Pammukale, cotton castles in Turkey

Pamukkale, meaning 'cotton castle' in Turkish, is a beautiful site of natural limestone travertine terraces. Hierapolis, an ancient Roman health spa, was built on top of the white 'castle'.

11 days

Gateway to Antiquity

Tour Overview

11 day Premium quality tour from $1,130

Visiting - Istanbul, Antalya, Aspendos, Perge, Sagalassos, Pamukkale, Aphrodisias, Ephesus, Sardis, Pergamum, Assos, Troy, Canakkale, Gallipolli

Activities -

Let this tour be your guide to timeless treasures and serve as your portal to seeing the treasures of antiquity while traveling along the southwestern coast of Turkey from Antalya to Pamukkale, Ephesus, Gallipoli, Troy and Istanbul. This 8 nights tour enables travelers to discover Western Anatolia and Istanbul in comfortable hotels at a very competitive price. Possibility of extending the tour in Istanbul.

Arrival in Istanbul

Day 1
Wednesday

Upon arrival, meet TurkeyVision representative and transfer to your hotel. Dinner is on your own.

Accommodation in Aziyade Hotel

Istanbul

Day 2
Thursday
breakfast & lunch

After breakfast, visit the Suleymaniye Mosque (the culmination of Ottoman architecture), as well as the Rustem Pasa Mosque with its beautiful Iznik (Nicea) tiles and the Spice Market with its exotic aromas. After lunch, visit treasure-filled Topkapi Palace (residence of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th century) with its terraces overlooking the Marmara Sea, the Bosphorus, and the Golden Horn. End the day at the historic Grand Bazaar. Dinner is on your own. Overnight at hotel.

Accommodation in Aziyade Hotel

Istanbul, Antalya

Day 3
Friday
breakfast, lunch & dinner

In the morning, visit the Blue Mosque, recognizable by its six minarets. Built between 1609 and 1616 for Sultan Ahmet I, the interior is decorated with some 21,000 blue Iznik tiles. Visit the Hippodrome, where political, cultural, and athletic activities took place during Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman times. Visit the imposing Hagia Sophia, which marked the apogee of Byzantine Emperor Justinian's reign. Thereafter there is the possibility of an optional Cruise on the Bosporus, separating Asia from Europe and connecting the Marmara Sea to the Black Sea. Relish the best views of the city and its historic monuments. Discover beautiful marble palaces (Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi), wooden Ottoman villas (yalis), and medieval fortresses. Lunch at a seafood restaurant along the Bosphorus. In the afternoon, transfer to airport for your flight to Antalya. Transfer to your hotel Dinner and overnight.

Accommodation in Khan Hotel

Perge, Aspendos

Day 4
Saturday
breakfast, lunch & dinner

Visit two magnificent sites: Aspendos, a treasure with the world's best-preserved Roman Theater, and Perge, a spectacular Greco-Roman city. On the return to Antalya, discover the tradition of jewelry-making by visiting one of the largest jewelers of Turkey. Later in the afternoon, visit Old Antalya - Kaleici and stroll through the picturesque streets of the old port. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

Accommodation in Khan Hotel

Antalya, Sagalassos, Pamukkale

Day 5
Sunday
breakfast, lunch & dinner

Leaving Antalya, travel over the Taurus Mountains to the Greco-Roman city of Sagalassos, a recently excavated archeological gem. After lunch, drive to Pamukkale. Dinner and overnight.

Accommodation in Pam Hotel

Pamukkale, Selcuk

Day 6
Monday
breakfast, lunch & dinner

In the morning, admire the unreal landscape at the 'Cotton Castle' of Pamukkale with its white terraces of limestone deposited by thermal waters through the ages. See the ancient spa, Hierapolis, still used today. Discover the necropolis, one of the largest cemeteries from antiquity to the present. After lunch, drive to Aphrodisias, the ancient site dedicated to the goddess of beauty, love, and fertility. Appreciate Anatolia's best-preserved stadium. At this site which drew artisans to its school of sculpture, enjoy the Temple of Aphrodite, the Tetrapylon, and the Theater. Continue to Selcuk. Dinner and overnight.

Accommodation in Kalehan Hotel

Ephesus

Day 7
Tuesday
breakfast, lunch & dinner

After breakfast, visit Ephesus; discover one of the world's best places to visualize an ancient Roman city. View the remains of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. After lunch, drive to one of the most popular markets in the region: the Market of Tire. Return to Selcuk. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

Accommodation in Kalehan Hotel

Selçuk, Sardis, Pergamum, Kucukkuyu

Day 8
Wednesday
breakfast, lunch & dinner

In the morning, travel to the capital of the Kingdom of Lydia, Sardis. In this Pactolus Valley city famous for inventing coinage and its wealthy King Croesus, visit the Bath - Gymnasium Complex, the marble-paved Synagogue (3rd c. AD), and the Temple of Artemis. Proceed to Pergamum, capital of the Attalid dynasty. After lunch, explore this ancient city where parchment was invented. Ride a cable car to the upper city to take in the ruins of the Acropolis: agoras, temples, palaces, library (200,000 volumes), and the foundation of the Zeus Altar (now in Berlin). Gaze in awe at the spectacular panorama from the impressive theatre built into the steep hillside. In the lower city, visit the Asclepion, a sanctuary and healing center dedicated to the god of healing, Asclepius. Continue to Kucukkuyu. Dinner and overnight.

