Day 1: Depart the US for Istanbul (Tuesday)
Board your flight for Istanbul, Turkey.
Day 2: Istanbul (Wednesday)
Arrive in Istanbul. Our staff will transfer you to your hotel. Balance of the day at
leisure. Overnight.
Day 3: Istanbul (Thursday)
After breakfast, your full day tour takes you to the highlights of this magical city. Visit the Blue Mosque, famous for its blue tiles and its six minarets. Continue to the Hippodrome of Constantinople where horse and chariot races took place and St. Sophia, one of the greatest religious and architectural marvels of the world. After lunch, visit Topkapi Palace, home of the Ottoman sultans. The last stop is the Grand Bazaar for unbelievable shopping! Dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Istanbul / Canakkale (Friday)
Enjoy breakfast. Depart via motorcoach for Gallipolis, famous as the site of WW I battles. After lunch, cross the second strategic waterway, the Dardanelles, to Asia and proceed to Troy, the famous site of the Trojan War referred to in Homer’s “Iliad” & “Odyssey”. Arrive in Canakkale for dinner and overnight.
Agia Sophia Day 5: Canakkale / Izmir (Kusadasi) (Saturday)
Following breakfast, depart for Izmir. After lunch, visit Pergamon. See the Acropolis, the Temple of Trajan and the theater, and one of the Seven Churches of Revelation in downtown Bergama. The Ancient Medical Center, Asclepion is visited before driving to Izmir. Dinner and overnight in Izmir or Kusadasi.
Day 6: Izmir / Pamukkale (Sunday)
Enjoy breakfast and depart for Selçuk to visit the House of Virgin Mary followed by Ephesus. See an ancient city come to life. You will be amazed at how many things have not changed in today’s daily life! Visit the Basilica of St. John, the Library of Celsius, the Temple of Hadrian, the Theater and Odeon. View one of the Seven Churches of Revelation, and the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of Antiquity. After lunch, a shopping stop. Continue to Pamukkale to tour Hierapolis where Calcareous hot springs descending over cliffs have created fascinating travertines in the form of white terrace and basins. Dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Pamukkale / Konya / Cappadocia (Monday)
Early breakfast followed by a drive through picturesque local villages. Lunch en route to Konya. Konya was the center of the Selçuk Empire and the city of Mevlana and his Whirling Dervishes. Visit the Mevlana Museum and drive to Cappadocia viewing the Sultanhani Caravanserai en route. Dinner and overnight in Cappadocia.
Day 8: Cappadocia (Tuesday)
After breakfast, visit the incredible Underground City of Kaymakli where Christians secretly lived to survive and keep their faith. Stop at the Pigeons Valley and at the foot of the Uchisar Castle. Proceed to the Goreme Valley to visit the rock carved churches hollowed out of volcanic ash. After lunch, shopping time. Dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Cappadocia / Ankara / Istanbul (Wednesday)
After breakfast drive to Ankara. Visit the Ataturk Mausoleum. Also, visit the Museum of the Ancient Anatolian Civilizations. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Istanbul for overnight.
Day 10: Istanbul / Home (Thursday)
Transfer to the airport for your flight.
