Departs Daily, April to October
Day 1: Depart US for Istanbul
Depart for fascinating Istanbul.
Day 2: Istanbul
Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel. Day at leisure. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 3: Istanbul
Following the breakfast, enjoy your full day tour of Istanbul’s highlights. Visit the Blue Mosque, famous for its blue tiles and its six minarets. Continue to the Hippodrome of Constantinople and St. Sophia, one of the greatest religious and architectural marvels of the world. After lunch, visit Topkapi Palace, the seat of government of the Ottoman Empire. The last stop is the bustling Grand Bazaar. It is the biggest "souk" in the world with nearly 4000 shops of antiques, jewelry, gold, carpets, and leatherwear. Overnight in Istanbul. *Sites will be substituted specific days due to site closings.
Day 4: Istanbul / Kayseri / Cappadocia
Morning at leisure. Consider a visit to the Chora Museum, famous for its Byzantine mosaics, or the Underground cisterns in the old city. Afternoon transfer to the airport for a flight to Kayseri. Marvel at the twisted lunar landscape created by the successive eruptions of a now extinct volcano. The plateau is covered with volcanic lava, transformed by erosion into a beautiful landscape of cones, columns, and canyons. To avoid persecution between the 4th and 13th centuries, Christians hewed dwellings and sanctuaries into the rock, incorporating them into the landscape. Drive to Cappadocia for dinner and overnight.
Cappadocia
Day 5: Cappadocia
Begin your full day tour of Cappadocia. Visit Avanos, known for its pottery; a craft dating back to the Hittite period. Continue to Goreme Open Air Museum to see the Byzantine rock churches and monasteries, carved into the fairy chimneys, dating from the 10th – 13th centuries. Enjoy the incredible frescoes painted on the walls. See the various types of fairy chimneys with multiple stems and caps in Devrent Valley and Monks Valley. Dinner and overnight in Cappadocia.
Day 6: Cappadocia
After breakfast, enjoy your full day tour. Stop at Kizicukur to visit Uzumlu (Grape) Church, which is hollowed out like a monastic complex. Proceed to Cavusin, an ancient village of Cappaocia. See Kaymakli, the largest of the underground cities, abandoned several decades ago due to avalanches. Finally, visit the Pigeon Valley and Ortahisar, dominated by a fortress-like rock rising above the winding roads. Dinner and Overnight.
Day 7: Cappadocia / Ankara / Izmir or Kusadasi
Transfer to Ankara for your flight to Izmir. Upon arrival in Izmir, some leisure time. Dinner and overnight in Izmir or Kusadasi.
Day 8: Izmir or Kusadasi
Enjoy a full day tour to Ephesus, the most well preserved ancient Greco – Roman city in the world. Visit the Arcadian Way, the Marble Road, the Great Theater, the Library of Celsius, St. John's Basilica and the Shrine of Virgin Mary. See this ancient city come to life! You will be amazed at how little life has changed. Lunch is included. Visit the port of Kusadasi for some great shopping! Don’t forget to bargain. Dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Izmir / Home
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight home.