Three
Country Grand Tour
Turkey, Greece, Egypt
All in a grand 12 day tour of the Mediterranean
we
show you the top sights in these three historic countries in a 12 day
grand tour
Click here for the 14 day edition starting
in Athens . Add Luxor in
Egypt
Compare
with the
17 day edition . Add Santorini
and Mykonos . Add
Syria
DAY
1 - USA Thursday - Weekly - March - Nov
Board your comfortable wide body jet at JFK International Airport.
For west coast passenger please add $ 350 USD $ roundtrip for most West
Coast cities ; SFO, LAX, SAN, SEA, West Coast passengers will fly non-stop
to Europe then on to Istanbul ( no need to go thru JFK)
Overnight on board your flight across the Atlantic. We keep the right
to use any of the international air carriers : KLM . SWISS , Lufthansa,
British, Egyptair, Turkish Airline etc.
Day 2- ISTANBUL Friday
Our staff greets you at Istanbul's airport and escorts you to your hotel.
The rest of the day is yours to explore the Turkish metropolis as you
like.
DAY 3 - ISTANBUL - Saturday (B)
Welcome to the City of the Sultans! We visit the top sights in an all-day
tour, including the Blue Mosque, the Byzantine Hippodrome, the Turkish
and Islamic Arts Museum with its collection of priceless oriental carpets,
and legendary Topkapi Palace Museum, the imperial residence of the sultans
for centuries.
DAY 4 - ISTANBUL - Sunday (BL)
"Imperial
Constantinople in the Belle Epoque" (late 19th century), the exotic
romance of the "Paris of the East:"
Morning walking tour : We start with our guide in Karaköy where the
foreign bankers and shipping companies had their headquarters, then take
the Tünel up to istiklal Caddesi; stop in the whirling dervish tekke,
and walk past the various old embassy buildings (now consulates), and
point out the architecture.
Stop for tea (included) at the famous Pera Palace Hotel.
Walk at least as far as Galatasaray Square, and have lunch in the
Çicek Pasaji (Flower Passage); then walk up to Taksim Square and be picked
up for the afternoon tour.
In the afternoon the tour visit Yildiz Palace Park and the Ihlamur Kasri,
a mini-palace south of Yildiz, and finish up with a visit to the Military
History Museum in Harbiye in time to hear the "Mehter," or Ottoman military
band (mid-afternoon).
DAY 5 - ATHENS- Monday (B)
Today we fly south (air fare is included between Istanbul and Athens
in economy class , tax included ) and west across the Sea of Marmara
and the deep blue of the Aegean to fabled Athens. Upon arrival,
our local rep. meets you and escorts you to your hotel in the Greek
capital. The rest of the day is yours: Athens awaits you!
DAY 6- Private Tour : ATHENS- Tuesday (BL)
A half-day private city tour shows you this great city's layout: we
visit Syntagma Square, the heart of Modern Athens, drive by the parliament,
and climb up to the Acropolis. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private
guide , private driver. Lunch is included in a charming Greek Restaurant.
The afternoon is yours to explore Athens as you like. Take in some shopping,
or relax at a real Athenian cafe in the Plaka.
DAY 7- GREEK ISLANDS CRUISE Wednesday (BLD)
We drive to the Marina Trocadero and board a boat for a tour of the
saronic Gulf and its islands Aegina, Poros and Hydra.
After our delightful day at sea, the evening brings us to a local tavern
for traditional Greek dancing and entertainment.
DAY 8- CAIRO Thursday (B)
Morning at leisure, maybe to enjoy a last minute shopping at the Plaka,
later in the day
we drive to Athens airport for our flight to Cairo airport, airfare
included ;Upon arrival in Cairo, we drive up to our hotel.
Complimentary
Visa is issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport , this is valid for American
, Australian , NZ, Mexican, Singaporean EU, Canadian citizens as well
as Australia, NZ & Japan.
Visa
will be issued upon arrival.
As you exit the gate, you will pass through a door or two , down some
stairs , then walk for 2-5 minutes , until you pass the duty free shops,
at the end of a wide corridor , you will see the security officers.
