Travel in a very small group with a maximum of ten passengers!

This small-group tour begins in Istanbul and visits Ankara, Antalya, Kusadasi and Pamukkale, as well as biblical Cappadocia and the ancient cities of Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Didyma, Hierapolis, Miletus, Priene, Perge, Aspendos, Side and Termessos. This is a marvelous way to see the highlights of Turkey in two weeks.

DEPARTURE DATES FOR 2011: MAY 15, JUNE 5, SEPTEMBER 4, SEPTEMBER 18 AND OCTOBER 2

DAY ONE: Arrive in Istanbul
Upon arrival at Istanbul Ataturk Airport, you will be met and assisted to The Blue House Hotel in Sultanahmet district for dinner and overnight. The afternoon is free to walk around the historic Sultan Ahmet district where your hotel, overlooking the Blue Mosque and within steps of Hagia Sofia, is conveniently located. You will meet your guide and other tour participants for a cocktail and a trip briefing in the early evening.
Meals: Dinner (D)

DAY TWO: Istanbul
Meet the guide at hotel lobby after breakfast for a full day to explore the ancient and culturally rich Ottoman city of Istanbul. The first stop will be the Blue Mosque which dates from 1616.  The next visit will be to Topkapi Palace, a palace of the great sultans for over five centuries. Here you will see the famous Harem.  After lunch, you continue on to the gem of Rustem Pasha Mosque with its rich Iznik tiles and then on to the Spice Market, where Genoese and Venetian goods were sold at a time before there was a Suez Canal, and all the spices from the East were brought here after being loaded on vessels in Egypt. The tour will end with a visit to the Covered Bazaar, one of the greatest bazaars in the world.
Accommodation: The Blue House Hotel
Meals: Breakfast (B), Lunch (L), Dinner (D)

DAY THREE: Istanbul
Today you will explore Istanbul’s relics from the Byzantine Era. You will first stroll to the great square which was once the Byzantine Hippodrome which is now a park like area surrounded by the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and the Underground Cistern, commonly called the Basilica Cistern. The Hippodrome exhibits the Walled Column, The Serpent Column and the Egyptian Obelisque from the Byzantine times. Next you will visit the Hagia Sophia, the Church of Holy Wisdom built by Justinian in the 6th Century and considered one of the greatest buildings in the world.
After lunch at a local restaurant you take a short drive to The Chora Church to see the climax of Byzantine Mosaic Art, thought to be among the finest ever made.
Dinner and overnight in Istanbul
Accommodation: The Blue House Hotel
Meals: (B, L, D)

DAY FOUR: Istanbul - Flight to Izmir - Sirince
On your last day in Istanbul, you will check out after a leisurely breakfast and take a short drive to the shores of the Bosphorus to visit the Dolmabahce Palace. Overlooking the Bosphorus, its beauty is incomparable with 14 tons of pure gold used for its interior decoration, its priceless paintings, furniture, and a rich collection of Bohemian crystal in addition to its famous Harem section. Then you board your boat at Eminonu for the leisurely cruise of the Bosphorus to the still unspoiled village of Sariyer.
In the afternoon, you are transferred to Istanbul Airport for the 5 pm flight to Izmir, were you are taken to your hotel in Sirince.
Dinner and overnight in Sirince.
Accommodation: Gullu Konaklari
Meals: (B, L, D)

DAY FIVE: Ephesus
You start early in the morning to beat the crowds and first drive to the Virgin Mary's House; afterwards, you will visit Ephesus which was founded in the eleventh century BC by the Ionians. Strolling through the streets of Ephesus, you will see the Fountain of Traian, the temple of Hadrian and the Library of Celsus to name a few. You will also visit the Terrace Houses where the rich and the dignitary of Ephesus lived.  These houses had the most beautiful ground mosaics, frescoes, terra cotta pipe lines and private baths. Later in the afternoon you will visit St. John's Basilica, believed to be the tomb of the Apostle John, Christ's beloved disciple. From the basilica, you will be able to look down on the remains of the temple of Artemis. You end the day with your visit to the Isa Bey Mosque, and then you will head on to Sirince for a well-earned rest. Dinner and overnight in Sirince.
Accommodation: Gullu Konaklari
Meals: (B, L, D)

DAY SIX: Priene - Miletus - Didyma
After breakfast, you will go first to Prienne, formerly a leading member of the Panionic League. As you drive further south, you will visit Miletus and then Didyma, where you will have lunch at a local restaurant, circumstances permitting, across the road from the temple. As the historian Pausanias wrote; 'The sanctuary of Apollo at Didymoi and the oracle there are more ancient than the Ionian settlement.
Dinner and overnight in Sirince
Accommodation: Gullu Konaklari
Meals: (B, L, D)

