Day 1: Istanbul
Istanbul
Arrival at the airport where you will be greeted by our assistant at the point already communicated previously in the Travel Guide, you will be taken directly to the hotel. Free meals.
Day 2: Istanbul
Istanbul (Breakfast, Lunch)
It starts in the morning at 09:00 with one of our professional guides who will be waiting for you at the lobby of the hotel, from here you will start your day to discover Istanbul on foot to be able to see the city directly (the hotel is located a few hundred meters from the major attractions), it starts from the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet) with its over twenty thousand turquoise ceramics.
From here you will pass to one of the most important monuments in Turkey and in the world: Hagia Sophia with its dome defines the landscape of the whole city, from here you will move on to visit one of the most evocative places: The Underground Cistern, its columns that carry centuries of history in a fascinating and unique context.
For lunch we have planned for you one of the most typical dishes of Turkish cuisine: the Döner Kebab, finally you can enjoy this dish in its homeland. Immediately after lunch you will return to the Byzantine Hippodrome and its monuments inside with all the history of the Roman Empire in one place with centuries of history running through it.
You will then have arrived at Topkapi Palace, the imperial palace of the Ottoman Sultans and their court, where you will discover their treasures and the most interesting aspects of the daily life of an imperial court. At the end of the day you will return to the hotel, dinner will be free and you can consult the Travel Guide for advice. Dinner on your own. Overnight stay.
Day 3: Ankara
Istanbul – Ankara (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
We start again in the morning (we recommend an excellent and abundant breakfast, lunch this day will be around 14:00) with the same appointment as the day before, we will leave for the discovery of the Grand Bazaar and its thousands of shops, you will have time to go shopping and discover the largest and oldest indoor market in the world. Around 12:00 we return to the hotel for the departure to the Turkish capital Ankara, the bus will pick you up at the hotel and take you to the ferry terminal where you will cross the Bosphorus with a scheduled ferry to get to Cengelkoy, an ancient fishing village where you will eat in a restaurant overlooking the Bosphorus. After lunch we leave for Ankara arriving before dinner time. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 4: Cappadocia
Ankara – Cappadocia (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
We leave in the morning of the hotel after breakfast with a visit to the center of the capital and head to one of the most awarded museums in Europe, The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations which contains millennia of history of civilizations that have inhabited the Anatolian Peninsula, after the visit we will leave for Cappadocia, after lunch with typical Turkish dishes we will stop for a stop at the Salt Lake from its suggestive panorama. Arrival before dinner at the hotel.
Day 5: Cappadocia
Cappadocia (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
We leave in the morning at dawn to be able to participate in the excursion (optional, for a fee and subject to weather conditions) of the hot air balloon ride to admire the 'lunar' landscape of Cappadocia and return to the hotel for breakfast. After breakfast, meet your guide to start with a visit to one of the underground cities of the region and the citadel of Uchisar. After lunch you will visit the Goreme Open Air Museum, one of the largest monastic complexes of churches and cave chapels in Turkey and the world. You will then continue with the Devrent Valley, famous for its characteristic rock formations and pinkish volcanic cones, followed by the Avanos Valley, a village on the banks of the Kizilirmak River (Red River), famous for its terracotta pottery; return to the hotel with dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Pamukkale
Cappadocia – Pamukkale (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
After breakfast, leave for Pamukkale. On the way you will visit an ancient caravanserai, typical markets of the Middle East, places of exchange of cultures and trade, the Seljuk of Sultanhani. You will pass for lunch with typical dishes of central Anatolia. In the early afternoon you will arrive at the ruins of Hierapolis , an ancient Greek city in Phrygia, the archaeological site has been cared for since 1957 by the University of Turin, and its Necropolis. Then visit one of the most evocative UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the petrified waterfalls of Pamukkale (Cotton Castle in Turkish) after which you will pass by the hotel before dinner where you can take advantage of the natural thermal waters directly in your hotel room.
Day 7: Kusadasi
Pamukkale – Kusadasi (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
After breakfast. The house of the Virgin Mary, where he spent the last years of his earthly life. You will then stop at a restaurant on the way to Ephesus to taste typical Aegean dishes. The afternoon is dedicated to the visit of Ephesus: the Ruins of Ephesus, the Temple of Hadrian, the Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre. You will then move on to one of the most famous holiday resorts in Turkey: Kusadasi, the hotel will be very close to the beach and you can take the opportunity to take a tour of the marina and maybe take a dip! Dinner will be served at the hotel.
Day 8:
Kusadasi (Breakfast)
Our drivers will pick you up at the hotel, after breakfast, to be able to take you to Izmir airport (Izmir) for the return.
