10 Days Istanbul, Gallipoli, Troy, Pergamon, Ephesus, Pamukkale & Cappadocia Budget Tour

Day 1: Arrive and Overnight in Istanbul

Arrive at any time. 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

Day 2: Istanbul Old City 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 around 5:00 pm.

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

Day 3: Istanbul to Eceabat and 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

Day 4: Troy and Pergamon Tour and transfer to hotel in 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 your hotel in Kusadasi.

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

Day 5: Ephesus Tour

After breakfast at the hotel around 09:00 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 to your hotel in Kusadasi around 4:00 pm.

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

Day 6: Pamukkale & Hierapolis Tour – Overnight Bus to Cappadocia

After breakfast around 08:00 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 am, 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 the bus station for your overnight bus to Cappadocia. The overnight bus departs from Pamukkale to Cappadocia around 9:00 pm. You will have free time at the bus station from the time you are dropped off at the bus station till the time the bus is ready to depart. You can have your dinner around the bus station if you like during this time. You will travel overnight to Cappadocia in a non-smoking, fully air-conditioned local bus. The total duration of travel will be 10 hours. There will be three breaks on the way to Cappadocia for your personal needs.

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

Day 7: North Cappadocia Tour

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 9:30 am. Your tour will start with a visit to the Devrent Valley to see the unique fairy chimneys. Next, you will visit the Pasabag Valley (Monks Valley) to see the mushroom-shaped pinnacles. After this visit, you will drive to the city of Avanos. After lunch, you will visit the Zelve Open Air Museum in Cappadocia. The museum features a series of carved caves and ancient churches, providing a glimpse into the region’s monastic history. Finally towards the end of the day tour before returning to your hotel, you will be able to visit the natural castles of Uchisar. At the end of the tour, you will be dropped back at your hotel around 4:00 pm.

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

Day 8: South Cappadocia Tour – Overnight Bus to Istanbul

For an additional option, you can book an early morning hot air balloon ride and enjoy breathtaking aerial views of the valleys. Please be aware that this activity comes at an extra cost.

After breakfast at the hotel around 9:30 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 Rose Valley (Gulludere Vadisi). Next, you will visit Cavusin Village which is famous for its houses and churches of Christian Clergymen. We will take a break for lunch around noon. After lunch, you will drive to the Pigeon Valley (Guvercinlik Vadisi). In the afternoon you will visit the Kaymakli Underground City or Ozkonak Underground City where early Christians lived. This will be the end of your full-day tour.

After the tour, you will travel overnight to Istanbul in a non-smoking, fully air-conditioned local bus departing the bus station at approximately 8:30 pm. The total duration of travel will be 11 hours with arrival into Istanbul the next day. There will be three breaks on the way to Istanbul for your personal needs.

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

Day 9: Arrival in Istanbul – Transfer to Istanbul Hotel – Half Day Afternoon Bosphorus Cruise

Upon your arrival at the main bus station in Istanbul between 7:30 – 9:00 am, you will be transferred to your hotel in Istanbul. Your check-in to the Istanbul hotel will be around 12:00 noon. You will be picked up from your Istanbul hotel around 12:30 pm to join the half-day afternoon Bosphorus Cruise Tour. Experience Istanbul from the water on this half-day Bosphorus cruise. Accompanied by a guide, drop into the Spice Bazaar and shop for spices and souvenirs. Then board a boat and head up the Bosphorus Strait. Take in views of Dolmabahce Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, Ciragan Palace, Rumeli Hisar Fortress, ancient wooden villas, and bridges from the water. At the end of the tour, you will be transferred back to your Istanbul hotel around 4:30 pm.

• Overnight in Istanbul
• Included Meal(s): No meals are included on this day

Day 10: 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

INCLUDED in the Tour Price:

• Pick up and drop-off between airport & hotel
• Intercity bus tickets as per the itinerary
• 3 nights in Istanbul at special class or 3-star hotels including breakfast
• 1 night in Canakkale at a 3-star hotel including breakfast
• 2 nights in Kusadasi at a 4-star hotel including breakfast
• 1 night in Cappadocia at a cave hotel including breakfast
• 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:

• International airfare & airport taxes
• Visa to enter Turkey
• 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.
• 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.