10-Day Tour of Turkey and Greece

Day 1: Arrive in Istanbul, Airport Transfer and Free Day

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 Antea Hotel OR Ayasultan Hotel OR Deluxe Golden Horn Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 2: Istanbul Byzantine and Ottoman Relics Tour

After breakfast at the hotel, You will be picked up from your hotel at around 8:30 am in the morning to join the full-day Istanbul old city tour. The first stop of today’s Turkey and Egypt tours is Hagia Sophia, a former church that was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. Then we will go to visit the opposite Blue Mosque. The mosque’s six minarets demonstrate its supremacy and glory. Next, we will visit the Hippodrome and Topkapi Palace, which was the residence of Ottoman Sultans between the 15th and 19th centuries. After visiting these tourist attractions, the guide will escort you to the bustling Grand Bazaar to experience the life of the locals. After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel.

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

Day 3: Fly to Cappadocia – North Cappadocia Tour

You will be picked up from your hotel in Istanbul around 4:30 am and will be transferred to the domestic airport for your flight from Istanbul to Kayseri or Nevsehir between 6:00 – 7:30 am. Upon arrival at Kayseri or Nevsehir airport, you will be picked up and transferred to Cappadocia. In Cappadocia, you will meet your professional tour guide to begin your full-day tour of North Cappadocia. On the tour today, you will visit the Devrent Valley and Monk’s Valley (Pasabag) and enjoy local cuisine in the quiet town of Avanos. After lunch, we will visit the Goreme Open Air Museum and Uchisar Rock Castle. After the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel in Cappadocia for check-in.

• Overnight in Cappadocia
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: Holiday Cave Hotel OR Heaven Cave House OR Ottoman Cave Suites or similar (Standard quality)

Day 4: South Cappadocia Tour

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 Güllüdere (Rose) Valley. Next, you will visit Çavusin village which is famous for its houses and churches of the Christian Clergymen. We will take a break for lunch around noon. After lunch, you will drive to the Pigeon Valley. In the afternoon you will visit the Kaymakli Underground City or Ozkonak Underground City where early Christians lived. At the end of the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel in Cappadocia.

• Overnight in Cappadocia
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: Holiday Cave Hotel OR Heaven Cave House OR Ottoman Cave Suites or similar (Standard quality)

Day 5: Fly from Kayseri to Athens (Flight Not Included) – Airport Pick-up

After breakfast, you will proceed to Kayseri Airport to board your international flight to Athens. Upon arrival, you will be met by our representative and will be transferred to your Athens hotel for check-in. The rest of the day will be free.

Note: You will have to purchase your own international flight ticket(s); international flight ticket(s) are not included in the cost of this package tour and will not be provided by us.

• Overnight in Athens
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast
• Accommodation: Chic Hotel OR Delice Hotel Apartments OR Athens One Smart Hotel OR Athenaeum Smart or similar (Standard quality)

Day 6: Athens City Tour with Cape Sounion

This tour gives you an opportunity to observe the striking contrasts that make Athens such a fascinating city. Our expert guides will take you to see the Panathenaic Stadium where the first Olympic Games of modern times were held in 1896 (short stop). Continue and pass by the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Hadrian’s Arch, the Parliament, the Memorial to the Unknown Soldier, the Academy, the University, the National Library, the Constitution Square (Syntagma). On the Acropolis visit the Architectural Masterpieces of the Golden Age of Athens: The Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, and finally “the harmony between material and spirit”, the monument that “puts order in the mind”, the Parthenon. Continue and visit the place where at last the statues found their home and admire the wonders of the classical era: The new Acropolis museum.

Continue in a local restaurant for lunch.

After lunch drive along the coastal road, passing the wonderful beaches of Glyfada, Vouliagmeni & Varkiza to the most Southern point of Attica, Cape Sounion, where the white marble pillars of the Temple of Poseidon stand. On the way, you have a splendid view of the Saronic Gulf and the little islands offshore. After visiting the Temple of Poseidon, you have time to walk at leisure on the rocky promontory of Sounion.

• Overnight in Athens
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and lunch
• Accommodation: Chic Hotel OR Delice Hotel Apartments OR Athens One Smart Hotel OR Athenaeum Smart or similar (Standard quality)

Day 7: Athens to Nafplion via the Corinth Canal

We will pick you up from select spots in Athens (departure at approx 8:45) and take the coastal road to the Corinth Canal, where we will make a short stop. Back on the road and onto the Theatre of Epidaurus, a monument to the arts and a structure famous for its remarkable acoustics. We will then proceed to the town of Nafplion, the first capital of modern Greece, for a short stop to take pictures and drive on to Mycenae where we will visit the archaeological site and the Tomb of Agamemnon. Then it’s off to Olympia, the cradle of the Olympic games, through the scenic routes of Central Peloponnese, as well as the towns of Tripolis and Megalopolis. It is there that we will stop for the night.

• Overnight in Olympia
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Dinner
• Accommodation: 1-night stay in a first-class hotel

Day 8: Olympia to Delphi

You cannot visit Olympia and not pay tribute to the ruler of Olympus, so that is what we will do in the morning with a visit to the Sanctuary of Olympian Zeus, the Ancient Stadium, and the archaeological museum. Afterwards, we will take a drive through the plains of Ilia and Achaia and the magnificent bridge of Rio-Antirio which connects the two sides of the Corinthian Bay. We will pass by the picturesque towns of Nafpaktos (Lepanto) and Itea, to arrive in Delphi, our own sanctuary for the night.

• Overnight in Delphi
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Dinner
• Accommodation: 1-night stay in a first-class hotel

Day 9: Delphi and Return to Athens via Arachova, Levadia and Thebes

In the morning, we will visit the archaeological site where the Oracle once stood and the museum. Afterwards, we will make our way back to Athens passing through the picturesque towns of Arachova, Levadia and Thebes along the way.

• Overnight in Athens
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast
• Accommodation: Chic Hotel OR Delice Hotel Apartments OR Athens One Smart Hotel OR Athenaeum Smart or similar (Standard quality)

Day 10: Departure from Athens

After breakfast, you will check out from your hotel in Athens (hotel check-out is before 11:00 am) and will then be transferred to the Athens 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:

• All transfers within Turkey and Greece.
• Domestic flight tickets from Istanbul to Kayseri only
• 9 nights accommodation.
• English-speaking guide during the tours.
• Meals as per itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch D=dinner).
• Visits and entrances fees as indicated in the itinerary.
• Local taxes and service charges.

NOT INCLUDED:

• International Flight Tickets.
• Flight tickets from Kayseri to Athens.
• Entry visas to Turkey and Greece.
• Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride.
• Stayover hotel tax, to be paid directly to the hotels in Greece (cost per overnight per room: 4 star – 3 €, 3 star – 1,5 €).
• Drinks, tips, and any other services not mentioned in what’s included.
• Optional tours mentioned in the program, they will be provided at an additional cost.
• 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.
• 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.

Inquire About this Trip

Please fill out the information below and we will be in touch shortly with your personalized quote.