There you will be met by a local representative, who will be holding
a sign with the name you prefer to use for the sign .
Our local representative will then take your passport to obtain a stamp
from the cashier / bank window and escort you to speak with the passport
officer. He will escort you through another last check on your passport
as you exit the passport control, into customs area, he will assist
you in collecting your luggage and clearing customs . After exiting
the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle)
to the hotel
DAY 9 - CAIRO- Friday (BL)
On our first day in the Egyptian capital, we show you the Egyptian Museum,
the Giza Pyramids, the Sphinx, Citadel of Saladin & Mohamed Ali
Mosque, made of alabaster. You will enjoy a delicious lunch at a local
restaurant.
DAY 10 - CAIRO- Royal Palaces - Home Hosted Dinner Saturday
(BL)
Half day tour of the Abdeen Royal Palace, the seat of power in Egypt
for the Royal family for almost a century. The Palace rivals Versailles
with its treasures of art. On To Manial Palace , Nilometer, and Cairo
Tower. Lunch at a charming local restaurant.
You'll
have one more opportunity to experience the excitement of this great city
and, of course, do some last-minute shopping.
This evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . .
. right into the homes of some of the people of Cairo ! You'll be invited
to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties,
you'll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of
life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new
friends, they're sure to have questions about your own background. Once
the ice is broken, you'll enjoy a lively evening, and find that you have
more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, you may enjoy dinner
in a quiet restaurant with your travel companions, by letting us know
your preferences.
You may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family ( T
shirt , small souvenirs of your home town).
DAY
11 - Cairo Fayoum (BL)
On
Desert Safari for the Day - Fayoum Oases - And you thought the Pyramids
were old
The
wilds of the desert begin right on the outskirts of Cairo, and continue
for hundreds of miles to the east and west, through sands, rock, mountains,
oases, and a surprising variety of scenery and inhabitants.
Join
us for a day ranging across the desert like modern nomads. In place
of camels, we’ll travel in comfortable, reliable four-by-four
Toyota Land Cruisers. Your guide and drivers will meet you at your hotel,
and soon you’ll leave bustling Cairo behind as you undertake the
drive toward the Oasis of El Fayoum, 150 kilometers to the southwest.
Hard as it is to believe, a great inland sea once covered these sands.
It was a holy reserve of sacred crocodiles, symbolized by the god Sobek.
We’ll
visit the temple of Kom Oshim, drive over ancient lake beds, and alongside
the waters of today’s Fayoum Lake to reach the fishermen’s
village of Chak Chouk. There we’ll stop for a lunch of fish caught
fresh that morning. There will be time to wander the village lanes and
discreetly watch the everyday activities of baking flatbread, irrigating
crops from the lake’s waters, and bringing in the catch. We’ll
also include the craft and pottery museum where the best works of local
artisans are on display.
Then
it’s into our four-by-fours again, for an off-road adventure!
We’ll head alongside and across desert washes, between dunes,
and over ancient lake beds for 35 kilometers to the Valley of the Whales
( In Arabic : Wadi-El-Hitan) . Incredibly, these great mammals once
thrived - almost forty million years ago- in waters surrounded by sands.
We’ll stop and gaze in amazement at their fossilized remains alongside
smaller sea creatures that remain in stone.
This valley was discovered in 1936 , by the German geologist George
Schweinfurth in the northwestern corner of Wadi El-Rayan.
The valley provides evidence of one of the major changes in this mammal
evolution has been declared by the UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site.
It is believed that these land based whales once had feet that may have
helped them somewhat while ashore . A team from the University of Michigan
discovered in the late 80's that these Zeuglodon whales did have rudimentary
feet , this was a startling discovery , suggesting that whales of Wadi
-El-Hitan had recently started living in water as well , these whales
were not related to any of the whales we have today , rather a more
slender body and may grow up to 75 feet long. Several skeletons of whales
are exposed in the sand. George Schweinfurth named this extinct specie
the Zeuglodon Isis Whales .
