9 Days Highlights of Turkey By Car

Day 1 · Istanbul

1. 1

   Istanbul

   Passing by

   After you landed to istanbul, you will meet with your driver and guide. You will transfer to your hotel and the rest of the day will be free for you

Overnight at Recital hotel 4*

Day 2 · Istanbul Bursa

1. 1

   TopkapI Palace

   2 hours Admission not included

   The Topkapı Palace was the home of the Ottoman Sultan, as well as the center for administration. It has survived four centuries and the rule of 25 sultans.

2. 2

   Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque

   one hour

   The Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque / Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi, with its innovative architecture, rich history, religious significance and extraordinary characteristics has been fighting against time for centuries, was the largest Eastern Roman Church in Istanbul. Constructed three times in the same location, it is the world’s oldest and fastest-completed cathedral.

3. 3

   Blue Mosque

   one hour

   The Blue Mosque (Called Sultanahmet Camii in Turkish) is a historical mosque in Istanbul. The mosque is known as the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles surrounding the wall's interior design.

4. 4

   Bursa

   4 hours

   After we finished the tour in Istanbul we will drive to Bursa. on Arrival at Bursa the rest of the day is free for leisure.

Open Buffet · Set Menu ( Chicken Kebap or Lamb Kebap )

Overnight in Grand Salizze Hotel Bursa 4*

Day 3 · Bursa Kusadasi

1. 1

   Bursa Grand Mosque

   30 min

   “Ulu Cami” (The Grand Mosque) was built by Yıldırım Bayezid between 1396 and 1399. After the victory at Nicopolis (Niğbolu) in 1396, Yıldırım Bayezid wanted to build 20 masjids in Bursa, but on the suggestion of Emir Sultan, his son-in-law and one of the period’s important scholar men, he built only one, the “Ulu Cami”, or Grand Mosque, covering it with 20 domes.

2. 2

   Tombs of Osman and Orhan

   one hour

   Osman Gazi, the founder of the Ottoman Empire, is the name source for the Ottoman dynasty. Orhan Bey buried his father, Osman Gazi (1258-1326), after the conquest of Bursa in 1326, inside a building called “Gümüşlü Kubbe”, the “Silver Dome”, fulfilling the latter’s last will in doing so. This structure was called “Silver Dome” by Osman Gazi was a Byzantine chapel, whose lead-plated dome – seen from the far – was shining under the sun during the besieging of Bursa.

3. 3

   Munira Bursa

   30 min

   Taste the Variety of Turkish Delights, Saffron, and Cosmetics.

4. 4

   Kusadasi

   5 hours

   After we will finish visiting places in Bursa we will start to drive for Kusadasi. The total distance will be approximately around 5 hours. On arrival at Kusadasi, the rest of the day is free for leisure.

Open Buffet · Set menu ( Chicken or Hamburger Menu)

Overnight in Efe Butik Hotel 4* or similar

Day 4 · Ephesus Pamukkale

1. 1

   Ephesus Ancient City

   2 hours Admission not included

   We will visit the city of Ephesus from 7th-century bc In Roman times it was situated on the northern slopes of the hills Coressus and Pion and south of the Cayster (Küçükmenderes) River, the silt from which has since formed a fertile plain but has caused the coastline to move ever farther west.

2. 2

   The House of the Virgin Mary

   one hour Admission not included

   St. Mary, the mother of Jesus, supposedly spent the last years of her life in Ephesus. According to this tradition, Mary arrived at Ephesus together with St. John and lived there until her Assumption (according to Catholic doctrine) or Dormition (according to Orthodox beliefs). The House of the Virgin Mary (Meryem Ana Evi in Turkish) can be still visited today.

3. 3

   Selcuk

   one hour

   We will visit a leather factory and a fashion show.

4. 4

   Pamukkale Thermal Pools

   2 hours Admission not included

   Pamukkale! A UNESCO World Heritage Site and a famed destination since Roman times! Enjoy the amazing calcium-rich hot springs, and the famed white outdoor pools and soak up not just healthy waters but historical traditions. Visit the Roman ruins and the Hierapolis museum to trace the thousands of years of history found here.

5. 5

   Hierapolis & Pamukkale

   2 hours Admission not included

   Deriving from springs in a cliff almost 200 m high overlooking the plain, calcite-laden waters have created at Pamukkale (Cotton Palace) an unreal landscape, made up of mineral forests, petrified waterfalls, and a series of terraced basins. At the end of the 2nd century B.C. the dynasty of the Attalids, the kings of Pergamon, established the thermal spa of Hierapolis. The ruins of the baths, temples, and other Greek monuments can be seen at the site.

open buffet · open buffet · open buffet

overnight at Tripolis hotel 5*

Day 5 · Pamukkale Cappadocia

1. 1

   Denizli

   one hour

   Today we will visit a textile factory. Denizli city is the homeland of the Turkish Textile industry because of cotton farming.

2. 2

   Mevlana Muzesi

   one hour

   For Muslims and non-Muslims alike, the main reason to come to Konya is to visit this former lodge of the whirling dervishes and home to the tomb of Celaleddin Rumi (later known as Mevlâna), who we have to thank for giving the world the whirling dervishes. This is one of the biggest pilgrimage centers in Turkey, and the building's fluted dome of turquoise tiles is one of Turkey's most distinctive sights.

