9 Day Istanbul - Cappadocia - Pamukkale - Antalya By Plane - YK060

9 Day Istanbul - Cappadocia - Pamukkale - Antalya By Plane - YK060

Discover the magic of Istanbul, amazing Cappadocia, the travertines in Pamukkale, the Ancient ruins of Perge and Aspendos in Antalya

Itinerary

Day 1: Day 1 – Arrival

Pass By: Sultanahmet District, Istanbul 34122 Turkey
Welcome to Turkey! Arrive into Istanbul. Transfer from airport to the Boutique Hotel in Sultanahmet areal. The rest of the day is yours to explore the magical city of Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul.

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 2: Day 2 – Istanbul City Tour

Stop At: Sultanahmet District, Istanbul 34122 Turkey
(Breakfast and lunch included)
You will be picked up from your hotel at 08:30 for the Full Day Istanbul Byzantina & Ottoman Relics Tour. You will begin with the ancient HIPPODROME, which was the scene of chariot races and the three monuments: the Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine. We will then continue to the Sultanahmet Mosque across from St. Sophia built in the 16th century by the architect Mehmet. It is also known as the Blue Mosque because of its magnificent interior decoration of blue Iznik tiles. Then arrive at our last stop which is the famous Hagia Sophia. This ancient basilica, built by Constantine the Great in the 4th century and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, is one of the architectural wonders of all time. We also visit : the Grand Bazaar : Famous shopping center worldwide. Shopping possibilities for carpet, jewellery, leather etc. Visit of Topkapi Palace: Built between 1475 and 1478 by Mehmet II, Fatih, the conqueror of Istanbul, served as the residence of the sultan and administrative seat of the Ottoman Empire for 400 years. After the tour you will be transferred back to your hotel at around 17:30. Overnight in Istanbul.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 3: Day 3 – HALF DAY BOSPHORUS CRUISE (Meals: Breakfast)

Stop At: Bosphorus Strait, Istanbul 34122 Turkey
08:30 You will be picked up from your hotel for a half day Bosphorus Cruise. In this day you will be able to see:

SPICE BAZAAR: Mystical smells of various spices. Shops selling fruits, vegetables, flowers, caviar and dry fish etc…

BOSPHORUS BY BOAT: On the waterway separating the two continents, Asia and Europe. Opportunity to take photographs of marble palaces and ancient wooden villas of Ottoman architecture, besides modern residences and luxurious apartments.

Tour finishes around 13:30 in order to take an early evening flight to Cappadocia. overnight in Cappadocia.
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: early evening flight to Cappadocia. overnight in Cappadocia.Boutique Cave Dedeli Konak

Day 4: Day 4 – CAPPADOCIA TOUR 1 (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch)

Stop At: Cappadocia Cave Dwellings, Urgup Turkey
You will be picked up from your hotel around 09:30 for a full day tour of North Cappadocia. In this day you will be able to see:

DEVRENT VALLEY: Devrent is situated on the northern slopes of Aktepe, 1km from Pasabaglari (Monks’ Valley) and 5 km from Avanos. The ruins at Devrent are spread over three valleys, which also house several pointed fairy chimneys with large stems.

MONKS VALLEY: The best place to see three-headed fairy chimneys. Pasabag, the Pasha’s Vineyard, is surrounded by incredible natural rock formations; a spectacular scene.

Avanos: A center of terracotta artwork since 3000 BC, it is a town where you will be invited to visit a traditional pottery workshop, which is set deep into the hillsides. The clay, which comes from the Red River passing through the town, gives life both to the land and to the local economy.

GOREME OPEN AIR MUSEUM: Goreme was an important Christian centre in the early years of the Middle Ages, and a bishopric administered by Mokissos near Aksaray in the 11th and 13th centuries. Despite the vast numer of monasteries, churches and chapels in the vicinity of Goreme, there are not many inscriptions bearing dates. For this reason, these religious buildings are mainly dated according to the iconography or architectural features.

UCHISAR: Uchisar is a troglodyte town situated right in the middle of Cappadocia. It is named after the enormous piece of rock in the center of the town, which was once used as a castle. This extraordinary rock is the highest peak of the area with the view of whole Cappadocia and Erciyes (Argeus) Mountain.

