12 Days Gallipoli, Troy, Pergamon, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Fethiye, Blue Cruise, Olympos, Antalya and Cappadocia Tour

Day 1: Gallipoli Tour – Canakkale

Early morning pick up from your hotel in Istanbul and departure for Gallipoli. It will take around 4.5 hours to get to the Gallipoli War Fields. There will be one stop enroute 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 tour transfer to Canakkale for check in to your hotel. 

• Overnight in Canakkale
• Included Meal(s): Lunch

Day 2: Canakkale – Troy Tour – Pergamon Tour – Kusadasi

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 Kusadasi and check-in to the hotel.

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

Day 3: Ephesus Tour

After breakfast at the hotel around 08:30 am you will be picked up and met by your tour guide to begin your full-day tour of Ephesus. Your tour guide will brief you on the day’s activities. You will first visit the Temple of Artemis which was once one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Next, you will visit the world famous ancient Greco- Roman City of Ephesus, the most well-preserved example in the world. After visiting this impressive site, you will have a break for lunch. After lunch, you will visit the House of Virgin Mary, where it is believed she spent her last days. This is a holy place for both Christians and Muslims. Afterwards, you will visit the Isabey 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 back to your hotel.

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

Day 4: Kusadasi – Pamukkale Tour – Fethiye

After breakfast around 08:00, 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 13:00 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’ll be transferred to Pamukkale main bus station. From here, you will board the intercity day coach to Fethiye (duration 4 hours). You will be met on arrival & transferred to your hotel.

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

Day 5: Fethiye – Oludeniz – St Nicholas Island

You will depart from Fethiye Harbour between 11:00-12:00 pm to go to Samanlik Bay to enjoy swimming & lunch. After lunch, our next stop will be the Butterfly Valley (sea conditions permitting) where you can enjoy a swim and also visit the natural reserve which hosts 136 kinds of different butterflies and moths. We will then cruise to Oludeniz (The Blue Lagoon) weather and sea conditions, permitting. You may also choose as the option to paraglide. Finally, we will visit St. Nicholas Island to see the Byzantine ruins, enjoy a swim and have dinner.

• Overnight in the shared cruise boat
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 6: Firnaz Bay – Kas – Kekova

We will depart Firnaz Bay near Kalkan around sunrise to enjoy breakfast and a swim. Next, we will cruise to Kas where we will stop in the harbor for lunch and for a visit to this charming fishing village. Of the ancient Antiphellos, as Kas was once known, only the Lycian rock tombs and sarcophagi and the Roman theatre remain in this charming town. In a bay, near Kekova, we will stop to enjoy a swim and have dinner.

• Overnight in the shared cruise boat
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 7: Sunken City – Simena – Gokkaya Bay

After breakfast, we will depart to the Sunken City of Kekova (this is a protected Lycian Roman archaeological site, we will only be able to look). We will also visit Simena, a traditional Turkish fishing village which has no car access and the Byzantine/Ottoman castle. While in Gokkaya Bay, optional water sports will be available. You will have dinner and then relax in this pirates haven.

• Overnight in the shared cruise boat
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 8: Pirates Cave – Demre – Olympos

After breakfast, first we will have a look at the Pirates Cave and then cruise on to the Demre (Andriace) harbor. You will disembark before lunch. We will provide bus transfer to the Tree House in Olympos with a stop for banking and shopping if requested. We will arrive around between 1:00 – 4:00 pm.

• Overnight at the Tree House in Olympos
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch

Day 9: Free Day in Olympos – Transfer to Antalya

Free day in Olympos at your leisure. You may spend all your day on the beach. In the evening, you will take the bus to Antalya (duration 2 hours). Upon arrival at the Antalya bus station, you will be transferred to your Antalya hotel.

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

Day 10: Perge, Aspendos, Kursunlu Waterfalls & Side Tour

Depart in the morning to visit Perge. Perge an important city of ancient Pamphylia. St. Paul visited Perge on his first missionary journey. The theatre stage has finely carved marble reliefs & other carvings from around the city are displayed in the stadium. Then proceed to Aspendos Aspendos, which bears one of the best preserved Roman theatres in Asia Minor. After lunch by the river, we visit Manavgat Waterfalls Manevgat Waterfalls before continuing to Side. Side is one of the best-known classical sites in Turkey. It was an ancient harbor; today Side is a pretty resort town with its ancient ruins, two sandy beaches & numerous tiny souvenir shops. The magnificent theatre of the ancient city, built on colonnaded arches, is the largest in the whole area. After the tour, you will travel overnight to Cappadocia in a non-smoking, fully air-conditioned local bus departing the bus station at approximately 8:00 pm. The total duration of travel will be 11 hours. There will be four breaks on the way to Cappadocia for your personal needs.

• Overnight Bus to Cappadocia
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch

Day 11: North Cappadocia Tour

After breakfast around 9:30 am you will be picked up from your hotel to join the full-day tour of North Cappadocia. Your tour will start with a visit to the Devrent Valley to see the unique fairy chimneys. Next you will visit the Pasabag Monk’s Valley to see the mushroom-shaped pinnacles. After this visit, you will drive to the city of Avanos. After lunch, you will visit the beautiful open-air museum of Goreme where the remains of rock-cut churches and Christian settlements date back hundreds of years. Finally towards the end of the day tour before returning to your hotel, you will be able to visit the natural castles of Uchisar. After the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel.

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

Day 12: South Cappadocia Tour –  Flight to Istanbul – End of the tour

After breakfast at the hotel around 09:30 am you will be picked up and met by your tour guide to begin your full-day tour of South Cappadocia. Your tour guide will brief you on the day’s activities. Your tour will begin with a visit to the Red Valley where you will be able to explore the famous rock-cut churches and hike approximately 5 km through the Güllüdere (Rose) Valley. Next you will visit Çavusin village which is famous for its houses and churches of the Christian Clergymen. We will take a break for lunch around noon. After lunch, you will drive to the Pigeon Valley. In the afternoon you will visit the Kaymakli underground city where early Christians lived. This will be the end of your full-day tour. At end of the tour, you will be transferred to Kayseri or Nevsehir airport for your late evening return flight to Istanbul. Upon arrival you will be picked up from the airport and transferred to your hotel in Istanbul. END OF OUR SERVICE and TOURS.

• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch

INCLUDED in the Tour Price:

• Pick up from Hotel to Istanbul Airport (on the European side of Istanbul only) & Istanbul cruise port
• Domestic flight ticket from Kayseri or Nevsehir to Istanbul only
• Intercity local bus tickets
• Meals as per itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, L=dinner)
• 1-night hotel accommodation in 3* hotel in Canakkale
• 2 nights hotel accommodation in 4* hotel in Kusadasi
• 1-night hotel accommodation in 3* hotel in Fethiye
• 3 nights accommodation in a shared cruise cabin
• 1-night hotel accommodation in Tree House in Olympos
• 1-night hotel accommodation in 4* hotel in Antalya
• 1-night hotel accommodation in Cave hotel in Cappadocia

NOT INCLUDED:

• International Airfare
• Any optional tours
• Tips to staff, items of a personal nature
• Drinks with meals (except the drinks served with breakfast)
• Travel insurance

WHAT TO BRING:

• Hiking shoes
• Camera
• Swimwear & towel

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
• Vegetarian lunch option available upon request