Magic Carpet Anatolia

Begin your exploration in the historic Sultanahmet district, visiting Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the Hippodrome. Discover the famous Topkapi Palace and wander through the vibrant Grand Bazaar. Visit the Spice Bazaar to experience its fragrant and colorful offerings. Conclude with a scenic sunset Bosphorus cruise.

After checking out of the hotel, we'll head to Istanbul Airport for a flight to Izmir. Upon arrival, we'll be transferred to a hotel in Kusadasi for a free day of leisure. Kusadasi is one of Turkey's largest and most cosmopolitan seaside resorts, offering great sandy beaches, excellent shopping, and a lively nightlife.

Our fourth day takes us to the Carpet Weavers Co-operative in Saklikent near Izmir, which represents around 144 villages and 1,700 carpet weavers throughout Turkey. We will watch the carpet weavers demonstrate their special skills and craftsmanship — a fascinating insight into carpet making and its history and traditions. We will have an overnight stay in Kusadasi.

After breakfast in Kusadasi, we head over to the historical city of Ephesus, one of the best preserved Greco-Roman cities in the world. Here, we see the Agora, Odeon, public toilets, Roman Baths, Grand Theatre, Marble Street, and much more. After lunch, we tour the House of Virgin Mary and visit the Artemis Temple site, one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.

On the sixth day, we will drive from Kusadasi to Konya. Upon arrival, we head to the Karatay Medrese, an ancient theological school built in 1251, now a museum with a collection of ceramics and tiles. After lunch, we continue to the Museum of Mevlana, built in honor of the Sufi founder Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi.

A free day for shopping and sightseeing, including Konya's famous carpet-weaving stores. Afterward, we have lunch before departing to Cappadocia, checking into the hotel for an overnight stay and free time.

Our Turkey tour continues with a gentle hike through orchards, unusual volcanic rock formations, and rock-cut houses at Red Valley and Pasabagi, including the famous fairy chimneys in Cavusin Kilise. Later, we visit the Goreme Open-Air Museum and stop at Uchisar for a panoramic view of the landscape.

An optional hot-air balloon tour is available today. Cappadocia is famous for its wine, pottery, and carpet weaving — today we visit remote villages exhibiting some of the finest forms of carpet making in Turkey.

After breakfast, we visit Derinkuyu, the largest excavated underground city in Turkey, with 5 existing floors going down about 60 meters and capacity for around 20,000 people with livestock and food. We continue to Ihlara Valley and the largest rock monastery in the region in Selime, before stopping at the Agzikarahan Caravanserai. We end the day with a transfer to Kayseri or Nevsehir Airports for a flight to Istanbul.

After the hotel check-out, we transfer you to the Istanbul Airport for your homebound flight.