Turkey
Itinerary
DAY 1, Depart the USA
Depart the USA to Turkey. Your flight includes meals, drinks, and in-flight entertainment for your journey
DAY 2, Arrive in Istanbul
Arrive in Istanbul and transfer to your hotel. Balance of the day at leisure. This evening, enjoy dinner and orientation with your tour manager
Overnight: Istanbul
Meals: Dinner
DAY 3, Day at leisure in Istanbul
Enjoy a full day in Istanbul at leisure. Blending East and West, Istanbul stands as one of the greatest world cities, straddling two continents and offering a fusion of the ancient and modern
Optional: Half Day Istanbul with Topkapi Palace (AM)
Optional: Half Day Istanbul with Grand Bazaar (PM)
Optional: Traditional Turkish Night with dinner
Overnight: Istanbul
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 4, Sightseeing Troy, Drive to Canakkale
This morning, cross the Dardanelles by ferry and drive via Gallipoli to the classical city of Troy. Tour this 4000-year-old city and legendary center of the Trojan War and see the place made immortal by Homer's epic poem The Iliad. Continue to the Canakkale province, located in northwest Turkey
Overnight: Canakkale
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 5, Visit the Acropolis, Drive to Kusadasi
Drive to Pergamum, a powerful kingdom during the ancient Hellenistic period, and visit the Acropolis. Continue to Kusadasi, a city believed to be the birthplace of Homer
Overnight: Kusadasi
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 6, Day at leisure in Kusadasi
Enjoy a full day at leisure in Kusadasi
Optional: Full Day Ephesus & House of Virgin Mary
Overnight: Kusadasi
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 7, Pamukkale Hot Springs, Necropolis, and Hieropolis
Depart Kusadasi and drive to Pamukkale. Visit the Necropolis and the ancient city of Hieropolis ("Holy City"), a UNESCO a World Heritage Site situated atop the Pamukkale hot springs. The Pamukkale hot springs have served as a therapeutic thermal bath since the 2nd century B.C.
Overnight: Pamukkale
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 8, Konya and the Whirling Dervishes
Today, travel from Pamukkale, the "Cotton Castle," to Konya, a city renowned for its Seljuk architecture and also as the home of the whirling dervishes. Arrive in the late afternoon and enjoy some time at leisure before dinner this evening
Overnight: Konya
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 9, Visit Caravanserai of Agzikarahan en route to Cappadocia
This morning explore Konya at your leisure. Depart for Cappadocia, visiting the magnificent Caravanserai of Agzikarahan en route. Continue to Nevsehir in Cappadocia for dinner and overnight
Optional: Visit to Mevlana Mausoleum (AM)
Overnight: Cappadocia
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 10, Day at leisure in Cappadocia
Enjoy a full day exploring Cappadocia independently. Famed for temples and houses cut directly into the region's spectacular rock formations, Cappadocia has captivated travelers for centuries
Optional: Full Day Cappadocia
Optional: Dinner & Whirling Dervishes (PM)
Overnight: Cappadocia
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 11, Ankara, Mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk
Depart for the city of Ankara, home of the 12th-century Aladdin Mosque. Upon arrival, visit the Mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk, first president and founder of the Turkish Republic. Leading up to the Mausoleum, also known as the Anitkabir, is a vast brick courtyard and monumental avenue lined with NeoHittite stone statues and cenotaphs beneath its colonnades
Optional: Anatolian Civilizations Museum (PM)
Overnight: Ankara
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 12, Day at leisure in Istanbul
This morning, depart for Istanbul. Arrive in the early afternoon and enjoy some time at leisure before a farewell dinner this evening.
Optional: Half Day Istanbul Bosphorus Cruise (PM)
Overnight: Istanbul
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 13, Return to the USA
Transfer to the airport for your departure flight
Meals: Breakfast
