Day 1 - ISTANBUL AT LEISURE

Welcome to Turkey – a land rich in archeological sites, historic monuments and an enormous variety of spectacular scenery. On arrival at Istanbul Airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel for your overnight stay. This evening, get together with your Tour Director and fellow passengers for a Welcome Reception and light informal meal.

Hotel: Conrad Istanbul/Hilton Istanbul

Meals: Welcome Reception

Day 2 - ISTANBUL – GALLIPOLI – ÇANAKKALE

Drive along the shores of the Sea of Marmara to the peninsula of Gelibolu, better known in the west as Gallipoli. Here are the battlefields where, for nine disastrous months during the Great War, Anzac troops fought unsuccessfully to gain control of the strategic Dardanelle Straits. Visit Anzac Cove and Lone Pine Cemetery. From Eceabat, a 30-minute sea crossing to Çanakkale takes you from one continent to another as you leave Europe for Asia.

Hotel: Kolin

Meals: Buffet Breakfast / Dinner

Day 3 - ÇANAKKALE – TROY – IZMIR

Drive to Homer’s legendary city of Troy, where archeological excavation has established nine levels of habitation, including the great city captured in 1200BC by means of the renowned Trojan Horse. A huge replica of this stands beside the city’s ancient walls. Continue to Pergamon, the seat of an ancient kingdom. Visit the Asklepion, one of the most famous shrines and therapeutic centres in the ancient world. Carry on to the cosmopolitan coastal city of Izmir, sited overlooking an inlet of the Aegean.

Hotel: Swissôtel Grand Efes/Hilton

Meals: Buffet Breakfast / Dinner

Day 4 - IZMIR – EPHESUS – KUSADASI

En route to Ephesus, visit the archeological museum at Selcuk where many of the excavated artefacts of Ephesus are displayed, and visit the House of the Virgin Mary, spectacularly situated above the Ephesus ruins. Finally, tour Ephesus itself, one of the world’s finest archeological sites. Visit the colonnaded Arcadian Way, the splendid façade of the Library of Celsus and see the huge Amphitheatre. Head to the lively coastal town of Kusadasi where you can take advantage of your hotel’s indoor pool, Turkish bath and fitness centre.

Hotel: Charisma

Meals: Buffet Breakfast / Dinner

Day 5 - KUSADASI – PAMUKKALE

Follow the Maeander River valley, (so full of twists and turns gives us the word ‘meander’) to Pamukkale, famous for its dazzling chalk-white array of fantastically shaped limestone terraces. Visit the ruins of ancient Hierapolis and the fairyland terraces and see the glistening pools and cascades in scallop-shell basins. The rest of the day is yours to relax and enjoy your hotel thermal pools.

Hotel: Thermal Colossae

Meals: Buffet Breakfast / Dinner

Day 6 - PAMUKKALE – KONYA – CAPPADOCIA

Head to Konya, the old capital of the Anatolian Seljuk Empire and home to the mystic Whirling Dervish sect. Visit the Mevlana Tekke, a museum and national monument, with its beautiful fluted turquoise dome. See the Karatay Medrese and Ince Minaret before driving across fertile plains to Nevsehir in the heart of Cappadocia.

Hotel: Dedeman

Meals: Buffet Breakfast / Dinner

Day 7 - CAPPADOCIA – GÖREME EXCURSION

Enjoy an excursion to Göreme, a region of volcanic landscapes and rock-hewn churches decorated with ancient wall paintings, some of which you can see in the open-air museum. Continue to the Zelve Valley where the scenery is dotted with churches, caves and troglodyte dwellings. Tour the underground city Kaymakli, and see the cone of Uchisar. Enjoy dinner at the hotel followed by a colourful folklore show in an underground cave, featuring dances from different regions.

Meals: Buffet Breakfast / Highlight Dinner

Day 8 - CAPPADOCIA – ANKARA

Visit Agzikarahan, one of the best-preserved Seljuk caravanserais in Anatolia. Continue on to Ankara to visit the Hittite Museum and Anit Kabir, the mausoleum of Ataturk, Turkey’s greatest modern leader.

Hotel: Hilton Ankara

Meals: Buffet Breakfast / Dinner

Day 9 - ANKARA – ISTANBUL

Leaving Ankara, take the highway for a scenic drive through the countryside to Istanbul. Upon arrival, embark on a highlight cruise along the Bosphorus Waterway. Travelling towards the old city from close to the Black Sea, the scenery complements the grandeur of the Ottoman palaces, old mansions and fortresses.

Hotel: Conrad Istanbul/Hilton Istanbul

Meals: Buffet Breakfast

Day 10 - ISTANBUL SIGHTSEEING

Visit the Blue Mosque with its beautiful tiles and the Hippodrome where Roman chariot races were held, and visit Hagia Sophia, now a magnificent museum. Move on to visit the fabulous Topkapi Palace, a walled city perched above the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn, and then the famous Grand Bazaar. Your guide will give you a full explanation of the time-honoured ritual of bargaining! This evening, join a farewell Celebration Dinner at a colourful local restaurant! If you are taking the Greece & Turkey Cruise Package Option, then transfer to your ship where your Aegean adventure continues.

Meals: Buffet Breakfast / Celebration Dinner

Day 11 - ISTANBUL

This morning, your tour comes to an end with a transfer to the airport.

Meals: Buffet Breakfast
 

Most Insight tours already include a host of bonus highlights and comprehensive sightseeing. There may also be an exciting array of optional excursions which will turn an already amazing experience into the trip of a lifetime! These are entirely optional and can be booked through your Tour Director/Local Representative at the commencement of your tour. The following is a general list for guidance and budgeting purposes only. Actual optional excursions and prices will be advised by your Tour Director at the beginning of your tour.

PERFORMANCE OF WHIRLING DERVISHES IN CAPPADOCIA

A spectacular performance of “Sema” ceremony by the followers of Mevlana Celaleddini-I Rumi, founder of the Sufi sect of Islam.
Adult Price: EURO 25
Code: CAP02

ASIAN ISTANBUL

We drive to the Asian part of Istanbul crossing the Intercontinental Bosphorus Bridge. Here we visit Beylerbeyi Palace, built on the site of an older mansion in the 19th century and used as the summer residence of the Ottoman Sultans. Then we proceed to Camlica Hill, the highest point from where you can overlook the city of Istanbul.
Adult Price: EURO 30
Code: IST01

FAREWELL DINNER IN ISTANBUL

You will be transferred to a local restaurant in a colourful quarter of Istanbul where you will enjoy dinner and a glass of local wine. An opportunity to say goodbye to the friends you have made during your stay in Turkey.
Adult Price: EURO 45
Code: IST06

ISTANBUL BY NIGHT

A short drives through the illuminated city to an exclusive nightclub. Full course dinner will be served (the menu will also include two glasses of local wine). After dinner, you will watch the floor show of belly dancers, folkloric dancers from different regions of Turkey and Turkish singers singing International songs.
Adult Price: EURO 45
Code: IST08

PRINCES ISLAND FULL DAY EXCURSION WITH LUNCH

After a relaxing cruise on the Marmara Sea you will arrive at Buyukada - the largest of the Princes' Islands which is dotted with old wooden houses and pine trees. Take in the beautiful panoramic views before a ride on a horse-drawn carriage through the narrow streets to lunch in a local fish restaurant.
Adult Price: EURO 60
Code: IST02