Jill's Cultural Tour of Turkey

Tour Overview

19 day Premium quality tour from $3,930

Visiting - Istanbul, Cappadocia, Konya, Antalya, Pamukkale, Hierapolis, Aphrodisias, Ephesus, Priene, Miletus, Didyma, Pergamum, Troy, Canakkale, Gallipoli

Activities - Culture, History, Archaeology

A tour filled with Culture, History and Archaeology. This is the smallest group size tour we conduct, a maximum of 15 passengers plus your tour Leader Jill. This tour will take you to many classical sites in Western Turkey as well as Cappadocia and also Catalhoyuk, a site from Neolithic and Chalcolithic era, approximately 7500 BC to 5700 BC.

Your Tour Leader - Jill Thompson

Jill has had itchy feet since the age of 20. It is a fascination with Turkey though, that combines her passions for travel, photography, bushwalking and life-long learning. A true global citizen, Jill has lived and worked on five continents. But Turkey reveals more each time she visits. More about Jill...

Upon arrival in the legendary city of Istanbul, you are met by your representative with a friendly "Merhaba" (hello) and escorted to your hotel. For those who arrive early in the day, we recommend a visit to the Underground Cistern. This evening, you will be briefed by your leader and local tour guide at the hotel then you will enjoy a group dinner.

Accommodation in Aziyade Hotel

A full day tour to explore Istanbul with our guide. This fascinating city bridges Europe and Asia and, under the name Byzantium and Constantinople was the capital of the Roman and Byzantine Empires, until, in 1453 it became the third and last Capital of the Ottomans. Visit the Blue Mosque, renowned for its six minarets and the beautiful Iznik tiles whose dominant shade of blue gives the mosque its name. Hagia Sophia is a World Heritage site - built in 537 AD and to this day an architectural marvel which was built as a basilica, was converted to a mosque and is now a museum. The Hippodrome nearby was where political, cultural, and sports activities took place during Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman times. The day will end with a visit to the Islamic Arts Museums.

Accommodation in Aziyade Hotel

Today we will visit the Spice Market (Egyptian Bazaar) with our guide. Afterwards, discover Istanbul's natural beauty and rich historic heritage with a cruise on the Bosphorus. Glide past the minarets and palaces, stone fortresses and wooden Ottoman mansions of the only city in the world that bridges Europe and Asia. In the afternoon, we will visit St. Chora, (Kariye Muzesi), with its dazzling mosaics and frescoes - considered to be among the finest Byzantine works in the world, dating from the 14th century. They are in excellent condition having been plastered over and not discovered until the 1940's.

Accommodation in Aziyade Hotel

In the morning we will explore Topkapi Palace, the opulent residence of the Ottoman sultans overlooking the Bosphorus between the end of the 15th and the first half of the 19th centuries. You will discover why it is renowned for its treasures and jeweled captivity of its infamous Harem. Later, we will take you to the Grand Bazaar, the world's largest covered market, with centuries of history.

Accommodation in Aziyade Hotel

In the morning we fly out to Nevsehir in central Anatolia - Cappadocia. We will start exploring the area by a visit to Kaymakli Underground City, followed by a break at the most picturesque spot of Cappadocia, the Goreme Valley. We'll break for lunch and in the afternoon we will visit a ceramics factory and a carpet making workshop, and learn about traditional crafts and designs.

Accommodation in MDC Hotel - Cave Suite Room

Optional balloon trip early morning.

A full day tour to explore the rugged beauty of this fantastic region. The winding landscape is decorated at every twist and turn with a maze of cones, slopes and fairy chimneys, products of centuries of windand rain. Walk in the Red Valley, followed by lunch and in the afternoon visit Goreme open-air museum, where churches were carved into the stone between the 4th-13th centuries and are decorated with frescoes that provide a record of early Christianity. Free afternoon in Urgup town.

[optional evening for Whirling Dervishes]

Accommodation in MDC Hotel - Cave Suite Room

Today, we will explore South Cappadocia. We will visit Soganli Valley, and a small village amongst the rock faces of fairy chimneys. People here still live in these caves and bake their bread in the village bakery which can be seen on tour, children play around the valleys on a donkey back or welcoming tourists to their village, trying to sell a doll for a few dollars to make a living.

[optional evening for Cultural Turkish Night]

Accommodation in MDC Hotel - Cave Suite Room

Ihlara Valley is about 100 kms south of Urgup, It is a natural beauty 14 kms in length, with a little stream running through the valley. Rock churches can be visited. We will walk 4-5 kms down the valley and lunch beside the river. Driving back we will visit the Agzikarahan Caravanserai. These structures were once used as 'camel stops' or 'motels' in the ancient times where Silk Road used to be in use.

Accommodation in MDC Hotel - Cave Suite Room

Konya: the capital of the Sultanate of Rumi and the holy city of the Seljuk Turks. We will stop at the largest and most well preserved Caravanserai of Sultanhan on our drive to Konya. We will visit the Museum of Mevlana, the famous mystic and philosopher who founded the Sufi Order of the Whirling Dervishes in the 13th century. A visit to Karatay Medrese this afternoon will end our day in Konya.