3. 3

   Sultanhani Kervansarayi

   one hour Admission included

   The Sultanhan caravanserai was built in 1229 by Seljuk sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I when Aksaray was an important stopover along the Silk Road that crossed through Anatolia. After suffering partial destruction in a fire, the building was restored and extended in 1278 under the reign of sultan Kaykhusraw III.

4. 4

   Urgup

   8 hours

   Today is the longest driving day of our tour. totally we will have 8 hour's drive from Pamukkale to Cappadocia.

Open Buffet · Set Menu

Temenni Evi Cave Hotel or similar

Day 6 · Cappadocia

1. 1

   Goreme Open Air Museum

   2 hours Admission not included

   The open-air museum which is used as a monastery complex in the 10th century.

2. 2

   Pigeon Valley

   30 min

   Pigeon Valley is a lovely valley located near Uchisar town named after the thousands of pigeon houses carved into the soft tufa since ancient times and offers another spectacular panoramic view over Cappadocia together with the spectacular views of the dovecotes. The valley takes its name from pigeons and valley ranks first among the popular, most known, and impressive valleys of Cappadocia.

3. 3

   Uchisar Castle

   15 min

   Uchisar Castle is located in the town of Uchisar and stands proudly as the highest point in Cappadocia.

   Uchisar Town is located just 5km away from the popular town of Goreme.

4. 4

   Ozkonak Underground City

   one hour Admission not included

   If it is about the surprises of mother nature, Cappadocia has lots of them, but underground cities are by far the most jaw-dropping. Hidden beneath the moonscape topography of this magical region are 36 underground cities. For centuries, these magnificent structures have hosted Cappadocians and provided them with a haven from those who sought their destruction.

5. 5

   Pasabag Vadisi

   one hour Admission not included

   Monks valley gives you chance to see the youngest rock formations in Cappadocia.

Open Buffet · Open Buffet

Temenni Evi Cave hotel or similar

Day 7 · Cappadocia Bolu

1. 1

   Lake Tuz

   one hour

   Lake Tuz is the second largest lake in Turkey with a surface area of 1,665 km2 and one of the world's largest hypersaline (water that contains significant concentrations of sodium chloride or other salts) lakes. It is located 105 km (65 mi) northeast of Konya, 150 km (93 mi) south-southeast of Ankara, and 57 km (35 mi) northwest of Aksaray.

2. 2

   Anitkabir

   one hour

   The great leader of Turkish Independence War and Turkish Revolution and the founder of Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s life, with full of struggles for Turkish land's freedom and endeavours to raise the Turkish Nation to the level of contemporary civilization, lasted 57 years. It ended on 10 November 1938 and the great leader passed to eternity.

   Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is a great leader, achieving to make Türkiye a member of contemporary civilization with all its institutions, has a special place in the history of humanities. The idea to build a mausoleum to reflect his greatness in every respect and to present his thoughts on principles, his reforms and modernization, was the common desire of the Turkish Nation in deepest grief of losing Atatürk.

3. 3

   Bolu

   6 hours

   Today we will drive from Cappadocia to Bolu city. Total driving time will be 6 hours.

Open Buffet · Set Menu · Open Buffet

Overnight at Bolu Elifim Resort 4*

Day 8 · Bolu ıstanbul

1. 1

   Camlica Hill

   one hour

   Camlica Hill, the highest point in Istanbul at 267 meters above sea level, and admire the uninterrupted views of the city's gorgeous skyline and the picturesque Golden Horn inlet.

2. 2

   Bosphorus Strait

   one hour Admission included

   One of the world's most strategic waterways, Bosphorus is a natural strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara; it is an inundated valley that follows an irregular northeast-southwest course 32 kilometers (20 miles) long, 730-3300 meters (800-3600 yards) wide, 30-120 meters (100-395 feet) deep.

   Bosphorus and Rumeli FortressBosphorus come from a Tracian word of unknown origin, interpreted in Greek as meaning "Ford of the Cow", from the legend of "Io", one of the many lovers of Zeus, who swam across the sea here as a cow chased and continuously disturbed by flies sent by Hera.

3. 3

   MIsIr CarsIsI

   2 hours

   The Egyptian Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı), otherwise known as the Spice Bazaar, is the place to be to lay in a fresh supply of spices, nuts, honeycomb, Turkish delight, dried figs, caviar, and mature hard Turkish cheese.

open buffet · Set menu

Overnight at Park in Recital hotel 4*

Day 9 · Istanbul

1. 1

   Grand Bazaar

   2 hours

   Istanbul's Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı in Turkish) is one of the world's greatest shopping destinations and, spanning 30,700 square meters, the largest covered market in the entire world.

2. 2

   Taksim Square

   2 hours

   Taksim area is one of the most important tourist areas in Istanbul, and it has a great position for everyone, as it was in the past a region to distribute water in the neighborhoods and regions of Istanbul. Therefore, the area was named (Taksim) due to the distribution and division of water among the city’s regions. Taksim, which is located in the heart of Istanbul, contains historical places in Istanbul, with modern touches that give an air of beauty to the monuments. Besides, the commercial markets that increase movement in Taksim Square and Istiklal Street are like a flowing river that does not stop a Tourist, shopper, and visitor.

3. 3

   Stop 3

   Passing by

   Our tour will end at Istanbul or Sabiha Gokcen Airport.

Open Buffet