8 Days Istanbul & Western Turkey Tours

Istanbul Old City, Istanbul Bosphorus Cruise, Ephesus & House of Virgin Mary, Pamukkale & Hierapolis, Priene-Miletus-Didyma, Pergamum

Tour Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrive in Istanbul.
(No Meals)
Arrive in Istanbul. Our representative will be waiting for you with your name sign at the airport. You will be picked up and driven to your hotel. check in to hotel and leisure in Istanbul and overnight at your hotel.

Day 2 - Full Day Byzantian & Ottoman Relics Tour in Istanbul.
(B,L)
You will have breakfast at your hotel.
08:30 Am You will be picked up from your hotel for the full day Old City Tour. We will start the tour by visiting Blue Mosque, built for Sultan Ahmet I, which is a unique piece of architecture with its six minarets and features 20,000 beautiful Iznik tiles.Then walk in the ancient Hippodrome where the Obelisk of Theodosius, Snake Pillar and German Fountain of Wilhelm II are stands. Then walk to the St. (Haghia) Sophia, which was built by the Emperor Justinian. It was the largest building in the world for over 1000 years. See its intricate mosaics and huge central dome. (St Sophia is closed on Monday). Then we will see the Grand Covered Bazaar.After visiting Grand Bazaar, we go to a local restaurant to have lunch. After lunch, Continue to visit the Topkapi palace, which was used by the Ottoman Sultans from the 15th to 19th centuries. We will also see the impressive collection of priceless jewels, crystal, silver and porcelain, robes worn by the sultans and relics of the prophet Mohammed. (Entrance to the Harem is extra). We will Walk through the back streets of Old Istanbul and visit the elegant Little Hagia Sophia mosque. This tour may be done all or partially as a walking tour.After the tour,transfer to hotel overnight in Istanbul.

Day 3 – Fly from Istanbul To Izmir and Ephesus Tour.
( B + L )
05:00 You will be picked up from your hotel and transferred to airport. (Please note that pick up time can be change according to flight departure time)
07:00 Fly from ıstanbul to Izmir. (Please note that flight time can be chage according to avalibilty)
08:00 Arrive in Izmir Airprot. Our representative will be waiting for you with your name sign. You will be picked up and drive to Ephesu and you will be dropped off at our meeting point. After meeting with other tour participants and tour guide, the tour starting with Isa Bey Mosque, then drive to an ancient Greek city, later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor which called Ephesus, stroll past the celsus library, the Temple Of Hadrian and the Trajan Fountain in the Ancient Ephesus.After walking on the historical marble street the Great Theater where St. Paul preached will meet at the end. Open buffed lunch in a local Turkish restaurant. In the afternoon will visit the carpet coorperative to see how the Turkish carpets are made by hand. Proceed to shrine of Mother Mary,it is believed where she spent recent years of her life. Ephesus Archeological Museum to see findings of Ephesus excavations and Temple Of Artemis (Diana), on the side of one of the seven wonders of ancient World. At the end of the tour, you will be transfered to hotel.Check in and overnight in Kusadasi or Selcuk.

Day 4 – Drive to Pamukkale and Pamukkale Tour.
( B + L )
Breakfast at your hotel.
08:30 You will be picked up and transferred to meeting point. You will meet with other tour participants and tour guide then start the tour by driving to Pamukkale that has the meaning of the Cotton Castle in English. Once known as Hierapolis, famous for healing thermal / mineral Baths and beautiful snow-white “petrified waterfalls. After lunch visit Hierapolis, including the magnificently preserved Necropolis, the main Street and Gates, the thermal Baths, the devil’s hole, and masterpiece theater. Pamukkale's terraces are made of travertine, a sedimentary rock deposited by water from the hot springs. In this area, there are 17 hot water springs in which the temperature ranges from 35 °C to 100 °C The water that emerges from the spring is transported 320 metres (1,050 ft) to the head of the travertine terraces and deposits calcium carbonate on a section 60 to 70 metres long covering an expanse of 240 metres to 300 metres. Swimming or a therapeutic bath in a hotel pool’s hot spring mineral Waters. At the end of the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel and overnight in Kusadasi or Selcuk.

