8 Days Turkey Highlights Tour

Hos geldin! Welcome to Turkey. Your adventure begins in Istanbul – the continent-straddling metropolis that the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans have all once called home – with a welcome meeting at 1 pm. After you’ve met your local leader and group, you’ll head out for a guided tour of the Old City. Visit the ancient hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar and the Suleymaniye Cami. This evening, maybe join your fellow travellers for dinner and dig into an authentic Turkish kebab.Overnight in Istanbul.

Optional activities
Istanbul - Topkapi Palace Combined Ticket (Topkapi Palace + Hagia Irene + Harem)  
Istanbul - Galata Tower  
Istanbul - Hagia Sophia  
Istanbul - Archaeology Museum 
Istanbul - Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts  
Istanbul - Bosphorus Boat Cruise  

(Breakfast and Dinner Included )
After breakfast, hit the road to Canakkale – a port city on the southern shore of the Dardanelles. On the way, you’ll stop for a guided tour of Gallipoli to learn about the significant events that took place here during WWI. Your guide will take you to ANZAC Cove and major memorial sites like Brighton Beach and the ANZAC Commemorative Site. Make sure your camera is charged – the views of the Dardanelles Strait and the Gallipoli Peninsula here are gorgeous. This evening, you’ll spend the night in Canakkale with free time to grab dinner and recharge for tomorrow’s adventures. Overnight in Çanakkale.

 Included activities
Gallipoli - Fully guided Gallipoli tour & visit to the Commonwealth graveyards

(Breakfast and Dinner Included)
This morning, drive to the ancient city of Troy. Explore the ruins with your leader, snap a photo with a replica Trojan Horse and learn about how this place has confounded historians and archaeologists for centuries. Then, continue to Selcuk which sits on the slopes of Ayasoluk Hill. Head out with your leader for an orientation walk, passing Isa Bey Mosque and the imposing Byzantine citadel of the Grand Fortress. Enjoy some free time afterwards.Overnight in Kusadasi.

 Included activities
Troy - Archaeological site visit
Selcuk - Leader-led orientation walk

(Breakfast Included )
This morning, take a private minivan to the ancient city of Ephesus – one of the world’s best-preserved Greco-Roman classical cities. Once the capital of Roman Asia Minor, Ephesus has a fascinating history that really comes alive with a local guide to show you around. Considering their age, the ruins are in incredible shape, and it’s not difficult to imagine them in their full glory over 2000 years ago with running water, public toilets, a medical institute and Roman baths. The Great Theatre is well-preserved and regularly hosts concerts, but the Library of Celsus is the most striking. Then, have lunch and maybe watch the local ladies make gozleme. You'll have some free time this evening before transferring to Izmir to board an overnight train to Konya.Overnight train .

 Included activities
Ephesus - Archaeological site visit
Selcuk - Artemis Temple Visit
Selcuk - Gozleme making demonstration and lunch

 Optional activities
Selcuk - Basilica of St John  
Selcuk - Ephesus Archaeological Museum  
Ephesus - Terrace Houses entry 

Special information
Your travel time on the overnight train will be approximately 13 hours.
On your train tonight, there will be two-berth sleeping compartment including a washbasin & a small fridge. Fresh bedding is supplied, but you’re required to make your own bed. Western-style toilets are in each carriage, but we recommend bringing additional toilet paper. There’s a snack carriage with simple food like sandwiches, toast or coffee/tea, but you may wish to purchase some food in advance.

Occasionally, you’ll be taking the overnight train to Ankara (Turkey’s capital city) instead of Konya due to very limited sleeper carriages attached to the Konya train. Once you arrive in Ankara tomorrow morning, you’ll visit Anıtkabir, the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first president of the Turkish Republic. This minor change won’t impact your travel time or overall travel experience. Your tour leader will let you know if you’ll need to take the alternative train on your departure at the group briefing

(Breakfast and Dinner Included)
Wake up in Konya, a historic Turkish city closely linked with the whirling dervish sect of Islam developed by Rumi, a famous Sufi mystic in the 13th century. Visit the Mevlana Museum, maybe watching an optional whirling dervish dance, and stretch your legs in town before hitting the road to Cappadocia. Look out for the fairy chimneys, the hallmark of the region's otherworldly landscape, as you drive across the Anatolian plains and stop at an underground city used as a safe haven during wartimes. Arrive in the town of Urgup in the late afternoon in time for a sunset walk in the valley. Your accommodation tonight is a traditional cave style hotel that overlooks the valley. Overnight in Cappadocia.

Included activities
Cappadocia - Kaymakli Underground City
Konya - Mevlana Museum

Optional activities
Goreme - Whirling dervish
Goreme - Turkish Night with Dinner
Nevsehir - Whirling Dervish Tour 

(Breakfast and Dinner Included)
This morning, take an optional hot air balloon flight over Cappadocia at sunrise. If you don’t fancy it, you’ll still have an amazing view of the skyline dotted with balloons from the ground. Later this morning, enjoy a scenic walk through the valleys with your leader, featuring fairy chimneys, deserted rock-cut homes and cave churches. In your free time today, maybe visit the UNESCO-listed Goreme Open Air Museum, a monastic complex composed of churches, rectories and dwellings cut into the cliff. This evening, you’ll be warmly welcomed into a local home where you'll share a special home-cooked dinner with the family.Overnight in Cappadocia.

 Included activities
Cappadocia - Valley walk
Cappadocia - Dinner at Local Family Home

Optional activities
Cappadocia - Hot Air Balloon Regular Flight 
Goreme - Open Air Museum 
Goreme - Valley Tour 
Goreme - Open Air Museum (including entrance & transport) (min. 4 participants) 

(Breakfast Included)
Say goodbye to Cappadocia and transfer to the airport for a flight back to Istanbul (expect to arrive between 1 pm and 4 pm). After checking in to your hotel, take an evening stroll to one of the city's trendiest neighbourhoods – a place where tool-selling tradesmen share space with cool cafes and galleries. For dinner, perhaps try a local street food favourite, balik ekmek (fish sandwich) and cleanse the palate with a baklava. Maybe check out a few bars with your group to say serefe (cheers) to your time in Turkey, or enjoy a farewell cay (Turkish tea) overlooking the Bosphorus.Overnight in Istanbul.

 Optional activities
Istanbul - Water Marbling
Istanbul - Private Bosphorus Cruise Sunset  
Istanbul - Beyoglu Night Tasting Trail
Istanbul - Coffee Workshop
Istanbul - Mosaic Lamp Workshop

(Breakfast Included)
Your Turkey adventure comes to an end after breakfast, and there are no activities planned. However, if you'd like to spend more time in Istanbul, we’re happy to arrange additional accommodation  .