12-Day Istanbul, Bursa, Cappadocia, Konya, Pamukkale and Antalya Tour

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

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
• Accommodation: Muyan Suites OR Antea Hotel OR Deluxe Golden Horn Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 2: Istanbul Byzantine and Ottoman Relics Tour

After breakfast, you will visit the Hagia Sophia Museum, the architectural glory of the 6th century, the Blue Mosque, the imperial mosque famous for its six minarets and interior tiles. Continue to visit the Topkapi Palace, once the great residence of Ottoman Sultans, now a world-famous museum. Explore the Grand Bazaar housing over 4000 shops. After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel and have the rest of the day free.

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

Day 3: Day Trip to Bursa

After breakfast at the hotel. Departing from your hotel in Istanbul at around 8:00 am, head directly for the port and board a ferry boat that will take you to the city of Bursa. The streets of Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, are filled with relics of the past, including historical buildings and artifacts that tell the story of Turkish history, culture, and civilization. Often called “Green Bursa,” the city is also filled with lush parks and gardens, vast forests, and orchards. Take the cable car to Mt. Uludağ, where you will enjoy a BBQ lunch before visiting Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami). The mosque, built between 1399 and 1400, is still the largest mosque in Bursa. There, you can admire its exquisite calligraphy and great craftsmanship. Afterwards, you may enjoy some famous local Turkish products, including roasted chestnuts and Turkish sweets. Before the day is done, pay a visit to Bursa’s silk market and then begin your journey back to Istanbul.

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

Day 4: Bosphorus by Boat — Fly from Istanbul to Kayseri

After breakfast at around 8:30 am, you will join the Half-day Morning Bosphorus Cruise. At the start of this tour, you will enjoy a drive to the pier in Eminonu for a short visit to the historical Spice Bazaar (Misir Carsisi). Following this, you will join a shared boat tour and cruise along the Bosphorus which is a narrow strait between the continents of Europe and Asia connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. You will be able to view the Dolmabahce Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, Bosphorus bridge, citadels, centuries-old mansions, and the European and Asian shorelines while onboard the boat. At the end of the tour, you will be dropped back to your hotel to pick up your luggage and then will be transferred to the Istanbul domestic airport for your flight to Kayseri which is approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes in duration. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel in Cappadocia. Check in to your hotel in Cappadocia and the rest of the day is free.

• Overnight in Cappadocia
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast
• Accommodation: Heaven Cave House OR Dedeli Konak Cave Hotel OR Holiday Cave Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 5: North Cappadocia Tour

After breakfast around 9:30 am, you will be picked up from your hotel to join the full-day tour of North Cappadocia. 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 have around 15 minutes to take panoramic pictures of the natural castles of Uchisar. After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel around 4:00 pm. You will have the rest of the day free to relax, explore the city on your own, or take part in any optional activities that are offered.

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

Day 6: South Cappadocia Tour

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 be transferred to your hotel and have the rest of the day at leisure.

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

Day 7: Cappadocia — Konya — Pamukkale

After breakfast, drive towards Konya. En route, visit the elegantly designed rest-stop for travelers, the Sultan Han Caravanserai, built by Sultan Alaettin Keykubad in 1229. Continue to the Mausoleum of Mevlana, master of the whirling dervishes known for their hypnotic movements. At the end of the tour to Konya, you will be transferred to your hotel in Pamukkale.

• Overnight in Pamukkale
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and dinner
• Accommodation: Adempira Thermal & Spa Hotel OR Colossae Thermal Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 8: Pamukkale and Hierapolis Tour — Bus to Antalya

After breakfast around 10:30 am, you will be picked up from your hotel. On this tour, you will visit the ancient city of Hierapolis, which is home to the Temple of Apollo, the Theater, the Necropolis, and the Roman Baths where St. Philip was martyred. After exploring these sites, you will take a lunch break. In the afternoon, you will travel to Karahayit, known for its red water and healing thermal springs. You will then visit the famous Cotton Cliffs, also known as the Cotton Castle, in Pamukkale. These beautiful terraces and pools are formed from calcified mineral deposits and you will have the opportunity to swim in the Cleopatra Antique Pools for an additional cost. At the end of the tour. At the end of the tour around approximately 4:00 pm, After the tour, you will be transferred to Pamukkale main bus station. From here you will board the intercity day coach to Antalya (duration 5 hours). Met on arrival & Transfer to your hotel.

