Turkey Highlights with Pamukkale

Welcome to Turkey! Today, once you arrive at Istanbul airport and claim your luggage, you will see our representative waiting you there with your name tag. After, our representative will transfer you to the hotel in downtown by a clean private car. As you may need to get over the jetlag, we will leave the rest of the day for you to take some rest.  

Activities Suggestion: If you feel fine, after unpacking the luggage, you may go out to have the first look of the city on your own. The hotel we choose for you is well located in the old area of the city, within walking distance to many historical buildings. We recommend you to pay a visit to Beyazt Tower about 3 minutes walking northwest to the hotel. It was once a fire tower but now is used to forecast the weather. At night, it gives light of different colors to tell the weather of the next day: blue says sunny, green rainy, yellow foggy and red snowy. Its highest floor is equipped with 12 windows, through which you can have a panoramic view of the city. 

Accommodation: Yasmak Sultan or similar

After breakfast, start this guided tour energetically. The first site we will visit will be the Hagia Sophia Museum. It is an outstanding example of religious architecture that blends Christian and Islamic styles. Its big round roof is very eye-catching. Inside, the ceiling is painted with colorful frescoes in Byzantine style. Then the guide will lead you to visit the Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome Square opposite it. Blue Mosque got its name from its interior walls decorated by white and blue Iznik tiles. Another well-known feature of the Blue Mosque is that it has 6 minarets, which is the only case worldwide. 

After having lunch, continue to visit the Topkapi Palace. It was once the royal palace of Ottoman Sultans for about 400 years, and nowadays a museum where you can get a glimpse of the wealth and prosperity of Ottoman Empire. It is not only an architecture representative of Turkey, but also a treasure galley. Built by the Bosphorus, you can also have a bird’s eye view of the straight there. The last site on today’s visiting list will be Grand Bazaar gathering over 4,000 stores along the 60 or so crisscross streets. They mainly sell carpets, porcelains, jewelries, lamps and local snacks. At last, the guide will send you back to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Yasmak Sultan or similar

After breakfast, the guide and the driver will transfer you from the hotel to the pier for a cruise on the Bosphorus Strait, which is the best way to enjoy the cityscapes on both sides. From the ship you will see the splendid Dolmabahce Palace, a variety of Churches and Mosques, villas of various styles, and the famous Bosphorus Bridge.

After the cruise, the guide and the driver will send you to the airport, for you to take the flight to Izmir. We will book you the flight ticket in advance. Upon your arrival, our local driver will pick you up at the airport and send you to the hotel in Kusadasi, a resort town on Aegean coast. You will stay here for two nights. 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel By Karaaslan Inn or similar

On the fourth day, the guide and the driver will pick you up from the hotel after breakfast and escort you to visit the Artemis Temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It is said that its construction took as long as 120 years. Sadly, it was burnt down in 356 BC. Currently, only a pillar has been left there. Then we will visit Ancient Ephesus City. Once a metropolis of Roman Empire and currently the largest and best preserved ancient city ruins in Turkey, with temples, library, theater, public baths, marble streets, and old harbor, it is a great place to trace the life of Roman people.

We will have lunch at a local restaurant, and in the afternoon visit the House of Virgin Mary, where the Virgin Mary spent her last five years. In the end of the day, transfer you back to the hotel to have a good rest.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel By Karaaslan Inn or similar

Please check out after breakfast. Then we will head to Pamukkale by car about 2.5 hours’ drive away. Pamukkale, literally Cotton Castle, is a group of terraced white ponds formed by the calcium-rich hot springs flowing by. It is a natural wonder. The hot springs is good for people’s health and you will have the opportunity to swim in the ancient antique Cleopatra Pool at additional pay. If interested, remember to bring your swimming gear. 

Then we will visit Hierapolis City at the top of Pamukkale. In ancient times, it was a popular hot springs resort among both nobles and ordinary people. Therefore, it was once very prosperous and lively. Today, you can even learn its glorious past from the ruins, such as the big theatre and Necropolis. After the tour, you will be escorted to a local hotel to settle down.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Colossae Thermal Hotel or similar

It is planned that you return to Istanbul today. Airport see-off and pick-up service will be offered on two sides respectively. After sending you to the hotel in Istanbul downtown, the driver will say goodbye and you can spend the rest of the day as you like. 

Activities Suggestion: To the southeast about 8 minutes’ walking away from the hotel, is the Basilica Cistern. It is also nicknamed “Sunken Palace” because it is 9 meters (29.5 feet) deep underground and supported by 336 stone pillars with delicate carvings, just like a mysterious palace inside. Getting out from the Basilica Cistern, you may walk northward for about 5 minutes to reach the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. The most important collections here are the stone coffins and stone carvings from ancient Greek, including the stone coffin of Alexander the Great.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Yasmak Sultan or similar

At the time per your request, the driver will come to pick you up from the hotel and transfer you to the airport for you to take the departure flight. Our service in Turkey will end here. Wish you a pleasant journey home and we will be very glad to serve you in other world’s destinations in the future!

Meals: Breakfast