Private Tour of Istanbul and Aegean Turkey

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Our "private" Tours are for those who can afford and expect the "BEST"

Come with us for an 9-day adventure to the top sights of Istanbul and western Turkey, the cradle of classical civilization: the Dardanelles, Troy, Pergamon, Izmir, Ephesus, Kusadasi, Priene and Miletus. Click here for the 12 day edition with an extension to Antalya & the Turkish Riviera

DAY 1 - DEPARTURE - Daily - Year Round
Board your transatlantic flight in New York bound for Istanbul. Overnight across the Atlantic. For West Coast passengers : You need NOT to fly via JFK, you will board your non-stop flight from SFO or LAX or SEA or SAN etc. on to London, or Paris or Frankfurt etc, then connect to Istanbul, air fare add on is available from major USA cities. Handling your own airfare : Please deduct $ 500 from the listed rates

DAY 2 - ISTANBUL
Our staff meets your flight and escorts you to your hotel. Set out to explore this great historic city as you like, Boutique Hotel , Ottoman Mansion Style : Blue House , Arena or similar

DAY 3 - ISTANBUL (BLD)
We tour historic Istanbul, including the Hippodrome, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Süleymaniye Mosque, tour fabled Topkapi Palace, where we stroll through the palace gardens and visit the incredible Treasury and the priceless collection of Chinese porcelain . After a quick rest and change, we go out for dinner with live music and belly dancing.

DAY 4 - ISTANBUL (BL)
After a visit to the aromatic Egyptian (Spice) Bazaar on the Golden Horn, and the 4000-shop Grand Bazaar we board a ferryboat and cruise northward along the Bosphorus, the strait which separates Europe and Asia. Sipping Turkish coffee or tea, we pass waterside palaces, mansions, forests and parks. Disembarking at a fishing village, we have a seafood lunch at a local restaurant

DAY 5 - DARDANELLES & TROY Tuesday (BLD)
We drive through Thrace (European Turkey) to Gallipoli, scene of momentous battles in WWI. After lunch we cross the Dardanelles and drive to legendary Troy to see its famous walls and a replica of the Trojan Horse before settling in at our hotel in Çanakkale.

DAY 6 - PERGAMON & IZMIR (BLD)
Driving south through the fields and olive groves along the Aegean shore, we come to Bergama, ancient Pergamon. Ascending its lofty acropolis, we see the Altar of Zeus, Temple of Dionysus and the remains of the 200,000-volume library which was surpassed only by Alexandria's. A few miles away, we tour the asclepion, the early medical center where Galen was a physician, before continuing to Izmir for the night. Hilton or similar deluxe hotels

DAY 7 - EPHESUS & KUSADASI (BLD)
In the morning light we ascend Kadifekale, Izmir's hill crowned by a fortress built by Alexander the Great. Then it's off to biblical Ephesus to see the Basilica of St John the Evangelist, who came here with the Virgin Mary. Passing the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, we reach Ephesus, the most impressive ancient city on the Mediterranean. After our tour, we continue to the fine Ephesus Museum and the hilltop House of the Virgin Mary, said to be her last home on earth. On Aug 18th,1961, Pope John XXII declared the House of Virgin Mary in Ephesus to be sacred.

DAY 8 - PRIENE, MILETUS & DIDYMA /ISTANBUL Friday (BL)
A short drive brings us to the well-preserved ruins of Priene, a very ancient city perched above the aptly-named Meander River. We next tour Miletus, where the philosopher Thales was born. Finally, we tour the gigantic oracular temple at Didyma, which challenged the primacy of Delphi, before returning to Istanbul by plane and your deluxe hotel by the airport

DAY 9 - RETURN HOME Saturday (B)
We escort you to the airport for your flight home.

RATES per person

"Istanbul & Aegean Turkey" departs New York daily

AIRFARE NOTES : Doesn't apply when you handle your own airfare

For departures in June thru end of Sep , please add US$350 high-season airfare supplement to these rates. This supplement doesn't apply when you handle your own air fare, please note that you may deduct $ 500 from the listed rates when you handle your own air fare between USA & Istanbul.

Inclusions:

• International airfare New York-Istanbul-New York, as well as airfares within Turkey in economy class , tax included .

• Accommodations in comfortable first-class (4-star) hotels are included; please contact our office if you would like to upgrade your accommodations to Deluxe (five-star) or Heritage (five-star-plus) hotels (available in Istanbul only).

• Set-menu meals as indicated: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, including bottled water. During the

• All transfers are on a private basis , with a private air-conditioned vehicle , private chauffeur

• Sightseeing with a licensed native private guide , including all admissions fees
  

       Click here for info on sailing the Mediterranean ( Blue Cruise)

Rate doesn't include :

• Visa Fee : cash upon arrival, for , or from any of the Turkish Consulates
• Trip/travel insurance
• Tips to drivers and guides etc.
• Any expense of personal nature

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