TURKEY
8 NIGHTS / 9 DAYS
JC – IA – TOUR NO. 364
Istanbul (3N) Cappadocia (2N) Konya (2N) Pamukkale (1N)
Luxury Romantic
Detail Itinerary
Day 1 (Istanbul)
Welcome to Istanbul! On your arrival at the airport, we shall be waiting with transport to take you to your hotel. Our guide will greet you at the hotel and provide you with all the necessary information.
Day 2 (Istanbul)
Enjoy a sightseeing tour of the city taking in the walls, the Golden Horn, the fishing district, and Taksim. You will skirt round the Topkapi Palace and admire the exterior of Hagia Sophia. On your tour, we will include a cable car ride up to the Pierre Loti viewpoint and a visit to the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent (the largest in Istanbul).
At the end of the afternoon we will provide a transfer to the Taksim neighbourhood, the liveliest area of the city. There will be time to dine in one of its many restaurants, and you can also take the old tram that crosses the area or go to see the nearby Galata Tower.
Day 3 (Istanbul)
Today we include a boat trip on the Bosphorus that will last about two hours. The Bosphorus is a strait that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, which separates Istanbul into two parts: the European part and the Asian one. You will enjoy seeing the liveliness of the strait with its multitude of boats. You will pass under the two bridges that unite Europe and Asia and admire the palaces of the sultans, the distinctive wooden houses and the Ottoman villas.
Day 4 (Ankara)
Today you will travel by train: from the station in the Asia district, take the most modern train in Turkey on a pleasant 4-hour trip through the Anatolian landscapes, perhaps having a coffee in the train café. You will arrive in ANKARA with time to have lunch and to discover the Mausoleum of Ataturk. After that, you will continue en route to Cappadocia passing by the SALT LAKE, with its incredible landscapes. You will arrive in AVANOS (CAPPADOCIA) late in the evening.
Day 5 (Cappadocia)
Enjoy a full day in the fantastic region of CAPPADOCIA, with its lunar landscapes, its churches and troglodyte villages. You will discover the GOREME Valley with its open-air museum and its churches carved into the rocks, entry tickets included. You will also visit UCHISAR, a natural fortress. In KAIMACLI explore the underground city that could house 30,000 people. After that you will visit a region off the tourist trail: GUMUSLER, an amazing underground monastery from the 7th Century with perhaps the best Byzantine frescoes in Turkey. Spend time in NIGDE in the east, before returning to your hotel in Avanos.
Day 6 (Cappadocia)
In the morning you will visit the PASABAG Valley. At the far end of Cappadocia, you will visit the IHLARA Valley; known for the freshness of its waters, its churches and villages excavated in the rock. Then continue your journey, with a stop in an old CARAVANSERAI from the 13th Century before arriving in KONYA where you will visit the Mausoleum of Mevlana. Here you will learn about the sect of the Dervishes (entrance included). At night, we suggest that you attend the dance performance of the whirling dervishes in the cultural centre.
Day 7 (Konya)
Take a scenic route between the lakes, and get to know EGRIDIR, a beautiful town next to a large lake, with its walls and mosques. There’s time to have lunch before you continue to PAMUKKALE-Hierapolis, whose calcareous waters have created the Cotton Castle (entrance included).
Day 8 (Pamukkale)
You head towards EPHESUS, the best preserved ancient city of Asia Minor; 2000 years ago, it had a quarter of a million inhabitants. You will discover the house of the Virgin Mary, the Basilica of Saint John and the impressive ruins at Ephesus (tickets included). Your trip will then continue to the seaside resort of IZMIR.
Day 9 (Istanbul)
Today you will tour the church of Saint Policarp, the oldest in Izmir, that will remind you of the importance of this area at the birth of Christianity (entry tickets included). You will also discover the Fort of Kadifecale. Later you will travel through the interior of Turkey again. There will be a stop en route to have lunch before arriving at BURSA, the fourth city of Turkey whose historic centre has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, which includes traditional shopping districts, mosques, religious schools, public baths, etc. and its outstanding Green Mosque. You will arrive in ISTANBUL at the end of the day marking the end of our services.
Inclusion & Exclusion
Inclusions
Europamundo General Services: Travel by bus with English speaking guide, basic travel insurance, and breakfast buffet.
Includes arrival transfer
Boat: Tour of the Bosphorus in Istanbul.
City tour in: Istanbul, Izmir.
Evening Transfer: Taksim Square in Istanbul.
Ticket admission: Suleiman the Great Mosque in Istanbul, Mausoleum of Ataturk in Ankara, Goreme Valley; Valley of Uchisar; the Underground city of Kaimacli; Gumusler Monastery, Valley of Pasabag, Valley of Ihlara, Caravanserai; Mevlana Mausoleum in Konya, Pamukkale – Hierapolis.
Funicular: Cableway Viewpoint of Pierre Loti in Istanbul.
High-Speed Train: Istanbul – Ankara.
5 Lunch or Dinner Included in: Capadocia, , Konya, , Izmir.
Exclusions
All Tips
Any increase in Airfare, Visa Fees, Airport taxes, Govt Taxes, Fuel Surcharges and any applicability of new taxes from Govt
Any up gradation in Airline class or hotel room category
Cost of Air ticket deviation charges
Any Increase in the rate of exchange leading to an increase in all land arrangements which may come into effect prior to departure
Cost of pre or post tour hotel accommodation
Any extra expense such as route change, Airline change, Date change, Accommodation facilities, etc. incurred due to the unforeseen, unavoidable forced major circumstances during the tour
Porterage, laundry, telephone charges, shopping, wines & alcoholic beverages, mineral water, items of personal nature and food or drink which is not part of a set group menu
Any extra cost incurred on behalf of an individual due to illness, accident, hospitalization, or any personal emergency
Any services or activity charges other than those included in the group tour itinerary
To and fro Airfare, Airport transfers, visa fees to join/leave the group and Airport snack hamper for joining and leaving guests
Anything specifically not mentioned in the ‘tour price includes’ column
