6 Days Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Ephesus, Gallipoli & Troy Budget Tour from Istanbul by Bus

DAY 1: ISTANBUL – CAPPADOCIA

Late evening you will be transferred to the bus station to take your overnight bus departing at 08:30 pm to Cappadocia. The total duration of travel will be 11 hours. There will be three breaks on the way to Cappadocia for your personal needs. You will arrive in Cappadocia at the Goreme bus station in the morning the next day.

Note: During your transfer on the local bus, you will be unaccompanied and touring services will start once you have met your local tour guide upon arrival at the destination.

• Overnight Bus to Cappadocia
• Included Meal(s): No meals are included on this day.

DAY 2: FULL-DAY TOUR OF NORTH CAPPADOCIA

Upon your arrival at the Goreme bus station in Cappadocia, you will be met at the bus station and transferred to your Cappadocia hotel. At the hotel, you can have your breakfast and be ready to meet your tour guide around 09:30 am.

On the North Cappadocia tour you will be able to see the following sites:

DEVRENT VALLEY: Devrent is situated on the northern slopes of Aktepe, 1km from Pasabaglari (Monks’ Valley) and 5 km from Avanos. The ruins at Devrent are spread over three valleys, which also house several pointed fairy chimneys with large stems.

MONKS VALLEY: The best place to see three-headed fairy chimneys. Pasabag, the Pasha’s Vineyard, is surrounded by incredible natural rock formations; a spectacular scene.

AVANOS: A center of terra cotta work of art since 3000 BC, it is a town where you will be invited to visit a traditional pottery workshop, which is possibly set deep into the hillsides. The clay, which comes from the Red River passing through the town, gives life both to the land and to the local economy.

ZELVE OPEN AIR MUSEUM: Zelve Open Air Museum in Cappadocia, Turkey, is an impressive complex of ancient cave dwellings and churches. Visitors can explore its tunnels and caves, admire Byzantine-era frescoes, and learn about the region’s history and culture amidst striking geological formations.

UCHISAR: Uchisar is a troglodyte town situated right in the middle of Cappadocia. It is named after the enormous piece of rock in the center of the town, which was once used as a castle. This extraordinary rock is the highest peak in the area with a view of the whole of Cappadocia and Erciyes (Argeus) Mountain. After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel.

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

DAY 3: FULL-DAY TOUR OF SOUTH CAPPADOCIA

Breakfast & check out from the hotel. Around 09:30 am, you will be picked up from your hotel for a Full day tour of South Cappadocia.

On the South Cappadocia tour you will be able to see the following sites:

KIZILCUKUR: is an isolated valley behind Urgup. It has a beautiful rock formation with some great hidden rock-carved churches. The most interesting part of this area is the countless tracks connecting the small villages and towns through vineyards and gardens like a spider net. It is always possible to see villagers working in the area and offering grapes, apples or apricots to you.

CAVUSIN: One of the oldest settlements in the area, Cavusin has situated 2km from Goreme, on the Göreme-Avanos road. The Church of St.John the Baptist offers a panoramic view of the village. This church and its paintings date back to the 5th century, making the oldest church in the region. It also has a large courtyard which is unusual for Cappadocia, however, much of it has eroded away.

HOSPITAL MONASTRY: One of the oldest monasteries in Cappadocia.

KAYMAKLI: Kaymakli and Derinkuyu underground cities are the two largest and deepest of the 40 others in Cappadocia. They both have eight floors, although not all are open to the public.

PIGEON HOUSE: Visit the pigeon houses and rock formations. After the tour, transfer to the bus station. Around 08:30 pm, you will depart from Cappadocia for Pamukkale. There will be three short stops en route to Pamukkale for personal needs.

• Overnight Bus to Pamukkale
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: No accommodation is included on this day

DAY 4: FULL-DAY TOUR OF PAMUKKALE & HIERAPOLIS

Upon arrival at the Denizli bus station around 05:30 – 06:30 am, you will be picked up and transferred to a two-star hotel to freshen up and have breakfast. After breakfast, you can stay in the hotel lobby to be picked up to join the tour around 09:30 am.

On the Pamukkale tour you will be able to see the following sites:

HIERAPOLIS THEATRE: The theatre of Hierapolis is one of the best-preserved entertainment destinations that dates back to the second century, the audience section could hold up to 10,000 and be used to show everything from music, to religious ceremonies and even performing live shows. While the theatre isn’t used to put on live entertainment anymore, the seating all around can be explored and used by visitors. A

GORA: Agora is an ancient market where many of the population would have come to so shopping or to trade their good with other people who travelled. While the marketplace is only one part of the city. Outside the city is a Necropolis which was made popular thanks to the believed healing properties of the different water. This cemetery has people from different peoples across many time periods.

