the
splendors of Turkey - Istanbul to Ephesus & the Turquoise
Coast |
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This
is the perfect trip for those who want to explore the best
that Turkey has to offer! You'll experience the highlights...
from Istanbul to Cappadocia to Antalya to Ephesus... plus,
spend five nights on your own private gulet sailing and
exploring Turkey's Turquoise Coast.
|
When
the tour is over, you'll have enjoyed more adventures and
thrills than you thought possible in 16 magical days in
Turkey. |
Tour
starts in Istanbul on June 14, 2009. Tour ends in Sirince
on June 29,
2009. |
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•
Highlights
of Byzantine and Ottoman Istanbul, Topkapi Palace, Hagia
Sophia and the Blue Mosque that dominate the city's skyline
• Volcanic
valleys and caves of Cappadocia
• Rock
cut churches of Goreme
• Aspendos,
one of the best preserved Roman theatres of all the world
• The
Temple of Apollo in Didyma
• Crusader
Castle and the world's leading Underwater Archaeological
Museum in Bodrum
• Ephesus,
one of the most complete ancient cities in the world
• Private
gulet cruise to explore the hidden corners of the Mediterranean,
the Turquiose Coastline
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|
| 16
days, tour starts in Istanbul, ends in Sirince near Ephesus
- contact for pre- & post-tour alternatives |
-
Accommodations
in centrally located hotels and village pensions
- All breakfasts, 6 lunches &
10 dinners
- All entrance fees to sites
and museums listed in the itinerary
- Services of an experienced,
licenced Turkish guide
- All tips, including your guide
and driver
- All land transportation as
in the itinerary
- 5 nights in a private gulet
- Domestic flight; Istanbul -
Cappadocia |
|
| day
1 - June 14 - Sunday --- After
checking into your hotel in Istanbul, meet your fellow tour
mates and hear details about your Turkey adventure. Afterwards,
we’ll visit the Blue Mosque and enjoy our first dinner
together. |
day
2 - June 15 - Monday --- We’ll
spend the entire day exploring Istanbul’s Old Town
on foot. Highlights include Topkapi Palace with its Harem
and Treasury, Hagia Sophia Cathedral, Turkish Islamic Arts
Museum and the Underground Cistern.
|
| day
3 - June 16 - Tuesday --- We’ll
enjoy another full day of sightseeing in Istanbul. Later,
we’ll take an evening flight to Cappadocia. |
days
4 & 5 - June 17 & 18 – Wednesday & Thursday
--- You’ll
spend the next two days becoming familiar with the charms
of Cappadocia. You’ll take a village walk, enjoy lunch
with a local family, visit the Goreme Open Air Museum, and
learn everything there is to know about Turkish handmade
carpets.
|
day
6 - June 19 - Friday --- We’ll
say goodbye to Cappadocia and get an early morning start
to Antalya and the Mediterranean coast. Our journey will
take us across the plains of Turkey and through the Taurus
Mountains. We’ll arrive in Antalya late in the day,
and settle in at our pension in Antalya’s Old Town.
|
day
7 - June 20 - Saturday --- We’ll
spend the day exploring the area around Antalya, including
a tour of Aspendos Theatre and Termossos ancient city.
|
day
8 - June 21 - Sunday ---
We’ll
drive west from Antalya along the coastline to rendezvous
with our home the next five nights….our own private
gulet! Along the way we’ll visit the sunken city of
Simena, rock cut tombs and Dead Sea of Fethiye. We’ll
be settled on our gulet by dinnertime and enjoy our first
meal on board.
|
days
9-12 - June 22-25 – Monday-Thursday --- During
the next four days, we’ll experience Turkey’s
Turquoise Coast from our gulet. We’ll explore bays
and villages, have numerous opportunities for swimming,
and become accustomed to the good life at sea.
|
| day
13 - June 26 - Friday --- We’ll
say good-bye to our captain and crew in Marmaris and continue
west by bus along the coast to Bodrum. In Bodrum, we’ll
visit the Underwater Archaeological Museum located in the
Crusader Castle as well as the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. |
| day
14 - June 27 - Saturday --- Our
destination today is the tiny village of Sirince, nestled
among olive groves in the hills above Ephesus. Along the way,
we’ll visit the Temple of Apollo in Dydima. |
| day
15 - June 28 - Sunday --- Today,
we’ll spend the morning exploring the ancient city of
Ephesus. Later there will be time for a visit to the site
of temple of Artemis, and Ephesus Museum. We’ll be back
in Sirince in time for our final dinner together. |
| day
16 - June 29 - Monday --- Our
tour will end after breakfast. You can spend more time exploring
the area, catch a ferry in Kusadasi and visit the Greek Islands,
or take a flight from Izmir back to Istanbul. |
Individual pre- & post- tour extensions
are available to alternative destinations. |
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