5-Day Istanbul and Ephesus Tour

Day 1: Arrival in Istanbul – Airport pick-up

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 Deluxe Golden Horn Hotel OR Albatros Premier Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 2: Istanbul Old City Tour

After your breakfast, at the agreed time, we will pick you up from your hotel to begin a full-day tour of this magnificent city. It includes an official English-speaking guide, tickets, lunch at a central city restaurant and a visit to the most resplendent monuments that the Ottoman, Byzantine, and Roman empires have handed down to future generations: Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar, which houses more than 4000 stores. After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel around 4:00 pm.

• Overnight in Istanbul
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: Muyan Suites OR Deluxe Golden Horn Hotel OR Albatros Premier Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 3: Half-day Bosporus Cruise – Fly to Izmir

After breakfast at around 8:30 am, you will join the Half-day Morning Bosphorus Cruise. At the start of this tour, you will enjoy a drive to the pier in Eminonu for a short visit to the historical Spice Market (Egyptian Bazaar). Following this, you will join a shared boat tour and cruise along the Bosphorus which is a narrow strait between the continents of Europe and Asia connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. You will be able to view the Ottoman palaces, the Bosphorus Bridge, citadels, centuries-old mansions, and the European and Asian shorelines while onboard the boat. At the end of the tour, you will be dropped back to your hotel to pick up your luggage and then will be transferred to the Istanbul domestic airport for your flight to Izmir which is approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes in duration. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel in Kusadasi. Check in to your hotel in Kusadasi and the rest of the day is free.

• Overnight in Kusadasi
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast
• Accommodation: Derici Hotel OR Ilayda Avantgarde Hotel OR Efe Boutique Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 4: Full day tour of Ephesus

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. 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, transfer back to your hotel and the rest of the day is free at leisure.

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

Day 5: Fly back to Istanbul

After breakfast check out of the hotel in Kusadasi. You will be picked up from your hotel and transferred to Izmir airport to take your flight to Istanbul. END OF OUR SERVICE and TOURS.

• Meals included today: Breakfast
• Accommodation: No accommodation is included on this day.

Important notes:

• Please note that your return flight from Izmir to Istanbul will arrive at either the New Airport in Istanbul or at the Sabiha Gökçen Airport depending on the availability of flights on the ticket purchase date.
• If you have a preference to return to a specific airport in Istanbul i.e. Sabiha Gokcen or Istanbul New Airport, you must request your choice of the airport in Istanbul by email prior to your tour booking. Any changes requested once your booking is confirmed will incur an additional cost.
• Upon arrival at Istanbul airport, you will have to arrange your own pick-up service from Istanbul airport to your hotel in Istanbul. This transfer is not included as part of your package tour services with us. Our service ends upon your flight arrival at Istanbul Airport.

INCLUDED in the Tour Price:

• All transfers as mentioned in this itinerary.
• Domestic flight tickets from Istanbul to Izmir and from Izmir to Istanbul only.
• Professional English-speaking guide during the tours
• 2 nights accommodation at a 4-star hotel with breakfast in Istanbul.
• 2 nights accommodation at a 4-star hotel with breakfast in Kusadasi.
• Meals as per itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch)
• All entrance fees mentioned by the itinerary
• Local taxes and service charges.

NOT INCLUDED:

• Drop off transportation service from Istanbul New Airport OR Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Istanbul Hotel upon returning to Istanbul.
• 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, 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.
• 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.
• St. Sophia is closed on Monday, this will be replaced with the Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnici).
• Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesday, it will be replaced with the Beylerbeyi Palace.
• Grand Bazaar is closed on Sunday.
• During religious holidays, the spice market and Grand Bazaar are closed.