Accommodation in TBA

First we will have a leisurely drive to Catalhoyuk which is the site of a very large Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlement in southern Anatolia, which existed from approximately 7500 BC to 5700 BC. It is the largest and oldest Neolithic site ever found to date. Our drive will continue through the Taurus Mountains to Antalya, overlooking the Turquoise depths of the Mediterranean. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Accommodation in Marina Residence

From Antalya we will drive to Aspendos, where the 2C AD theatre is the best preserved Roman theatre in Asia Minor. Continue to Perge, and visit this other Hellenist-Roman ancient city with its stadium, colonnaded street and theatre. Visit nearby Side before our drive back to Antalya.

Accommodation in Marina Residence

Antalya is a beautiful city on Mediterranean coast of Turkey, today will be a free day at leisure. You can spend the whole day on a beach, or art galleries, or simply explore the old city. We recommend visiting the museum, a small gem which gives invaluable insight into the sites we have visited. Or stroll in the narrow streets of the picturesque old town (kaleici) with its narrow streets and typical wooden houses overlooking the marina, to discover the Hadrian Gate, the Fluted Minaret, the Truncated Minaret, and Hidirlik Tower.

Accommodation in Marina Residence

Through beautiful countryside, we drive to Pamukkale, a unique natural site. Visit the "Cotton Castle" formation where the hot waters, leaving their limestone deposits, have created an unreal landscape with petrified waterfalls and basins. Hierapolis is an ancient Roman health spa whose well preserved necropolis is one of the largest in the ancient world. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Accommodation in Colossae Thermal & SPA Hotel

In the morning, drive first to Aphrodisias, the ancient city dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of Beauty, Love and Fertility, also famous for its school of sculpture. Visit the stadium, which is the best preserved in Anatolia, and the Temple of Aphrodite, the Tetrapylon, the Theatre, the Museum. Continue through the plain of the Meander River to reach the imposing city of Ephesus, one of the most famous and fascinating in the ancient world. Walk down the Marble Street, see the Agora,the Odeon, the Nympheaum of Trajan, the Temple of Hadrian, and the Celsius Library. Walk through the Roman villas (opt) and see how the well-to-do lived. Drive to Selcuk for overnight stay.

Accommodation in Kalehan Hotel

Drive to Priene, in the morning, which was one of the most active ports of the Ionian Confederacy. Continue to Miletus, where you will visit the site which includes the Theatre, the Baths of Faustina, the Gymnasium, the Nymphaeum... Miletus was connected by a Sacred Road to the sanctuary of Didyma where you will discover the colossal Temple of Apollo where crowds of pilgrims came to consult the oracle. Lunch during sightseeing. Drive back Selcuk.

Accommodation in Kalehan Hotel

In the morning, depart for Pergamum, the capital of the Attalid Dynasty. Visit the ancient city where parchment was invented: the library which contained 200,000 volumes, and the impressive theatre built on the hillside which provides a wonderful panorama of the surroundings in the lower part of the ancient city. Also visit the Asclepion, a sanctuary and a healing center dedicated to the god of healing, Asclepius. Continue to the ancient city of Troy whose history covers a period of about 3,400 years with nine layers of settlements (Troy I to IX). King Priam's glorious city, which can be found in the Iliad, Homer's epic poem, was immortalized through mythological characters: Helen, Menelaus, Paris, Agamemnon, Achilles, Hector...and the legendary Trojan Wooden Horse, a reconstruction of which stands at the entrance of the site. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Canakkale located on the Asian side of the Dardanelles.

Accommodation in Akol Hotel

In the morning, cross the Strait of the Dardanelles by ferry. Continue to Gallipolli Peninsula where the ANZAC landed. Visit the battlefields, trenches and memorials. Continue to Istanbul.

Accommodation in Aziyade Hotel

Free day at leisure, suggestions: revisit the sites and sights; visit the many museums in Istanbul; cross the Galata Bridge and visit the Galata Tower for panoramic views of the city; or visit the Suleymaniye Mosque.

Accommodation in Aziyade Hotel

Transfer to airport for connecting flights.

What's included

• Jill Thompson as tour leader
• Small group min 10 max 15 persons
• Comfortable boutique accommodation in shared twin rooms in stated or similar hotels
• All meals mentioned in the program
• All entrance fees to the museums stated in itinerary
• Transportation in private air-conditioned vehicles throughout as stated in the tours general features
• Escort by a professional guide-lecturer throughout

Not included

• Visits and services not mentioned in program
• Insurance
• Personal expenses and all beverages
• Gratuities to the guide and driver

Hotels

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	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
20 Apr 12	8 May 12	$3,930	$780	Available	Enquire Now
21 Sep 12	9 Oct 12	$3,930	$780	Available	Enquire 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.

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