Day 1: Istanbul – Turkish Dinner & Show
Arrive at Istanbul Airport, where you'll be greeted by our representative and transferred to your hotel. Afternoon at leisure. In the evening, you will be taken to an exclusive night-club to sample the delights of Turkish cuisine. Enjoy a four course dinner including a drink and a spectacular Oriental Show performed by belly dancers and folk groups from various regions of Turkey. Overnight.
Day 2: Istanbul – Full Day Tour
After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel to join the tour which starts at Hippodrome Square. See the Obelisk from Egypt, the Serpentine Column from Delphi and the fountain of Wilhelm II. Continue to the Blue Mosque, one of the largest in Istanbul, famous for its blue tiles and 6 minarets. Then visit St. Sophia, one of the most magnificent Byzantine churches. After lunch, visit Topkapi Palace (including the jewellery section), the imperial residence from which the Great Ottoman Empire was ruled. Today, it is a museum holding large collections of Japanese and Chinese porcelains and displaying holy relics. Proceed to Rustem Pasa Mosque, built in 16th century by architect Sinan. The tour ends at the Grand Bazaar, tempting souvenir-hunters with its rich collection of precious handmade carpets, jewellery etc. Overnight.
Day 3: Istanbul – Bosphurus Cruise
Breakfast, morning at leisure. In the afternoon you will be picked up from the hotel for the panoramic Bosphorus Cruise tour with a trip to the Egyptian Bazaar. After your hotel pickup, cross the Golden Horn to visit the colorful Egyptian Spice Market. Haggle with the vendors and buy local spices or souvenirs. Board your Bosphorus cruiser and enjoy sights such as the Dolmabahce Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, Ortakoy Mosque, European and Asian side and the Bosphorus Bridge as you cruise along. During this tour, there may also be a visit to a leather and carpet factory. Return to hotel. Overnight.
Day 4: Izmir – Kayseri
After breakfast, transfer to the airport and depart for to Ankara. Arrive in Ankara and visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations, housing Hittite artifacts. Then visit the Mausoleum of Ataturk, Father of modern Turkey. Drive to Cappadocia, touring a 13th century caravan inn en route. Arrive at your hotel and check in. In the evening, enjoy a 2 hour ceremony of sufi mysticism practiced widely in contemporary Turkey. See the Whirling Dervishes perform. Overnight in Cappadocia.
Day 5: Cappadocia – Full Day Cappadocia Tour
After breakfast, depart around 9.30 am and join the tour to visit the Devrent Valley with its the unique fairy-chimneys. Drive to Pasabagi (Monk's Valley) to see the most interesting mushroom-shaped pinnacles. Drive to the city of Avanos for lunch. In the afternoon, visit the Open Air Museum at Goreme where the remains of rock-cut churches and Christian settlements date back hundreds of years. Before returning to your hotel, visit the natural castle at Uchisar. The top of the citadel provides a magnificent panorama of the surrounding area. Many rooms hollowed out into the rock are connected to each other with stairs, tunnels and passages. Overnight.
Day 6: Cappadocia – Optional Hot Air Balloon Ride - Kaymakli Underground City
Early in the morning at 4 am, take an optional hot air balloon tour. Nothing can prepare you for the awesome sights as the sun rises over the spectacular surrealistic landscapes. Excellent flying conditions allow the balloons to gently drift over and between the fairy chimneys, pigeon houses hewn into the unique rock formations, orchards and vineyards, through impressive valleys, each with distinctive rock formations, colors and features and then float up over rippled ravines for breathtaking views over the region.
Return to your hotel for breakfast. Then explore the eight-storied underground city of Kaymakli, where thousands of early Christians hid from persecutors. Underground cities are literally cities build underground. Some of them are really huge – 12 stories below. They were used to hide against invaders during war. Cappadocia has dozens of underground cities, but the largest and most elaborate (and frequently visited) are at Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu, 20 km and 30 km south of Nevsehir respectively. Stout rolling-stone doors prevented invaders from entering. Deep wells provided water and tall chimneys, ventilation. Wine presses, oil storage, livestock pens, cooking-places and even elaborate churches were carved out of the rock so that the inhabitants could live for weeks or months underground until it was safe to emerge and return to their ground-level villages. After the tour, transfer to the airport to depart.
