Marvels of Eastern Turkey Tour
16 Days / 15 Night
No Age Limit
İstanbul
Best Deals
- Departure & Return Location
- İstanbul
- Meeing Time
- 30 Minutes Before Event Time
- Price Includes
- 15 nights accomodation at hotels mentioned above
Hotels:
- Sultanhan Boutique Hotel / A Morgans Original 5*– *– Istanbul
- Sheraton Hotel 5* –Ankara
- Argos Cave Hotel –Cappadocia
- Hilton Inn Hotel –Konya
- Hilton Adana Hotel 5*-Adana
- Hotel Zeus Boutique Hotel-Kahta
- Hotel Dedeman 5*-Urfa
- Hotel Dedeman 5*-Diyarbakir
- Hotel Merit Sahmaran/Tamara 4*-Van
- 15 breakfasts & 14 lunches & 15 dinners at hotels indicated with B,L,D.
- Admission fees, tax and service charges
- Complete program of tours as specified in day by day itinerary but not limited
- Services of a Professional English-speaking tour guide who is licensed by the Turkish Ministry of Tourism and an expert on Turkey’s history and culture.
- Local transportation by a private chauffeur driven deluxe van with A/C
- All transfers and touring as per itinerary from arrival to departure
- Airfare for the flight from Istanbul to Ankara // Van to İstanbul
- Flight for guide from Istanbul to Ankara // Van to İstanbul
- Accomodation for guide and driver at a lower category hotel including their meals
- VAT
- Price Excludes
- Airfare of international flights and related taxes,
- Customary end-of-tour gratuities to guide and drivers,
- Bottled beverages or alcohol,
- Travel insurance and visas, laundry and personal items.
- Tour Plan
Upon arrival, we transfer to our hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure. Welcome reception and dinner at hotel.
A full day visit of Istanbul including the Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Underground cistern and the Church of St. Sophia with its world famous mosaics and architecture. After lunch within the Topkapi Palace complex, we continue our tour of the palace, one time residence of the Ottoman emperors and now a museum housing extraordinary collections of jewellery armor and imperial costumes. We will finish the tour with a visit to the Grand Bazaar before returning to our hotel. Dinner at hotel.
Today we continue to explore more of Istanbul including the Chora Church (Kariye Camii), one of the most important monuments in Istanbul and famous for its mosaics. Visit the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent. Lunch. Drive along the ancient walls of Constantinople on the way to the Archeological Museum which has an enormous collection of finds on display before returning to your hotel. Dinner at your hotel.
Transfer to Istanbul airport for our morning flight to Ankara. Upon arrival drive to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations which houses the richest collection of artifacts brought from various parts of the country. These artifacts include pre-historical materials, Neolithic cave drawings, utensils from Catalhoyuk, the earliest known city in the world. We will see thousands of objects which give us an overall picture of Hittite, Phrygian, Lydian and Urartian civilizatipns. Then we will proceed to the Temple of Augustus. After lunch, we will visit the Mausoleum of the founder of Modern Turkey, Ataturk. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Ankara.
Leave Ankara for Amasya. En route visit of the Hittite capital Hattusas. The breath-taking setting and massive size of the former city are unrivalled. Our visit includes the Lion Gate, King’s Gate, Royal palaces, city walls, various temples. Short drive to the rock shrine of Yazilikaya where we see various reliefs dedicated to the Hittite deities. The sanctuary has a breath taking quality of its relief depictions. After lunch, drive to Alacahoyuk. After Hattusas, Alacahoyuk is the most important Hittite settlement site in existence. Drive back to Ankara where we spend the night and have dinner
Leave Ankara for Cappadocia. En route visit of the museum of Hacibektas, dedicated to one of the greatest Islamic Sufic philosopher. Continue to Kayseri for our visit of Karum Kanesh. It is one of the oldest settlements in Asia Minor. Karum was established by Assyrian merchants as a bazaar, one of the oldest in the world. Drive to Cappadocia where we spend the night. Dinner and overnight.
