Itinerary
Day 1: Day 1 Arrival & Hotel Check-in ( İstanbul)
Stop At: Historic Areas of Istanbul, Istanbul Turkiye
Welcome to Turkey! Upon your arrival at Istanbul Airport, our transferman will welcome you and take you to your hotel. After you check-in to your hotel and rest a little bit, our guide will meet you in the lobby and give you an orientation about Istanbul and our 12-day tour.
• Overnight in Istanbul
Duration: 1 day
Meals included:
•
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 2: Day 2 Istanbul (Walking Tour)
Stop At: Blue Mosque, Sultanahmet Mah At Meydani Cad No 7, Istanbul 34122 Turkiye
For our first stop on our “Turkey in 12 Days” program, we will visit the Blue Mosque, which was built in 1616 by the Ottoman Sultan Ahmet I.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum (Turk ve Islam Eserleri Muzesi), MeydanI Sok. No:46 Sultan Ahmet Mahallesi,, Istanbul 34122 Turkiye
After, we will stop by the Turkish Islamic Art Museum to see some of the best work from Islamic Art with spectacular antiquity Turkish Carpets.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Topkapi Palace, Cankurtaran Mahallesi Gulhane Park, Near Sultanahmet Square, Istanbul 34122 Turkiye
We will continue our tour by visiting the great Ottoman Palace, Topkapi where Sultans lived for five centuries.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Grand Bazaar Jewelers, Alemdar Mah. Bab-I Ali Cad. Guran Han No:34 D. 4, Istanbul 34110 Turkiye
After lunch, we will stop at the Grand Bazaar – one of the oldest shopping malls in the world, which dates back to the 16th century.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Suleymaniye Mosque, Prof. SIddIk Sami Onar Cd. No:1 Süleymaniye Mah, Istanbul 34116 Turkiye
We will then walk to Suleymaniye Mosque, which was built in 1557 by the great architect Sinan of the Ottoman Empire.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Misir Carsisi (Spice Market), Rustem Pasa Mahallesi, Erzak Ambari Sok. No:92 Eminonu - Fatih, Istanbul 34116 Turkiye
We will complete our adventures of the first and busiest day of the program by walking downhill from the Suleymaniye Mosque to the Spice Market where you can find delicious spices and Turkish delight.
We will return to the hotel
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
•
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 3: Day 3 Istanbul (Walking Tour & Public Transportation)
Stop At: Hippodrome, Binbirdirek, Sultan Ahmet ParkI No:2, Istanbul Turkiye
Our first stop on Day 3 will be the great Roman Hippodrome, which dates back to 2nd century A.D. In the Hippodrome, you can see the Obelisk of the Tuthmosis the third, German Fountain, Serpent Column and the Obelisk of Constantine.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Basilica Cistern, Alemdar Mahallesi, Yerebatan Caddesi, No:1/3, Istanbul 34410 Turkiye
We will stop and see the Basilica Cistern, which was built at the same time as Hagia Sofia. In this 6th century structure, you will be able to see the heads of Medusa, which brought here from the temples of Constantinople.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Hagia Sophia Mosque, Sultan Ahmet, Ayasofya MeydanI No:1, Istanbul 34122 Turkiye
We will visit Hagia Sophia, the great church built in 537 by Justinianus.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Chora Museum, Kariye Mahallesi, Kariye Camii Sokak, No: 18 EdirnekapI Fatih, Istanbul 34087 Turkiye
After lunch, we will go to the Chora Church, built in 6th century A.C., to see the spectacular, one-of-a-kind mosaics and some frescoes.
We will return to our hotel.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
•
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 4: Day 4 Istanbul Bosphorus Cruise & Cappadocia (Fly to Cappadocia)
Stop At: Bosphorus Strait, Istanbul 34122 Turkiye
We will start by checking out from our hotel. We will then take a Bosphorus Cruise (approximately two hours). During this trip, you will be able to see some historical scenes of Istanbul such as the palaces, summer mansions, houses from the Ottoman Empire, and more.
