10 Days / Jewels Of Turkey * By Plane Tour

MINI Group Tour (Max 10 Guests)
Departs: Saturday - Sunday - Tuesday
Istanbul, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Konya, Cappadocia, Istanbul

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 sign 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 visit the Topkapi Palace including Harem, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Hippodrome, where chariot races and the Byzantine riots took place. Visit the Grand Bazaar for shopping. Overnight in Istanbul.

DAY 3: Full Day Istanbul Tour ( Breakfast )

08.30 a.m. After breakfast, pick up from the hotel. First visit Spice Bazaar (Egyptian Bazaar): The air here is filled with the enticing aromas of cinnamon, caraway, saffron, mint, thyme, and every other conceivable herb and spice then Boat trip on the Bosphorus: A traditional excursion by boat along the waterway separating Europe and Asia.

The shore is lined with old wooden villas, palaces of marble, fortresses, and small fishing villages. Afternoon visit the Underground cistern. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 4: Istanbul – Izmir – Ephesus Tour – Kusadasi ( Breakfast – Dinner )

Pick up from the hotel and transfer to Istanbul airport for your flight to Izmir. Arrive at Izmir Airport and met by your tour guide and 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, visit Ephesus, one of the 12 cities of Ionia (an ancient Greek district on the western coast of Asia Minor) located near Izmir.

As a port city at the mouth of the Cayster (modern Küçükmenderes) River, it was a major departure point for trade routes into Asia Minor. Known in antiquity for its sacred shrines, notably a famous temple (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) to the goddess Artemis, or Diana, the city was also an important center of early Christianity.

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 visits the House of Virgin Mary.

This house is located in 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 here. transfer to the hotel for overnight in Kusadasi.

DAY 5: Kusadasi – Pamukkale Tour ( 3,5 hours drive ) ( Breakfast – Dinner )

Drive to Pamukkale, on the way, and visit Laodicea. Discovery of Travertine terraces and Hierapolis. The travertine terraces at Pamukkale are one of the most spectacular natural wonders we ever have seen from various mineral springs in a vast white cliff side, about 200 m overlooking the plain, calcite-laden waters have dripped down over a series of terraced levels and created a fairyland of bizarre solidified cascades and shell-shaped basins.

It looks like creations from snow or like balls from cotton, which gave the scenery the Turkish name Pamukkale (cotton castle): Moreover the water in the basins is changing its color according to how the light enters. Overnight Pamukkale.

DAY 6 : Pamukkale – Konya ( 4,5 hours drive ) ( Breakfast )

Drive to Konya, visit to Mevlana Sufi temple. Mevlana is the founder of Sufism and whirling Dervishes. visiting the Mausoleum of Mevlana, the world-wide famous mystic, proceed to Karatay Theological School in which beautiful tiles are on display. Overnight in Konya.

DAY 7: Konya – Cappadocia Tour ( 5 hours drive ) ( Breakfast )
Drive to Cappadocia. Visit Sultanhani Caravanserai, a roadside inn where travelers could rest and recover from the day’s journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information, and people across a network of trade routes in Asia, North Africa, and South-Eastern Europe on the legendary Silk Road and the Spice road. Overnight in Cappadocia.

DAY 8: Cappadocia Tour ( Breakfast )

Optional: Hot air ballooning with sunrise, once in a lifetime experience in Cappadocia

Tour to Kaymaklı Underground City, one of the most interesting underground settlements in Cappadocia. Soğanlı Valley, an Open Air Museum in a wild natural setting near a typical Cappadocian village with its different styles Rock-Cut churches and frescoes. Villages in the valleys, surrounded by the “tabletop” mountains, are spectacular.

Lunch and Visit to Sahinefendi newly discovered (01 May 2002) mosaic houses & Archaeological excavation site Continue with Keslik Monastery near Cemil, which hides its frescoes behind a very thin smoke layer which we can only see by torchlight. Our tour finishes with a visit to Mustafapaşa (Sinasos), an old Greek town with spectacular old Greek houses; very fine examples of late Greek settlements and architecture. Overnight Cappadocia.

DAY 9: Cappadocia Tour - Istanbul ( Breakfast )

In the morning, the first meeting with the lunar landscape of Cappadocia: rock formations beyond belief in Devrent valley; a journey in the past with its troglodyte houses, visit Pasabag “fairy chimneys” where the voice of wind mixes with the “songs of fairies” near Zelve.

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.

Transfer to the airport for your domestic flight from Cappadocia to Istanbul. Arrival and transfer to Hotel. Overnight 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:

✅ Professional licensed Tour Guide
✅ 9 nights accommodation in selected 4-star hotels, Cappadocia accommodation is in a cave hotel
✅ 9 breakfast, 2 dinner
✅ Return private airport transfers
✅ Transportation by Brand-New A/C ´ NON-SMOKING’ vehicle
✅ All entrance fees to the sites stated above the itinerary
✅ Istanbul – Izmir, and Cappadocia – Istanbul domestic flight tickets including airport tax

Tour Excludes:

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

Please contact us for Private Tour