10 Days / Glories Of Turkey Tour

Private Tour includes Istanbul, Cappadocia, Zeugma, Mt. Nemrut, Gobeklitepe and Ephesus

Day 1: Arrival in Istanbul

Welcome to Turkey. Arrive at Istanbul Airport ( IST ) or at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport ( SAW ), Our representative will meet you at the airport with your name signed and private transfer to the hotel for an overnight stay in Istanbul.

Day 2: Full-Day Istanbul Tour (Breakfast)

09.00 a.m. After breakfast pick up from the hotel and our journey begins in Istanbul, the only city in the world situated on two continents. Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul – its three names span more than 2600 years, nearly 1600 of them as the capital of two of the greatest empires the world has known, Byzantine and Ottoman. We visited the Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Hippodrome, where chariot races and the Byzantine riots took place. Visit the Grand Bazaar for shopping. Overnight in Istanbul.

Please note that Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays. Spice Market will be visited on Sundays instead of Grand Bazaar.

Day 3: Istanbul to Cappadocia by flight – Cappadocia Tour (Breakfast – Dinner )

Take the morning flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia. Arrive and meet at the airport just outside the arrival gate with a sign bearing your name and transfer to Cappadocia. First meeting with Cappadocia, visiting Three Sisters Fairy Chimneys in Urgup which are the most popular and seen in advertisements. That’s why people carved some pigeon houses to keep them in certain places.

You will see that the houses for the pigeons are like the houses for the people. Then we descend into the center of the earth in the Kaymakli Underground City one of the largest and the deepest of 200 others in Cappadocia. After the tour program transfer to your hotel.

Day 4: Full Day Cappadocia Tour (Breakfast – Dinner )

Hot Air ballooning with sunrise (optional, extra)

After breakfast, first meeting with the lunar landscape of Cappadocia: rock formations beyond belief in Devrent Valley; walking in Pasabag “fairy chimneys” where the voice of wind mixes with the “songs of fairies”. Lunch in Avanos, the center of terra cotta works of art since 3000 BC, and a demonstration in a traditional pottery workshop. Afternoon, visit the famous Goreme Open Air Museum and see the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia in rock-cut churches with frescoes and paintings (10th to 13th century). Continue to Uchisar Rock Castle to have a panoramic view of the valleys of Cappadocia.

Day 5: Cappadocia – Adıyaman (Breakfast – Dinner )

Check out and depart from your hotel in Cappadocia, after breakfast. Drive to Karatay Caravanserai and visit the caravanserai. On the way to Adıyaman (Nemrut) stop at Kahramanmaras for lunch and a taste of its famous ice cream. Arrive at the hotel in Adıyaman. Evening at leisure and overnight in Adıyaman.

Day 6 : Mt. Nemrut - Urfa (Gobekli Tepe) (Breakfast – Dinner )

In the morning 03:30 am departure. Hike to the summit of Mt. Nemrut (one of the most popular UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites), watch the sunrise, and be amazed by the colossal heads and statues of ancient deities, as you step into mythology. There we will hire small mini-buses to drive up the mountain. This extraordinary landmark rests at an elevation of 8000 ft.

The mountaintop complex is composed of two flattened areas strewn with statues and separated by a false peak of crushed rock. Antiochus built the entire complex approximately 2,000 years ago as a monument to his divine ancestry.

Also definitely take time to visit the old castle, Arsemeia, and cross over the still functioning Cendere Bridge (Septimius Severus bridge) dating all the way back to the 3rd century, and Tumulus Tomb of Karakus.

Then drive back to the hotel for breakfast. Drive to Urfa on the way visit Ataturk Dam and look over to the Ataturk Dam; a modern-day wonder.

We will also visit Sanliurfa Archaeology and Mosaic Museum. Overnight stay in Urfa.

Day 7 : Urfa (Gobekli Tepe) - Gaziantep (Breakfast-Dinner)

After breakfast & check out from the hotel, we will drive to Gobeklitepe which is one of the world's most important archaeological sites. At 12,000 years old, it was built before the advent of writing or pottery and is believed to be the world's oldest temple. After we visit Gobeklitepe, we will drive to the Ancient City of Zeugma which is famous for its beautiful mosaics. Check-in Hotel. Overnight in Gaziantep.

Day 8: Gaziantep - Flight to Izmir & Ephesus Tour (Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner)

After breakfast & check out from the hotel, drive to Gaziantep Airport for your flight to Izmir. Arrive in Izmir Airport. After landing, drive to Ephesus ( 45 minutes’ drive ) First visit the Artemis Temple which is one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World.

Continue to Ephesus, walk through history along marble streets lined with wonderful public buildings, among them The State Agora, Odeon, Memnius Monument, the Temple of Domitian, Polio Fountain, Curetes Street, The Trajan Fountain, The Baths of Scholastica, Hadrian Temple, Latrina, Celcus Library, the gate of Mithridates and Mazues, Commercial Agora and The Grand Theater are two of the most impressive buildings in Ephesus. Grand theatre was built in the 3rd century B.C. and it was later expanded to 24,000 spectators by the Romans in the 1st century A.D.

After Ephesus, lunch will be served in the garden of a local handicrafts center. Here you can see some of the traditional carpet weaving techniques used and enjoy viewing some splendid displays of beautiful carpets.
After Lunch visit the House of the Virgin Mary.

This house is located on the Aladag Mountains 5 miles from Ephesus. At the third Ecumenical Council of 431 in Ephesus, it was claimed that Mary came to Ephesus with St. John in 37 A.D. and lived there until her death in 48 A.D. After the discovery of the house, the Archbishop of Izmir declared it a place of pilgrimage in 1892. On July 26, 1967, Pope Paul VI visited this place and prayed there.

After the tour, we drive to Kusadasi. Overnight in Kusadasi.

Day 9: Fly to Istanbul (Breakfast)

After breakfast & check out from the hotel, drive to Izmir Airport for your flight to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport. After landed, Transfer to your hotel. Free afternoon and Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 10: Home (Breakfast)

After breakfast check out from the hotel and private transfer to Istanbul Airport or to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport for your flight back home. The end of our services

Tour Includes:

- 9 nights accommodation in 4-star and Boutique hotels
- Private Professional Tour Guide Entrance Fees ( Our guide will have pre-paid tickets to skip the line )
- All Domestic flights (Istanbul – Cappadocia / Gaziantep – Izmir – Istanbul.
- 9 Breakfasts and 6 Dinners
- Private transportation by brand-new vehicles with AC
- Boutique Hotels in Istanbul: Yasmak Sultan or Dosso Dossi Old City
- Cave Hotel in Cappadocia: Yunak Cave Hotel or Zeydem Suits Cave Hotel or similar
- Hotel in Adiyaman: Hotel Antiochos or Grand Isias Hotel or similar
- Hotel in Urfa : Nevali Boutique or Hilton Garden Inn Sanliurfa
- Hotel in Gaziantep : Ali Bey Konagi Butik or The Green Park Gaziantep
- Hotel in Kusadasi: Carina Hotel or Marina Suits or similar

Tour Excludes:

- Personal expenses
- Any drinks and meals not mentioned in including section