Affordable Anatolia

This 12-day private tour shows you the same sights as our more expensive tours, but you save money by staying at comfortable four-star (not five-star) hotels.
Click here for the Turkish Riviera & Anatalya Edition

Come see the wonders of "Imperial Constantinople in the Belle Epoque" (late 19th century), the exotic romance of the "Paris of the East:" . Istanbul and Central and Western Turkey in only 11 days: Ankara, Cappadocia, Konya, Pamukkale, Aphrodisias, Ephesus, Kusadasi, Pergamon, Troy and Çanakkale. Add Jordan and Egypt

DAY 1 - Daily - Year Round
This is a private tour, you may choose your own date - Yet we suggest Friday
Our staff escorts you to your hotel. In the evening, enjoy Turkish coffee and serbet (fruit drinks) as we plan our activities and answers any questions you may have on the itinerary.

DAY 2 - ISTANBUL
Saturday (cBL)
Today we tour the top sights in this fabled city. We start at the Byzantine Hippodrome, where we visit the famous Blue Mosque to admire its brilliant blue tiles, and Sancta Sophia, the cavernous basilica built by Emperor Justinian in 548. Topkapi Palace, the home of the Ottoman sultans for centuries, is our next stop. We visit the fabulous Treasury and the renowned Chinese porcelain collection,then drive to the Süleymaniye, Istanbul's grandest mosque. We finish our tour at the Kariye Museum, built as a Byzantine church in the 11th century and decorated with glittering gold mosaics. (Chora Church), the church of St. Savior, resplendent with Byzantine mosaics.

DAY 3 - ANKARA & CAPPADOCIA Sunday (BLD)
We fly to Ankara for a visit to the world-famous Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, filled with Hittite treasures. Then we drive south toward Cappadocia, stopping on the way at Agizkarahan to see the impressive Seljuk Turkish camel caravanserai, once a way-station on the famed Silk Road. We continue to Uçhisar to visit the natural citadel hollowed from the soft volcanic rock, and then spend the night in nearby Ürgüp.

DAY 4 - CAPPADOCIA Monday (BLD)
First we visit the Göreme Valley, now an open-air museum with dozens of beautiful cave-churches cut from the living rock, then the monastic valley of Zelve. We take a short drive and descend into the labyrinth at Kaymakli or Derinkuyu, a veritable underground city carved from the volcanic tuff by early Christians as a refuge in case of danger and hostile raids. After visiting the Cappadocian towns of Avanos - famous for its potters - and Ortahisar, we return to Ürgüp.

DAY 5 - KONYA & PAMUKKALE Tuesday (BLD)
We follow the ancient Silk Road to Konya, city of the Whirling Dervishes, to visit the Mevlana Museum. Then on to the mineral spa of Pamukkale to enjoy the sunset before the short drive to our hotel in Denizli.

DAY 6 - APHRODISIAS & KUSADASI Wednesday (BLD)
We return to Pamukkale, called Hierapolis by the Romans, to visit the church dedicated to St. Philip (martyred here in 80 AD), a Temple of Apollo, and the baths. After a swim in the warm calcium-rich waters we head west to Aphrodisias, with its near-perfect stadium, theater, odeon and temple. The drive to our hotel in Kusadasi is through the cotton fields and fruit orchards of the fertile Meander River valley.

DAY 7 - EPHESUS & IZMIR Thursday (BLD)
Our full-day tour of Ephesus takes us along the city's marble streets to the beautiful Library of Celsus, the grand agora, the Temple of Hadrian and the fine marble odeon.

Ephesus was the capital of Roman Asia Minor, and the Basilica of St. John, said to mark his tomb. Ephesus is where Mary spent her last days.
The Church of the Virgin Mary built in the early days of Christianity.

Ephesus was the seat of the Council of Ephesus ( If you are interested in visiting the Council of Ephesus, please let's know in advance.

Here at the great Amphitheater in Ephesus the rioters cried against St. Paul " Great is the Diana of Ephesians" .

Next we drive up to a pine forest on a nearby mountain top to visit the House of the Virgin Mary. Then it's on to the Basilica of St. John, after which we drive to Izmir, Smyrna for the night.

DAY 8 - PERGAMON and the SATAN's THRONE & DARDANELLES Friday (BLD)

Driving north along the Aegean coast, we come to Bergama (ancient Pergamon where the Satan's Throne was ) and ascend its lofty acropolis, followed by a tour of the Asclepion, one of the world's first medical and ancient healing centers. After lunch at a local restaurant , we continue northward along the coast to Çanakkale, on the Dardanelle's and the famous Gallipoli WWI battlefield.

DAY 9 - TROY & ISTANBUL Saturday (BLD)
Homer's epic poem the Iliad told of the legendary city of Troy. Explorer Heinrich Schliemann discovered the real Troy in 1871. We visit the ruined city and a replica of the famous Trojan Horse before driving along the shores of the Sea of Marmara to Istanbul.

DAY 10 - ISTANBUL Sunday (BLD)
Full day at leisure or join one of our optional tours: Such as a half-day Bosphorus Cruise, then head back to Istanbul by car for an afternoon walking and shopping tour of the Covered Bazaar and Egyptian Spice Market. Evening Turkish & Ottoman soiree with dinner & folk show.

DAY 11 - "Imperial Constantinople in the Belle Epoque" (late 19th century), the exotic romance of the "Paris of the East:"

(BL)

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.

Lunch at a local restaurant.
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 Ottoman History Museum in Harbiye in time to hear the "Mehter," or Ottoman band (mid-afternoon).

DAY 12 - DEPARTURE Sunday (B)
After breakfast, our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight . Extend to Cairo air fare is only : $200 including tax. Bon Voyage .

Tour starts every Friday in Istanbul , year round

Rates are per person in USD $ :

Inclusions:

• Accommodations in comfortable four-star hotels .
• Domestic airfares in Turkey in economy class, tax included
• All transfers, and all meals (preset menu), including one Turkish Evening with dinner/Folk Show & Belly Dance.
• All guided sightseeing as listed including all entrance fees.
• Complimentary Travel Guide book

Rate doesn't include :

• International air fare from /to your home country ..
• Visa Fee : in cash upon arrival, or from any of the Turkish Consulates
• Trip/travel insurance

En Espanol - Back to Turkey Tour List -   Click for the Turkish Riviera & Antalia Edition

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