Day 1: Depart US for Istanbul
Depart US for Istanbul, Turkey.
Day 2: Istanbul
Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Day at leisure. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 3: Istanbul
Following 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. A site may be substituted with another due to site closings. 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.
Day 4: Istanbul
Day at leisure. Possible visits are to Dolmabahce Palace and the Ecumenical
Patriarchate. As much as the Vatican is the center of Catholicism, the Ecumenical Patriarchate is the center of the world’s Orthodox Christians. Visit
the beautiful St. George Cathedral housing historic icons and the relics of five famous Saints. His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, is the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians and is in residence. He often is present at liturgy on Sunday mornings. In November of 2006, a historic meeting took place between the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Benedict XVI. See where this
historic event occurred. Overnight in Istanbul.
CappadociaDay 5: Istanbul / Kayseri
Following breakfast, transfer to the airport for a flight to Kayseri. Upon arrival, transfer to Cappadocia. Marvel at the twisted lunar landscape created by 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. See the various types of fairy chimneys with multiple stems and caps in Devrent Valley and Monks Valley. Visit Avanos, known for pottery, a craft dating back to the Hittite period. Continue to Göreme Open Air Museum to see the Byzantine rock churches and monasteries carved into the fairy chimneys from the 10th – 13th centuries with incredible frescoes painted on the walls. Dinner and overnight in Cappadocia.
Day 6: Cappadocia
Stop at Kizicukur to visit Uzumlu (Grape) Church, hollowed out like a monastic complex. Proceed to Cavusin, an ancient village of Cappadocia. See Kaymakli, the largest of the underground cities, abandoned several decades ago due to avalanches, and the Pigeon Valley and Ortahisar, dominated by a fortress-like rock rising above winding roads. Dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Cappadocia / Ankara / Izmir
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
Visit Ephesus, the best 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 had changed. Lunch is included. Visit the port of Kusadasi for some great shopping! Dinner and overnight in Izmir or Kusadasi.
Day 9: Izmir / Home
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your trip home.