KARAHAYIT RED SPRINGS: Karahayit hot springs is located in Karahayit Town, Denizli, Turkey. It’s about 5 km north of the famous Pamukkale Travertine and has similar characteristics like that of Pamukkale. Due to the minerals existing in its structure, the hot spring water spreads reddish color to the environment and it is believed that they provide healing to the visitors for 5000 years. The ‘Kirmizi Su‘ which translates to red water – natural hot thermal springs bubbling from beneath the calcite rocks – are very rich in calcium, magnesium, and sulphurs, at about 56 degrees.

PAMUKKALE TRAVERTINES “COTTON CASTLE”: Pamukkale is a spectacular place, located in Denizli Province, in southwestern Turkey known for the mineral-rich thermal waters flowing down white travertine terraces. The Pamukkale Travertines means “Cotton Castle” in Turkish. The place is classified by UNESCO.

HIERAPOLIS ANTIQUE POOL: Pamukkale’s Antique Pool remains from Roman times when it was the spiritual center of the spa city of Hierapolis. The modernized pool is the prime public place for a swim at this hot-spring resort.

Note: Around 2:00 pm you will be given a free time of around 45 minutes during which time you can walk around or go to the Antique Pools for a swim at an additional cost. At the end of the tour around approximately 16:00, you will begin your drive to Kusadasi (approximately 3 hours). We will drop you at your hotel in Kusadasi.

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

DAY 5: FULL-DAY TOUR OF EPHESUS – BUS TO CANAKKALE

After breakfast, you will need to check out from your hotel in Kusadasi. At around 09:00 am, you will be picked up from your hotel to join the full-day tour of Ephesus.

On the Ephesus tour you will be able to see the following sites:

EPHESUS ANTIQUE SITE: Enter through the Magnesia Gate and begin a slow, downhill walk with your guide into the ruins of this Roman provincial capital. Your route takes you past the Odeum, the Celsus Library, the Temple of Hadrian, the Fountain of Trajan, and the Great Theater. The Theater had seating for 25,000, was the site where St. Paul preached to the Ephesians, and is used today for a local spring festival.

TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS: The temple of Artemision is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Antic world. It has been built in the areas of Ephesus on a flat area which has over the centuries turned into a swamp.

HOUSE OF VIRGIN MARY: House of the Virgin Mary, one of the most sacred places for Christianity, is located near Ephesus. Some believe the Virgin Mary had spent her last days in the vicinity of Ephesus.

ISABEY MOSQUE: Isa Bey Mosque is one of the most delicate examples of Seljukian architecture, situated below the Basilica of Saint John. The mosque was built by the master Syrian architecture Ali son of Mushimish al -Damishki, between the years of 1374 and 1375.

SIRINCE VILLAGE: 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 your Ephesus tour, you will be driven back to Kusadasi where you will board a public bus to Canakkale at approximately 6:00 pm. You will arrive in Canakkale around 12:30 am and there will be 2 breaks enroute for personal needs. After arrival at the Canakkale bus station, you will be picked up and transferred to your hotel.

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

DAY 6: FULL-DAY TOUR OF TROY and GALLIPOLI – BUS TO ISTANBUL

After breakfast check out of the hotel in Canakkale. In the morning you will be picked up from your hotel in Canakkale at around 8:30 am.

On the Troy tour you will be able to see the following sites:

– The Trojan Horse
– Sacrificial Altars
– The 3700-year-old city walls
– Houses of Troy I, 3000 B.C.
– 2500 B.C. – The Bouleuterion (Senate Building)
– The Odeon (Concert Hall)
– Remains of the various cities from Troy I through to Troy IX.

At the end of the Troy Tour at around 11:30 am, you will be taken to Eceabat and will have free time in Eceabat until 1:00 pm. Lunch will be at a local restaurant in Eceabat. After lunch, you will join the Gallipoli tour.

On the Gallipoli tour you will be able to see the following sites:

– 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
– Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial

At the end of the Gallipoli tour at around 6:00 pm, you will depart for Istanbul with arrival into Istanbul around 11:30 pm. You will be dropped back at your Istanbul hotel and this will be the end of our service.

• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: No accommodation is included on this day.

INCLUDED in the Tour Price:

• Hotel pickup and drop-off service is available only on the European side of Istanbul.
• Intercity bus tickets as per the itinerary.
• 1 night in Cappadocia at a cave hotel including breakfast.
• 1 night in Kusadasi at a 4-star hotel including breakfast.
• 1 night in Canakkale at a 3-star hotel including breakfast.
• Professional licensed English-speaking guide during the tours.
• Meals as per itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch.
• Entrance fees mentioned by the itinerary.
• Local taxes and service charges.

NOT INCLUDED:

• Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride
• 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
• Travelers using intercity ground or air transportation will not be accompanied by a tour guide. Upon reaching the touring destination, a tour guide from the local area will meet you to start the touring service. Domestic flight and/or bus tickets, as well as transportation to and from the airport and/or bus station, will be arranged by us.
• 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.