Tour Kervansaray

Plecare din Italia cu zboruri Pegasus Airlines. La sosirea în Istanbul, întâlnire cu asistentul și transfer la hotel. Cazare în camerele rezervate, cină liberă și cazare peste noapte.

Culture

30%

Nature

20%

History

30%

Food

20%

Breakfast and departure for the half-day tour of Byzantine Istanbul: we will begin with the Süleymaniye Mosque, the most beautiful of the imperial mosques in Istanbul, built between 1550 and 1557 by Sinan, the chief architect of the Ottoman golden age. Next, we will head toward the ancient walls of Constantinople, now known as the "Mevlana Gate", built by Emperor Theodosius II in the year 413. These walls, several stories high and between 3 and 6 meters thick, protected the city from attacks by the Goths, Bulgars, 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 Church of Saint Mary of Blachernae (Vlacherna), a site not far from Constantinople, which dates back to the second half of the 9th century and is located in a place that for centuries was considered one of the main sanctuaries of Christianity. Erected near a spring of water believed to be sacred, Saint Mary of Blachernae was gradually expanded by the emperors, eventually becoming a complex of three buildings: the Church of Saint Mary, which housed the icon of the Madonna Blachernitissa; the Hagia Soros, which preserved the veil of the Virgin and the Mandylion, a cloth bearing an image of the face of Jesus considered miraculous; the Hagion Lousma, a pool where the Byzantine emperor would immerse himself three times in the holy waters every August 15th.

The tour ends in Eminönü, once the main entrance to the city, now a very lively area home to the “Egyptian Market,” also known as the “Spice Bazaar.”
Free lunch and afternoon at leisure to explore the city.

Optional excursion (with supplement): Bosphorus Cruise to admire both the Asian and European sides of the city, including its most important palaces, mosques, and fortresses.

Return to the hotel on your own. Free dinner and overnight stay.

Culture

30%

Nature

15%

History

40%

Food

15%

Breakfast and departure to discover the "Golden Horn": we will head towards the picturesque and colorful neighborhoods of Fener and Balat, UNESCO World Heritage sites and considered the first settlements of ancient Constantinople.

Along the shore of the Golden Horn, we will visit the Iron Church of Saint Stephen, a Bulgarian Orthodox church located in a Turkish city, tied to the struggle for ecclesiastical independence in the 1830s and 1840s, and the only iron Orthodox church in the world. The morning will continue with a visit to the Grand Bazaar, with over 4,500 shops grouped into areas specialized in various products: jewelry, clothing, and more. A great opportunity for shopping! Here the excursion ends. Free lunch and afternoon at leisure.
Optional excursion (with supplement) to discover Classical Istanbul.
Return to the hotel on your own. Free dinner and overnight stay.

Culture

30%

Nature

20%

History

30%

Food

20%

• Departure for Ankara and Cappadocia

Breakfast and departure by bus to the capital of Turkey: Ankara. Passing through the Euroasia Bridge and continuing via the highway. Arrival in Ankara and visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, also known as the Hittite Museum, where artifacts are displayed chronologically, allowing visitors to follow the evolution of civilizations in Anatolia from prehistoric times to the Roman period. Lunch at a local restaurant. Continuing to Cappadocia, arriving in the evening and settling into the reserved hotel rooms. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

(*) Possibility of transfer from Istanbul to Cappadocia by air as an alternative to the bus trip with the following program (optional, at an additional cost):
Transfer to the airport for the Istanbul/Kayseri flight. Arrival and transfer to the hotel in Cappadocia. Free lunch. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel along with the other participants. (Baggage allowance for the flight 15 kg in the hold + 8 kg hand luggage. Any excess baggage will be subject to a surcharge.)

Culture

20%

Nature

40%

History

30%

Food

10%

• Cappadocia

Breakfast. The entire day dedicated to exploring this fantastic region, where Saint George was born, with its fascinating and original landscape, formed 3 million years ago by lava ejected from the Erciyes and Hasan volcanoes. Visit to the underground city of Ozkonak (or another similar one), built by Christian communities to protect themselves from Arab invasions. We will make a stop at a carpet and kilim workshop. Lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, visit to the numerous monasteries and chapels of Göreme, carved into the rock and decorated with frescoes, crossing the Güvercinlik (Pigeon) Valley to enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of Uchisar, located atop a promontory of volcanic rock pierced by tunnels and windows. At the end of the day, stop at a handicraft workshop for decorations, typical stones, and jewelry of Cappadocia.
At the end of the day, there is the possibility to participate in the spiritual dance of the whirling dervishes (optional, payment on-site). Return to the hotel and dinner.

There is the possibility to take a hot air balloon ride to admire the breathtaking lunar landscape of Cappadocia illuminated by the first light of dawn (optional, payment on-site and subject to confirmation based on availability. This trip may be canceled even a few hours before the start due to adverse weather conditions).

In the evening, after dinner, there is the possibility to participate in a Turkish night, with folk performances and traditional dances (optional, payment on-site). Overnight stay at the hotel.

Culture

30%

Nature

30%

History

30%

Adventure

10%

Breakfast. In the very early morning departure for Pamukkale via Konya through valleys and mountain ranges, with a brief stop to visit the Sultanhani Caravanserai (13th century), which served as a resting place for trade, pilgrimages, and military caravans, now a museum. Lunch at a highway restaurant.

Arrival in Pamukkale, or the "cotton castle," a town famous for its petrified white travertine pools, formed by the lime contained in the water of the thermal springs that emerge in the area. Accommodation in a hotel, dinner, and overnight stay.

Culture

30%

Nature

20%

History

30%

Wellness

20%

Breakfast. In the morning we visit Hierapolis, an ancient thermal city founded around 190 BC by the king of Pergamon and very prosperous during the Roman period, built on top of the pools with a beautiful theater and ruins.

Next, we depart for Ephesus. Lunch at a local restaurant in the Selcuk area.

Ephesus, the best-preserved classical city in Turkey, built in 1000 BC (the remains we see today date back to the 4th century BC), where you can admire: the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian, and its grand theater. At the end of the tour, we will stop at one of the places where parades are held and leather goods are sold. Arrival in Izmir, hotel accommodation, dinner, and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel (depending on the departure time) and transfer to Izmir airport in time for check-in procedures. Departure for Italy with a flight via Istanbul.

PLEASE NOTE: The itinerary may undergo variations due to technical reasons or management of sites, closures of monuments due to holidays/events, or requirements of local authorities. No refunds will be made for any missed visits.