After the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel at around 17:30. Overnight in Cappadocia.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Overnight in Dedeli Konak Cave Hotel Boutique category

Day 5: Day 5 – CAPPADOCIA TOUR 2 (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch)

Stop At: Pigeon Valley, Uchisar KasabasI Nevşehir Kapadokya, Goreme 50240 Turkey
09:30 You will be picked up from your hotel for Full day tour of South Cappadocia. In this day you will be able to see:

KIZILCUKUR: is an isolated valley behind Urgup. It has beautiful rock formation with some great hidden rock-carved churches. The most interesting part of this area is the countless tracks connecting the small villages and towns through vineyards and gardens like a spider net. It is always possible to see villagers working in the area and offering grapes, apples or apricots to you.

CAVUSIN: One of the oldest settlements in the area, Cavusin is situated 2km from Goreme, on the Goreme-Avanos road. The Church of St.John the Baptist offers a panoramic view of the village. This church and its paintigs date back to the 5th century, making the oldest church in the region. It had a large courtyard which is unusual for Cappadocia, this has been eroded away however.

Underground cities are the two largest and deepest of the 40 others in Cappadocia. They both have eight floors, although not all are open to the public.

PIGEON HOUSE: Visit the pigeon houses and rock formations.

After the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel at around 17:30.
Evening bus to Pamukkale.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Overnight bus to Pamukkale

Day 6: Day 6 :Morning arrival in Pamukkale. Meet and transfer to Hotel.

Stop At: Pamukkale Thermal Pools, Pamukkale Turkey
Morning arrival in Pamukkale. Meet and transfer to Hotel.
Today is a free day to relax and enjoy your comfortable spa hotel.

Overnight in Pamukkale.
Duration: 10 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in Spa Hotel PAMUKKALE :COLOSSEA THERMAL HOTE

Day 7: Day 7: – Pamukkale TOUR (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

Stop At: Hierapolis & Pamukkale, Pamukkale 20280 Turkey
08:30 You will be picked up from your hotel for a Full Day tour of Pamukkale & Hierapolis. In Pamukkale, you will see the Cotton Cliffs, one of the natural wonders of the world formed by deposits of calcareous salts. Also visit the ancient ruins of the ancient city of Hierapolis with its basilica, theatre and Roman Baths.
Evening Bus to Antalya
Overnight Antalya
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Overnight Antalya ANTALYA - ALP PASA HOTE

Day 8: Day 8: Antalya Perge Aspendos Tour

Stop At: Perge Ancient City, Aksu, Antalya 07110 Turkey
(Breakfast and dinner included)
After breakfast depart to Antalya (30 minute drive).
PERGE: Perge was founded by Akhas, Mopsos, and Arnphilokhos who came here after the Trojan wars. Perge was first mentioned in 334 BC when Alexander the Great passed through here. In the following years, Perge went under the control of Pergamon when the Kingdom of Pergamon became a part of the Roman city. Especially in the first and the second centuries BC, Perge became one of the richest towns in Pamphylia. Therefore it is not a surprising that St. Paul started his campaign in Anatolia from Perge in 46 AD. It is one of the better-preserved archaeological sites in Turkey. After the tour of Perge, we will depart for Aspendos. Lunch break on the way.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Aspendos Ruins and Theater, Aspendos, Serik Turkey
Aspendos: The eastern land of Antalya was called Pamphylia in ancient times. Aspendos (Belkis) lies 47km east of Antalya in the Pamphylian plain. A naval battle was fought off Aspendos in 469 B.C. during which the Persian fleet was defeated by the forces of the Athenian general Cimon. Despite this however we see Aspendos being used as a Persian base in 411 B.C. With Alexander’s defeat of the Persians in 334 B.C., Aspendos was freed of Persian rule. It was ruled by various Hellenistic period kings following the death of Alexander and like most other cities in Asia Minor it came under Roman rule in 133 B.C. Aspendos is most renowned for its theatre, the best-preserved ancient theater in Turkey. It was built by Romans and maintained by Byzantines and Seljuks. The ruins of the ancient city are extensive and include a stadium, an agora, and a basilica.
Evening Flight to Istanbul
Duration: 4 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Overnight in Istanbul

Day 9: Day 9 ISTANBUL / DEPARTURE (Meals: Breakfast)

Pass By: Sultanahmet District, Istanbul 34122 Turkey
After breakfast check out from hotel (before 12:00), transfer to Istanbul Ataturk Airport regarding your flight details. End of tour and services. (If you would like, you can extend your trip by adding extra nights in Istanbul, please advise.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.