7-Day Tour of Istanbul, Pamukkale, Ephesus, Pergamon, Troy and Gallipoli

Day 1: Arrival 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 Oldcity OR Deluxe Golden Horn Hotel OR Ayasultan Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 2: Istanbul Byzantine and Ottoman Relics Tour

After your breakfast, at the agreed time, we will pick you up from your hotel to begin a full-day tour of this magnificent city. It includes an official English-speaking guide, tickets, lunch at a central city restaurant, and a visit to the most resplendent monuments that the Ottoman, Byzantine, and Roman empires have handed down to future generations: Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar, which houses more than 4000 stores. At the end of the visit, you may linger some more in the old city, enjoying the amazing atmosphere, and finally, you will make your own way 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 Denizli from Istanbul – Pamukkale Tour

You will be picked up from your hotel for your transfer to the airport to catch your early morning flight to Denizli. (between 6:00 – 7:00 am as per your e-ticket) from Istanbul to Denizli airport. Upon arrival at the Denizli airport, you will be picked up at the airport and transferred to Pamukkale where you will meet your professional tour guide to begin your tour with a professional guide to begin your full-day tour of Pamukkale. Around 10:00 am you will visit the first destination of Karahayit to see the Red Spring Waters. After Karahayit we will drive to Pamukkale and begin the visit to the ancient city of Hierapolis around 10:30 am. The highlights of Hierapolis are Necropolis, Roman Baths, Domitian Gate, Latrina, Oil Factory, Frontinious Street, Agora, Byzantium Gate, Triton Fountain, Cathedral, Apollon Temple, Plutonium, Theater, and Antique Pool. You will also be able to take some photos from the nicest corners of Pamukkale. Around 12:30 pm you will be given some free time for approximately 60 minutes to explore the natural beauties of Pamukkale. As an option, you may choose to swim in the Pamukkale antique pools (at your own expense) during this free time. At 1:30 pm you will meet the guide and will get a chance to walk in the middle of the Pamukkale travertines “cotton castle” from top to down without shoes and socks. At 2:30 pm you will be taken for lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch at approximately 3:30, you will visit an Onyx Factory for approximately 30 minutes. At the end of the tour around approximately 4:00 pm, you will begin your drive to Kusadasi (approximately 3 hours). We will drop you at your hotel in Kusadasi.

• Overnight in Kusadasi
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: Derici Hotel OR Ilayda Avantgarde Hotel OR Efe Boutique Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 4: Ephesus Tour

After breakfast, we will start today’s wonderful Ephesus tour. We will first visit the Temple of Artemis, which has 126 marble pillars and is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Then we will visit Ephesus Ancient City, one of the best preserved Ancient Greek urban sites in the world, including Hadrian Temple, Celsus Library, Old Theater, and Hamams. After lunch, we’ll continue our Ephesus tour with the House of the Virgin Mary, the last place where the Virgin Mary lived. After the visit, you will be transferred to your hotel in Kusadasi.

• Overnight in Kusadasi
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: Derici Hotel OR Efe Boutique Hotel OR Marina Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 5: Pergamon Tour

After breakfast, you will be picked up around 9:00 am from your hotel in Kusadasi to travel to Pergamon. After the lunch break, the tour will start a fully guided Pergamon Acropolis Tour. At Pergamon, the ancient world’s major power, you will visit the Acropolis, the ruins of Zeus Altar, the 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. At the end of the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel in Canakkale.

• Overnight in Canakkale
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: Grand Anzac Hotel OR Kervansaray Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 6: Troy and Gallipoli Tour

You will be picked up approximately at 8.30 am to depart to Canakkale to visit the legendary site of Troy. Troy is the city of Helen and was famous in Homer’s Iliad. You will see the reproduction of the Trojan Horse and learn about the Trojan Wars as well as seeing the Sacrificial Altars, ancient city walls, and houses of Troy which are thousands of years old, the Bouleterium, Odeon and current excavations. We will travel by ferry across the part of the Dardanelles known as “the Narrows”; reaching a small fishing village called Kilitbahir, known for its fort built by Mehmet the Conqueror. After lunch in Eceabat, we will travel to Gallipoli. Your visit will include Brighton Beach, the intended landing place, Beach Cemetery on the southern tip, Anzac Cove, the landing place of the first wave of Australian and New Zealand troops and home to up to 30,000 troops during the campaign, Ariburnu Cemetery, Anzac Commemoration Site, Lone Pine Australian Memorial, site of the successful attack and capture of Turkish trenches by the Australians during the August offensive, Johnston’s Jolly, where there are the original Allied and Turkish trenches and tunnels, 57th Regiment Turkish Memorial, The Nek, and the Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial. At the end of the tour around 6:00 pm, you will travel to Istanbul. You will arrive in Istanbul around 11:00 pm and will be transferred 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 7: 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:

• All airport transfer services mentioned in the itinerary.
• Domestic flight ticket from Istanbul to Denizli as per the itinerary.
• Tours and activities as indicated in the itinerary.
• 3 nights in Istanbul at Special Class or 4-star Hotels including breakfast.
• 2 nights in Kusadasi at a 4-star hotel including breakfast.
• 1 night in Canakkale at a 3-star hotel including breakfast.
• English-speaking guide during the tours.
• Meals mentioned in the itinerary as specified (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch).
• All entrance fees mentioned by the itinerary.
• Local taxes and service charges.

NOT INCLUDED:

• International Flight Tickets.
• Visa to enter Turkey.
• 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:

• 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.
• The order of the itinerary is indicative and subject to change, but all visits described will take place.
• 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.

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.