Turkey Delights

After Breakfast, our shuttle will pick you up from the hotel or from the cruise port and drop off back at the end of the tour.

You will visit the following sights with an experienced and licensed professional tour guide with this tour.

Byzantine Hippodrome: The former center for entertainment, sports, and political activities in the city during the Roman and Byzantine Empires. You will be able to see the Obelisk from Egypt, the Serpentine Column from Delphi and the Fountain of Willhelm II.

Blue Mosque: One of the biggest mosques of Istanbul from 17th century architecture is one of the principal adornments on the skyline of Istanbul. Also famous for its blue tiles and 6 minarets.

Grand Bazaar: The oldest and the largest covered market place in the World with nearly 4.000 shops full of rich collections of carpets, jewellery, leather, and souvenirs.

Topkapi Palace: The great palace of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th centuries housing an exquisite collection of crystal, silver, and Chinese porcelain, robes worn by the sultans and their families, the famous jewels of the Imperial Treasury, miniatures, the Holy Mantle; enshrining relics of the Prophet Mohammed

* Treasury and Harem sections in Topkapi Palace are not included in the program and are due to extra entry.

Sultans Tombs: There are five tombs of Ottoman Sultans within the graveyard at St. Sophia. The ceramic panels are the most beautiful examples of the 16th century with purple, green, blue, and red flower motives. Prince robes and a small piece from the Kaaba covers are displayed on the sarcophaguses.

Topkapi Palace is closed on TUESDAYS and this tour will be replaced with the Two Continents Tour on Tuesday. Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays.

After the tour, you will be dropped off at the hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.

Have breakfast at your hotel. Depart for a full-day Princess Island tour on a shared (SIC) basis. Our shuttle will pick you up from the hotel or from the cruise port and  drop off back at the end of the tour. You will visit the following sights with an experienced and licensed professional tour guide with this tour. Princess Island (Buyuk Ada): Cruise the beautiful Marmara Sea to Princes' Island by boat. Take the ferry to one of the Prince's Islands, Buyukada (Big Island) which is a quiet seafront town and summer holiday escape from the city. Leaving the Golden Horn by ferry, you will round Sarayburnu (Seraglio Point), the headland on which the domes and minarets of Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, and Blue Mosque can be seen. We will pass four islands with their charming old Ottoman houses and finally reach Buyukada, the largest of the islands. Upon arrival to the island, you will see the lavish Ottoman mansions and other beautiful Victorian summer villas around the island. You will have free time in elegant old wooden mansions and beautiful natural scenery. You will have a delicious lunch in a cozy seaside fish restaurant and relax looking back at the domes and minarets among skyscrapers of modern Istanbul's skyline. This a perfect day for relaxing and enjoying one of Istanbul's residents' favorite summer retreats. Return by ferry and drop off at hotel or port. The rest of the evening is at leisure you can enjoy activities at the hotel or simply relax at the hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.

After Breakfast, Check out from your Istanbul hotel. Transfer to Istanbul Airport for your flight to Cappadocia. Upon arrival in Cappadocia, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your Cappadocia hotel. Rest and relax at the hotel, exploring the local area at your leisure.

Overnight in Cappadocia.

After breakfast, depart from your hotel to visit Red Valley through Cavusin explore the famous rock-cut churches, and hike 2 km. Then visit Cavusin village. Old Cavusin was abandoned several decades ago due to avalanches. The current village of Cavusin is located on the road. Old Cavusin, with its rock-cut dwellings and stone houses, had several hermitages. After lunch drive to the Pigeon Valley. In the afternoon visit Underground City, where early Christians lived in fear and faith. The houses in the village are constructed around the nearly one hundred tunnels of the underground city, which is one of the most interesting underground settlements in Cappadocia. The underground city was originally carved out as eight floors; however, four floors are available to visit. In wartime about 5000 people can refuge in. The tunnels are still used today as storage areas, stables, and cellars. 
SPECIAL NOTES: Guests must be able to walk approximately 2 miles over uneven and cobblestone surfaces. Comfortable shoes, a hat, and plenty of sunscreens are recommended as shade is limited the order of the tour itinerary may vary in order to avoid congestion. Guests should watch their steps at all times in order to avoid injuries.

Overnight in Cappadocia

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Embark on a full-day North Cappadocia tour on a shared (SIC) basis. Our first real encounter with Cappadocia almost Martian landscape is in the Dervent valley. We visit Pasabag’s “fairy chimneys”, where the voice of the wind harmonizes with the songs of the fairies. From here we pause at Avanos Center of terracotta art which is a popular destination because of its attractive old town with cobbled streets, views over the river, and its production of earthenware pottery, it is also the most economic activity in the town. The ceramic trade in this district and its countless pottery factories date right back to the Hittites, and the ceramic clay from the red silt of the K?z?l?rmak has always been used. A visit to the ceramic & tile center to see how the ceramics are made by hand. After lunch, we visited the famous Goreme Open Air Museum to see the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia. People of Goreme, at the heart of the Cappadocia Region, realized that these soft rocks could be easily carved out to form houses, churches, and monasteries. These Christian sanctuaries contain many examples of Byzantine art from the post-iconoclastic period. These frescoes are a unique artistic achievement from this period. You visit a carpet cooperative, where you'll see how exquisite Turkish carpets are hand-woven.  We complete the tour with a panoramic view of the valleys of Cappadocia. Return to your Cappadocia hotel in the evening.

SPECIAL NOTES: Guests must be able to walk approximately 1, 5 miles over uneven and cobblestone surfaces. Comfortable shoes, a hat, and plenty of sunscreen are recommended as shade is limited the order of the tour itinerary may vary in order to avoid congestion. Guests should watch their steps at all times in order to avoid injuries.
Overnight in Cappadocia

Check out from your Cappadocia hotel. Transfer to Cappadocia Airport for your flight back to Istanbul. Depending on your international flight departure time, you may have some free time for last-minute shopping or exploration in Istanbul. Depart from Istanbul Airport as per your flight schedule. Come back home with Great memories of the tour.