BEST OF TURKEY WITH CRUISE TO GREECE

OVERVIEW

Turkey and Greece tours in the last few years have become widely popular among tourists. Both exhaustive history, whitewashed houses, turquoise waters, clear sands, and urban nightlife is an attraction with visitors. Turkish cuisine, exquisite mosques, hot air ballooning amidst rugged mountains, thermal spa terraces also equally allure travellers to this historic transcontinental country that straddles. Greece and Turkey Packages countries best experience travel like never before.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT

Enjoy Hierapolis Theatre
Explore The Frontinus Street
Day Trip to Ephesus Ancient City
Explore Goreme Open Air Museum
Visit Underground City, Pigeon Valley and Fairy Chimneys
Enjoy shopping for some unique stuff from the local markets

ITINERARY

DAY 1: Arrival in Istanbul and Transfer to Hotel with Bosporus Cruise & Spice Bazaar

Our representatives will be waiting for your arrival in Istanbul to welcome and help you transfer from the airport to your hotel. We’ll help you with your check-in one we arrive while everyone in the same tour group get to know each other. After dropping off your luggage and freshen up a bit, the tour starts with the Spice Bazaar, we invite you for a walk around, enjoying the sight of where many Turks would spend time with their loved ones, relax, and hangout with their friends down the Istiklal Street. We’ll drive back to our hotel and spend an overnight in Istanbul.

(Dinner)

DAY 2: Istanbul Old City Tour

Our day starts with a delightful breakfast at the hotel. Get ready as you’ll be picked up on the agreed time to enjoy a full-day tour around the Old City of Istanbul with a professional, well-versed guide. The old city is also known as the Walled City because of the number of long walls that were erected around it. We start with the proudest structure left from times bygone that signified the peak of Byzantine architecture, the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque. Located within the oldest part of Istanbul, the Sultanahmet Square or the Byzantine Hippodrome. It still functions as a mosque to this day and has become part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. It is dubbed as the “last great mosque of the classical period,” earned its famous name for the blue Iznik tiles, was a work from the 16th century often seen on many imperial buildings and mosques around Istanbul.There’s nothing you cannot find here, ranging anything from traditional Turkish tea, fancy lamps, to precious cashmere, textiles and gold jewellery. Once you’re satisfied with your shopping, we’ll drive back to the hotel for an overnight in Istanbul.

(Breakfast and Dinner).

Day 3: Transfer from Istanbul to Cappadocia by Air

After breakfast, we check-out and wait for our chartered airport car for our flight to Cappadocia. The flight will take an hour and upon arrival, you’ll have another private car waiting to transfer you to your pre-booked hotel. You have the rest of the day at leisure to explore the city on your own or relax at the hotel.

(Optional) You can get an ATV Ride Safari, a great way to experience an off-road adventure across the desert, typically done during sunset to get the best view of the day. You’ll be able to see above you an iconic sight of the hot air balloons that adorn the sky of Cappadocia. Once we’re done, we return to the hotel for an overnight in Cappadocia.

(Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

DAY 4: Cappadocia Tour

The highlight of Cappadocia is the exquisite experience of exploring the city from a bird’s eye view on a Hot Air Balloon. (Optional) An early morning trip to fly high as the sun rises in the east is available, serving you one of the best views Turkey has to offer of their arid desert and valleys, a one-of-a-kind experience you should never miss. Breakfast at hotel and set back out for a city tour, starting with the Pigeon Valley, known for the numerous small pigeon houses carved into the soft stone. The Uchisar Castle is our last destination for the day, located within the highest point in Cappadocia. This centuries-old structure is a mix between natural rock formations which makes it the biggest mass fairy chimneys in the region and manmade caves carved by people during Byzantine times as residential areas. The views from this place is exquisite, and although many of the paths have been blocked as of today, there may have been over 1,000 inhabitants in this castle during its time.

(Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

DAY 5: Transfer from Cappadocia to Pamukkale Enroute Konya

Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel before we check-out from our hotel and leave Cappadocia for Pamukkale. En-route, we’ll visit the City of Konya, a pilgrimage destination for Sufis and the home of the Whirling Dervishes, which is a religious order founded by the Muslim SageMevlâna in the 13th century. Learn about everything you want to know of the Devirshes, their history, and the final words Mevlâna left this world, which is believed to also be his “wedding night” with his Beloved, the Divine. After the museum, we continue on the journey to Pamukkale and check-in once we’ve arrived. We spend the night in Pamukkale.

(Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

DAY 6: Pamukkale & Hierapolis Ancient City Tour& Transfer to Kusadasi

After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll head out to visit the old city of Pamukkale, Hierapolis, the ancient city of Greco-Roman known for the ancient hot springs and travertine pools. These thermal pools form the “Cotton Castle” and is a top visited attraction and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. We head to the Necropolis, a burial site of the ancient city and one of the biggest cemeteries of Anatolia. Hirepolis also offers buggys at the entrance which can be hired by paying extra directly).We end the day with the Travertines Hot Springs, the main attraction of this city back then and today. It was a manmade wonder, the “Cotton Castle,” created after an earthquake in year 692 as thermal water accumulated. The waters are rich in calcium and believed to have healing properties, and as they cascaded down the hill, creates a beautifully formed terraces of baths that still remain the same to this day, making it easy to imagine how socialites would hang out with their friends while bathing here. At the end of the tour, you will be transferred out of Pamukkale to Kusadasi. We’ll check-in upon arrival and let you rest for the rest of the night in Kusadasi.

(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

DAY 7: Excursion to Ancient Roman City of Ephesus

After breakfast in Kusadasi, you’ll have free time in the morning before we start our tour in the afternoon. We are visiting the Ancient Roman City of Ephesus and explore the ruins that will tell us what kind of life and culture ancient Romans held. We make our way to the ancient Baths of Varius, a Roman bath that was build during the 2nd century. It is one of the largest complex baths and similar to the Great Baths in Hierapolis, have three main areas: the hot room (Caladrium), warm room (tepidarium), and the cold room (frigidarium). Another famed Roman baths in Ephesus is the Scholastica Bath,” The reason being the fun experience this village has and the abundance of fresh produce the village has. The history of this land dates as far back as the 320 BC and there are at least seven villages, including Sirince, that has existed on this land since ancient times. From the village, we’ll drive back to your hotel in Kusadasi for an overnight stay.

(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

DAY 8: Transfer from Kusadasi to Cesme Sightseeing & Embarkation (Cruise)

After breakfast, we head out to Cesme, a beach town that used to be a major port as part of the Silk Road. Once we’re here, we’ll tour the city starting with the Church of Agios Haralambos, one of the largest churches in Cesme built in 1832.We’ll then enjoy a relaxing afternoon tea at a local tea house, traditionally brewed, for a true luxurious experience here. Afterward, we head to the cruise for embarkation and hop on the vessel, spending the night on the cruise on its way to Athens. The Cruise will start for Athens at 16:00 hrs.

(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

DAY 9: Arrival Athens, Piraeus Tour And Transfer To Santorini (Cruise)

We wake up in Athens and at around 7 AM, you will hear announcement of the ship arriving at the main port of Greater Athens, Piraeus. Piraeus serves as one of the most important ports of Mediterranean Sea and is the biggest port in Greece with a long history dating as far back as the 5th century BC. Once we’ve arrived, disembark to explore Athens with a nice walk along the historical city to Kastella, a hill that was home to some of the richest and most important men. Many neoclassical houses are still preserved on the hill that was where the wealthy resides. Once you’re here, you’ll understand why those with the power and wealth would move here after taking in the view of the Saronic Gulf.
We return to the cruise in the afternoon to be on our way to Santorini.

(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

DAY 10: Arrive Santorini & Afternoon Transfer to Mykonos (Cruise)

We’ll arrive at Santorini Island by 7 AM and wake up to the beautiful sight of the Cyclades Islands in the middle of Aegean Sea. The beautiful island of Santorini’s rough surface was formed by the volcanic eruption from the 16th century. The towns of Fira and Oia are built along the cliffs of the crater with a beautiful view of the sea. The sight of the whitewashed houses with vivid-colored roofs, the crater and Aegean Sea as the backdrop, making this a view you don’t want to miss. From Santorini, we head to the next island, Mykonos, still an island within Cyclades, nicknamed as “The Island of the Winds.” We’ll arrive around 8 PM, a perfect time because Mykonos has a great, vibrant nightlife. In Greek mythology, Mykonos was a descendant of Apollo, and the island was the battle ground of Gigantomachy and the large rocks around the island are the petrified corpses of the giants.

(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

DAY 11: Transfer from Mykonos to Cesme (Disembarkation) & Departure

We’ll head out from Mykonos in the early hours for Cesme and arrive at roughly 7AM, in time for breakfast. Disembark from the vessel once we arrive and transfer to Izmir Airport for your flight home. Our tour ends as you hop on the flight to Istanbul.
Please note: in case of departure from Istanbul back home, please make sure your flight is departing after 5 pm.

(Breakfast on Cruise)