Itinerary – Splendors of Turkey

Day 1: Istanbul – Arrival 
Upon arrival to Istanbul Ataturk Airport, you are met by our local representative and transferred to your hotel in the city center. The remainder of the day is at leisure. Overnight at your hotel in Istanbul.

Day 2: Istanbul – Pera, Iznik Tiles & the Bosphorus 
After breakfast at your hotel, get your first taste of Istanbul with a walking tour along the pedestrian Istiklal Street. See the mosaics and frescoes of Chora Church (now Kariye Museum), then enjoy a panoramic drive along Istanbul’s old city walls. Visit Rustem Pasha Mosque with its gorgeous Iznik tiles, followed by the famous Spice Market. After free time for lunch, enjoy a private cruise of the Bosphorus, which separates Europe and Asia. In the evening, walk to a local restaurant for a welcome dinner of traditional Turkish cuisine.

Day 3: Istanbul – Sultanahmet 
After breakfast at your hotel, travel to the Old City (Sultanahmet) of Istanbul and visit the Hippodrome and see the Egyptian Obelisk. Visit the Blue Mosque and the Museum of Turkish & Islamic Art. After lunch at a local restaurant, visit the Hagia Sofia. Overnight at your hotel in Istanbul.

Day 4: Istanbul – Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern & Grand Bazaar 
After breakfast at your hotel, visit Topkapi Palace which was the palace of the Ottoman Sultans for over 400 years. Continue to the Underground Cistern with its inverted Medusa-head columns. Then, visit the Grand Bazaar, the world’s largest covered market with over 5,000 stalls. The remainder of the day is at leisure. Overnight at your hotel in Istanbul.

Day 5: Istanbul – Gallipoli – Troy – Canakkale 
Breakfast at your hotel. Depart Istanbul and travel through Turkish Thrace to reach Gallipoli for a brief visit of this site of 31 Allied cemeteries from World War I. Cross the Dardenelles by ferry and visit the ancient city of Troy. Continue to Canakkale on the coast for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 6: Cannakale- Pergamum – Kusadasi 
After breakfast at your hotel, visit the ancient Greek city of Pergamum with its temples, theater and Asklepion. Continue to Kusadasi for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 7: Kusadasi – Ephesus 
After breakfast at your hotel, explore ancient Ephesus, one of the best preserved cities of the Greco-Roman world. Enjoy lunch in the nearby village of Sirince. Overnight at your hotel in Izmir.

Day 8: Kusadasi – Gocek 
Breakfast at your hotel. Travel to the coastal town of Gocek, stopping en route at a carpet factory for a demonstration. In the late afternoon, we will embark on our gulet cruise. Dinner on board.

Day 9: Cruise – Aga Limani – Cleopatra Baths 
Breakfast on board. Travel along the stunning Turquoise Coast which Mark Anthony is said to have given Cleopatra as a wedding gift. Cruise the the hidden cove of Aga Limani, from where you have the option of taking a 3-hour hike to the Greco-Roman ruins at Lydea, ending at the “Sunken Baths of Cleopatra”, a picturesque cove with a sunken monastery. Dinner on board.

Day 10: Cruise – Ekincik Cove – Dalyan 
Breakfast on board. Disembark in the morning and travel by coach to Dalyan, a protected area known for loggerhead sea turtles. Board a small boat for a trip through an intricate maze of channel, from where you can observe the Lycian rock-cut tombs on the cliffs above. Return to your gulet cruise and enjoy dinner on board.

Day 11: Cruise – Gemiler Island – Kayakoy 
Breakfast on board. Cruise to Gemiler Island and visit the 6th century Byzantine monastery. Then, travel by coach to the Greek “ghost town” of Kayakoy, abandoned during the Greco-Turkish War. Return to your gulet for dinner on board.

Day 12: Fethiye – Antalya
Breakfast on board. Cruise to Fethiye, and, after disembarking, travel by coach to Antalya. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant followed by an afternoon visit to the Archeological Museum. Overnight at your hotel in Antalya.

Day 13: Antalya – Perge
After breakfast at your hotel, visit the ruins at Perge, an ancient Greco-Roman city and capital of Pamphylia. Return to Antalya for a walking tour of the Old City, including Hadrian’s Gate and the Fluted Minaret. The afternoon is at leisure. In the evening, enjoy a farwell dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight at your hotel in Antalya.

Day 14: Antalya – Departure 
After breakfast at your hotel, you are transferred to the airport to board your return flight home.