8 Day Touch of Mediterranean Tour

Day 1 · Arrive Istanbul - Airport Transfer

1. 1

   Istanbul

   Passing by

   Welcome to Istanbul. Our driver will meet you at the airport. You will be transferred to your hotel.

Overnight in Istanbul - Kupeli Hotel or similar

Day 2 · Old City Tour

1. 1

   Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque

   15 min Admission not included

   Today you start the tour with Hagia Sophia which is a Late Antique place of worship in Istanbul, designed by the Greek geometers Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles as a photostop.

2. 2

   Blue Mosque

   one hour

   Then we are going to visit Blue Mosque which is called Sultan Ahmed Mosque as well. It will take just a few minutes walks from Topkapi Palace.

   **Please note that the Blue Mosque is not open for visitation on Fridays as it is closed for religious prayer services. You will only be able to visit the outside of the Blue Mosque area on tours operated on Fridays. No visitation will be allowed inside the Blue Mosque for tourists on Fridays.

3. 3

   Hippodrome

   30 min

   The hippodrome of Constantinople is a square just next to the blue mosque.

   Previously, it was a circus that was the sporting and social center of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.

4. 4

   Grand Bazaar

   one hour

   The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops on a total area of 30,700 m2, attracting between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. In 2014, it was listed No.1 among the world's most-visited tourist attractions with 91,250,000 annual visitors. The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is often regarded as one of the first shopping malls in the world.

5. 5

   TopkapI Palace

   2 hours Admission included

   Also, we visit the palace complex comprises a series of intricately decorated courtyards, lush gardens, pavilions, and numerous buildings, each serving specific functions. These buildings, where the sultan's family resided, the Imperial Treasury housing priceless artifacts and treasures, the Divan, where state affairs were conducted, and various chambers for official functions and private quarters.

Overnight in Istanbul - Kupeli Hotel (or similar)

Day 3 · Jewel of Istanbul Tour & Fly to Cappadocia

1. 1

   Rustem Pasha Mosque

   30 min

   Then your guide will take you to one of the mosques which were built by Master Architect Sinan, Rustem Pasha Mosque. The Rüstem Pasha Mosque was unique among Sinan’s many mosques for its lavishly decorated, tiled interior. Rüstem Pasha may have ordered the mosque’s characteristic Iznik tiles in order to support court designer Kara Memi, who was known for elegant floral designs.

2. 2

   Bosphorus Strait

   one hour

   After lunch, you will join a regular boat trip on the Bosphorus An amazing cruise between the two continents, EUROPE and ASIA, along the Bosphorus by the Dolmabahçe and Beylerbeyi Palaces, wooden villas, and mansions.

3. 3

   Misir Carsisi

   one hour

   At the end of the tour, you will have time to do shopping in Spice Market which is one of the largest bazaars in the city. Located in the Eminönü quarter of the Fatih district, it is the most famous covered shopping complex after the Grand Bazaar.

4. 4

   Istanbul

   Passing by

   After the tour, we will transfer you to the Istanbul airport and you will take your flight to Cappadocia. Upon your arrival, we will transfer you to your hotel in Cappadocia.

Overnight Cappadocia - Heaven Cave Hotel (or similar)

Day 4 · Explore Cappadocia

1. 1

   Devrent Valley

   45 min

   After breakfast we start the tour in Cappadocia with Devrent Valley (also spelled as Dervent Valley) reveals many different rock formations and is only a 10-minute drive from Goreme. The small fairy chimneys in the valley form a lunar landscape, or moonscape, by their strange look. The valley also has many animal-shaped rocks.

2. 2

   Pasabag Vadisi

   one hour Admission included

   Then we proceed to Pasabag or Pasha's Vineyard is situated on the Zelve road between the popular town of Goreme and traditional pottery-making town Avanos. Here you can find spectacular cone topped rock pillars known as Fairy Chimneys standing tall throughout the vineyard, Pasha was a in important officer in Ottoman times when the region was captured.

3. 3

   Goreme Open Air Museum

   1 h 30 min Admission included

   The Goreme Open-Air Museum resembles a vast monastic complex composed of scores of refectory monasteries placed side-by-side, each with its own fantastic church.

4. 4

   Uchisar Castle

   30 min

   Uchisar is situated at the highest point in Cappadocia, on the Nevsehir-Goreme road, just 5 km from Goreme. The top of the Uchisar Castle provides a magnificent panorama of the surrounding area with Mount Erciyes in the distance.

Overnight Cappadocia - Heaven Cave Hotel (or similar)

Day 5 · Explore Cappadocia & Antalya

1. 1

   Red Valley

   1 h 30 min Admission included

   After having breakfast at the hotel, we will again depart for a full-day Cappadocia tour. Depart from your hotel to visit Red valley, and explore the famous rock-cut churches and hike 5 km through the Güllüdere valley.

2. 2

   Cavusin

   one hour

   Then visit Cavusin village. This village is famous for the houses and churches of Christian clergymen.

3. 3

   Pigeon Valley

   45 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.

4. 4

   Ozkonak Underground City

   1 h 30 min Admission included

   Ozkonak underground city was built on the steep northern slopes of Mount Idiş, where there are thick layers of volcanic granite and tuff. The galleries are scattered across a large area and are connected via tunnels.

5. 5

   Antalya

   Passing by

   After the tour, you will be transferred to the airport to take your flight to Antalya. Upon your arrival, we will transfer you to your hotel in Antalya. Your travel date should fit on domestic flight dates.

Overnight Antalya - Mediterra Art Hotel (or similar)

Day 6 · Antalya City Tour

1. 1

   Stop 1

   2 hours Admission included

   After breakfast, you will discover Antalya City. First, you will be driven west side of the city as the first round trip Tunektepe cable car ride will happen when we reach the top great view of the mediterranean sea.

   ** On mondays, Tunektepe Cable car closed.

2. 2

   Lower Duden Waterfalls

   2 hours Admission included

   After that heading to Duden Waterfall will be visiting almost one hour free time and lunch will be given at the waterfall.

3. 3

   Upper Duden Waterfalls

   one hour Admission included

   As the last place, Karpuz Kaldıran Waterfall will be visited which is where the river is falling to the sea. After the tour back to the hotel.

Overnight Antalya - Mediterra Art Hotel (or similar)

Day 7 · Explore Pamukkale

1. 1

   Pamukkale

   3 hours

   After breakfast, you heading to the magnificent White calcium terraces, known as Cotton Castle (Pamukkale) where you also tour the ancient city of Hierapolis. This city was used in Roman times for their therapeutic powers.

2. 2

   Istanbul

   Passing by

   After the tour, we will come back to Antalya and arrive the hotel.

Day 8 · Departure

1. 1

   Antalya

   Passing by

   Today we will transfer you to airport upon your flight time.