9-Day Turkey History and Culture Tour: Istanbul, Gallipoli, Troy, Pergamon, Ephesus, Pamukkale & Konya

9-Day Istanbul, Gallipoli, Troy, Pergamon, Ephesus, Pamukkale & Konya Tour

Day 1: Arrival in Istanbul, Airport Transfer and Free Day

Upon your arrival at Istanbul New Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökcen Airport (SAW), our team will be waiting for you at the exit of the international line of the Airport, holding a sign with your name written on it. After which, you will be transferred to your hotel. The afternoon is free for you to spend at leisure. Alternatively, you can join the Night Cruise on the Bosphorus with Dinner & Show.

• Overnight in Istanbul
• Included Meal(s): No meals are included on this day
• Accommodation: Muyan Suites OR Antea Hotel OR Ayasultan Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 2: Istanbul Byzantine & Ottoman Relics Tour

After breakfast at approximately 8:30 am, you will be picked up from your hotel to begin the full-day tour. Today on the tour you will visit Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome (Sultanahmet Square), Topkapi Palace and Grand Bazaar. Lunch will be at a local restaurant. After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel.

• Overnight in Istanbul
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: Muyan Suites OR Antea Hotel OR Ayasultan Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 3: Gallipoli Tour

Early morning pick up from your hotel and departure for Gallipoli. It will take around 4.5 hours to get to the Gallipoli War Fields. There will be one-stop en route for a short break for personal needs. Once you arrive in Ecebat, lunch will be provided. After lunch around 1:00 pm, you will begin the fully guided tour of Gallipoli with visits to the Brighton Beach, Beach Cemetery, ANZAC Cove, Ariburnu Cemetery, ANZAC Commemorative Site, Respect to Mehmetcik Statue, Lone Pine Australian, Memorial, Johnston’s Jolly (Turkish and Allied trenches and tunnels), Turkish 57. Infantry Regiment Cemetery, The Nek and the Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial. After the tour transfer to Canakkale for check in to your hotel.

• Overnight in Canakkale
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: Grand Anzac Hotel OR Kervansaray Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 4: Troy and Pergamon Tour – Transfer to Kusadasi (447 km)

You will be picked up around 8:30 am from your hotel in Canakkale to travel to Troy. In Troy, you will visit the model of the Trojan Horse, Sacrificial Altars, the 3700-year-old city walls, Houses of Troy I from 3000 – 2500 B.C., the Bouleuterion (Senate Building), The Odeon (Concert Hall), current excavations, remains of the various cities from Troy 1 through Troy IX. At around 10:30 am, you will finish your Troy tour and depart for Bergama. Around 1:30 pm, you will have lunch in Bergama and then depart for a fully guided Pergamon Acropolis tour. At Pergamon, the ancient world’s major power, you will visit the Acropolis, the ruins of Zeus Altar “Throne of Satan”, the Hellenistic Theatre which had a seating capacity of 10,000 people, the Great Library which held 200,000 books, and Trojan, the Gymnasium situated on terraces, the lower Agora, Temple of Dionysus, Temple of Athena and Temple of Trojan. After the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel in Kusadasi.

• Overnight in Kusadasi
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: Efe Boutique Hotel OR Neopol Hotel Deluxe OR Derici Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 5: Ephesus Tour

After breakfast at the hotel around 8:30 am, you will be picked up and met by your tour guide to begin your full-day tour of Ephesus. You will visit the ruins of Ephesus, the ancient Greek city that became an important centre of this time. Visit the Temple of Hadrian, Great Theater, and Trajan Fountain. After lunch, let’s visit the House of the Virgin Mary, where it is believed she spent her last years. We will pass by the Temple of Artemis; there is little to see of this that was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Afterwards, you will visit the Isa Bey Mosque. Next, you will be taken to the Sirince Village; which is an old Greek village and is well-know for its quaint beauty and wine tasting and production. Here you will have one hour free to explore on your own without a guide the different foods and wines of the area and visit various small traditional village shops. After the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel in Kusadasi around 4:00 pm.

• Overnight in Kusadasi
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: Efe Boutique Hotel OR Neopol Hotel Deluxe OR Derici Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 6: Pamukkale and Hierapolis Tour – Overnight Bus to Cappadocia (643 km)

After breakfast around 7:30 am, you will be picked up from your Kusadasi hotel and taken to the meeting point in Selcuk where the full group will first meet. You will then begin the Pamukkale tour with a drive from Selcuk starting at 8:30 am to Pamukkale which will be around 3 hours. En route to Pamukkale after 1.5 hours, there will be a 10-minute stop for a restroom break. Upon arrival around 11:45, the group will be first taken to have lunch and after lunch, at around 1:00 pm you will begin your guided tour of the Pamukkale and Hierapolis area with a professional licensed tour guide. In Pamukkale, you will see the Cotton Cliffs, one of the natural wonders of the world formed by deposits of calcareous salts. Also, you will visit the ancient ruins of the City of Hierapolis with its basilica, theatre, and Roman Baths. At the end of the guided tour, you will have some free time to explore the area on your own. As an option, you may choose to swim in the Pamukkale antique pools (at your own expense) during this free time. The tour guide will inform you about the exact meeting point and time. At the end of the tour around approximately 4:00 pm, you will be transferred to your hotel in Pamukkale for check-in.