• Fly to Cappadocia
Transfer to the Istanbul Airport to catch our flight to Cappadocia.
We will check in to our hotel and rest up for Day 5.
• Overnight in Cappadocia
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
•
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 5: Day 5 Cappadocia Region (Private Cappadocia Region Tour)
Stop At: Devrent Valley, Devrent Mevkii No:1 Urgup Yolu, 50500 Turkiye
Day 5 will begin with an exploration of Cappadocia with Devrent Valley (also known as Imagination Valley), where we will see the different types of Fairy Chimney formations, which formed almost 30 million years ago.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Fairy Chimneys, Goreme Turkiye
We will then stop in Pasabag, where we will see the most interesting fairy chimneys, resembling those seen in the Hobbit and Smurfs.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Avanos Oren Yeri, Kapadokya Cd., Avanos 50500 Turkiye
This trip offers the opportunity to stop by a local pottery shop, where details are shared of how people survived and created beautiful art dating back to the Hittite period.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Goreme National Park, Goreme 50180 Turkiye
The stop at Goreme Open Air Museum allows you to discover some of the best cave churches of the 530 in Cappadocia.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Cappadocia Cave Dwellings, Urgup Turkiye
You will see wonderful view of Cave Dwellings
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Uchisar Castle, Uchisar Turkiye
We will stop at Uchisar Castle and Pigeon Valley, two of the best spots for photography and photo opportunities in the world.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Pigeon Valley, Uchisar KasabasI Nevşehir Kapadokya, Goreme 50240 Turkiye
Pause for a photo break at Pigeon Valley.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Goreme Panorama, Uchisar Yolu uzeri 1.km, Goreme 50180 Turkiye
Beautiful view of Cappadocia.
Duration: 30 minutes
Meals included:
•
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 6: Day 6 Cappadocia Region (Private Cappadocia Region Tour)
Stop At: Kaymakli Underground City, Derinkuyu Turkiye
To start Day 6, we will drive to Kaymakli Underground City to see how Christians protected and defended themselves from the persecutions and invasions for centuries.
• Nar Lake (Photo Break)
We will drive approximately one hour to Nar Lake for photo break.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Ihlara Valley, Guzelyurt 68500 Turkiye
During the photo break, we will have to drive a bit more to reach Ihlara Canyon for 3.8 km hike by the river and beautiful nature.
Duration: 2 minutes
Stop At: Selime Monastery, Guzelyurt Turkiye
Selime monastery is the biggest religious building in Cappadocia with a cathedral-size church.
• Sarihan Caravanserai
We will stop in Sarihan Caravanserai to visit the 13th century residence for the merchants and their camels.
We are going to drive back to our hotel.
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
•
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 7: Day 7 Cappadocia Region (Private Cappadocia Region Tour)
Stop At: Soganli Valley, 40Km Southeast of Urgup, and 25Km to the East of Derinkuyu, Kayseri 38800 Turkiye
We will meet in our hotel lobby to start our last day in Cappadocia. Our first adventure of the day will take us to Soganli Village where we can see one of the greatest examples of monastic life.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Sobesos Ancient City, 50400 Şahinefendi/Ürgüp/Nevşehir, Türkiye
We will then drive to Sobesos Excavation site of a Roman City with one-of-a-kind floral mosaics that have only recently been discovered.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Keslik Monastery, Urgup Turkiye
Upon arrival at the Keşlik Monastery, you will have the opportunity to understand how the people survived and practiced their religion on a small site. This also gives us an idea about their little known social lives.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Sinasos Kilisesi, Davutlu, Manastır Vadisi Açık Hava Müzesi, 50400 Mustafapaşa/Ürgüp/Nevşehir, Türkiye
We are going to drive to Sinassos where we will see an Old Greek Village, which was re-inhabited after 1927.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Red Valley, Nevsehir Ortahisar, Nevsehir 50650 Turkiye
We will drive (approximately 20 minutes) to Red Valley to begin our lovely 2-hour hike.
