5 Days Istanbul and Troy Tour

Day 1: Arrive in Istanbul

Arrive any day in Istanbul. On arrival, look for a driver holding a sign with your name. You will be transferred to your accommodation and the rest of the day is at leisure.

• Overnight in Istanbul

Day 2: Full Day Byzantine and 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 Museum, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Grand Bazaar, and Topkapi Palace. Lunch will be at a local restaurant. After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel. (Note that Topkapı Palace is closed Tuesday, and Hagia Sophia is closed Monday).

• Overnight in Istanbul
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch

Day 3: Bosphorus Cruise & Two Continents tour

After breakfast at approximately 8:30 am, you will be picked up from your hotel to the full-day tour. During the tour, you will visit: Spice Bazaar (Egyptian ), Bosphorus Tour on Boat, Beylerbeyi Palace, Bosphorus Bridge, Camlica Hill. After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel around 5:30 pm.

• Overnight in Istanbul
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch

Day 4: Troy Day Trip from Istanbul

After an early pickup from your hotel, hit the road and travel south by luxury coach toward the ancient city of Troy. The full journey takes up most of the morning, so to break it up, stop in the town of Tekirdag for breakfast and a Turkish coffee (own expense). Around midday, stop again in Eceabat, on the east coast of the Dardanelles. Break for lunch at a traditional Turkish restaurant and after lunch,  hop on board a ferry for the 20-minute crossing to Canakkale. From here, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Troy is a short coach ride away. Easily one of the world’s most famous archaeological sites, Troy dates back nearly 4,000 years and is said to signify the first contact between Anatolia and the Mediterranean countries. On a 1-hour walking tour around the site, your guide will talk about Troy’s history and its development as a series of settlements. Learn how it started as a Bronze Age dwelling, survived a Balkan invasion, was rejuvenated during Greek and Roman rules, and even a had stint as a Byzantine town before falling into a state of ruin. Hear tales of the Trojan War – an important Greek mythological story – and learn about the Trojan prince (Paris) who ran away with Zeus’ daughter (Helen) and thus sparked the 10-year war. After exploring the ruins, visit the wooden Trojan Horse that symbolizes the town and the Trojan War before returning to Istanbul. At the end of the tour at around 6:00 pm, you will be transferred back to Istanbul. Around 11:00 pm you will arrive back in Istanbul and will be dropped off at your hotel.

• Overnight in Istanbul
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch

Day 5: Departure from Istanbul, End of Tour Service

After breakfast, you will check-out from your hotel in Istanbul (hotel check-out is before 11:00 am) 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 and Lunch

INCLUDED in the Tour Price:

• Arrival, departure airport transfers and ground transportation
• 4 nights in Istanbul at a standard quality or Boutique hotel including breakfast
• Professional licensed English speaking guide during the tours
• Meals as mentioned in the itinerary: (B) breakfast, (L) lunch
• Entrance fees mentioned by the itinerary
• Local taxes and service charges

NOT INCLUDED:

• International airfare & airport taxes
• Visa to enter Turkey
• Any optional tours
• Tips & Personal Items
• Drinks with meals (except the drinks served with breakfast)
• Travel insurance

IMPORTANT INFO:

• This is a regular group tour, but if requested at cost can be provided as a private tour
• The regular group tour has shopping stops included in the tour
• St. Sophia is closed on Monday, this will be replaced with the Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnici)
• 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 Beylerbeyi Palace
• Beylerbeyi Palace is closed on Monday and Thursday, this will be replaced with the Kariye Museum (The Chora Church).
• Grand Bazaar is closed on Sunday
• During religious holidays, the spice market and Grand Bazaar are closed