12D BEST OF TURIKYE

• Assemble at Changi Airport to check in for your flight to Ankara, the capital of Turikye

Meals On Board

• Upon arrival, visit the magnificent Atatürk Mausoleum, the final resting place for Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who is also known as the “Father of Modern Turkey”. Following that, we will drive to Cappadocia via a majestic Salt Lake. 

Meals On Board / Dinner

• After breakfast, visit the Underground City of Kaymakli, one of the largest underground cities that is said to have existed since the Hittite period. Next, explore the rock-carved ancient cave churches and impressive biblical frescoes in the Göreme Open-air Museum. Stop for photos at Pasabag (Monk’s Valley), famous for its mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys and Devrent Valley (Imaginary Valley), known for its many animal-shaped rocks, which look like a sculpture zoo made by nature. Thereafter, proceed to Uçhisar, an old village of small dwellings carved into massive rocks. En route, make a stop at the Carpet Factory as well as the Ceramic and Pottery Showroom. This evening, enjoy a Belly and Folklore Dance performance.

Breakfast / Pottery Kebab Lunch / Dinner

• This morning, travel to Antalya. Make a stop at Sultan Han Caravanserai which was built like a fort with its high walls of local stone. After that, continue our journey to Konya, the famous old capital city of the Seljuk Turks in the 12th and 13th centuries. Visit the blue-green domed Mevlana Museum, the original lodge of the Mevlevi Whirling Dervishes.

Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

• Begin your morning with a drive to the Duden Waterfalls National Park. Take a walk through the beautiful park and take in views of the spectacular 15-meter-high Duden Waterfall. Behind the waterfall is a natural cave you can enter to watch the cascades. Enjoy a 1-hour boat trip from the old harbor to the spectacular Karpuzkaldiran Waterfall, also known as the Lower Duden Waterfall. Explore the main attractions, including Hadrian’s Gate, the Clock Tower, Kesik Minare and the city walls dating back to the 2nd century. You will also have some free time to visit some of the numerous boutiques, art galleries and interesting museums in the old town.

Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

• This morning, head towards Pamukkale, where you will get to visit the extensive ruins of Hierapolis. Here, you will also get to enter the unique Cotton Castle, a stunning World Heritage site made up of fascinating white terraces and pools created by calcareous hot spring water flowing down the mountain.

Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

• Start the day with a journey to Ephesus, an ancient Roman city and visit the Grand Theatre, the Library of Celsus and Marble Street. Next, we will make a short visit to check out some leather products that Turkey is famous for. En route, visit the House of the Virgin Mary – the place where she is believed to have spent her last few years.

Breakfast / Dinner

• After breakfast, start your journey to the ancient city of Pergamon to visit Ancient Acropolis where there are some historic sites like the Altar of Zeus, the Sanctuary of Athena, the Library of Pergamum, the Roman theatre, Arsenals and The Asclepion – a famous ancient medical center. Continue your journey to Canakkale. Visit the ruins of ancient Troy – a UNESCO World Heritage archaeological site, home to a reconstruction of the famous wooden Trojan horse.

Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

• This morning, drive across the 1915 Canakkale Bridge, the World’s longest suspension bridge, to Istanbul. Upon arrival, proceed to visit the Hippodrome Square, the center for sports and political activities of Constantinople (capital city of ancient Byzantine), and Turkey today. Be awed by the interior decoration and distinctive blue tiles at the Blue Mosque, one of the largest religious complexes in Istanbul. Taksim Square is where you will end your day. It is so named as it was laid out in the late 1800s near a Taksim (branching-point).

Breakfast / Lunch

• This morning, head to Basilica Cistern, the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), Turkey. Then, make a stop at the famed museum and monument Hagia Sophia, one of the great architectural marvels of the ancient world. Next, visit Topkapi Palace which served as the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans in the 15th to 16th centuries. Next, make a stop at the covered Grand Bazaar, one of the world’s largest covered markets.
  

NOTE: During Turkey tulip season, Basilica Cistern will be replaced with Emirgan Park/ Gulhane Park.

Breakfast / Chinese Lunch / Grilled Fish

• After breakfast, you will be free until the departure transfer for your flight back home. We hope you have had an enjoyable and memorable time with SA Tours!

Meals On Board / Breakfast