Day 5 - Priene, Miletus and Didyma Tour.
(B + L)
Breakfast at your hotel and check out.
08:30 You will be picked up and transferred to meeting point. You will meet with other tour participants and tour guide then departure for Priene, the first grid-system planned city of the ancient World, built on hillside. Visit the theater, the temple of Athena, the Bouleterium, the Agora, and the Altar of Zeus and Cybele.We have lunch in local restaurant then Proceed to Miletos, the home of the Thales (Who is according to Herodotus, and according Eudemos May 28, BC 585'te are assumed to have occurred) has reported forecasted solar eclipse. He has been dealing with astronomy and solstices as one of the first astronomer to calculate in advance. And a principle Ionia’n city. Visit the Delphinium, the Nymphanion, the Teather, and the Faustına Baths. After lunch at a restaurant, continue to Didyma to visit Temple Of the Apollon and İt is gigantic columns, which is the biggest Oracle Center of ancient Turkey. At the end of the tour, you will be transferred back to hotel and overnight in Kusadasi or Selcuk.

Day 6 - Pergamum Tour Then Fly Back to Istanbul.
(B + L)
Breakfast at your hotel and check out.
08:30 You will be picked up and transferred to meeting point. You will meet with other tour participants and tour guide then departure for Pergamum. Whose main function was social and cultural as much as it was sacred. Built on a conical hill rising 1,000 feet above the surrounding valley, Pergamum (also spelled Pergamon was an important capital city in ancient times. Pergamum is home to two of the country's most celebrated archaeological sites: Pergamum's acropolis and Asclepion are both listed among the top 100 historical sites on the Mediterranean. Most of the buildings and monuments in Pergamum date to the time of Eumenes II (197-159 BC), including the famed library, the terrace of the spectacularly sited hillside theater, the main palace, the Altar of Zeus, and the propylaeum of the Temple of Athena. In the early Christian era, Pergamum's church was a major center of Christianity and was one of the Seven Churches of Revelation. Asclepion, Galen born & Aducated in Pergamum, was the authority of European medicine from the 2nd century until renaissance. He was the founder of the health principles of diet, relaxation, exercise. Visit the ancient hospital & health center where he worked. At the end of the tour, you will be transferred to Izmir Airport.
21:30 Fly from Izmir to Istanbul (Please note that flight departure time can be chage according to avalibilty)
22:30 Arrive in Istanbul. Transfer to Hotel.Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 7  - Istanbul Bosphorus Cruise & Two Continents Tour.
(B + L)
After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel and takken to meeting point. Firstly we will drive along the Byzantine City Walls that surround the Old City. Then we will reach Golden Horn, the river that separates European side into two parts.There we will stop in Spice Bazaar, a small version of Grand Bazaar, where you can buy Turkish delight, apple tea, turkish tea etc. After this stop, we will get on the boat and start for Bosphorus Cruise until the second bridge.While we are cruising on Bosphorus you will see Rumeli Fortress, Dolmabahçe Palace and many other houses and palaces on European and Asian Side of Istanbul. After the cruise we come back to the port and we go to a restaurant for lunch.After lunch, we get on the bus and cross the Bosphorus Bridge to get to the Asian Side.We will visit Beylerbeyi Palace,the summer house of Ottoman Sultans.After this visit, we will drive to Camlica Hill which is the highest point in Istanbul.You will have the best view of the city on that hill. At the end of the tour, you will be droped off at your hotel. Overnight at your hotel.

Day 8 - Check out from hotel / Transfer to Airport.
(B)
Breakfast and check out from the hotel.You will be picked up from the hotel according to your flight time.
 

Includes

• * All mentioned airport transfers in Istanbul and Ephesus
• * Round trip flight tickets between Istanbul and Izmir
• * Professional Guide licensed by the Ministry of Tourism in the tours
• * Noted sightseeing tours on regular group or private guided basis
• * 3 Nights hotel in Kusadasi or Selcuk with breakfast
• * 4 Nights Hotel in Istanbul with breakfast
• * Mentioned entrance fees to sights by the itinerary
• * Meals mentioned by the itinerary - Vegeterian meals available
• * All mentioned land transportations
• * Local taxes

Excludes

• * Dinner
• * Drinks at lunch
• * Personal expenses
• * Tips

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