» Itinerary

DAY 1: Arrive Istanbul

When ever you come to Istanbul, we will pick you up from the air port. The transfer is included in the price of the tour. you are met with a friendly 'merhaba' (hello) and escorted to your hotel. You have the day free to begin exploring Turkey's cultural capital or to relax at your leisure. Learn more about the adventure ahead of you at an orientation meeting at 7pm.

Dinner in town and overnight at the Hotel Historia

Some people choose to arrive a day or two  before the tour starts to recover jet lag. For your extra days in Istanbul we can arrange hotel Atlantis or Hotel Historia ;is almost as it was 2000 years ago and is situated within walking distance of all the must-see places in Istanbul

Day 2: Istanbul

Leave the Hotel at 08:40. Vitis the Basilika Cistern, the Turkish Islamic Art Museum, Aya Sophia, and Topkapi Palace.
The visit to the Turkish Islamic Museum, especially the ethnographic section, makes a perfect introduction to what
we will see in the countryside Overnight at Hotel Atlantis

Day 3: Istanbul

Visit the worlds oldest "shopping mall" the Covered Bazaar. Visit the Chora Church. Istanbul as Constantinople was where the Byzantines accepted Christianity as the state religion 1700 years ago. The imperial recognition of Christianity can best be seen at the breathtaking mosaics of Chora Church. Enjoy the earliest interpretations of Nativity, Dormission, Resurrection and Jesus the Creator. Visit the Spice Market. Have a wonderful ride on our private boat crusing the Bosphorous. Dinner on the Anatolia side of İstanbul Drive to Edirne Overnight on the train.

Day 4: Istanbul / Edirne

Drive to EdirneVisit the Selimiye Camii.The Best examples of Ottoman edifices will mesmerize people who have an appreciation for  architecture and easthetics.
Overnight in  Rustem Pasa Kervansaray otel

West of Istanbul, the provinces of Thrace and Marmara embrace the Sea of Marmara, while the towns of Gelibolu and Çanakkale mark the entrance to the Dardanelles, the narrow straits leading through to the Mediterranean. This was the site of the infamous Gallipoli landings during World War I, which led to the deaths of nearly 250,000 British, Turkish and Anzac troops and shot Turkish General Mustafa Kemal (later known as Ataturk) to fame. Inland, the cities of Edirne, in Thrace, and Bursa, in Marmara, are both fascinating historic towns with a wide range of magnificent architecture, such as the Selimiye Camii in Edirne, said to be the masterwork of Turkish imperial architect, Mimar Sinan. Just outside Bursa, the Uludag National Park is a wonderful forested mountain reserve, with excellent walking in summer and skiing in winter. A short way south of Gallipoli are the ruins of ancient Troy. Of the nine levels of the excavated settlement mound, the sixth is supposed to be the Troy depicted in Homer's Iliad.

Day 5:  Gallipoli / Assos

Visit Gallipoli ( Gelibolu) The site of where the very sad war of WWI was fought. This is the place where the Turkish people, defending their land from the invasion of imperialism,realized that their commander  in Chief, Mustafa Kemal  will be their hope for leading them out of the dark ages of the latter period of the Ottomans, Visit Troy, the city of the "Illiad and the Odyssey" and eight other eras in History. Troy retains a mysterious power and startles even the most unromantic traveler. The next stop will be Assos . Paul went by land from Alexandria Troas to Assos. Driving to Alexandria Troas from Assos, we will get the feel for the distance Paul had to cover on foot and appreciate his determination for accomplishing his mission..Over night at Hotel in Assos.

Day 6: Assos / Pergamon / Selçuk

In route to Izmir visit the ancient city of Assos, first settled in the third millennium BC. The site has been inhabited without interruption over the intervening centuries. Unlike the ancient city, however, the present village is situated on the north facing alope of the hill out of sight of the sea. This is no doubt due to the piracy, which was prevalent along the Aegean coast from the Middle Ages onwards. The fascinating ancient ruins, the clean sea and pure air, delicious fish And lovely scenery all contributes to the attraction of Assos. The carpet and kilim looms are producing new and original rugs. In ancient times, travelers saw the silhouette of the Temple of Athena rising towards the blue sky, on a rocky hill behind which there was the sea. At the same time, this building with its sharp-lined Doric columns was a symbol for sailors who knew it very Well and who could perceive it from a long distance while they were approaching the city by sea. This was a temple dedicated to the goddess who protected the city. Next stop is Turkey's first and only olive oil museum opened in July 2001. Olive oil culture is so deeply rooted that it was mentioned in almost all sacred books. Although, olive production dates back to pre-historic times in Turkey, much of its history is being forgotten in modern times. The goal of the Adatepe Olive Oil Museum is to preserve the literary and visual history of olive oil production in Turkey. The owners of the traditional Adatepe Olive Oil factory have restored their abandoned antique soap factory building in Kucukkuyu county of Canakkale province and re-designed it to serve as a traditional cold press olive oil factory which will also display various precious artifacts related to olive culture, collected from the local villagers. You will have the chance to observe and photograph the very simple procedure of olive oil extraction by the traditional methods, as well as carrying baskets and earthenware jars for olive oil storage and amphoras from sunken ships of early trade throughout the Mediterranean. Text, maps and pictures in the museum display the adventure of olive oil from soil to the table by months, the spread of olives from the Middle East to Europe throughout history, related verses or writings in The Old and the New Testament of the Jewish and Christian faiths as well as in the Islamic Ko'ran. It will be interesting to see The path of olive from tree to table while they enjoy tasting freshly baked thick crispy village bread dipped into equally fresh extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy lunch at the Saglam Restaurant before continuing to Pergamum, an ancient city founded by colonists on the Aegean coast of Anatolia at the site of the present-day city of Bergama. It was on a tributary of the Bakircay (Caicus River), enclosed by high mountains. Fertile, self-contained and easily defended, it provided the perfect setting for the maintenance of a city-state. A great center of culture, Pergamum was the rival of Ephesus in the field of commerce and of Alexandria in learning And the arts. Pergamum was the city that invented parchment after Egypt cut off the supply. You will have a chance to photograph many of the remains of this great city such as the Acropolis, the theater built into the steep hillside and the Asclepion. A sanctuary and a healing center built in the name of the god of healing, Asclepius, it was similar to the one in Epidauros in Greece. Although built in the 4C BC, it had its peak in the Roman period.