In
the evening, you’ll return to your hotel in Cairo. Land
transportation in air-conditioned four-wheel-drive Toyota Land Cruiser
with the services of driver and English-speaking driver. Lunch is included
DAY 11 - DEPARTURE
Sunday (B)
Our staff escorts you to Cairo airport for your flight home. Bon Voyage
RATES per person in US$
| From
JFK in Economy Class |
Deluxe
|
First
Class |
Modest
Tourist Class
Hotels |
| Triple |
US$
5050.00 |
US$
4550.00 |
US$
4130 |
| Double |
US$
5110.00 |
US$
4690.00 |
US$
4285 |
| Single |
US$
6210.00 |
US$
5510.00 |
US$
5188 |
Please
add a %20 supplement : Dec 15,through Jan 5
Rates
include:
- Air
fare from JFK, (if you wish to handle your own air fare please deduct
$500 : For JFK / Istanbul & Cairo / JFK ), add on from most West
Coast cities : $350.
Atlanta , Detroit , Chicago, Miami , Denver : $ 300 .
Summer air fare supplement of $350 ( May - Sep) this supplement will
not apply when you handle your own air fare. Please deduct $600 when
you handle your own air fare
- Hotel
accommodations (Deluxe , first class as per your request),
including tax, service charge and continental breakfast daily.
- As
well as sightseeing tours and entrance fees as per itinerary, locally
escorted in each country.
- All
transfers in Greece, Turkey & Egypt.
- Airfares
between ISTANBUL, ATHENS & CAIRO in " Y " economy class
.
- Visa
fee for Egypt, valid for American & EU citizens as well as Australian,
NZ, Singaporean & Japanese .
- Meals
as listed : B/L/D preset menu breakfast/lunch/dinner
.
Not Included :
- Tips.
- Any
Travel Insurance (Please check with your insurance agent ) .
- Visa
fee for Turkey.
- Any
beverages.
-
Three
Country Grand Tour
: Turkey, Israel , Palestine and Egypt : An 18 Day Edition
| |
Deluxe
Hotel & Cruise |
First
Class Hotels
First Class Nile Cruise |
| Ashkelon |
Dan
Gardens Hotel |
Dan
Gardens Hotel |
| Amman
|
Four
Seasons ( Supplement applies)
Sheraton Amman
Grand Hyatt
SAS Radisson |
Bristol
Hotel Amman
Amman West Hotel
Golden Tulip Hotel |
| Athens |
Divani
Palace
(Upgrade to King George :
$150 Per person per night
Upgrade to the Grand Bretagne $ 200 Per person per night |
Titania
/ Electra Palace / Stanley |
| Cairo
|
Hilton
/ Sheraton/ Hyatt
Movenpick |
Shepheard's
/ Oases
Novotel |
Dead
Sea
( Jordan) |
Marriott
Jordan Dead Sea
Kempinski Ashtar Dead Sea Resort
Movenpick Resort Dead Sea |
|
| Istanbul
|
Hyatt
, Conrad , Divan |
Aygun
Plaza , Richmond, Arena, Sultan Ahmet , Blue House |
| Aswan |
Mövenpick Aswan .
New Cataract Hotel
(upgrade to Old Cataract : $150 per per person night Nile
View ) |
Basma
|
| Jerusalem
|
American
Colony Hotel |
Notre
Dame Hotel |
| Luxor
|
Sonesta
Luxor Hotel
Luxor Hilton Hotel
Luxor New Winter Palace Hotel
Sheraton Hotel Luxor
Sonesta Luxor
(upgrade to Old Winter : $150 P. Person P. Night ) |
Novotel
|
| Mykonos |
Royal
Myconian |
Petassos
Beach |
| Santorini
|
Dana, Chromata, Grotto |
Volcano's
View |
| Nile
Cruise |
Monaco
/ Monte Carlo / TiYi / Nile Vision / Mojito |
Nile
Dream / Ruby /
Presidential Nile Cruise |
| Tel
Aviv |
Dan
Panorama . King David ( Supplement applies |
Metropolitan
Hotel |
| Tiberias |
|
Nof
Ginnosar Kibbutz |
|
