Essential Turkey Tour

Culture

30%

Nature

30%

History

40%

Food

10%

Departure from Italy with Pegasus/AJet flights. Upon arrival in Istanbul, meeting with the assistant and transfer to the hotel. Accommodation in reserved rooms, dinner on your own, and overnight stay.

Culture

50%

Nature

25%

History

50%

Adventure

30%

Food

20%

Breakfast, departure for a half-day tour of the “Golden Horn”: we will drive along the shore of the Golden Horn and visit the Iron Church of St. Stephen, a Bulgarian Orthodox church located in a Turkish city, linked to the struggle for ecclesiastical independence in the 1830s and 1840s, and the only iron Orthodox church in the world. We will then continue to the picturesque and colorful districts of Fener and Balat, protected by UNESCO and considered the first settlements of ancient Constantinople. Next, we will visit the Cathedral of St. George, the fifth church in Constantinople to host the Ecumenical Patriarchate since the 15th century. Previously a convent for Orthodox nuns, it was transformed into the patriarchal seat by Patriarch Matthew II (1598–1601). Afterwards, we will head to the Spice Bazaar (Egyptian Bazaar), built in the 18th century and still today one of the largest and most fascinating markets in Istanbul, full of spices, sweets, and traditional dried fruits. (*) Here the excursion ends, free return, free dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

* Optional excursion (with supplement) “Khalkedionia”: departure crossing the Eurasia Bridge and arrival at Çamlıca Hill, the highest point of the city, located on the Asian side, offering a magnificent panorama of Istanbul. Continuation to Kadıköy, one of the liveliest and most popular districts of the city. Free time for lunch, during which it will be possible to taste traditional Turkish street food. In the afternoon, visit to the Beylerbeyi Palace, former summer residence of the Ottoman sultans, then transfer back to the hotel.

Culture

50%

Nature

40%

History

50%

Adventure

30%

Food

30%

Breakfast at the hotel and departure for the “Imperial” tour of Istanbul. We will start from the ancient Hippodrome, the scene of chariot races, with its historical obelisks, and continue to the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, known as the Blue Mosque. Continuation of the visit to the Basilica Cistern, built in 532 under Emperor Justinian I, an extraordinary example of Byzantine hydraulic engineering, featuring majestic columns and vaulted arches. Lunch in a local restaurant.

We will then continue with a visit to the Topkapi Imperial Palace (Harem section excluded), residence of the sultans for almost four centuries. Its architecture, decorations, and furnishings bear witness to the power and grandeur of the Ottoman Empire. External visit of the Hagia Sophia (today a mosque, entrance excluded), a masterpiece of Byzantine architecture, followed by free time in the Grand Bazaar. (*) Here the excursion ends, free return, free dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

*Optional excursion (with supplement): Bosphorus cruise, to admire both the Asian and European sides of the city, with its main palaces, mosques, and fortresses. Transfer back to the hotel.

Culture

50%

Nature

50%

History

50%

Adventure

40%

Food

30%

In the morning, departure by coach to Ankara. Arrival in Ankara, the capital of the Republic, and visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, located at the foot of Ankara Castle. This is an archaeological museum that houses a unique collection of prehistoric and Hittite artifacts. Lunch. We will then continue towards Cappadocia. Arrival in Cappadocia, dinner and overnight stay.**

(*) Day 4 - Optional alternative (with supplement): Possibility to travel from Istanbul to Cappadocia by plane, instead of by coach, with the following program: transfer to the airport for the Istanbul/Kayseri flight.
Arrival and transfer to the hotel in Cappadocia. Dinner and overnight stay with the rest of the group. **

** In the evening, it is possible to attend a Sema ceremony of the Whirling Dervishes (optional, with supplement).

Culture

30%

Nature

60%

History

40%

Adventure

20%

Food

20%

Breakfast and visit of the unique region of Cappadocia, which combines natural formations with sites of great cultural interest. We will start our tour with a walk in the fascinating Devrent Valley, known as the “Valley of the Fairy Chimneys”, where stone eroded by wind and water on volcanic terrain has created a spectacular landscape of peaks, cones, and obelisks. Then we will visit the underground city of Ozkonak or a similar one, built by Christian communities to protect themselves from Persian and Arab attacks. We will stop at a carpet and kilim workshop. We will continue with a visit to the Göreme Open-Air Museum, which preserves an impressive complex of churches, chapels, and monasteries carved into the rock, with 11th-century frescoes, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Lunch. In the afternoon, we will visit the spectacular volcanic sites of Avcilar ("the hunters") and Güvercinlik ("the dovecotes") and admire a wonderful panoramic view of the Uçhisar Castle, situated on a volcanic rock promontory pierced by tunnels and windows. We will make a stop at a handicraft workshop for decorations and jewelry. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Culture

30%

Nature

60%

History

30%

Adventure

30%

Food

30%

Breakfast. Early morning departure to visit the Seljuk Caravanserai "Sultanhani", or a similar one, located on the legendary Silk Road, which once served as a rest stop for trade, pilgrimage, or military caravans. Lunch. Continue towards Pamukkale, or the "Cotton Castle", a small town famous for its white travertine terraces formed by the calcium contained in the area’s thermal waters. Brief stop at a textile workshop and arrival in Pamukkale in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight stay.

Culture

40%

Nature

70%

History

50%

Adventure

20%

Food

20%

In the morning, we will visit Hierapolis, an ancient spa city founded around 190 B.C. by the King of Pergamon and flourishing during the Roman era, with a beautiful theater and a large necropolis. Visitors will be surprised to see, on the hillside and piled against each other, dozens of enormous pools formed by the slow and millenary flow of limestone water. It seems as if time has stopped, and the waterfalls of a gigantic fountain have turned to stone, as suggested by the name of the place, Pamukkale, which translates to "Cotton Fortress" in Italian. After lunch, we will continue to Ephesus, the best-preserved classical city in Turkey, founded around 1000 B.C. (the remains we see today date from the 4th century B.C.), where the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian, and the large theater stand out. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Culture

50%

Nature

50%

History

60%

Adventure

30%

Food

30%

Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Pergamon, an important Greco-Roman city that left us a great cultural heritage: here, parchment was invented! Arrival and visit to the Asclepion, the famous ancient hospital dedicated to the god of health, Asclepius. The renowned physician Galen lived here. The Sleep Galleries, the small theater for patients, the pools, the long ancient street, and the courtyard with Ionic columns are monuments that have survived from those splendid times. We then continue to Troy, whose very name evokes a series of characters and places rich in adventures, heroes, and the destruction of the mystical city. In 1872, Schliemann, using as his guide the oldest account of the Trojan War, Homer's Iliad, demonstrated that the mythical city was part of a universal heritage. Visit its ruins and the famous reconstructed wooden "Horse." Lunch at a local restaurant. Later, you will visit the Troy Museum (European Museum of the Year 2020), which houses historical artifacts discovered during archaeological excavations in the Troy region. Departure for Çanakkale, located on the shores of the Dardanelles. Dinner and overnight stay.

Culture

50%

Nature

20%

History

50%

Food

50%

Breakfast and morning departure for Istanbul. Arrival and transfer to the hotel. Free afternoon to explore the city or to join the optional excursion offered by our guide. Dinner on your own and overnight stay.

Breakfast. At the designated time, transfer to the airport to catch the return flight.