Grand Tour Turkey
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20 Days | 19 Nights
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Private
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Daily Departure
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Min Age: No Limit
Tour Overview
The Grand Tour of Turkey is a comprehensive 20-day itinerary that covers a vast array of historical and cultural sites, from Istanbul to the Black Sea coast, Cappadocia, the Aegean region, and the Gallipoli Peninsula.
Travelers will have the opportunity to see ancient ruins, natural wonders, and experience Turkish culture and hospitality. From the bustling city of Istanbul to the tranquil landscapes of Cappadocia and Pamukkale, this tour offers a unique and memorable experience that will satisfy even the most discerning travelers.
Highlights
- Istanbul: Sightseeing tour including Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome area, the Egyptian (Spice) Bazaar, and a private cruise on the Bosphorus.
- Trabzon: Visit The Church of Hagia Sophia, Ankara Castle, Ataturk’s Mansion, and the Fatih Mosque.
- Cappadocia: Trek through Ihlara Valley, visit Uchisar and Goreme Open Air Museum, and wine tasting at a local winery.
- Ephesus: Tour of the best-preserved classical city of the Eastern Mediterranean, visit the House of the Virgin Mary, and the Artemis Temple.
- Troy: Visit the ancient city of Troy and a giant replica of the Trojan horse.
- Gallipoli: Tour historical sites such as the Kabatepe War Museum, ANZAC Cove, Lone Pine Australian Memorial, and the Turkish and Allied trenches and tunnels.
- Pergamum: Tour the Hellenistic and later Roman city of Pergamum, known as one of the 7 churches of Asia.
- Pamukkale: Visit natural hot springs and travertines resembling frozen waterfalls, and the Hierapolis ruins with an amphitheater and column-lined streets and arches.
- Van: Visit Akdamar Island, Hosap Castle, and the Van Citadel.
- Diyarbakir: Visit the ancient castle.
- Sanliurfa: Discover the city known as the “City of Prophets,” visit the historical Balıklıgöl, and immerse yourself in the rich cultural heritage.
- Göbeklitepe: Explore the world’s oldest known temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site that has reshaped our understanding of early human civilization.
- Konya: Tour the Museum of Mevlana, constructed in honor of the Sufi or ‘whirling dervishes’ founder.
- Antalya: Visit the ancient city of Perge and Aspendos, which has the best-preserved theater.
- Dogubeyazit: See the 2nd largest meteor crater in the world known as the Crater Hole and view Mount Ararat, then visit Ishak Pasa Palace.
Detailed Itinerary
Welcome to Turkey! You will be picked up from Istanbul’s airport and transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay.
After breakfast, start your day with a sightseeing tour of Istanbul, including visits to Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome area, the Egyptian (Spice) Bazaar, and a sunset cruise on the Bosphorus. Return to your hotel for an overnight stay.
After hotel check-out, take a flight to Trabzon on the Black Sea coast. Upon arrival, visit The Church of Hagia Sophia, Gulbahar Hatun Mosque, Ankara Castle, Ataturk’s Mansion, and The Fatih Mosque, and have lunch at a seaside restaurant in the town of Akcaabat. Drive to Boztepe Hill to enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the city and then stay overnight in Trabzon.
Check-out of your hotel and embark on a picturesque drive along the former Silk Road to Altindere National Park to visit Sumela Monastery. Dine for lunch before visiting the Karaca Caves near the town of Torul, then drive to Erzurum city for an overnight stay.
Take a scenic drive to Kars city with a visit to Ani, a ruined medieval Armenian city located near the border. Stop for lunch and arrive in Kars for an overnight stay.
Check-out of your hotel and drive to Dogubeyazit, a city located 35 kilometers/21 miles away from the Iranian border. See the 2nd largest meteor crater in the world known as the Crater Hole and view Mount Ararat, then visit Ishak Pasa Palace. Stay overnight in Dogubeyazit.
Check-out of your hotel and proceed to the city of Van located on the eastern shore of Lake Van. Visit Akdamar Island, Hosap Castle, and the Van Citadel, then stay overnight in Van.
Drive to Ahlat, a historical town located near Lake Van, to visit the Seljuk Cemetery, then to the nearby town of Bitlis for lunch and some sightseeing. Next, go to Diyarbakir to visit the ancient castle and stay overnight.
Proceed to Mardin city, situated on the top of a hill, and visit Deyr ul-Zafaran Monastery, then drive to Sanliurfa for sightseeing, including a visit to a covered bazaar, a cave known to be the birthplace of the prophet Abraham, the Pool of Sacred Fish, and the ancient city of Harran. Stay overnight in Sanliurfa.
Drive to Sanliurfa, also known as Sanliurfa, to visit a covered bazaar for some shopping. Visit a cave known to be the birthplace of the prophet Abraham and the legendary Pool of Sacred Fish before heading to the remains of the ancient city of Harran. Return to the hotel in Sanliurfa for an overnight stay.
