Tour of Turkey

Tour start date(s):	04-10-2024, 18-10-2024, 01-11-2024
Duration:	10 days
Location:	Istanbul (3 nights) – Ankara (1 night) – Cappadocia (2 nights) – Konya (1 night) – Pamukkale – Ephesus – Kuşadası (1 night) – Pergamum – Ayvalık (1 night) – Troy – Istanbul
Price (including tax):	DBL$1460 USD, SNGL$1560 USD (without the cost of the flight)

This is a place where civilizations changed,

great empires were born and died,

where Christianity blossomed,

where great philosophers, commanders, and emperors lived,

HERE HISTORY WAS MADE...

Arrival Dates in 2024:

September 6, September 20, October 4, October 18, November 1, December 29 (special price)  

Day 1 (Friday) - Arrival at the new Istanbul airport, individual transfer to the hotel (arrival possible at any time), check-in. Free time.

Day 2 (Saturday) - Breakfast at the hotel. Full-day bus tour: Two Continents – Hippodrome Square, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Bosphorus cruise, Egyptian Bazaar. Return to the hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 3 (Sunday) - Breakfast at the hotel. Full-day bus tour: Istanbul attractions – Dolmabahçe Palace, Sultanahmet Mosque, Balat district, Vlaherna Church, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Theodosius Cistern. Return to the hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 4 (Monday) - Breakfast at the hotel. Departure from the hotel at 8:15 AM with luggage, beginning the journey to the capital of Turkey, Ankara (~450 km). Tour of Ankara: Atatürk Museum – a place that houses everything related to the Turkish Republic, from exclusive cars of its founder, Atatürk, to large panoramas depicting the events of Turkey's War of Independence in the 1920s. Visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, where you will see items made by humans forty thousand years ago. Stroll along the walls of Ankara Fortress. Arrival at the hotel, check-in. Dinner. Overnight in Ankara.

Day 5 (Tuesday) - Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the hotel with luggage. Departure from Ankara at 8:15 AM and transfer to Cappadocia (~250 km) with a stop by the shore of Turkey’s second-largest salt lake, famous for its flamingos. Tour of Cappadocia: you will see the most beautiful view on Earth – a vast plateau dotted with churches, monasteries, and homes carved into the rocks. In the evening, for an additional fee, we offer the opportunity to attend a Whirling Dervishes performance (9:00 PM – 10:00 PM). Dinner.

Day 6 (Wednesday) - At dawn, for an additional fee, you can take a hot air balloon ride. Breakfast. After breakfast, your exploration of Cappadocia continues: you will visit valleys with unique rock formations, the underground city of Kaymaklı, and the Göreme Monastic Complex with its unique frescoes in dozens of churches carved directly into the rocks. You will visit a pottery workshop, where unique pieces will be created before your eyes (and you will have the chance to try making a vase on the pottery wheel yourself!). You will also see how famous Turkish carpets are woven and see a “flying carpet” in person. Dinner and relaxation at the hotel.

Additionally, we offer an exciting Turkish night.

Day 7 (Thursday) - Breakfast. Check-out from the hotel with luggage. Transfer to Konya (~220 km). Walk through the Mevlana religious complex. Mevlana is an ancient Eastern monastery, a haven for monks, poets, and philosophers. It is the center of Sufi culture. Founded by Mevlana Rumi, his role in Eastern poetry is as significant as Pushkin's in Russian literature. Rumi is also the founder of the order of whirling dervishes. Departure from Konya at 12:00 PM. Time for lunch. Continue the journey to Pamukkale (~420 km). Arrival at the hotel, check-in. Dinner. Overnight in Konya.