• Overnight in Pamukkale
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
• Accommodation: Adempira Thermal & Spa Hotel OR Colossae Thermal Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 7: Private Transfer to Pamukkale via Konya (649 km)

After Breakfast, our driver will pick you up around 10:00 am in a private car for your journey to Konya. Upon arrival in Konya, check into your hotel and enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.

• Overnight in Konya
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast.
• Accommodation: Hilton Garden Inn Konya OR Novotel Konya or similar (Standard quality)

Day 8: Konya Tour – Flight to Istanbul

After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel around 9:30 am. Visiting first the Tomb of Rumi in the glittering Mevlana Museum, an important place of pilgrimage for Muslims and indeed all lovers of Rumi. Next door, we visit the Ottoman-era Sultan Selim mosque before having lunch in a traditional Turkish restaurant. We drive along Mevlana Caddesi, Konya’s main avenue, to reach the age-old Alaettin Hill (a prehistoric tumulus) to visit the 1000-year-old Alaaddin Mosque, where Rumi often prayed. In its courtyard are the tombs of many of the Seljuk Turkish sultans who ruled during Rumi’s lifetime, and who consulted him for spiritual guidance. Walking down the north side of Alaettin Hill we pass the remains of the Seljuk sultan’s palace, then cross the street for a view of the elaborate portal of the medieval Great Karatay Medrese theological college, after which we walk to the Mosque and Tomb of Sems-i Tabrizi, Rumi’s closest companion, spiritual mentor, and inspiration for many of his poetic works. At the end of the tour, you will be taken to either Konya airport for your late evening flight back to Istanbul. Upon arriving in Istanbul, you will be welcomed at the airport and provided with a transfer to your hotel, where you will stay overnight.

• Overnight in Istanbul
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: Muyan Suites OR Antea Hotel OR Ayasultan Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 9: Departure from Istanbul – End of Tour Service

After breakfast, you will check out from your hotel in Istanbul (hotel check-out is before 12:00 noon) and will then be transferred to the Istanbul International Airport according to your flight details. This will be the end of our tour and services.

• Included Meal(s): Breakfast

INCLUDED in the Tour Price:

• All transfers as mentioned in this itinerary.
• Domestic flights and bus tickets as per the itinerary.
• English-speaking guide during the tours.
• 3 nights accommodation at a 4-star hotel with breakfast in Istanbul.
• 1 night accommodation at a 3-star hotel with breakfast in Canakkale.
• 2 nights accommodation at a 4-star hotel with breakfast in Kusadasi.
• 1 night accommodation at a 4-star hotel with breakfast in Pamukkale.
• 1 night accommodation at a 4-star hotel with breakfast in Konya.
• Meals as per itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner)
• Entrance fees mentioned by the itinerary.
• Local taxes and service charges.

NOT INCLUDED:

• International Flight Tickets.
• Visa to enter Turkey.
• Optional tours mentioned in the program, they will be provided at an additional cost.
• Services not mentioned in the program.
• Drinks with meals.
• Travel insurance (recommended).

IMPORTANT INFO:

• The order of the itinerary is indicative and subject to change, but all visits described will take place.
• This is a regular group tour (except Konya), but if requested at cost can be provided as a private tour.
• The regular group tour has shopping stops included in the tour.
• For 1 traveler: 1 Single Room Accommodation.
• For 2 travelers: 1 Double/Twin Room Accommodation.
• For 3 travelers: 1 Triple Room Accommodation.
• For 4 travelers: 2 Double/Twin Rooms Accommodation.
• For 5 travelers: 1 Double/Twin Room and 1 Triple Room Accommodation.
• Please note that the Blue Mosque is not open for visitation on Fridays as it is closed for religious prayer services. You will only be able to visit the outside of the Blue Mosque area on tours operated on Fridays. No visitation will be allowed inside the Blue Mosque for tourists on Fridays.
• Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesday, it will be replaced with the Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnici).
• Grand Bazaar is closed on Sunday.
• During religious holidays, the spice market and Grand Bazaar are closed.
• You can swim in the Antique pool in Pamukkale. However, please note that there is an extra charge that you will have to pay directly at your own expense before entry to the pools. This entrance fee to the pools is not covered as part of your tour. Please note that you must bring your own towel, swimsuit etc. if you need to use the pools.
• On flights luggage allowance is 15 kg per person for checked in luggage. For carry-on, you can take up to 8 kg per person. One carry-on is allowed per person.