Day 7: Selcuk / Ephesus

Selcuk (Ephesus) This will be our big day in Ephesus, the best-preserved classical city on the eastern Mediterranean and among the best places in the world to get a feel for what life was like in Roman times. Certainly, the climax of the trip will be at the city of Ephesus, sitting in the theater visualizing 35,000 Ephesians following the silversmith Demetrius shouting
"...great is Artemis of Ephesians..." in reaction to St. Paul's preaching "there should be no man-made gods."Visit virgin Mary’s House and the Museum of Ephesus. We will have an introduction to Ephesus while we are sittingin the quiet atmosphesre of a 13th Century Mosque. hotel in Kusadasi

Day 8: Pamukkale

Via a wonderful lake drive to Pamukkale .Today we visit Pamukkale (ancient Heirapolis), the most unusual natural phenomenon of Turkey. The Turkish name  literally "cotton castle" - refers to the extraordinary surface of the snow-white cliffs,shaped over millennia by the accumulation of calcium deposited by mineral springs. Visit the hot springs
and swim in a spa . Overnight at Hotel

Day 9: Konya

Konya is also known for being the homeland of Rumi, a 13th century poet-philosopher and one of the earliest humanists. This morning, we will learn more about Rumi using a 16th Century mosque as our auditorium. We will visit his tomb. . Konya is the first capital of the Selcuks, the oldest Turkish Empire in Anatolia. The ambiance of the city has not changed much for the past 800 years. 0vernight at Hotel.

Day  10: Konya / Cappadocia

We then depart for Konya, stopping en route at a 12th century SULTAN HAN Caravanserai..  Enroute visit the  underground city, one of many, where the Christians found refuge during the persecution of the Romans of nearby Cesearia in the 2nd Century and the Arabs in the 7th century

Day 11: Cappadocia

Drive to a totally unique landscape dominated by deep valleys and fairy chimneys. Visit Goreme and Zelve open-air museums and Uchisar Fortress, where early Christians found shelter from the 11th century onwards. Optional afternoon walk in one of the valleys. Dinner in town, overnight at the Hotel

Day 12: Cappadocia/ Ankara
Breakfast at 07:00 AM Drive to b Ankara Visit the most beautiful museum of Turkey, the Anatolian Civilization Museum. This is a one of a kind museum, displaying 26 different civilizations. All the artifacts of these civilizations that have been excavated from Anatolia are in this museum. Seeing it will give us a better understanding of the cultural and historic layers of the Anatolian civilization. After lunch we visit the mausoleum of Ataturk, the father of the Turks, then take a train to İstanbul Overnight on the train.

Day13: Ankara /  Istanbul

Free day in İstanbul at night Whirling Dervishes ( Sema Ceremony )

Day 14:  Departure

Info

This tour must be booked at least 48 hours in advance of your travel date Confirmation for this product will be received at time of booking Tour is operated in English unless otherwise stated In the event of any museum closures, an alternative similar museum will be visited This tour is not suitable for infants 4 years and under Child prices are applicable for children aged Child Discount: 10%

Meeting point 

Tour departs from centrally located İstanbul hotels. Please include the details of your hotel at the time of booking. You MUST call the supplier at least 24 hours prior to tour commencement to reconfirm all tour and departure details. If the supplier does not pickup from your hotel, they will advise you of the meeting point when you call. The contact details will be listed on your voucher.

Terms & Conditions Tours
Transportation is provided by mini-buses or buses according to the number of passengers traveling. All tours are escorted by professional bi- or multi-lingual tour and/or driver guides. Depending on the number of passengers booked for a particular departure, tours and/or languages may be combined to operate the tours. Visits, stops and other tour components may be deleted, added and/or substituted from the tour without notice. Meals, or other expenses of personal nature are not included (unless published for a particular tour in Turkey TeamTours' brochure

Responsibility
Turkey Team Travel as agent for all issued tickets or vouchers and all arrangements for transportation, conveyance or hotel accommodation and assumes no liability or responsibility for (1) any injuries, loss, damage, accidents (2) delay, irregularities or inconvenience by any defect in a vehicle (3) traffic conditions, access to sites, additional costs or other conditions beyond its control. Turkey Team Travel reserves the right to cancel or change any tours, schedules, or rates and to cancel or substitute routes and stops on any tour without prior notice & to substitute equipment as needed

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