Day 8 (Friday) - Early in the morning after breakfast (check-out from the hotel at 8:00 – 8:15 AM), you will visit the vast ancient necropolis of Hierapolis. The enormous tombs, keeping their coolness and shadow for twenty centuries, will amaze you with their size. After that, you'll arrive at the travertines! Beautiful white terraces flowing with hot mineral water, featuring numerous natural pools... For an additional fee, you can swim in Cleopatra's Pool (departure from Pamukkale at 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM). Lunch at 12:30 PM. Sanitary stop at 2:30 PM. Then, continue to the ancient city of Selçuk (~190 km). Here, you will visit the ancient city of Ephesus, one of the centers of early Christianity, the Church of St. John, and the House of the Virgin Mary, where you can make a wish (it will surely come true!), as well as the remains of the Temple of Artemis, burned down by Herostratus... (arrival in Ephesus at 3:30 – 4:00 PM). You will check in at a cozy hotel by the sea in Kuşadası. Dinner (7:00 PM). After dinner, you can take a stroll through the city and breathe in the scent of the Aegean Sea.

Day 9 (Saturday) - Breakfast. Check-out from the hotel with luggage. Transfer to Pergamum (~190 km). Tour of the capital of the Pergamene Kingdom, from which the word "parchment" is derived. You will touch the walls of the ancient library, where the book first appeared in its current form. Visit the luxurious Temple of Trajan, see the base of the Altar of Zeus, and admire the magnificent theater, with its seating arranged on a steep mountainside... Continue to the seaside town of Ayvalık. Check in at the hotel. Dinner.

Day 10 (Sunday) - Breakfast. Check-out from the hotel with luggage. Transfer to the legendary city of Troy (~65 km). Tour of Troy, famously captured thanks to the cunning of Odysseus. You will see the field where Achilles dragged Hector's body behind his chariot. Next, transfer across the Dardanelles Strait to Istanbul (~360 km). Arrival at the New Airport at 8:00 PM and departure from Turkey.

In Total: Over seven days, you will visit 10 ancient and modern cities in Turkey, explore 5 ancient civilizations of the world, traverse both Europe and Asia, enter more than 20 unique architectural ensembles, and see no fewer than a thousand ancient artifacts, relics, frescoes, and statues, with a total age of at least 100,000 years.

ATTENTION! The tour program concludes on Sunday, with the group arriving at the New International Airport in Istanbul at 8:00 PM. Please plan your departure from Turkey after 10:00 PM. You can book an additional night at the airport hotel (cost for the extra night to be confirmed at the time of booking) and fly out the next morning.

We recommend booking a hotel in Istanbul, where you stayed at the beginning of the tour. Transfers from the airport and to the airport the following day are free!

TOUR PRICE, including entrance tickets to museums:

Double per person: $1,460.00
Triple per person: $1,460.00
Single: $1,560.00

PRICE of the New Year's Tour on December 29, 2024 (8 days), including New Year's Eve celebration at the hotel in Cappadocia and New Year's dinner at the hotel (excluding alcoholic beverages):

From December 29, 2024, to January 5, 2025.

The tour price includes:

Group transfer from the New Airport to the hotel and back
Accommodation in 3–4 star hotels; meals: breakfasts + dinners
Transfers in a comfortable bus
Services of a professional Russian-speaking guide
Entrance tickets to museums

Additional Costs:

Drinks during dinner
Tourists arriving at Sabiha Gokcen Airport and departing from Sabiha Gokcen Airport will incur an extra charge for a one-way transfer: $70 per vehicle (1–6 people)
Visa
Additional excursions, tips for the guide, driver, and hotel staff (optional)
3–4 Star Hotels along the route (or similar):

Istanbul: Erden Sarayevo Hotel
Ankara: New Park Hotel
Cappadocia: Suhan Hotel
Konya: Adempira Thermal and Spa Hotel
Kuşadası: Marina Hotel
Ayvalık: Erden Gardens Hotel

ATTENTION! Additional nights in Istanbul can be booked after the tour.

Cost of extra night in Istanbul before the tour at the hotel where the group will be staying, including breakfast:

Double per person: $60
Triple per person: $55
Single: $84
 

FIRST seats on the bus can be reserved for an additional fee: $35.00 per person

IMPORTANT! You must obtain a visa before the start of the tour.

You should acquire an electronic visa by visiting the website:

www.evisa.gov.tr

Print the visa and present this document when passing through customs in Istanbul. The visa is valid for 90 days.

The company reserves the right to change the order of visits to excursion sites while maintaining the overall program. The company also reserves the right to adjust the tour price, provided timely notification is given.