Day 01 MON : Istanbul
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Arrival Reception.
Transfer to hotel and free time. You will receive information about the start of the circuit during the afternoon, or you can check the informative panels in the hotel reception area.
Day 02 TUE : Istanbul
A sightseeing tour of the city lasting about two hours, taking in the walls, the Golden Horn, the fishing district, and Taksim. We will skirt round the Topkapi Palace and admire the exterior of Hagia Sophia. On our tour, we will include a cable car ride up to the Pierre Loti viewpoint and we will look round the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent (the largest in Istanbul). We find ourselves in a city built in two continents. At the end of the afternoon we will provide a transfer to the Taksim neighbourhood, the most commercialised and lively area of the city. There will be time to dine in one of its many restaurants, and you can also take the old tram that crosses the area or go to see the nearby Galata Tower.
Day 03 WED : Istanbul
Today we include a boat trip on the Bosphorus that will last about two hours. We will undertake the trip on a boat exclusively for Europamundo travellers. The Bosphorus is a strait that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, which separates Istanbul into two parts: the European part and the Asian one. We will enjoy seeing the liveliness of the strait with its multitude of boats. We will pass under the two bridges that unite Europe and Asia and we will admire the palaces of the sultans, the typical wooden houses and the Ottoman villas.
Free time (an optional tour including visit and lunch inside the Topkapi Palace will be offered).
Day 04 THU : Istanbul- Ankara- Cappadocia
Today we travel by train: from the station in the Asia district, we take the most modern and fast train in Turkey, a pleasant 4-hour trip through the Anatolian landscapes, perhaps having a coffee in the train café. Arrival in ANKARA. After a time to have lunch in the area of the station, travelling by bus, we will take you to discover the Mausoleum of Ataturk. After that, we will continue en route to Cappadocia. We will pass through the SALT LAKE, with its incredible landscapes. Arrival in AVANOS (CAPPADOCIA), dinner included.
Day 05 FRI : Cappadocia
Full day in the fantastic region of CAPPADOCIA, with its lunar landscapes, its churches and troglodyte villages. We will discover the GOREME Valley with its open air museum and its churches carved into the rocks, entry tickets included. We will visit UCHISAR, a natural fortress. In KAIMACLI we will visit the underground city that could house 30,000 people. After that we will visit a region off the tourist trail: GUMUSLER, an amazing underground monastery from the 7th Century with perhaps the best Byzantine frescoes in Turkey. We will spend time in NIGDE in the east, before returning to our hotel in Avanos. Dinner included.
Day 06 SAT : Cappadocia- Ihlara- Konya
In the morning we will visit the PASABAG Valley. At the far end of Cappadocia, we will visit the IHLARA Valley; known for the freshness of its waters, its churches and villages excavated in the rock. Then we continue our route, with a stop in an old CARAVANSERAI from the 13th Century before arriving in KONYA where we visit the Mausoleum of Mevlana. Here we will learn about the sect of the Dervishes (entrance included). Dinner included. At night, we suggest that you attend the dance performance of the whirling dervishes in the cultural centre.
Day 07 SUN : Konya - Egridir - Pamukkale
We take a scenic road between the lakes, and get to know EGRIDIR, a beautiful town next to a large lake, with its walls and mosques. There’s time to have lunch. We then continue to PAMUKKALE-Hierapolis, whose calcareous waters have created the Cotton Castle (entrance included). Dinner included.
Day 08 MON : Pamukkale - Ephesus - Izmir
We leave in the direction of EPHESUS, the best preserved ancient city of Asia Minor; 2000 years ago it had a quarter of a million inhabitants. We will discover the house of the Virgin Mary, the Basilica of Saint John and the impressive ruins at Ephesus (tickets included). Our trip will then continue to IZMIR, the third city of Turkey, a modern and pleasant coastal city. Dinner included.
Day 09 TUE : Izmir- Bursa- Istanbul
We will make a short visit to IZMIR with our guide. We will tour the church of Saint Policarp, the oldest in Izmir, which reminds us of the importance of this area at the beginning of Christianity (entry tickets included). We will also discover the Fort of Kadifecale. Later we will travel through the interior of Turkey again. There will be a stop en route to have lunch before arriving at BURSA, the fourth city of Turkey whose historic centre has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, which includes traditional shopping districts, mosques, religious schools, public baths, etc. and its outstanding Green Mosque. Arrival in ISTANBUL at the end of the day. End of our services.
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