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 Best of TurkeyWonders
of TurkeyFascinating TurkeyTurkish
DelightAncient AegeanGrand Tour TurkeyCradle of
CivilizationsKusadasi
& Izmir Shore TripsFavourites
of TurkeyThe Odyssey
/ Turkey & GreeceBiblical Asia Minor7 Churches of
RevelationJewish HeritageFootsteps of St. PaulTailor
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Turkish Delight
Day 1 Istanbul Upon arrival to Istanbul Ataturk Airport, you will be met by an Ayala Travel representative and transferred to your hotel. You have the afternoon and evening free to relax and/or check out the city. Dinner and overnight stay in the hotel. Day 2 Istanbul We will leave hotel in the morning to visit the spectacular Blue Mosque decorated with beautiful 17th century Iznik tiles. Then stroll around the historical Hippodrome where chariot races were once held. Continue with the Hagia Sophia / St. Sophia and Museum. An early Christian church, later converted to a mosque under Ottoman rule, this magnificent temple now serving as a museum with all the artefacts from the Byzantine era intact, is especially famous for its mosaics. After lunch in the afternoon, we will visit the Topkapi Palace and Museum, the residence of the legendary Ottoman Sultans, now converted into a museum. It consists of several exhibition halls, such as the Treasury, the porcelain section, Armoury and Holy Relics. We will complete this historical day with a visit to the Grand Bazaar (Kapalicarsi) and return to the hotel for overnight. Day 3 Istanbul Today you will have two options to choose from. If you are feeling a little tired from all the activities and things to see, we invite you to join us for a day of relaxation in the Princess Islands.* If you are feeling more adventurous, or have a specific plan in mind that was not included in the tour plan, this is the perfect day for it. For those of you who would like to join us, we will take a morning ferry ride to Buyukada, the biggest of the Princess Islands which used to be the summer resort for the wealthy non-Muslim community. There will be a tour of the Island by horse drawn carriages, a wonderful patio lunch and free time to do shopping, walking around the island (where there is no motor vehicles traffic). Or, you may just lie down in the sun and relax. A ferry ride in the evening will take us back to the city and drive to our hotel for overnight. Day 4 Istanbul - Cappadocia We will take you to Spice Market, still in use as one of the world’s largest spice bazaars since 1665. Next, we will board the ferries across the Bosphorus which will take us to both European and Asian sides of the city. This beautiful voyage will take you along the shores of Bosphorus and you will see the Rumeli Fortress from the 15th century as well as the seaside summer palaces and unique wooden houses of the area, as well as the natural beauty of the forests above. The last stop on the cruise is the fishing village of Sariyer, close to the Black Sea. From there on we will drive you by coach via the world’s only Intercontinental Bridge to take you to Camlica Hill on the Asian side. Camlica is the highest tip in Istanbul where you will enjoy breathtaking views of Istanbul. We will visit the Beylerbeyi Palace, the summer residence of the royal Ottoman family with original furniture and magnificent gardens. After the tour, you will be transferred for your flight to Kayseri (Cappadocia). Upon arrival, you will be met by an Ayala Travel representative and transferred to your hotel for overnight. Day 5 Cappadocia Following breakfast we will leave our hotel and we will start off with the Goreme Valley Open Air Museum with its bizarre and charming ancient churches and chapels carved into stone. The red rock Fairy Chimneys, the Valley of Zelve and Avanos famous for their crafts and pottery will be our next destination. We will then drive to the fantastic underground city of Kaymakli carved and dug in the 7th century. This city was used as a refuge by Christians during Roman persecution. We will return back to our hotel in the evening for overnight. Day 6 Cappadocia Free day at leisure. You may get information from your guide for horse riding, trekking through valleys and villages, hot air ballooning or other activities. Day 7 Konya - Pamukkale We will leave Cappadocia early and drive to Konya. En route, we will visit the 13th century Seljuk caravanserai Sultanhan. Upon arrival in Konya we will be seeing the famous Mevlana Museum and the Theological School of Whirling Dervishes. Following lunch we will continue our drive to Pamukkale. Overnight in Pamukkale. Day 8 Pamukkale - Kusadasi Following breakfast, we will visit the ancient city of Hierapolis. The ruins of Hierapolis contains one of the biggest Necropolis Graveyard of the ancient world. We will see magnificent examples of Roman Baths, Basilica and the world famous calcium cliffs. After lunch, we will visit the Greco-Roman settlement which is remarkably well preserved. This ancient city is dedicated to the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite. We will continue our drive afterwards to Kusadasi for dinner and overnight. Day 9 Kusadasi Following breakfast we will depart for a full day tour of Ephesus. Ephesus is one of the most extensive and complete Greco-Roman cities in the world. It contains one of the Seven Churches or Revelation, as well as an ancient large port which had a population of 250,000. Walking through the marble streets, visitors can not help but imagine the grandeur of this once great city and its influence in the development of architecture, religion and economic systems and arts. It should also be mentioned that St. Paul lived and preached in this wonder city. After lunch, in the area, we will visit the Archaeological Museum of Selcuk, the Basilica of St. Jean / St John and the House of Virgin Mary, where she is believed to have spent her last days. We will take you back to Kusadasi for dinner and overnight. Day 10 Kusadasi - Pergamum - Canakkale Leaving the Kusadasi area, we will drive to the Asian Pergamum (Bergama) Ruins, the most favoured of the Seven Churches of Revelation. Christianity reached the city of Pergamum very early and this particular church was praised for its forbearance during hard times. It was here in Pergamum, that the first Christians were executed by Romans. You will see the Acropolis of the Hellenistic City of Pergamum, located 1,000 feet above town, as well as the Altar of Zeus and the Temples of Trojan and Dionysus. Following lunch, we will go on to Asclepion the earliest bath centre of Asia Minor and the Red Basilica which was dedicated to Egyptian Gods: Serapes, Isis and Harpocrates. Not far is the city of Troas which will be our next spot. In his second journey, Paul had a vision in which he was called to Macedonia in which instance he made his passing through this ancient city. Later in his third journey, Paul spent a week in Troas preaching and resurrected Eutychus. We will continue our drive north to Canakkale for dinner and overnight. Day 11 Canakkale - Istanbul Following breakfast we will leave our hotel and visit Troy, the legendary town of the Iliad of Homer. The first excavations were made by the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann in 1971and it was revealed that Troy was a real place not just a mythological legend. You will see the excavations showing several layers of this civilization and the recreated Wooden Horse of Troy. We will continue our journey north to the ferry across the Dardanelles to visit Gallipoli Battlefields. We will stand on ANZAC Cove commemoration sight, The Lone Pine Australian Memorial, Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial and Kabatepe War Museum. We will then drive 4.5 hrs to Istanbul for overnight. Day 12 Istanbul We will transfer you back to the airport for your return flight. |
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