Accommodation in Saruhan Hotel

Kucukkuyu, Assos, Troy, Çanakkale

Day 9
Thursday
breakfast, lunch & dinner

In the morning, depart for Assos to see the Temple of Athena overlooking the sea from the highest spot on the acropolis. Explore the site of the ancient city of Troy, whose 3,400 year history spans nine superimposed settlements (Troy I to Troy IX). Deepen your understanding of Homer's epic poem, The Iliad, which immortalized King Priam's glorious city through the stories of Helen, Menelaus, Paris, Agamemnon, Achilles, and Hector. Pose at a reconstruction of the legendary Trojan Wooden Horse at the entrance to the site. Continue to Çanakkale. Dinner and overnight.

Accommodation in Akol Hotel

Çanakkale, Istanbul

Day 10
Friday
breakfast, lunch & dinner

In the morning, cross the Strait of the Dardanelles by ferry to Gallipoli, where the dramatic battles of WWI took place. Ponder the battlefields at the Gallipoli Historical National Park. Continue to Istanbul. Lunch en route. In the evening, enjoy a goodbye drink at the hotel bar. Dinner including wine. Overnight.

Accommodation in Aziyade Hotel

Departure

Day 11
Saturday
breakfast

Transfer to the airport for your return flight.

What's included

  • Transportation in air-conditioned vehicles throughout
  • Escort by a professional guide-lecturer
  • Entrance fees to the museums stated in itinerary
  • Accommodation in shared twin rooms in stated or similar hotels
  • Arrival and departure transfers

Not included

  • Travel Insurance
  • Personal expenses
  • Gratuities for the guide and driver
  • Visa fee

Tour Departures

Start Finish Price

Single Supplement Policy

Single Supplement, commonly referred to as S.S., is an extra charge applied by hotels to customers that want to have a single room.

Our tours are based on twin share accommodation. Thus on most tours a single traveller does not HAVE to purchase single supplement unless they specifically want a single room to themselves.

Single travellers that are happy to share with someone of their own sex do not need to select single supplement. On the rare occasions that there is no option but to charge for a S.S. we will advise you before completing your booking

However with pre and post tour accommodation we are unable to allocate shared accommodation and so single travellers must pay the single supplement with any pre or post tour accommodation they purchase.

Single Supp
Question Mark

Tour Departure Availability

  • AvailableYou can book this tour now. The tour will depart as scheduled with a minimum number of passengers.
  • GuaranteedThis tour is guaranteed to depart giving you absolute peace of mind.
  • LimitedThis tour is filling up fast so be quick!
  • RequestWe are taking expressions of interest for this departure and will run the tour if there is enough interest
  • Sold OutSorry this departure is full!
Availability
Question Mark
23 May 12 2 Jun 12 $1,383 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
30 May 12 9 Jun 12 $1,383 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
6 Jun 12 16 Jun 12 $1,383 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
13 Jun 12 23 Jun 12 $1,288 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
20 Jun 12 30 Jun 12 $1,288 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
27 Jun 12 7 Jul 12 $1,288 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
4 Jul 12 14 Jul 12 $1,288 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
11 Jul 12 21 Jul 12 $1,288 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
18 Jul 12 28 Jul 12 $1,288 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
25 Jul 12 4 Aug 12 $1,288 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
1 Aug 12 11 Aug 12 $1,288 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
8 Aug 12 18 Aug 12 $1,288 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
15 Aug 12 25 Aug 12 $1,288 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
22 Aug 12 1 Sep 12 $1,288 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
29 Aug 12 8 Sep 12 $1,383 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
5 Sep 12 15 Sep 12 $1,383 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
12 Sep 12 22 Sep 12 $1,383 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
19 Sep 12 29 Sep 12 $1,383 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
26 Sep 12 6 Oct 12 $1,383 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
3 Oct 12 13 Oct 12 $1,383 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
10 Oct 12 20 Oct 12 $1,383 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
17 Oct 12 27 Oct 12 $1,383 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
24 Oct 12 3 Nov 12 $1,383 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
31 Oct 12 10 Nov 12 $1,383 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
7 Nov 12 17 Nov 12 $1,383 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
21 Nov 12 1 Dec 12 $1,130 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
19 Dec 12 29 Dec 12 $1,383 $539 Guaranteed Book Now
26 Dec 12 5 Jan 13 $1,383 $539 Guaranteed Book Now

We'll take care of everything

We'll probably get you the best rates on flights. You can also book pre & post tour accommodation, airport transfers and travel insurance. We can also advise you on visa information.

If you're not sure about which trip is best for you then talk to our friendly travel agents. Creating your ultimate Turkey travel experience is our passion.

Can't decide? We're ready to help you