Early in the morning, you’ll be picked up from your hotel in Şanlıurfa and transferred to Göbeklitepe. Explore this ancient site, dating back to the 10th millennium BCE, with its intricately carved stone pillars and significant historical impact. After the tour, enjoy a scenic drive to Cappadocia. Upon arrival in the evening, check into your hotel and spend the evening at your leisure.
Today, the tour begins at Uchisar the tallest point in the Cappadocia region. Here we enjoy some spectacular panoramic views of this historical area with a visit to the natural rock citadel. We continue onto the Goreme Open Air Museum to view the finest of the rock-cut churches, and the beautifully well preserved wall paintings. Next, we stop for lunch before visiting some of the world renowned fairy chimneys in Urgup. While here we partake in some wine tasting at a local winery and a quick visit of the wishing hill. Then we go to Devrent Valley and then Monk’s Valley to see some more of these fairy chimneys and rock formations in a different form. Next, we visit Rose Valley a lovely valley that gets its name from the rose-colored rock that varies in hue and intensity. During the walk we see visit several cave churches, cave houses and cave tunnels. Finally, we are transferred back to the hotel in Goreme for an overnight stay.
An optional hot-air balloon tour is available today.
After breakfast, we continue our Cappadocia tour with a trek through Ihlara Valley which was known to have more than 4,000 homes and 100 cave churches. Afterward, we dine for lunch at the banks of the Melendiz River. Next, we go to Selime to see the largest rock monastery in the region. Then we tour the largest excavated underground city in Turkey, Derinkuyu. This ancient underground city has 5 existing floors that go down about 60 meters/196 feet. We continue to a volcanic crater lake, Nar Crater Lake. Finally, we go to Pigeon Valley an area which refers to the thousands of pigeon houses that have been carved into the soft tufa since ancient times. Lastly, we are transferred back to the hotel in Goreme for an overnight stay.
We begin the day with a departure from Goreme to Konya. We break for lunch along the way and upon arrival to Konya we tour the Museum of Mevlana. This museum was constructed in the 16th century in honor of the Sufi or ‘whirling dervishes’ founder, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi. Afterwards, we continue the drive to Antalya for an overnight stay in Antalya.
After breakfast we begin our sight-seeing tour of Antalya by visiting the city of Perge. This ancient city was once the capital of Pamphyia and one of the richest and most beautiful cities of its time. It’s famous for its Artemis temple and was the home of the renowned Greek mathematician Apollonius. We continue the tour to Aspendos. This ancient city has the best preserved theater which provided seating for about 7,000 people. Later we break for lunch by the river. Afterwards we visit Manavgat Waterfalls before proceeding to Side.
After the hotel check out, we continue our Turkey tour and head to the Pamukkale village. Pamukkale, which means “cotton castle” in Turkish, is a site where natural hot springs and travertines resemble frozen waterfalls. The Hierapolis ruins are located right next to Pamukkale and were historically used as spas. The ruins in this ancient city cover more than a mile and are quite impressive, including an amphitheater with seats still in perfect condition and column-lined streets and arches that have stood the test of time. We end the day with a transfer to a hotel in Pamukkale for an overnight stay.
After breakfast, we continue our tour of ancient Aegean and drive to Kusadasi via the Ephesus region. The Ancient City of Ephesus is the best-preserved classical city of the Eastern Mediterranean, and among the best places in the world that allows your imagination to relive the Roman era. We also visit the House of Virgin Mary to view her shrine and small chapel. Lastly, we visit the Artemis Temple, which was one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. We end the day with a transfer to the hotel for an overnight stay in Kusadasi.
After the hotel check out, we proceed to Bergama, a city located in Izmir Province, to tour the Hellenistic and later Roman city of Pergamum. This ancient city is known as one of the 7 churches of Asia and during its heyday was famous for having a large library rivaling that of Alexandria in Egypt. The day ends with a drive to Canakkale for the hotel check-in and an overnight stay.
We continue our tour of Turkey and head to the ancient city of Troy, famous for being the setting of the Trojan War. After touring the site, we can take photos in a giant replica of the Trojan horse which was an integral part of the Trojan War myth. Next, we visit Assos, a small but rich historical town to visit the Temple of Athena ruins. We then head to Eceabat for lunch and tour the historical Gallipoli ANZAC Memorials, where we will relive the war through historical sites such as the Kabatepe War Museum, ANZAC Cove, Lone Pine Australian Memorial, the Turkish and Allied trenches and tunnels (Johnston’s Jolly), and The Nek and Chunuk Bair New Zealand memorial. We end the day with a transfer to Istanbul for an overnight stay.
After the hotel check out, transfers are available for Istanbul Airport and the return flight.
What's Included
- Hotel accommodation in the category of your choice.
- Domestic flight tickets Inc. taxes.
- Sightseeing tours on a private basis.
- Licensed tour guide assistance during the sightseeing tours.
- Main entrance fees to all sites visited as per the itinerary.
- Fast-track entries to the museums and natural parks.
- Meals as indicated in the itinerary.
- Deluxe air-conditioned vehicles for tours and airport transfers.
- Taxes and handling service.
- 24/7 support during your trip.
Please note that the specific details of inclusions may vary depending on the package and any additional services you may have requested.
$1,244
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