Treasures of Turkey

Arrive to Istanbul, have a rest after the flight and explore the neighbourhood, as you will have an orientation tour of Istanbul on the next day. Visit the most notable places, including the fabulous Blue Mosque and the atmospheric Spice Bazaar that operates there since 1660 and historically has been the centre of Istanbul's spice trade, as well as will learn history of the city. Head to Ankar and visit Anitkabir, the monumental tomb of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of republic of Turkey, and then have a transfer to the town of Goreme - our base for exploring Cappadocia to spend there a couple of days there. Attend the Goreme Open Air Museum, a complex of medieval painted cave churches and explore the underground cities. Then visit the town of Konya to see beautiful historical buildings and visiting the museum of Mevlana Rumi – the theologian, the Sufi mystic and one of the most read poets of the 13th century. In the afternoon you will travel to village to have dinner with a local family, to enjoy homestay and to learn more about their life. After that head to Antalya - popular tourism destination where you can rest on the beach, try local cuisine and visit the Museum of Antalya. The next stop is costal village Cayagzi by the Mediterranean to have dinner and the boat trip to Kekova Island and to spend a night on board (seasonally from May to October, and the subject of weather conditions). Visit the archaeological ruins on the island and walk up to the Simena Castle to enjoy views.

Return to Cayagzi and head to the village of Kaş. Walk the charming cobbled streets, spend time wandering the many small antiques stores, head down to the picturesque harbour and visit one of the many seaside cafes with direct access to the turquoise water. Visit the Pamukkale calcium carbonate cliff terrace formation. It is 2700 m long and 160 m high, can be seen form the distance of 20 km, and has the hot springs with different temperatures form 35 to 100 degrees. However, this is not all, because there are ruins of ancient Greek-roman city Hierapolis on the top of it. Once there were bathes, dwelling houses, theatre, libraries, and lived a lot of people. Then you will get to the town of Selçuk to visit the ruins of ancient Greek city Ephesus, the remains of St John basilica, the Isa Bey mosque or to catch local "dolmus" to visit markets and sample some of local wines. Be charmed by the architecture of Ottoman Empire in the streets of Ayvalik town, visit the harbour, rest on the beach or take an option of a cruise trip. Then, on your way to Çanakkale, you will visit the famous Troy, which everybody knows by the Iliad, Homer's epic poem. On the next morning you will go to Galipoli, where thousands gave their lives during World War One in the battle of the same name, when the British and French troops tried to conquer the capital of the Ottoman Empire - Constantinople. At the final part of the tour you will return to Istanbul for an opportunity to continue your sightseeing, get in some last minute shopping or have dinner at a restaurant since you will spend one more night there.