Itinerary and Costs
DAYS ONE - SIX Istanbul - Gaziantep - Nemrut Dagi - Sanliurfa - Ankara
FRIDAY Arrival into Istanbul, the only city in the world spanning two continents.
Three nights and two full days will be spent in the city which is the heartbeat of the Turkish spirit. A still glorious metropolis, Istanbul pulsates with culture, history, wondrous architecture and the impressive bustling mighty Bosphorous River. Your 4*hotel is located in Sultanahmet, the premier sightseeing area of Old Istanbul, a lovely and safe pedestrian precinct with parks, tea houses and boisterous carpet shops. You will visit Sultan Ahmet Camii (the Blue Mosque), Aya Sofia, Topkapi Palace and extravagant Harem, the outstanding Archaeological Museum, the Hippodrome, the extraordinary Grand Bazaar and covered Spice Market, Yerbetan Cistern and Chora Church. A cruise along the Bosphorous enables you to absorb the grandeur of the European and Asian shores dotted with marble palaces and ancient wooden villas of Ottoman architecture.
DAY FOUR, Early morning, fly to Gaziantep, South Eastern Anatolia and drive onto Adiyaman in time for an excellent regional lunch. Time permitting there will be a visit to the mosaic museum. From here you take an excursion to the awesome Nemrut Dagi summit to experience the temples and colossal statuary created by King Antiochus in 1st Century BC. This remote and improbable tumulus is very moving -a dramatic windswept and ancient site that is quite unforgettable. Overnight in Adiyaman.
The following morning drive via Harran, one of the world's oldest continually inhabited places with fascinating beehive-shaped houses in a desolate but atmospheric setting, then onto Sanliurfa where it is thought Abraham was born. Here you will visit the almost biblical and bustling bazaar as well as the Holy City complex. After an overnight in Sanliurfa you will board your lunchtime flight to Ankara where you stay two nights.
This is a second entry point: (Arrive Istanbul no later than previous day) to make flight connection the next day joining in Ankara)
DAYS SIX and SEVEN
The highlight in Ankara, the capital of modern Turkey, is the world-famous Anatolian Civilizations Museum, a fascinating treasure trove of riches from antiquity and the Mausoleum of Ataturk, the burial place of the national hero who founded the modern Republic of Turkey and remarkable for its austere and massive grandeur.
A gracious, spacious, tree-lined city, Ankara exudes tremendous modernity, charm, and youthful vitality with many educational institutes, elegant shops, great markets. Ample time will be left for you to explore this most attractive city, including the atmospheric precinct around the old castle.
DAYS EIGHT - ELEVEN Ankara- Kayseri- Cappadocia - Antalya
This is a third entry point (Arrive Istanbul no later than previous day) to make flight connection the next day joining in Kayseri
From Ankara drive south-west to Kayseri and Cappadocia in central Anatolia.
The village of Uçhisar, the least touristy of Cappadocia's villages is your base for the next four nights. Unique and atmospheric accommodation is provided in exquisitely renovated, beautifully decorated, sublimely cool villas renovated from original stone cave houses by an innovative French architect, Jacques Avizou
Gentle trekking, optional balloon rides, picnics, and an exploration of the many wondrous, improbable canyons, pinnacles of volcanic tufa, fairy-tale chimneys and innumerable rock-cut temples and houses will all be explored. Highlights include Göreme's famous open air museum, Avanos with its local pottery, Zelve's moonscape formations, the Soganli Valley, and Ürgüp an atmospheric village with interesting shops.
Drive through the spectacular Taurus mountains stopping at Konya for the Mevlana (Whirling Dervish Museum) and lunch with a renowned contemporary felt-maker, to reach Antalya.
DAYS THIRTEEN - TWENTY TWO Antalya- Termessos- Phaselis- Cirali- Olympos- Demre/Myra- Kekova- Kalkan- Fethiye- Ekincik Dalyan Delta- Marmaris- Kusadasi- Ephesus- Izmir- Istanbul
A sprawling metropolis surrounds an ancient walled harbour city showing that Antalya has been inhabited since earliest times. These days it is popular yet charming. Only 34kms away high in a rugged mountain valley lies Termessos, which became a subject city to Rome in 70BC. This is a wonderful archaeological site requiring some walking and rock scrambling to reach the amazing necropolis with its many huge stone sarcophagi strewn about and the most dramatically situated theatre. Plan to be up early to have the thrill of this resonant site to yourself.
