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Day 1: Istanbul |
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Welcome
to Istanbul. We meet you at Ataturk Airport
and transfer you to Hotel Ada in Sultanahmet.
Check in the hotel and we will visit (St.Chora
Church) famous for Byzantine mosaics and
frescoes. Overnight Istanbul |
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Day 2:
Istanbul |
We will visit the Ayasofya Museum, 6th
century St.Sophia‘s (Hagia Sophia) built by
the emperor Justinian, to be the grandest
church of Christianity, is one of the most
beautiful structure of Istanbul.
After this section we will walk to Islamic
and Turkish Art Museum and we will discover
beauty of Blue Mosque, Sultanahmet Camii,
where Pope Benedict the 16th prayed with
Turkish Imam. But we do most interest in
great Ottoman tiles. Walk to Grand Bazaar.
Overnight Istanbul |
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Day 3: Istanbul-Ankara - Cappadocia. |
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We will take at morning flight from Istanbul
to Ankara. Our driver for the rest of our
trip will meet us at the airport. We will
continue our journey in a comfortable car.
We will visit old Anatolian Civilization
Museum, than we will drive to Cappadocia it
is about 3 hours driving.
Overnight Cappadocia. |
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Day 4:
Cappadocia. |
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Drive into the valleys of Cappadocia which
look like another planet. First stop will be
Devrent Valley known as imagination valley
because of different rock formation. Our
guide informs you about formation of
landscape of Cappadocia then we will go to
Pasabagi. And drive to underground city of
Kaymakli.
Overnight Cappadocia. |
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Day 5:
Cappadocia-Denizli (Pamukkale by flight). |
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Visit the Goreme Open Air Museum and discover the rest of the lunar
landscape of Cappadocia. Take afternoon flight from Kayseri
to Denizli via Istanbul. Meeting at the airport and transfer
to Pamukkale. Overnight in Pamukkale. |
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Day 6: Pamukkale - Aphrodisias Kusadasi.
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Discovery of Travertine terraces and
Hierapolis. The travertine terraces at Pamukkale are one of the most spectacular
natural wonders we ever have seen from
various mineral springs in a vast white
cliff side, about 200 m overlooking the
plain, calcite-laden waters have dripped
down over a series of terraced levels and
created a fairyland of bizarre solidified
cascades and shell-shaped basins.
It looks like creations from snow or like
balls from cotton, which gave the scenery
the Turkish name Pamukkale (Cotton Castle):
“pamuk” for cotton and “kale” for castle.
Moreover the water in the basins is changing
its color according to how the light enters.
Drive to Ephesus, on the way, visit to
Aphrodisias. Aphrodisias was primarily known
as a center for the arts, specifically
sculpture. The Aphrodisias School of
Sculpture had a distinctive style and was
very well circulated throughout the Greek
and Roman world. Overnight in Kusadasi.
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Day 7:
Ephesus. |
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We drive to Ephesus - 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 Odeon, the Celsus Library, the
Temple of Hadrian, the Fountain of Trajan
and the Great Theater. The theater had
seating for 24,000, which was the site where
it is believed St.Paul preached to the
Ephesians, and is used today for a local
spring festival.
- Basilica of St. John - Built by the
Emperor Justinian over the tomb of St. John
the Apostle, the Basilica, now in ruins,
once rivaled St. Sophia in size. See the
remaining graceful columns and mosaics of
the Basilica as you take in the panorama of
the rural Selcuk countryside and the ruins
of the Temple of Artemis.
- House of the Virgin Mary - The Vatican has
recognized this small house in the Solmissos
Mountains as the final resting place of the
Virgin Mary. A small shrine dedicated to St.
Mary was found when the ruins of the house
were first discovered.
- Ephesus Museum - This small museum in Selcuk boasts an incredible collection of
Hellenistic and Roman statues, carved reliefs and artifacts unearthed from the
ruins of Ephesus. The famous statue of
Artemis (goddess of fertility) is housed
there. Overnight in Kusadasi. |
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Day 8:
Pergamum-Assos. |
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Visit to Pergamum Acropolis to see the
steepest theater of the ancient world, the
Temple of Trajan, then visit the Asklepion,
the ancient hospital. Drive to Ayvalik. Here
is a nice and cute town situated on the
coastline of Aegean Sea. Overnight in Assos.
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Day 9: Troy - Gallipoli - Istanbul.
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Drive to Homer’s legendary Troy, famous for
its wooden horse. Archaeological digs have
proved that there had been nine separate
periods of settlement in Troy. Drive to
Istanbul from Dardanelles. Overnight in
Istanbul. |
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Day 10: Istanbul.
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In the morning visit the Topkapi Palace, it
was a center of Ottoman Empire for about 400
years. Now it is museum and we will spend
almost all our half day visiting the
sections of Topkapi Palace. Afternoon free
time. Overnight in Istanbul.
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