16 Day Turkey Bulgaria Greece Combined Tour

Upon arrival at Istanbul Airport, meet your guide, who will assist you and transfer you to your hotel. Straddling Europe and Asia, Istanbul is a captivating city shaped by centuries of history and cultural exchange. Formerly known as Byzantium and later Constantinople, it brings together bustling bazaars, minarets, mosques, churches, palaces and museums, as well as restaurants to suit a variety of tastes. Overnight in Istanbul.

Open-buffet breakfast included.

After breakfast, enjoy a guided Istanbul city tour. Begin at the ancient Hippodrome, once the setting for chariot races. See its three historic monuments: the Obelisk of Theodosius, the Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine.

Continue to Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, famed for its blue İznik tiles. It was built between 1609 and 1617 by architect Sedefkâr Mehmed Ağa. ktb.gov.tr View Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque from outside. Formerly the Church of Holy Wisdom, it is a landmark of Byzantine architecture, renowned for its sixth-century mosaics.

See Topkapi Palace from outside, once the residence of Ottoman sultans. You may choose to visit the Topkapi Palace Museum at your own expense. Then view the Basilica Cistern, also known as the Yerebatan Cistern, from outside; optional museum admission is available at an additional cost.

After the tour, transfer to Istanbul Airport for your domestic flight to Izmir. On arrival, transfer to your hotel in Kuşadası and check in. Overnight in Kuşadası.

Optional admission: Topkapi Palace Museum and Basilica Cistern Museum. Entrance fees are not included and are payable at the venue.

Please note: Carry a scarf for your visit to the Blue Mosque. Hagia Sophia is viewed from outside on this tour.

Breakfast and dinner included.

After breakfast, depart from your hotel at 08:30 for a guided tour of Ephesus, one of the world’s best-preserved ancient sites. See the Temple of Artemis, Curetes Street, the Roman baths, Library of Celsus and the Grand Theatre, then visit the House of the Virgin Mary.

Take a lunch break at around 13:00. After lunch, visit a carpet-weaving center to learn about one of Turkey’s traditional crafts.

Continue to Şirince for a village tour. Explore its whitewashed hillside houses and architecture shaped by Anatolian Greek heritage. Visit local vineyards and learn from local winemakers how fruit wine is made. Later, put your new fruit-wine knowledge to the test.

On the way back, stop at a regional leather production center to learn about local craftsmanship and browse products at factory prices. Enjoy dinner and overnight in Kuşadası.

Breakfast and dinner included.

After breakfast, transfer to Izmir Airport for your domestic flight to Cappadocia. Upon arrival at Kayseri Airport, transfer to your cave hotel. The rest of the day is free to explore Cappadocia at your own pace. Enjoy dinner and overnight at the cave hotel.

Breakfast and dinner included.

Hotel pickups take place between 08:00 and 09:30. Your tour consultant will confirm your exact pickup time one day in advance.

Visit Özkonak Underground City, one of Cappadocia’s best-preserved underground cities, then continue to Uçhisar Castle, the region’s highest point. Explore the Göreme Open-Air Museum, known for its rock-cut churches and 10th-century frescoes depicting the life of Jesus and monastic life. At Çavuşin, discover the village’s abandoned cave houses and Greek heritage.

Stop for lunch at a restaurant in Avanos. After lunch, watch a pottery-making demonstration at a local workshop. Continue to Love Valley, known for its distinctive fairy-chimney formations, then visit a workshop featuring Cappadocian handwoven carpets and kilims.

Explore Devrent Valley, also known as Imagination Valley, where natural rock formations resemble animals. The final stop is Three Beauties, Cappadocia’s iconic fairy chimneys with distinctive capstones.

The tour ends at approximately 18:00, followed by a return transfer to your hotel. Dinner and overnight stay in Cappadocia.

Breakfast included.

After breakfast, enjoy free time for shopping in Cappadocia. Later, depart for Kayseri Airport for your flight to Istanbul. Upon arrival, enjoy free time to explore Istanbul at your own pace. Overnight stay in Istanbul.

Breakfast included.

After breakfast, transfer to the bus station and travel toward the Turkish–Bulgarian border. At the border, board the onward coach to Plovdiv, arriving around noon. Overnight stay in Plovdiv.

