8 Days Black Sea Eastern Turkey Tour

(Dinner included)

Welcome to Trabzon-Turkey. The TSG team will assist you until you check in, and the rest of the day is yours to explore Trabzon. Dinner and overnight in Trabzon.

TSG advice: Please remember that you can spend the night with an optional TSG Turkish Bath Tour and relax, getting rid of the tiredness of the day.

(Breakfast and Dinner included)
After breakfast, we depart for St. Sophia (Ayasofya), a 13th century church, and study its extraordinary collection of Byzantine frescoes. Next, we depart to visit Gulbahar Hatun Mosque, Trabzon Castle, Ataturk's Mansion (a picturesque hillside retreat), and Ortahisar Mosque (a Comneni cathedral in the old town). Lunch at a seaside restaurant in Akcaabat for the region's famous meatballs. We will spend the afternoon exploring Trabzon's cobblestone streets. Drive to Boztepe, where we will enjoy our samovar tea with a panoramic view of the city. After the tour, drop back to the hotel. Dinner and overnight in Trabzon.

(Breakfast and Dinner included)
After breakfast, the tour will visit the 4th-century Sumela Monastery, which clings to a sheer cliff face in a deep forest. Relax beside a fast-flowing stream at Altindere Valley National Park, and take a lunch break. Keep on traveling along the Silk Road through the Zigana Mountains (Pontic Alps), which will take us to Karaca Cave. It is considered to be the most beautiful cave in Turkey for its colors and formations. The following sites to visit are in Erzurum province: Seljuk and Mongolian monuments; the Cifte Minareli Madrasa, a theological school named for its twin towering minarets; and the Yakutiye Madrasa, which was built in 1308 by Mongolian Prince Olcayto. The following sights to see are Ulu Mosque and Erzurum Castle. Dinner and overnight in Erzurum.

(Breakfast and Dinner included)
An early morning departure after breakfast from Erzurum will take us on a beautiful drive to Kars, passing by Sarikamis, the coldest spot in Turkey. We will arrive in Kars and visit the Ani Ruins at the Turkish-Armenian border. We will take a 45-minute drive to the medieval Armenian city of Ani, which lies mostly in ruins. Impressive fortified walls still encircle the ruins of numerous churches, mosques, and caravansaries. Enjoy a walk around the ruins and take in the stunning view of the Armenian border. It has been known that Ani was a city of one million people, rivaling Bagdad in ancient days! This city has a rich heritage left by the Urartians, Armenians, Georgians, Mongols, Russians, and finally, Turks. Dinner and overnight in Kars.

(Breakfast and Dinner included)
The tour will drive for 3 and a half hours along the "Silk Road" to Dogubeyazit. At the Iranian border, we will see a site known as the Crater Hole. This is a beautiful, yet rugged area. We will have the opportunity to see Mount Ararat from all sides. It is believed by some to be the resting place of Noah's Ark, but this fact couldn't be verified yet. In the afternoon, we will stop and see the Ishak Pasha Palace. This complex is a combination of a mosque, a fortress, and a palace, which originally had a room for every day of the year! Below, you can also see the remains of Eski Bayazit and Urartian City, which flourished in 1000 BC. Dinner and overnight in Dogubeyazit.

(Breakfast and Dinner included)
After breakfast and after visiting the Iranian border, TSG will take you on Van journey in the early morning, a drive of approximately three hours. This city was founded in the 13th century BC when the Hurrites arrived. Then the Hittites, Urartians, Persians, Armenians, Macedonians, and Romans, and finally, in the 11th century, the Turks. From here, we will visit the finest Armenian architectural wonder, the Church of the Holy Cross on Akdamar Island. We'll also visit the wonderful castle Hosap, which is very close to the Iranian border, as well as the Van citadel. Dinner and overnight in Van.

(Breakfast and Dinner included)
Today the first stop is the Tombstones of Ahlat, 12th century Selcuk cemetery in Ahlat. It is the world's largest Turkish-Islamic cemetery belonging to the medieval period, and it is a Unesco's World Heritage Site. We will head to Bitlis for lunch and have a walk around the city. It’s a unique medieval town! After that, ride to Diyarbakir for dinner and an overnight stay. 

(Breakfast included)

One of TSG's adventures comes to an end after breakfast. However, you can sign up to take advantage of TSG credits, and this is the best way to snag credits and use them for your next trips as a discount, as well as to hear about the hot deals according to your interests. Please make your own arrangements for departure, remembering that your hotel will need you to check out before midday. After check-out, transfer to Diyarbakir Airport.