DAY SEVEN: Aphrodisias - Pamukkale
Today you will bet taken to Pamukkale visiting the grand ruins of Aphrodisias, which was the city dedicated to the cult of Aphrodite. As you visit the Sculptor's Museum in Aphrodisias, you will have lunch at a local restaurant. You will visit Hierapolis on arrival, and then have time to stroll over the calcareous terraces of Pamukkale, or to enjoy the thermal facilities.
Dinner and overnight in Pamukkale.
Accommodation: Richmond Thermal Hotel Pamukkale
Meals: (B, L, D)

DAY EIGHT: Phaselis - Antalya
Do not forget to bring your swim wear for this day. After a spectacular drive enjoying views of the mountains, and then pine and cedar trees, you arrive at the scenic coastal route which is surrounded by the turquoise blue waters of the Mediterranean and the pine forests above. Phaselis, where Alexander the Great wintered before he marched on for the rest of his campaign, is a beautiful Roman port city. If Alexander ever took his armor off and went for a swim, it must have been at the harbor of Phaselis -  and you may enjoy swimming in the same harbor with a view of the ruins and the Taurus Mountains. On arrival to Antalya, you will visit the Archaeology Museum which was once awarded the Museum of the Year in Europe.
Dinner and overnight in Antalya.
Accommodation: The Marmara Antalya
Meals: (B, L, D)

DAY NINE: Perge - Aspendos
In the morning, you will first visit Perge, one of the most impressive sites of Pamphylia, and then Aspendos, the world's best preserved ancient theatre. After lunch at a local restaurant near the Aspendos Theatre, you will be given time in the afternoon to rest & relax at the Lara Beach.
Dinner and overnight in Antalya.
Accommodation: The Marmara Antalya
Meals: (B, L, D)

DAY TEN: Antalya/Konya
An early departure after breakfast and a scenic route through Burdur takes you to the beautiful site of Sagalassos. This is one of the very few ancient cities where you can witness how sacred fountains function. After lunch at the town of Aglasun, you continue your drive to the town of Beysehir to visit Esrefoglu Mosque. You arrive at Konya in the late afternoon hours to visit the world famous Mevlana Museum, formerly the place where the mystic philosophy of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi was taught.
Dinner and overnight in Konya.
Accommodation: Rumi Hotel Konya
Meals: (B, L, D)

DAY ELEVEN: Konya/Cappadocia
Today, you drive to Cappadocia, with a visit along the way to see the Sultanhan Caravanserai, where the medieval merchants used to stay overnight. After arriving in Ihlara Valley and having lunch at a local restaurant by the river, you will walk through the canyon via the Steps of Anatolia to Belisirma village, the ancient Peristrema. Set by the Melendiz River this is known as the “Valley of the Sky”. Churches carved from the rocks form a gallery of early paintings that are remarkable for their accuracy.
Dinner and overnight in Cappadocia.
Accommodation: Yunak Evleri
Meals: (B, L, D)

DAY TWELVE: Cappadocia
Today you will be introduced to the lunar landscape of Cappadocia at Dervent Valley, and then on to the Zelve Open Air Museum, which is one of the earliest inhabited and latest abandoned monastic settlements of Cappadocia. Seeing the best examples of the fairy chimneys at Pasabag Fairy Chimneys Valley, you continue to Avanos, where you will have lunch at a local restaurant. Goreme Open Air Museum is where you visit the rock carved churches and colorful frescoes. End the day hiking up to the top of Uchisar Castle, which is the highest and the most dominant point, giving a breathtaking panorama view.
Dinner and overnight in Cappadocia.
Accommodation: Yunak Evleri
Meals: (B, L, D)

DAY THIRTEEN: Cappadocia
Your first stop is the Soganli Valley, which is one of the earliest settlements in Cappadocia. After this, you will go back to Urgup through the unspoiled villages of Cappadocia, surrounded by the “table-top” mountains. On the way you will visit the Medrese in Taskinpasa, a Theological School of the Seljuk Turks. After lunch in Mustafapasa at an old Greek house hosted by a local family, you descend towards the center of the earth, with a trip to the Underground City of Kaymakli, one of the largest and deepest of Cappadocia’s many such settlements.
Dinner and overnight in Cappadocia.
Accommodation: Yunak Evleri
Meals: (B, L, D)

DAY FOURTEEN: Cappadocia - Home
Transfer to Kayseri Airport to board a morning flight to Istanbul. Board your homeward flight or book additional nights in Istanbul. Please advise us on your departure flight out of Istanbul so that you could book you on the best connecting flight from Kayseri. Accommodation: You may book additional nights in Cappadocia or Istanbul.
Meals: (B)

$3,970.00, per person

Included in the trip are:

• Hotels as listed in the itinerary
• 13 dinners
• 13 lunches
• 13 breakfasts
• Transportation in air conditioned luxury minivan
• Professional guiding
• All admissions
• All domestic flights within Turkey
• Taxes

Not included:

• International flights
• Visa fee upon arrival in Turkey
• Travel insurance (STRONGLY RECOMMENDED)
• Alcoholic drinks
• Customary tips
• Items of a personal nature