10 Day Istanbul - Cappadocia - Pamukkale - Antalya By Plane
OVERVIEW
Tour Style : Small Group Tour
Tour Style : Small Group Tour
Duration : 10 Days - 9 Nights
Departure : All Year Round, Guaranteed Departure
Highlights: Visits : Istanbul - Cappadocia - Pamukkale - Antalya
Day 1 - Arrival
Welcome to Turkey! Arrive into Istanbul. Transfer from airport to Hotel. The rest of the day is yours to explore the magical city of Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 2 - Istanbul City Tour (Breakfast and Lunch)
You will be picked up from your hotel at 08:30 for the Full Day Istanbul Byzantina & Ottoman Relics Tour. You will begin with the ancient HIPPODROME, which was the scene of chariot races and the three monuments: the Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine. We will then continue to the Sultanahmet Mosque across from St. Sophia built in the 16th century by the architect Mehmet. It is also known as the Blue Mosque because of its magnificent interior decoration of blue Iznik tiles. Then arrive at our last stop which is the famous Hagia Sophia. This ancient basilica, built by Constantine the Great in the 4th century and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, is one of the architectural wonders of all time. We also visit : the Grand Bazaar : Famous shopping center worldwide. Shopping possibilities for carpet, jewellery, leather etc. Visit of Topkapi Palace: Built between 1475 and 1478 by Mehmet II, Fatih, the conqueror of Istanbul, served as the residence of the sultan and administrative seat of the Ottoman Empire for 400 years. After the tour you will be transferred back to your hotel at around 17:30. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 3 - Half Day Bosphorus Cruise (Breakfast)
08:30 You will be picked up from your hotel for a half day Bosphorus Cruise.Spice Bazaar, Mystical smells of various spices. Shops selling fruits, vegetables, flowers, caviar and dry fish etc... Bosphorus Cruise, On the waterway separating the two continents, Asia and Europe. Opportunity to take photographs of marble palaces and ancient wooden villas of Ottoman architecture, besides modern residences and luxurious apartments.
Tour finishes around 13:30 in order to take an early evening flight to Cappadocia. Overnight in Cappadocia.
Day 4 - Cappadocia Tour 1 (Breakfast and Lunch)
You will be picked up from your hotel around 09:30 for a full day tour of North Cappadocia. Today we will visit, Devrent Valey; Devrent is situated on the northern slopes of Aktepe, 1km from Pasabaglari (Monks' Valley) and 5 km from Avanos. The ruins at Devrent are spread over three valleys, which also house several pointed fairy chimneys with large stems. Monkds Vaalley; The best place to see three-headed fairy chimneys. Pasabag, the Pasha's Vineyard, is surrounded by incredible natural rock formations; a spectacular scene. Avanos; A center of terracotta artwork since 3000 BC, it is a town where you will be invited to visit a traditional pottery workshop, which is set deep into the hillsides. The clay, which comes from the Red River passing through the town, gives life both to the land and to the local economy. Goreme Open Air Museum; Goreme was an important Christian centre in the early years of the Middle Ages, and a bishopric administered by Mokissos near Aksaray in the 11th and 13th centuries. Despite the vast numer of monasteries, churches and chapels in the vicinity of Goreme, there are not many inscriptions bearing dates. For this reason, these religious buildings are mainly dated according to the iconography or architectural features. Uchisar is a troglodyte town situated right in the middle of Cappadocia. It is named after the enormous piece of rock in the center of the town, which was once used as a castle. This extraordinary rock is the highest peak of the area with the view of whole Cappadocia and Erciyes (Argeus) Mountain.
After the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel at around 17:30. Overnight in Cappadocia.
Day 5 - Cappadocia Tour 2(Breakfast and Lunch)
09:30 You will be picked up from your hotel for Full day tour of South Cappadocia. Today we will visit, Kizilcukur; is an isolated valley behind Urgup. It has beautiful rock formation with some great hidden rock-carved churches. The most interesting part of this area is the countless tracks connecting the small villages and towns through vineyards and gardens like a spider net. It is always possible to see villagers working in the area and offering grapes, apples or apricots to you. Cavusin; One of the oldest settlements in the area, Cavusin is situated 2km from Goreme, on the Goreme-Avanos road. The Church of St.John the Baptist offers a panoramic view of the village. This church and its paintigs date back to the 5th century, making the oldest church in the region. It had a large courtyard which is unusual for Cappadocia, this has been eroded away however. Hospital Monastery; One of the oldest monasteries in Cappadocia. Kaymakli; Kaymakli and Derinkuyu underground cities are the two largest and deepest of the 40 others in Cappadocia. They both have eight floors, although not all are open to the public. Piegon House; Visit the pigeon houses and rock formations.
