Arrive
Ankara, the capital of Modern Turkey. Meet our guide and driver to transfer to our hotel. Day at leisure. Welcome cocktail
and dinner at our hotel.
Day 2 - Ankara
Full day visit of Ankara including the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations which houses the richest collection of artifacts
brought from various parts of the country. These artifacts include pre-historical materials, Neolithic cave drawings, utensils
from Catalhoyuk, the earliest known city in the world. We will see thousands of object brought from different parts of the
country and gives us an overall picture of Hittite, Phrygian, Lydian and Urartian civilizations. We then will proceed to the
Temple of Augustus. After lunch, we will visit the Mausoleum of the founder of Modern Turkey, Ataturk. Dinner and overnight
at our hotel in Ankara.
Day 3 - Cappadocia
Today we drive south to Cappadocia, the land of fairy-chimneys via the Salt Lake. After lunch at a local restaurant, we
proceed to explore the region including the Pigeons Valley and the Castle of Uchisar before we arrive at our hotel Dinner
and overnight.
Day 4 - Cappadocia
We continue for our full day tour of the region. Our first stop is at Goreme where we will see many rock cut churches with
beautiful frescoes.Then we will drive to see the Pashabagi Valley before we arrive at Zelve Open Air Museum which was one
of the earliest monastic settlements in the area. Time to visit local crafts people before we get to our hotel. Dinner and
overnight.
We will visit one of the underground cities of Cappadocia which was used in times of danger. Lunch in Konya, which was
the capital of the Selcuk Empire and adorned with elaborate monuments of the 12th and 13th century. We visit the Mevlana Museum
which houses the tomb of the world famous mystic philosopher Mevlana. A sacred Islamic shrine and object to pilgrimage from
all over Turkey. Proceed to Karatay Museum which was a theological school and displays the most exquisite Selcuk tiles of
the 13th century. Dinner and overnight in Konya.
Drive to Antalya, the most famous resort center on the Mediterranean
coast of Turkey. Continue to Aspendos, visit the best preserved Roman
Theatre built by Marcus Aurelius in Asia Minor. We then drive to the
impressive aquaducts of the city better preserved than the ones in
Campagna, France. Lunch at a local restaurant.
Drive
to Perge, which was once the greatest learning center and visited by
St. Paul. It is still one of the most impressive Greco-Roman sites of
Turkey. Arrive in Antalya and have dinner at hotel. Overnight in
Antalya.
Leave hotel for our visit of the Archeological Museum which houses an
elaborate collection of statues and artifacts from Perge and
surrounding cities. Lunch at a local restaurant. Reminder of the day is
at leisure to explore the old section of the city or take an optional
tour to Termessus, known as the Eagle’s Nest. It is one of the most
memorable experiences of archeology, fauna and flora in the entire
Mediterranean. Dinner and overnight in Antalya.
Drive to Pamukkale crossing the Taurus Mountain ranges. After lunch we
will continue to explore the ancient city of Hierapolis with ancient
streets, a very well preserved theatre and numerous burials in
different shapes. Enjoy walking on the white calcium terraces formed by
the hot springs in the area. Dinner and overnight in Pamukkale.
Today, we drive to Kusadasi throught the famous Meander Valley. Enroute
visit Aphrodisias, dedicated to Aphrodite and rewarded by Augustus. It
has the most sophisticated school of schulpture ever founded in Asia
Minor and is also famous for its high quality white marble. We will
also visit a local museum which displays artifacts found in the city.
Lunch at a local restaurant. Afternoon arrival at Kusadasi. Dinner and
overnight.
Morning tour of Ephesus, the greatest of all the Roman cities in Asia
Minor. It was the home of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World. Our tour of Ephesus includes the elegant
library of Celsus, the grand theater where St. Paul preached, the
Temple of Hadrian, the Marble Street and also a special visit to the
Roman villas of Ephesus with their elaborate wall paintings. We also
visit the House of Virgin Mary where according to a legend she spent
her last years. After lunch, we visit the local museum of Ephesus and
the Basilica of St. John, where he is believed to be buried. Dinner and
overnight at our hotel in Kusadasi.
Today we drive north to Pergamum via Izmir, ancient city of Smyrna. As
we approach Bergama, one can see the ancient acropolis atop the hill
rising above the modern town. This was the seat of the Pergamene
rulers who stretched their territories to the Eastern Mediterranean. It
housed the second largest library of the ancient world. We will see the
temple of Athena, Trajan, the famous Altar of Zeus and the steepest theater in the world. After lunch, we continue to the
most important
healing center in Asia Minor which was dedicated to the God of healing,
Asklepios. This is where Galen practiced and taught medicine. We drive
further north to Altinoluk and our hotel. Dinner and overnight.
Today we leave for Troy, the place of local childhood fantasies of
battles over Helen of Troy, or perhaps where Western literature had its
beginnings. We cross the famous Dardanelles by ferry. After lunch we
continue to Istanbul and to our hotel. Dinner and overnight.
A full day visit of Istanbul including the Blue Mosque, Hippodrome,
Underground cistern and the church of St. Sophia with its world famous
mosaics and architecture. We have lunch within the Topkapi Palace
complex. We then continue our tour of the palace, one-time residence of
the Ottoman emperors and now a museum housing extraordinary collections
of jewelry, armor and imperial costumes. We will finish the tour with a
visit to the Grand Bazaar before returning to our hotel. Dinner at
hotel.
Today we continue to explore more of Istanbul including the Chora
Church (Kariye Cami), one of the most important monuments in Istanbul
and famous for its mosaics. We visit the Mosque of Suleman the
Magnificent. After lunch we drive along the ancient walls of
Constantinople before returning to our hotel and our final dinner.
Day 5 - Cappadocia, Konya
