Turkish Magic of Year-End Tour

Departure from Milan Malpensa. Arrival at Izmir airport, transfer to the hotel in the Ephesus area, and overnight stay.

Culture

50%

History

60%

Adventure

40%

In the morning, visit Ephesus, the best-preserved classical city in Turkey, founded around 1000 BC (the remains we see today date from the 4th century BC). Here stand the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian, and the great theater. Lunch, followed by a stop at one of the places where leather fashion shows take place and leather garments are sold. We will then continue to Pamukkale, or "cotton castle", a location famous for its travertine pools of petrified white stone formed by the calcium contained in the thermal waters flowing in the area. Upon arrival, we will visit Hierapolis, an ancient thermal city founded around 190 BC by the King of Pergamon, which flourished during the Roman era. It is situated above the pools and features a beautiful theater and a large necropolis. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

Culture

60%

History

40%

Adventure

30%

Departure for Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, one of the largest cities in Turkey, rich in history, with its ancient streets, houses, and thermal springs. Arrival and visit to the Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami), in Seljuk style, featuring a prayer hall with 12 pillars supporting the weight of twenty domes, and to Koza Han, the silk market built in the 14th century, which today preserves the same spaces and the traditional way of trading between producers and merchants. Lunch and continuation to Istanbul. Transfer to the chosen hotel and overnight stay.

Culture

60%

History

50%

Food

30%

Breakfast and departure for a half-day tour of the "Golden Horn": we will head towards the picturesque and colorful neighborhoods of Fener and Balat, UNESCO-protected and considered among the first settlements of ancient Constantinople. We will then follow the shoreline of the Golden Horn and visit the Iron Church of St. Stephen, a Bulgarian Orthodox church located in a Turkish city, tied to the struggle for ecclesiastical independence during the 1830s and 1840s. It is the only Orthodox church in the world made entirely of iron. Next, we’ll visit the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with over 4,500 shops grouped into specialized areas selling jewelry, clothing, carpets, ceramics, spices, and much more. The tour ends here. Free afternoon to explore the city on your own, or you may join the optional "Classical Istanbul" excursion offered by our guide. Overnight at the hotel.

Culture

40%

History

50%

Adventure

30%

Breakfast at the hotel and a half-day "Byzantine" tour: we will start by visiting the Süleymaniye Mosque, considered the most beautiful of Istanbul's imperial mosques, built between 1550 and 1557 by Sinan, the chief architect of the Ottoman golden age. Then we will head towards the ancient walls of Constantinople, currently known as the Mevlana Gate, built by Emperor Theodosius II in 413 AD. These solid walls, several stories high and between three and six meters thick, protected the city from attacks by the Goths, Bulgarians, Russians, Arabs, and Turks. The walls were breached only twice: by the Crusaders in 1204 and by Mehmet "The Conqueror" in 1453. Next, we will visit the Monastery of the Virgin of the Spring. According to historians Procopius and Cedrenus, the church was originally built by Emperor Justinian in the last years of his reign, near a water spring previously known as the "miracle spring", located outside Theodosius II’s walls at the site of the present-day Silivri Gate. The visit ends in Eminönü, once the main entrance to the city, now a busy area home to the Egyptian Market, also known as the Spice Bazaar. Afternoon free to explore the city, with the option to join the optional Bosphorus cruise excursion offered by our guide. Overnight at the hotel.

Culture

30%

History

40%

Adventure

50%

Breakfast at the hotel. At the scheduled time, transfer to the airport to take the flight to Cappadocia. Upon arrival in Cappadocia, we will see the famous "Three Beauties of Ürgüp", where you can admire the mushroom-shaped rock formations and enjoy a panoramic view of the town of Ürgüp. Lunch. Next, we will visit the small and beautiful town of Ortahisar, notable for its geological rock castle standing 86 meters high, which was transformed into dwellings by the Hittites. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. Optionally, in the evening, you can attend a Whirling Dervishes ceremony.

Culture

50%

History

40%

Food

30%

Possibility to take part in a breathtaking hot air balloon flight at dawn (optional excursion; the described program is for informational purposes only and may be modified or canceled due to weather conditions).

Breakfast at the hotel and a visit to Cappadocia, unique in the world for combining natural wonders with places of great cultural interest. We will begin our tour with a walk through the enchanting Dervent 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 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 collection 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 enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of Uçhisar Castle, situated on a volcanic rock promontory perforated with tunnels and windows. We will stop at a crafts workshop specializing in decorations and jewelry. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay. In the evening, it will be possible to attend a Turkish folk dance show (optional excursion).

Culture

60%

History

40%

Adventure

30%

Breakfast. Early morning departure to visit the Seljuk Caravanserai "Sultanhani", one of the most beautiful and best-preserved caravanserais in Turkey, or a similar one, located on the legendary Silk Road, which served as a resting place for trade, pilgrimage, or military caravans. Lunch and continuation to Konya, located in the heart of the Anatolian steppe. Arrival and visit to the mausoleum of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi (1207–1273), founder of the mystical order of the Whirling Dervishes. Afterwards, we will depart for Antalya. Hotel accommodation, dinner and overnight stay.

Culture

40%

History

50%

In the morning, we will take a panoramic tour of the city: the Roman walls that once surrounded the city, where Hadrian’s Gate stands, and walking through the narrow streets of the old town, we will reach the Clock Tower, once integrated into the city walls, the large circular tower called Hídírlík Kulesi, and the Fluted Minaret, erected by the Seljuk Turks in the 13th century, considered the symbol of the city. Finally, we will reach the small and charming harbor, which once served as a base for the Crusader Knights. Lunch. Afterwards, we will visit the Greco-Roman theater of Aspendos, a 2nd-century masterpiece built under Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and probably the most impressive and best-preserved in all of Asia Minor. At the scheduled time, transfer to Antalya Airport for the return flight to Italy. End of our services.