The Turquoise Coast Tour

On day 2, start your day with a visit to the famous Hagia Sophia basilica, followed by a tour of the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. Explore the ancient Hippodrome and the Grand Bazaar before enjoying lunch. After lunch, visit Topkapi Palace, the center of the Ottoman Empire. Return to the hotel for overnight in Istanbul.

Start the day with a visit to the Dolmabahce Palace, followed by a trip over the Intercontinental Bosphorus Bridge to Camlica Hill. Afterward, tour the Golden Horn and see the 21km long City Walls of Istanbul. Enjoy the beautiful view from the cable car as you climb the hill to the café named after the famous French writer Pierre Loti. Then, take a cruise along the Bosphorus and enjoy lunch on the boat. Return to the hotel for overnight in Istanbul.

On Day 5, you can take an optional Hot Air Balloon Tour for a unique view of Cappadocia. After the tour, return to the hotel for breakfast. Then, proceed to Rose Valley to see the first inhabited rock-cut houses, and visit the Church of St. John the Baptist for a panoramic view of the village. After lunch, visit Kaymakli Underground City, the widest underground city in Cappadocia, and Ortahisar with its Castle of Ortahisar. Overnight stay in Göreme.

On Day 5, you can take an optional Hot Air Balloon Tour for a unique view of Cappadocia. After the tour, return to the hotel for breakfast. Then, proceed to Rose Valley to see the first inhabited rock-cut houses, and visit the Church of St. John the Baptist for a panoramic view of the village. After lunch, visit Kaymakli Underground City, the widest underground city in Cappadocia, and Ortahisar with its Castle of Ortahisar. Overnight stay in Göreme.

Transfer from Cappadocia hotel to the airport, and fly to Antalya. Half-day tour of Antalya, including historical sites such as Hadrianus Gate, Clock Tower, Palm Street, Old Town, and Republican Square. Transfer back to the hotel for an overnight stay.

On this day, we embark on our Southern Turkey tour, following the Mediterranean coastline. We visit Perge, the ancient city that was once the capital of Pamphyia, known for its Artemis temple, and the home of Greek mathematician Apollonius. We also visit Aspendos, which has the best-preserved theater with seating for about 7,000 people. After lunch, we visit the Manavgat Waterfalls before heading to Side, a pretty resort town with ancient ruins, beaches, and souvenir shops. Here, we explore the ancient city’s magnificent theater built on colonnaded arches, the largest in the area. We end the day with a transfer back to the hotel for an overnight stay in Antalya.

We check out of the hotel and continue our Turkey travel along the Turquoise Coast to Demre, where we visit the tomb of Saint Nicholas, the original Santa Claus, and the Myra ruins to view the Lycian rock-cut tombs. After lunch, we proceed to Kekova, an island with clear sea waters and the partly sunken ruins of an ancient town destroyed by an earthquake during the 2nd century. We take a glass-bottom boat tour to view these ruins and also visit Kalekoy, an old fishing village with charming buildings, ancient, and medieval structures, including a castle. We end the day with a drive along the coast to the small town of Kas for an overnight stay.

This is a free day for leisure or a self-guided tour of the town. Kas is a quaint little town with a beautiful coastline, beaches, and pleasant cafes and bars along its flowered narrow streets. It’s also a great place for diving, with a diving school and equipment for rent and sale. Visitors can expect to see a beautiful array of fish and other sea creatures, including octopus and possibly dolphins, as well as the wrecks of some ancient ships. We have an overnight stay in Kas.

After checking out of the hotel, visitors have a free day to either spend the day in Kas or visit the resort city of Fethiye located only one hour away. We have a transfer and an overnight stay in Fethiye.

This is a free day for leisure, including an optional excursion to do a full-day private boat ride around the gorgeous blue waters of Fethiye. The cruise departs from Oludeniz Beach or the ‘Blue Lagoon’ and includes swimming in the beautiful Blue Cave, a trip to Butterfly Valley, a canyon that offers breathtaking views of the area, and exploring medieval and historical ruins on the island of St. Nicholas. Visitors can also swim in the turquoise waters of the island. The day ends with a cruise back to Oludeniz Beach and a transfer back to the hotel for an overnight stay in Fethiye.

We drive on a scenic road to Dalyan, from where we take a local boat through the lake to the Iztuzu Beach Iztuzu Beach or ‘Turtle Beach,’ where we visit one of the last breeding grounds of the endangered loggerhead sea turtles. We also explore the ancient site of Lycia, renowned for its impressive rock-cut tombs carved into the cliffs. Next, we continue to the ancient city of Caunos to witness more stunning Lycian ruins in the form of rock tombs sculpted in the style of small Ionic temples. Later, we enjoy the world-famous mud baths before we drive to Kusadasi where we spend the night.

Today we visit the Ancient City of Ephesus, one of the best-preserved Greco-Roman cities in the world. Located in modern-day Turkey, it was an important center of trade and culture in the ancient world, with a history dating back to the 10th century BC. We will visit the Ephesus Open Air Museum, the House of the Virgin Mary, and the remains of the Artemis Temple. End of the tour, return to the hotel for an overnight in Kusadasi.

After breakfast we will check out the hotel and drive to Pamukkale (2,5 hours) on a scenic route. Upon arrival, continue the day with visit to Pamukkale. This natural phenomenon leaves thick white layers of limestone & travertine cascading down the mountain slope, which resemble a frozen waterfall. There will be free time to walk on the terraces (where allowed). We then visit Hierapolis, which is adjacent to Pamukkale. The ruins of the ancient city cover more than a mile. We visit the Martyrium of St. Philip where the apostle is said to be buried in a worship chamber surrounded by eight chapels. After the tour of Pamukkale, you will check in the SPA Hotel to enjoy th thermal pools, Turkish bath, sauna, hamam, thermal pools, etc… & overnight in Pamukkale.

After breakfast at the hotel, check out and you will be transferred to Denizli Çardak Airport, for an hour flight to Istanbul which will connect you to your homebound flight.