From Termessos, you travel onto Olympos, a secluded and utterly tranquil Mediterranean haven with a magic beach, fascinating Lycian ruins set amidst flowering oleander, pines, wild figs and vines with a lovely stream meandering through the rocky gorge. At Kalkan, you spend two nights overlooking the alluring Mediterranean, with the possibility, time permitting, of a side excursions to Patara Archaeology digs.
DAY FIFTEEN, you board your traditional "gulet" - large, safe and comfortable crewed yachts, built of wood in the ancient tradition. The luxurious "Galip" boasts roomy and en-suite Cabins and spacious covered deck areas for relaxation. This will be your beautiful floating hotel for the next four nights.
Turkey offers some of the most spectacular sailing waters in the world, with its tiny islets and coves fringed with pine forests and olive groves. From the Turquoise Coast's unspoilt, pristine, warm and sheltered bays, you can see mountain peaks rising to almost 3000 metres above sea level, sunken cities, and a chance to explore the world's greatest civilizations. Excursions ashore will be made each day to wonderful villages and ancient monuments such as Kaunos, Göcek and Dalyan.
DAY NINETEEN, Guests will disembark at Marmaris. Travelling north from Marmaris, there will be the opportunity to visit the exceptional and scantly visited sites of Miletus that preserves a great theatre, Didyma with the stupendous Temple to Apollo and Priene that shows the marvels of Roman town planning.
Continue by road to the traditional village of Sirinçe where your delightful family-run Inn is hosted by Müjde and Sevan Nisanyan, authors of the bestselling guide, The Best Small Hotels of Turkey.
Set on a hill-top, the Inn and houses enjoy a wonderful view over the village rooftops and across the vineyards and olive groves of the valley, making the ideal base from which to visit the mighty Ephesus. (11 kms away). You will be here for two nights and enjoy wonderful regional cooking and a unique countryside lunch.
A morning will be devoted to an exploration of Ephesus, a once great religious and trading city of phenomenal wealth and beauty that is still one of the best preserved classical cities. Here you can marvel at the Great Theatre, the Temple of Artemis, the Library of Celsus. There will also be time after lunch to absorb the wonderful treasures of significant statuary, mosaics and artefacts housed in the fine small museum at Selçuk.
DAY TWENTY ONE ISTANBUL
Drive north to Izmir for the connecting flight to Istanbul that lands late morning.
Overnight in Istanbul and Farewell banquet.
Your last night is spent in Istanbul at the very glamorous and exquisitely restored Four Seasons Hotel an oasis of luxury and refinement in Sultanahmet. Enjoy a farewell banquet and depending on your flights on departure, some leisurely time for last minute shopping.
DAY TWENTY TWO ISTANBUL
Breakfast at Leisure before transfer to airport for International departures or onward destinations
THE TOUR ENDS
This Itinerary is the Copyright of The Inspired Traveller. We reserve the right to alter the itinerary at any time, in the best interests of our clients, in the event that exciting new excursions, restaurants or artisans are discovered, and in circumstances beyond our control.
Use the photo of the guide that is on the GTOA web site on Turkey page.
Your Tour Guide, Fatih Babaoglu
Over the last few years, we have developed a marvellous relationship with our preferred guide in Turkey. A proud Turk, Fatih is quite beyond compare. A PhD in Archaeology from Ankara University, Fatih's thesis' site was Kaunos, founded in the 9th C and a reflection of both the Carian and Lycian civilizations in the Dalyan Delta. Annually, he continues his research, particularly at Patara.
Erudite, knowledgable, humorous, he is also a bon viveur, great food lover, keenly interested in music, and an excellent host whose care for our guests always goes beyond the call of duty. He enlivens his culture at every turn and is wonderful company.
Pre and Post Tour Extension Options
ISTANBUL
Istanbul is a most rewarding city, a treasury of 3000 years of civilization where the East and West continue to meet in a sophisticated and cosmopolitan environment. It is easily accessible to the individual traveller and we can assist guests with arrangements for additional days with or without a guide. Istanbul is safe and transport plentiful whether by taxi, wonderful ferry crossings across the glorious Bosphorous or by public transport. It lends itself also to walking. In the month of June, she hosts an International Music Festival. Or, consider a ferry trip to the very picturesque Princes Islands - summer retreat to the Ottoman aristocracy with fanciful, prettily painted gingerbread house architecture and delightful walks.
Gallipoli - Troy - Çanakkale
Guests need to allow 2 extra days before or after the Tour. We can assist with all arrangements to visit these sites and the tour can be taken from Istanbul or possibly after departing Kusadasi with an overnight at Assos.
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