DAY 1 – ISTANBUL
Arrival and transfer to the hotel. Accommodation.
DAY 2 – ISTANBUL / ANKARA / CAPPADOCIA
Breakfast. Morning departure to Ankara through the mountains of Bolu. In Ankara visit the mausoleum of Ataturk. Inaugurated in 1953, this Mausoleum dedicated to the founder of modern Turkey, is a block of marble with columns of 40 tons, which is reached by a long street with lions on either side, ending in a huge square. Lunch and continuation to Cappadocia. En route visit also the salt lake. Dinner and accommodation.
DAY 3 – CAPPADOCIA
Breakfast. Visit the region of Cappadocia starting with the open-air museum of Göreme which preserves an impressive collection of churches, chapels and monasteries carved into the rock with frescoes from the 11th century. Continue to the spectacular volcanic sites of Güvercinlik (of the dovecotes) from where you can enjoy the spectacular scenery that this unique enclave in the world offers and is known as the “fairy chimneys”. Lunch at a local restaurant. Afterwards, visit the Pasabag Valley, where you can visit an artisan jewelry and decoration workshop. Dinner and accommodation. In the evening you can optionally attend a show of Turkish folk dances.
DAY 4 – CAPPADOCIA / PAMUKKALE
Breakfast. Departure to Pamukkale, or “cotton castle”, a small town famous for its white travertine pools petrified and formed by the lime contained in the water of the thermal springs that emanate in the area. Lunch. En route visit of a caravanserai, located on the legendary Silk Road. Dinner and accommodation.
DAY 5 – PAMUKKALE / EFESO / IZMIR
Breakfast. In the morning, visit of Hierapolis, ancient spa city founded around 190 B.C. Then departure to Ephesus, the best preserved classical city of Turkey built around 1,000 BC (the remains you see today are from the fourth century BC) where the highlights are: the Library of Celsus, the temple of Hadrian and its great theater. Lunch. Later, visit the house of the Virgin Mary, an important place of pilgrimage. At the end of the tour stop at a handmade leather store. Dinner and accommodation.
DAY 6 – IZMIR / BURSA / ISTANBUL
Breakfast. Transfer by bus to Bursa. Arrival and visit the Green Mosque, built in 1419 by Mehmet I Çelebi. Next to the Mosque find the Green Mausoleum, possibly the most beautiful building in all of Bursa. Continuation to Istanbul. Accommodation.
DAY 7 – ISTANBUL
Breakfast. Departure in the morning to visit the Rüstem Paça Mosque, known for its wonderful tile decoration and beautiful floral motifs. Continue to the Bosphorus Strait, where you will embark on a cruise to cross this tongue of sea that separates Europe from Asia. Admire the Dolmabahçe Palace, the mosque and the Ortakoy quarter, the Rumelia and Anatolian fortresses and the typical wooden houses known as “yali” that dot the hills along the coast. Next, visit the Spice Bazaar, one of the oldest markets in Istanbul also known as the Egyptian Bazaar, an endless maze of colors and aromas with its baskets of dried fruits, sweets and spices, where you can enjoy some time at leisure for shopping. End of the visit and return on your own to the hotel. Accommodation.
DAY 8 – ISTANBUL
Breakfast. Transfer to the airport.
The itinerary described is based on departures from Portugal on Wednesdays and Saturdays. For departures on other days of the week, the itinerary will be done in a different order, without affecting the total content of the program:
DAY 1 – PORTUGAL / ISTANBUL
DAY 2 – ISTANBUL
DAY 3 – ISTANBUL / ANKARA / CAPPADOCIA
DAY 4 – CAPPADOCIA
DAY 5 – CAPPADOCIA / PAMUKKALE
DAY 6 – PAMUKKALE / EFESO / IZMIR
DAY 7 – IZMIR / BURSA / ISTANBUL
DAY 8 – ISTANBUL / PORTUGAL