Breakfast included.

After breakfast, depart for Sofia. Explore the city on a guided sightseeing tour, including the National History Museum and Boyana Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, one of Europe’s largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals and a symbol of Sofia. Continue to the St. George Rotunda, St. Sophia Church, the National Theatre, the former Royal Palace and the Presidency.

Enjoy free time in the city center and around Vitosha Boulevard, Sofia’s main shopping area.

Optional evening: Join the panoramic “Sofia by Night” tour, followed by dinner at a traditional restaurant with Bulgarian folk music and dancing. Overnight stay in Sofia.

Breakfast included.

After breakfast, depart for Rila Monastery, one of Bulgaria’s finest examples of monastery art and architecture. Enjoy a guided tour of the monastery complex, including the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, its revered icon of the Virgin and its richly gilded iconostasis.

Visit the old monastery kitchen and the Monastery Museum, where you can learn about the monastery’s long history. See the intricately carved wooden cross created by the monk Rafael over 12 years, Hrelyo’s Tower, and the surrounding mountain scenery.

In the afternoon, drive to Sandanski. Overnight stay in Sandanski.

Breakfast included.

After breakfast, drive to Melnik, Bulgaria’s smallest town, known for its excellent wines and striking sandstone pyramids. Visit the Kordopulova House Museum.

Around noon, depart for Greece and arrive in Thessaloniki in the early afternoon. Spend the rest of the day at leisure: explore the city, browse the shops, or relax at a downtown café or taverna. Overnight stay in Thessaloniki.

Breakfast included.

After breakfast, meet your professional English-speaking guide in the hotel lobby and begin a guided tour of Vergina, a historic town in northern Greece near Veria. After the tour, continue to Kalambaka and enjoy free time to explore at your own pace. Overnight stay in Kalambaka.

Breakfast included.

After breakfast, visit the monasteries of Meteora, perched atop towering rock formations. Then drive to Delphi to explore the Pan-Hellenic sanctuary, home of the Oracle of Apollo and the ancient Omphalos, believed to mark the “navel of the world.” In the 6th century BC, Delphi was a major religious center and a symbol of unity in the ancient Greek world.

Visit the Treasury of the Athenians, the Temple of Apollo and the Delphi Archaeological Museum. Later, depart for Athens. Overnight stay in Athens.

Breakfast included.

After breakfast, meet your guide at the hotel and explore central Athens. Begin at Syntagma Square, then visit the Old Parliament House, now home to the National Historical Museum. See the National Library of Greece and continue along Herod Atticus Street, where you can view the Evzones in traditional uniform and the Presidential Palace.

On the way to the Acropolis, see Hadrian’s Arch, visit the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and make a short stop at the Panathenaic Stadium, renovated for the 1896 Olympic Games.

Visit the Acropolis Museum, featuring finds from the Acropolis archaeological site. Then explore the Acropolis monuments: the Propylaea, Temple of Athena Nike, Erechtheion and Parthenon. Return to your hotel in the early evening and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. Overnight in Athens.

Breakfast included.

After breakfast, transfer to Piraeus Port and board the ferry to Mykonos. On arrival, transfer to your hotel and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Known for its vibrant nightlife and Cycladic architecture, Mykonos offers plenty to explore. Wander through Mykonos Town’s narrow alleyways, visit its beautiful churches and see the famous windmills. Beach options include Platis Gialos, Psarou, Ornos, Paraga, Paradise, Super Paradise, Elia, Kalafatis and Kalo Livadi. On the western shore, you’ll also find Agios Stefanos, Houlakia, Tourlos and Megali Ammos. Overnight stay in Mykonos.

Breakfast included.

After breakfast, enjoy a free day to explore Mykonos at your own pace. This cosmopolitan Cycladic island is known for its whitewashed houses, iconic windmills, chapels, flower-filled lanes and colorful fishing boats.

For a cultural visit, explore one of the island’s museums and see Panagia Paraportiani Church, near the Delos ferry quay and Little Venice. Overnight stay in Mykonos.

Breakfast included.

After breakfast, transfer to Mykonos Port and board the ferry to Piraeus or Rafina Port. On arrival, transfer to Athens International Airport for your evening flight home.