Turkey

- Arrival Day Pickup from Airport and transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 2 - Istanbul City Tour with Lunch

Start your tour with a hotel pickup, then travel by coach to the nearby Sultanahmet district and step inside your first attraction of the day – Hagia Sophia. Formerly a church, then a mosque, and now an intriguing museum, Hagia Sophia is sure to impress from every historic angle. Admire its medley of architecture that draws on influences from both the Ottoman and Byzantine eras as you explore with your guide.Continue to the nearby Blue Mosque, passing Istanbul Hippodrome on the way. Chariot races were held here at the time of the Ottoman Empire, and it gained a reputation as the hub of sporting and political activity in the city. Before entering the mosque, stop for photos and gaze in admiration at its six minarets that provide an iconic backdrop to Istanbul’s cityscape. Then head inside to marvel at its ceiling, adorned with bright blue Iznik tiles that attribute to the mosque’s name.

Prepare for an assault on your senses at the nearby Grand Bazaar as you browse the bustling shops and stalls that spill out into its frankincense-scented lanes. Pedaling everything from Turkish carpets to kebabs, this frantic market can be daunting to visitors, so let your guide show off its highlights while you soak up its ambiance.

Stop for lunch in a local restaurant, and then travel by coach to Topkapi Palace – one of the world’s oldest and biggest palaces. Now a significant museum, the palace seems to drip with dazzling ornamentation and artifacts at every turn. Explore its courtyards with your guide, and learn about the sultans and their harems that lived here from the 15th century.

Your tour finishes at your central Istanbul hotel.

Please Note : St. Sophia Museum is closed on Mondays, Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays and The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays

 Istanbul Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Live Performance

Day free to explore the city.

In the evening, pickup to proceed for an exciting Bosphorus Cruise which includes Boat cruise on the Bosphorus, Turkish Night Show (belly dancer, Henna Ceremony, Live DJ performance), unlimited soft drinks & Dinner. Spend a memorable all inclusive evening cruising around the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul.Having admired the sights of the Bosphorus Strait from the water, return to land and finally finish your experience with a hotel drop-off.

Overnight in Istanbul.

 Istanbul to Kayseri Airport and transfer to Cappadocia 

Depart for Istanbul airport for domestic flight to Kayseri Airport. Transfer from the airport (approx 1.5 hrs) and check into your hotel in Cappadocia. Rest of the day at your leisure in Cappadocia. Overnight in Cappadocia. 

 North Cappadocia Tour with Goreme Open Air Museum (approx 7-8 hrs)
 

Pick up time from the hotel is around 9:30 am depending on your hotel location. The professional tour guide will help you to get acquainted with a unique area called Cappadocia. The highlights of this tour are listed below.

Avanos town is famous for its production of earthenware pottery. The ceramic trade in this district and its countless pottery factories date right back to the Hittites, and the ceramic clay from the red silt of the Kizilirmak River has always been used. The tour program can include pottery demonstration with the Hittite technique.

Çavusin is one of the oldest settlements in Cappadocia which dates back to the 5th century. It's an old village where people still live in rock-cut dwellings and stone houses. The Church of St. John the Baptist in Çavuşin village dates back to the 5th century, its paintings - to the 6th, 7th and 8th centuries. The church offers a spectacular panoramic view of the village.

Devrent Valley (known also as Imagination valley) doesn't have any rock churches and monasteries, it is famous for a lunar landscape with unique rock formations that look like animals (camel, alligator, snakes, seals, etc) and people (dancers, praying St. Mary, etc). You will definitely enjoy your walk through these amazing fairy chimneys.

Goreme Open-Air Museum is a UNESCO protected site with rock-cut churches and monasteries dating between the 5th and 13th centuries. There are over 400 churches in Goreme, most of them are with beautiful frescoes whose colors still retain all their original freshness (the Apple Church, The St. Barbara Church, the Church of the Serpent, the Dark Church, etc.).

Pasabag Valley has the best collection of fairy chimneys in Cappadocia. These rock formations with twin and even triple rock caps are named mushroom shaped fairy chimneys. The valley is also known as Monk's Valley due to the monks who used to take refuge here. A chapel dedicated to St. Simeon and a hermit’s shelter has been built into one of the fairy chimneys with three caps; it's possible to visit the inside and climb to the top of it.

Uchisar Rock Castle is the highest point in Cappadocia. From the top of the castle opens a magnificent panoramic view of the area with the Erciyes mountain at the distance. It's the best view of Cappadocia except that opening during a hot-air balloon tour. Rooms of this rock multi-level castle are connected to each other with stairs, tunnels and passages.

Ürgup is heart of Cappadocia famous for its wine production. Before you go back to the hotel you will visit a winery to sample some of the local wines.

The North Cappadocia tour finishes at 4:30 pm

Overnight in Cappadocia.   

Cappadocia South Tour (approx 7-8 hrs)

This popular cappadocia tour will take you to historical sights found in the southern region of Cappadocia, including Derinkuyu Underground CIty, Ihlara Valley, ,Selime Monastery, Pigeon Valley and Goreme Panorama Viewpoint.Overnight in Cappadocia.  

Cappadocia to Istanbul

After breakfast we will depart for Kayseri Airport for a flight to Istanbul. On arrival at Istanbul airport, catch the return flight back home. End of tour services