We continue for our full day tour of the region.Our first stop is at Goreme where we will see a lot of rock cut churches with beautiful frescoes. Then we will drive to see the Pashabagi Valley before we arrive at Zelve Open Air Museum which was one of the earliest monastic settlements in the area. Afternoon visit of one of the Underground cities of Cappadocia which was used in times of danger. Dinner and overnight
This morning, we drive to Acemhoyuk which was established in the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age and became more popular during the Assyrian Colony period. After lunch in Aksaray, we drive to Konya which was the capital of the Selcuk Empire and adorned with elaborate monuments of the 12th and 13th century. We visit the Mevlana Museum which houses the tomb of the world famous mystic philosopher, Mevlana. A sacred Islamic shrine and object to pilgrimage from all over Turkey. Dinner and Overnight in Konya.
Leave Konya for Ivriz. a Assyro-Hittite site south of Eregli, in the very foothills of the Bolkar-Toros range. Visit of the rock-relief of the Hittite deity Tarhunzas. After a picnic lunch by the lake, begin our drive over the picturesque Taurus Mountains and passage through the famed Cilician Gates to Adana. Dinner and overnight.
After our early breakfast at hotel, leave for Karatepe, the summer palace of the Neo-Hittite Kingdom. En route, visit of the Hellenistic city of Hierapolis-Castabala. Arrive Karatepe where we will see elegant stone carvings and hieroglyphics.The carvings show hunting and feasting scenes,all guarded by sphinxes, lions and horses. After lunch drive to Kahta where we spend the night. Dinner and overnight in Kahta.
Morning visit of the Nemrut Dag which houses the colossal statues and the testimony of the King Antiochus of the Commegene Kingdom. It is a unique and breathtaking experience. After lunch, drive to Urfa, en route, we witness one of the greatest projects of Turkey. The Atatürk Dam built on the Euphrates and has changed the entire silhouette of the area. Arrive Urfa, visit the Pool of Abraham which is charming and unusually peaceful with attractive gardens and canals leading to the pool. Remainder of the day is on your own to explore the old bazaar of the city which has a very Syrian flavor. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Morning visit of Biblical Harran famous with its beehive-style mud houses. Genesis refers to Harran as Terha, the place where Abraham took his wife and son.lt is difficult to believe that this deserted place on the edge of the Syrian desert was once a major economic, religious and a learning capital. Drive back to Urfa for lunch. Continue east for Diyarbakir. Visit of the famous ancient city walls with five monumental gates which are the longest in Turkey. Visit the Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami). This remarkable mosque was the very first of the Great Selçuk mosques in Anatolia. Dinner and overnight.
Leave Diyarbakir for Van. Lunch en route in Tatvan. Drive further east for our visit of the Church of Akdamar located on a small island in Lake Van. This is one of the best and most sophisticated Greco- Armenian Churches of the 10th C. It is unique with its decorations carved on the outer walls of the church depicting scenes from The Old Testament. Arrive VAN which was the capital ui the famous Urartian Kingdom and gives its name to the largest lake in Turkey. Dinner and overnight at our Hotel in Van.
Morning visit of the archeological Museum of Van which displays artifacts belonging to the Hurrian and Urartian Civilizations. We drive to the Van Castle which has a dramatic location and served not only for the Urartians but also for the Ottomans. After lunch we drive to Cavustepe, known to the Urartians as Sardurihinili, the city of Sarduri and built by Sardur . We will see palace buildings, temples, altars, cisterns and even an ancient toilet. Drive back to Van. Dinner and overnight.
Transfer to Van airport for our morning flight to Istanbul. Arrive Istanbul. Remainder of the day is at leisure or discover more of Istanbul. Dinner and overnight.
Transfer to the international airport for your outgoing flight. End of our services
Prices
2 Participants :
7.690.00 $
4 Participants :
5.460.00 $
6 Participants :
4.390.00 $
8 Participants :
3.950.00 $
10+ Participants :
3.850.00 $