After the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel at around 17:30.
Evening bus to Pamukkale.
Day 6- Free Day
Morning arrival in Pamukkale. Meet and transfer to Thermal & Hot Springs Hotel.
Morning arrival in Pamukkale. Meet and transfer to Thermal & Hot Springs Hotel.
Today is a free day to relax and enjoy your comfortable spa hotel. Overnight in Pamukkale.
Day 7: - Pamukkale Tour (Breakfast and Lunch)
08:30 You will be picked up from your hotel for a Full Day tour of Pamukkale & Hierapolis. In Pamukkale, you will see the Cotton Cliffs, one of the natural wonders of the world formed by deposits of calcareous salts. Also visit the ancient ruins of the ancient city of Hierapolis with its basilica, theatre and Roman Baths.
Evening Bus to Antalya
Overnight Antalya
Day 8: Antalya Perge Aspendos Tour (Breakfast and Lunch)
After breakfast depart to Antalya (30 minute drive). Perge; Perge was founded by Akhas, Mopsos, and Arnphilokhos who came here after the Trojan wars. Perge was first mentioned in 334 BC when Alexander the Great passed through here. In the following years, Perge went under the control of Pergamon when the Kingdom of Pergamon became a part of the Roman city. Especially in the first and the second centuries BC, Perge became one of the richest towns in Pamphylia. Therefore it is not a surprising that St. Paul started his campaign in Anatolia from Perge in 46 AD. It is one of the better-preserved archaeological sites in Turkey. After the tour of Perge, we will depart for Aspendos. Lunch break on the way. Aspendos: The eastern land of Antalya was called Pamphylia in ancient times. Aspendos (Belkis) lies 47km east of Antalya in the Pamphylian plain. A naval battle was fought off Aspendos in 469 B.C. during which the Persian fleet was defeated by the forces of the Athenian general Cimon. Despite this however we see Aspendos being used as a Persian base in 411 B.C. With Alexander's defeat of the Persians in 334 B.C., Aspendos was freed of Persian rule. It was ruled by various Hellenistic period kings following the death of Alexander and like most other cities in Asia Minor it came under Roman rule in 133 B.C. Aspendos is most renowned for its theatre, the best-preserved ancient theater in Turkey. It was built by Romans and maintained by Byzantines and Seljuks. The ruins of the ancient city are extensive and include a stadium, an agora, and a basilica.
Overnight in Antalya.
Day 09- Demre, Myra, Kekova Tour (Breakfast and Lunch)
Enjoy a boat trip across the sea to Kekova Island. Beneath the clear waters you can see the remains of Simena, a city ravaged by earthquakes around two thousand years ago.
Swim in the turquoise waters, once a favored haunt of pirates, before exploring an ancient cemetery with many magnificent tombs.
It is a day full of great natural beauty and fascinating history. Kekova; An hour from Dalyangazi by sea, especialy enjoyable for the yacht-men, is the islands of Kekova (home of the sun). Kekova is also the name of picturesque islands, numerous bays and ancient cities. Along the northern shore of Kekova island, structural movements of the land over the years have caused some of the ancient houses to be totally submerged while remains of the others are scattered along the shore. A fascinating Lycian Necropolis, sarcophagus tombs spread out along the coastline. Myra; Some of the finest examples of Lycian funerary architecture are to be found at Myra, near the explanding present day town of Demre. The site, about a mile from the town includes a vast Roman theatre in good repair and build against a cliff face that olso houses too impressive sets of Lycian tombs. Many of the tombs have long cabin features carved into the rocks, presumably reflecting the domestic architecture of the period. Many of the tombs cut into the rock near the theater are damaged and much worn, but some still have fine facades, with inscriptions and reliefs clearly delineated.
St. Nicholas Church; Best known as the patron saint of children, who was born at Patara araund AD. 300 and bishop of Myra where he died. The miracles he performed in life time and stories that surrounded him have identified today in the west with Father Christmas.
Evening flight to Istanbul. Overnight to Istanbul.
Day 10 Istanbul /Departure (Breakfast)
After breakfast check out from hotel (before 12:00), transfer to Istanbul Ataturk Airport regarding your flight details. End of tour and services. (If you would like, you can extend your trip by adding extra nights in Istanbul, please advise.