• Overnight in Antalya
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: 1207 Boutique Hotel OR Kosa Boutique Hotel OR Alp Pasa Boutique Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 9: Full Day Tour to Perge, Aspendos, Side and Waterfall

Breakfast at the hotel. You will be picked up from your hotel around 8.00 am. First place you will visit is Perge, which was originally settled by the Hittites around 1500 BC and was one of the largest ancient cities in the Pamphylia region. Then you will depart for the Aspendos Ancient Theatre. This incredibly well preserved ancient theatre was built in the 2nd century A.D., it has a capacity of 15,000 people and it is still being used for festivals and music concerts.

We will have a lunch break at a restaurant on a nearby river then depart for Side (pronounced Seeday). Side is one of the best classical ancient cities in Turkey, it was a port city that served the largest slave market in this region. During Roman times much construction took place in Side including a large theatre, Roman Baths and the Temple of Apollo.

Guests will have 1 hour of free time here to enjoy the sea and the city. You will stop at the Manavgat Waterfall on the way back, then drive back to Antalya where you will be transferred back to your hotel.

• Overnight in Antalya
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: 1207 Boutique Hotel OR Kosa Boutique Hotel OR Alp Pasa Boutique Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 10: Free day in Antalya to explore

It is a free day for you to enjoy Antalya’s fabulous beaches and exotic cultures. You may like to explore its narrow cobbled street, explore its impressive museum, and glance at the Hadrian’s Gate and many other historical buildings in the old quarter. Or you may just relax on a charming beach or enjoy a traditional Turkish bath.

• Overnight in Antalya
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast
• Accommodation: 1207 Boutique Hotel OR Kosa Boutique Hotel OR Alp Pasa Boutique Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 11: Fly back to Istanbul

After breakfast check out of the hotel in Antalya. You will be picked up from your hotel and transferred to Antalya airport to take your flight to Istanbul. Upon your arrival in Istanbul, you will be met at the airport and transferred from the airport to your hotel in Istanbul for check-in. After check-in, the rest of the evening is free for you to enjoy the town on your own.

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

Day 12: Departure from Istanbul — End of Tour Service.

After breakfast, you will check out from your hotel in Istanbul (hotel check-out is before 12:00 noon) 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:

• Transfers from/to airport on arrival and departure
• Domestic flight and bus tickets as per the itinerary
• Tours and activities as indicated in the itinerary
• 4 nights in Istanbul at special class or 4-star hotels including breakfast
• 3 nights in Cappadocia at a cave hotel including breakfast
• 1 night in Pamukkale at a 4-star hotel including breakfast
• 3 nights in Antalya at special class or 4-star hotels including breakfast
• Professional licensed English-speaking guide during the tours
• Meals mentioned in the itinerary as specified (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)
• All entrance fees mentioned by the itinerary
• Local taxes and service charges

NOT INCLUDED:

• International Flight Tickets.
• 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.
• For 1 traveler: 1 Single Room Accommodation
• For 2 travelers: 1 Double/Twin Room Accommodation
• For 3 travelers: 1 Triple Room Accommodation
• For 4 travelers: 2 Double/Twin Rooms Accommodation
• For 5 travelers: 1 Double/Twin Room and 1 Triple Room Accommodation
• 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.
• 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.

WHEN TO BOOK?

• Book as soon as possible to guarantee availability, especially during public holidays and festivities.
• You can book up to 2 days before (Istanbul local time) if there are still places available. If less than 2 days before start of your requested tour date, please contact us by email or phone as it would be a last-minute booking that will need to be checked for availability before your tour reservation is confirmed.