banner

Glories of Turkey Tour

This 12 day tour, starts and ends in Istanbul, Turkey.

Tour Highlights

  • Istanbul – Old City – UNESCO Heritage site
  • Istanbul – St. Sophia Museum
  • Istanbul – Blue Mosque
  • Istanbul – Topkapi Palace
  • Istanbul – Hagia Irene (Aya İrini)
  • Istanbul – Hippodrome
  • Gallipoli – Battlefields Tour
  • Gallipoli – ANZAC Cove
  • Gallipoli – Lone Pine – Australian Memorial
  • Gallipoli – Johnson’s Jolly – original tunnels
  • Gallipoli – The Nek – original trenches
  • Gallipoli – Chunuk Bair – New Zealand Memorial
  • Troy – UNESCO Heritage site
  • Pergamon – Teleferik (Cable Car)
  • Pergamon – UNESCO Heritage site
  • Site of the Temple of Artemis
  • Ephesus – UNESCO Heritage site
  • Sirince – Village
  • Pamukkale – Calcium Travertines – UNESCO Heritage site
  • Pamukkale – Hierapolis – Tour
  • Termessos – Termessos Tour
  • Antalya – Kaleiçi (Old Town) – Tour
  • Antalya – Hadrian’s Gate
  • Antalya – Suna-İnan Kıraç Kaleiçi Museum
  • Perge – Ancient Site
  • Aspendos – Ancient Site
  • Side – Temple of Apollo
  • Konya – Mevlana Museum
  • Sultanhani Caravansary
  • Cappadocia – Pigeon Valley
  • Cappadocia – Red Valley
  • Cappadocia – Çavuşin Village
  • Cappadocia – Avanos – Pottery Village
  • Göreme – UNESCO Heritage site
  • Göreme – Open Air Museum
  • Cappadocia – Kaymakli – Underground City
Price from

$3,439.00

Check availability

Tour Information

Inclusions:

  • Professional English-speaking tour guide for the duration of the tour
  • Transportation in a fully air-conditioned, non-smoking vehicle
  • Domestic flight between Cappadocia and Istanbul and transfers
  • Tips except Driver and Guide
  • Entrance fees

Departures:

Every 2nd Saturday - January to December

Notes:

  • The 2024 Glories of Turkey Tour has changes Day 7 to Day 9.
  • - Antalya Old Town Tour, Side and Termessos have been removed and replaced by Antalya Museum and Laodicea.
  • - The 2024 version of this tour may be found here 2024 - Glories of Turkey Tour

Itinerary

Day 1

Welcome to Istanbul! You will be transferred to your hotel and the remainder of the day is yours, free to explore.

Day 2

After breakfast, you enjoy a fully guided tour of the only city to span two continents, visiting the Blue Mosque, St Sophia Museum, Topkapi Palace (including Hagia Irene) and the Hippodrome.
Cruise between two continents on the stretch of water that separates Europe from Asia in the afternoon with an optional ‘Half day Bosphorus cruise’.

Day 3

One of the most emotionally touching places in Turkey, today we visit the WWI Battlefields of Gallipoli including Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair Memorials, ANZAC Cove, The Nek, Johnston’s Jolly, original trenches and tunnels.

Day 4

Step back in time today as we visit Troy and its famed Trojan Horse. We continue on to Bergama and catch the new cable car up to the magnificent acropolis of Pergamon. Its impressive temples and library made it a renowned cultural and political centre in its time.

Day 5

Absorb yourself in history today with a guided tour of Ephesus and a visit to the site of the Temple of Artemis. Feel the mystical atmosphere of the ancient city and theatre before continuing to the former Greek village of Sirince, famous for its fruit wines. Carpet weaving has long traditions in Turkey and at the carpet village we learn how the carpets are made by hand and what determines their value.

Day 6

This morning we will enjoy a display of locally handcrafted leather goods before heading to the magnificent white calcium terraces, known as Travertines, in Pamukkale where we also tour the ancient city of Hierapolis. Take a dip, amongst ancient columns, in the hot springs that were used in Roman times for their therapeutic powers.

Day 7

After breakfast we head for the resort town of Antalya, stopping along the way to visit the ancient Lycian city of Termessos which was built at a height of 1050 metres in the beautiful Taurus Mountain range. Once in Antalya we will take a walking tour of the old town area of Antalya known as “Kaleiçi”. Amongst other things we’ll visit Hadrian’s Gate, the Ancient Harbour and Suna-Inan Kiraç, Kaleiçi Museum which even has a Greek Orthodox Church in its garden!

Day 8

Full day tour of the ancient ruins of Perge and Aspendos and Side. In Aspendos, you can see the Roman Theatre built in the 2nd century and seating 15,000 people. Side is one of the best classical sites in Turkey with its Temple of Apollo and ancient ruins.

Day 9

Today we travel to Cappadocia, through the central part of the country, visiting Sultanhani Caravansary and the Mevlana museum in Konya along the way.

Day 10

Today we will visit Pigeon and Red Valley and then we visit Cavusin village and lastly Avanos town where we will learn about hand-made pottery

Day 11

Marvel at the lunar landscape of Cappadocia today as we visit the Goreme Valley Open Air Museum and the fairy chimneys, and explore the many levels of an underground city.

Day 12

After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Istanbul, arriving at approximately 10:30 am, and our tour concludes.