We will return to our hotel and rest up for another day of adventures.
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
•
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 8: Day 8 İzmir & Transfer to our Hotel
Stop At: Kusadasi Castle, Kusadasi Merkez, Kusadasi Turkiye
We will transfer to the airport and take a flight to Izmir (schedule varies based on flight time). Upon our arrival at Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport, we will check in to our hotel. The rest of the day will be spent relaxing. Dinner and overnight will be in Kusadasi or Selcuk.
Duration: 1 day
Meals included:
•
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 9: Day 9 Ephesus Region (Private Daily Ephesus Tour)
Stop At: Ancient City of Ephesus, Selcuk 35920 Turkiye
Day 9 will begin with a tour of Ephesus, where we can stroll and get lost inside the beautiful ancient site.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: The Temple of Artemis, Ataturk, Park Ici Yolu No:12, Selcuk Turkiye
After lunch, we will drive to the Temple of Artemis, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: The Basilica of Saint John, Isa Bey Mahallesi, 2013. Sk. No:1, Selcuk 35920 Turkiye
Later, we will visit the Basilica of St. John, which was donated by Justinianus, who financed Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Meryemana (The Virgin Mary's House), Sultaniye Mahallesi, Selcuk 35100 Turkiye
We will visit The Virgin Mary's house.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Ephesus Museum, Selcuk Turkiye
We will visit the Selcuk Ephesus Museum and see some of the amazing artifacts from Ephesus.
We will return to our hotel.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
•
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 10: Day 10 Prine, Miletus, Didyma (Tour with Private Van)
Stop At: Priene Antik Kenti, Soke/aydIn Güllübahçe mahallesi, Gullubahce Turkiye
We will begin our tour with a 1 to 2 hour drive to Priene, an Ionian City that was first established in the 7th century B.C. as a port city on the sea, which was silted by the Meander River.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Miletus, Didim Turkiye
After, we will drive to Miletus. This city is known for some of the great philosophers of ancient times, including Thales, Anaximenes, and Hekaistos.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Temple of Apollo, Ataturk Boulevard Yenihisar, Didim 07330 Turkiye
Our last stop of the day will be Didyma, the Temple of Apollon where most prophecies were given. The biggest oracle was serving at the Apollon Temple. Depending on schedule, lunch may be after the visit.
At the end of the tour, we will return to our hotel.
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
•
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 11: Day 11 Aphrodisias & Hierapolis (Drive to Denizli & Private Tour)
Stop At: Aphrodisias, 80 km from Pamukkale, Geyre Turkiye
Following check-our from our hotel, we will drive approximately two hours to Aphrodisias, which is one of the most well-preserved ancient sites in Turkey. Earliest settlement in Aphrodisias dates back to 5000 B.C. However, the city that we are going to see is from 2nd century B.C.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Hierapolis & Pamukkale, Pamukkale 20280 Turkiye
Later, we will drive to one of the greatest healing centers in the world, Hierapolis. Hierapolis can be named as “Woodstock ‘69” of the ancient world. Since it was one of the healing regions of the time, people often carried their tombs with them to die. That’s why the name Necropolis (cemetery) of Hierapolis is so common in Anatolia. During this trip, guests also can see the travertine, Cotton Castle, formed by calcium.
We will return to our hotel and prepare for the next morning.
We hope you enjoy Turkey and our services at Pupa Tourism. We look forward to welcoming you in Turkey.
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
•
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 12: Day 12 Going back to home
Stop At: Denizli Çardak Airport, Cumhuriyet Mah., Küme Evler Sok. No:1, 20350 Çardak/Denizli, Türkiye
If you plan to depart, we will transfer you to the Airport.
We hope you enjoy Turkey and our services at Pupa Tourism. We look forward to welcoming you in Turkey.
Duration: 3 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.