to our hotel in Canakkale for the evening. (B) |
| Day 5
On our journey to Izmir we stop by the hauntingly beautiful Pergamon. Among the impressive structures of this city, dating from 399 B.C., we will see the Altar of Zeus, Temple of Dionysus and the 200,000 volume library which was surpassed only by that found in Alexandria at the time. Leaving Pergamon behind us we settle in at our hotel in Izmir. (B) |  |
|  | Day 6
Following an early breakfast we proceed to the old section of Izmir called Kadifekale, a bastion built by Alexander the Great. Heading further south, we arrive at 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. Ephesus was undoubtedly one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world. Impressive structures we will see include the Library of Celsus, Temple of Hadrian, Theater and Odeon. We also visit the Museum of Seljuk. Close by is the House of the Virgin Mary where she is believed to have spent her last years. On August 18th, 1961, Pope John XXll proclaimed the House of Virgin Mary at Ephesus to be sacred. You will have a chance to take a phial of Holy Water from the Sacred Spring. We spend the night in the resort city of Kusadasi on the Aegean Coast. (B) |
| Day 7
We leave early and journey to Priene which is an example of a truly ancient city, one whose history dates back to the 10th century B.C. Highlights include the Temple of Athena Polias, the Ecclesiasterium and the Agora. We next visit Miletus where the Philosopher Thales was born. He coined the phrase "Know Thyself". We will inspect the Delphinion, Baths of Faustina and the Council Chamber. Our last visit is to Didyma which served as a religious sanctuary to the god Apollo. The oracular inscriptions date as far back as 600 BC. Among the highlights are the Temple of Apollo and the Stadium. We then return to Kusadasi for the night. (B) |  |
|  | Day 8
We leave the hotel after breakfast and drive to Marmaris. In the afternoon we embark on our gulet (wooden yacht) and settle down for a relaxing dinner. (B,D) |
| Day 9
Leaving early in the morning, we first sail to Delikada and following lunch there, go ashore to to see the Lycian Rock Tombs dating back to the 6th century BC. The Lycians settled in the area in the 15th century B.C. St. Nicholas (Santa Claus) settled here more recently and was bishop of Myra in the 5th century AD. We stay overnight docked at the port of Ekincik. (B,L,D) |  |
|  | Day 10
After breakfast sail past Kurdoglu and dock for lunch in Manastir Bay. Then sail on to Bedri Rahmi. The inlet of Bedri Rahmi is one of the most scenic lagoons of the gulf. It is named after Bedri Rahmi Eyüpoglu, who was an early blue seas voyager and who painted a fish on a rock behind a fountain here in 1973. You can see the painted fish right behind the fountain and behind it there is a Lycian rock tomb hidden at the back of the trees.There are many Lycian rock tombs in addition to this one in the surrounding area. Dinner and overnight docked in Bedri Rahmi Bay. (B,L,D) |
| Day 11
After breakfast cruise sailing among the coves and islands of secluded Gocek Bay. Gocek is known for its beautiful natural setting and it is a place where colorful yachts ranging from the latest models to small vessels meet. Not far from Gocek are the Yassica Islands, a group of 5 islands. When you anchor in the shallow waters close to one of the islands, their tones of blue from the sea and green from the pine and olive trees will offer good photo opportunities at sunrise and sunset. Dinner and overnight off Yassica Islands. (B,L,D) |  |
|  | Day 12
We arrive in Fethiye in the early afternoon and disembark for our drive to Dalaman and our flight to Istanbul, where the tour ends.
(B) |
| 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 and the gulet cruise - is exactly the same in each category. The only difference is that the deluxe category hotels are, as you might expect, more luxurious. 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: $2795 per person
Deluxe Category Hotels: $3295 per person
Superior Category Hotels
Your hotels will be selected from the group below, depending on availability on your time of travel and your own preference.
Istanbul:
Celal Sultan Hotel
Lady Diana
Aziyade Hotel
Hotel Prince
Canakkale:
Kolin Hotel
Izmir:
Best Western Hotel Konak
Palm City Hotel
SC Inn Boutique Hotel
Kusadasi :
Pine Bay Marina
Kayhanbey Hotel
Deluxe Category Hotels
Your hotels will be selected from the group below, depending on availability on your time of travel and your own preference.
Istanbul:
Celal Sultan Hotel
Ottoman Hotel Imperial
Barcelo Eresin
Canakkale:
Kolin Hotel
Izmir:
Princess Thermal Hotel
Moevenpick Izmir
Kusadasi:
Charisma Deluxe
Korumar Hotel | |
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