ARRIVE ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Welcome to Istanbul! You will arrive in one of the most important and inspiringly beautiful cities of the world history: Constantinople! Your tour guide will greet you at the airport to assist you during your transfer to your hotel. After refreshment time at the hotel, you will start to private half-day orientation walking tour in the heart of the city, Taksim Square, one of the busiest spots in Istanbul, to take a closer look at and comprehend the social diversity of the city. During your tour of the district of Beyoglu (Pera), you will perceive the dominating European feel of Istanbul as the once-terminating point of Orient Express. Passage Des Fleurs stand out among the major venues where one can distinguish the joy and nostalgia expressed in their authentic ambiance of them. Your guide will drop you back at your hotel at the end of your tour.

HOTEL | ISTANBUL

ISTANBUL | HISTORICAL CITY

You will begin your private tour in the Old City this morning from the breathtaking Blue Mosque standing in great prestige with its six minarets and perfectly proportioned dome. A short stroll will then take you through the famed Hippodrome Square which was the sporting and social center of Constantinople that hosted the chariot races until the Middle Ages.. Your next stop is Saint Sophia built by Justinian the Great during the 6th century. Later in the afternoon, you will find yourself drifting through one of the earliest shopping malls ever built in history, Later, visit the Underground cistern restaurant to visit a great renovated version of a Roman cistern built by Justinian I, also known as Justinian the Great, His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized renovatio imperii, or “restoration of the Empire”. This ambition was expressed by the partial recovery of the territories of the defunct Western Roman Empire. Emperor. Your guide will escort you back to your hotel at the end of your tour.

HOTEL | ISTANBUL

Meals: Breakfast

COMBINE DAY OF ISTANBUL | SHOPPING, TASTING & HISTORY AS LOCALS DOES

In the morning, you will be meeting your guide and start the day planning to avoid traffic by the public tramway. Grand Bazaar maintains its charm and volume of business to the modern day with its indoor and outdoor sections where the Genoese and Venetian merchants had their warehouses to store their inventory of brass, copper, and tiles before they were loaded on the ships to sail to Venice and Genoa. Spice Market visit. Your stroll will bring you to the most delicate example of great architect Sinan, Rüstem Pasha Mosque. Your stroll will finally bring you to Galata, the neighborhood that hosted non-Muslim European communities migrating to Istanbul during the 18th and 19th centuries to profit from the capitulations granted by the Ottoman Sultanate. Your guide will drop you back at your hotel at the end of your tour.

HOTEL | ISTANBUL

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

ISTANBUL | CAPPADOCIA

Early morning you will be transferred to Istanbul Airport for your domestic flight to Cappadocia. Your expedition will start with the Goreme Museum to see one of the early centers of monastic life and the most authentic dwellings that reflect the exclusivity of the region’s natural character. Then, you will be enjoying walking through the Paşabağ (Fairy Chimneys). The last stop of today’s tour before returning to the hotel is Avanos, the famous town of Cappadocia that was established by the Hittites on the riverbanks of Halys River. You will visit the well-known cave studios of a pottery artist of Cappadocia and watch the interactive presentation of creating masterpieces of pottery and ceramics. At the end of the tour, transferred to your hotel.

HOTEL | CAPPADOCIA

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

CAPPADOCIA | CAVES OF GOD

Optional Activity: Hot air balloon ride with sunrise, once in a lifetime experience in Cappadocia

Your expedition will start with Kaymakli/Ozkonak Underground City, a subterranean settlement composed of troglodytic cave dwellings, where early Christians lived protecting themselves from invaders. You will move on to appreciate the breathtaking scenery of the Pigeon Valley. Driving through the inspiring valleys and towns of Cappadocia that will captivate you with their beauty, you will reach Ortahisar to visit a well-known winery to taste local wines then proceed to Red Valley to watch the sunset.

HOTEL | CAPPADOCIA

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DEPART | CAPPADOCIA / ISTANBUL DEPARTURE

This morning we planned a leisure half day to organize for you optional trips based on your interest. Cappadocia region offers various activities such as Atv, Jeep safaris, Horse Riding, or Traditional Turkish Bath treatments which were a place to cleanse both body and soul. A carry-over from the Roman social bathhouse, when Istanbul was under Roman control, public hammams also played an important role in the social fabric of everyday life as gathering places to gossip and discuss events.

In the afternoon you will be transferred to the Cappadocia Airport for your domestic flight to Istanbul and you will connect to your international flight back home with great memories…

Meals: Breakfast