Türkiye in Classe

Set off this morning for a full day walking tour starting with a visit to Topkapi Palace including the Harem section (closed on Tuesdays). Built in 1468 on one of the seven hills of Istanbul by Mehmet the Conqueror, it was the seat of the Ottoman sultans for 400 years and today is a huge complex serving as a museum facing superb views of the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. The palace houses the treasures of former Sultans including the extravagant Treasury Section with its magnificent jewels which includes the emerald dagger that inspired the movie “Topkapi” in 1964, as well as the priceless Chinese porcelain, one of the best collections in the world, weapons, calligraphy section, and more. Continue to Yerebatan Underground Cistern, (it may be partly closed due to the ongoing restorations) with its atmospherically lit rows of columns – 336 in total. It was built in 532, with a capacity to store 80,000 cubic metres of water. It has excellent acoustics, and, with its fabulous atmosphere, has been used by famous singers, and for film sets.

Lunch today will be enjoyed in a Sultanahmet restaurant serving Turkish cuisine (not included in the tour price).

This afternoon, visit St. Sophia (closed on Mondays during winter months), one of the great architectural marvels of the ancient world, constructed as a basilica in 536 AD by Emperor Justinian, turned into a mosque in 1453 and now into a museum. This beautiful monument will take your breath away with the sheer size of its interior and its magnificent dome. Continue on to the Blue Mosque (closed on Friday mornings), famous for its mosaics with some 20,000 blue Iznik tiles and its six minarets. Built in the name of Sultan Ahmet in the 17th century, it is one of the best examples of classical Turkish art. Cross through the Hippodrome, the scene of Byzantine chariot races, athletic events, victory celebrations and political activities of the old city where you can also see the Obelisk of Egypt, the Serpent Column from Delphi, the German Fountain of Wilhelm II and the Colossus. End your tour in the Grand Covered Bazaar (closed on Sundays), which is the biggest “souk” in the world with nearly 4000 shops of antiques, jewellery, gold, carpets, ceramics and leather-wear. Stop for tasting of local delicacies as you wander before continuing down the crowded back streets of Mahmutpasa where the local people shop.

This evening, enjoy a sunset cruise with dinner on the shores of the Bosphorus. During this cruise, Dolmabahce Palace, Ciragan Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, Bosphorus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridges as well as Rumelian Fortress, a historical armament built by the Conqueror in 1452 to control and protect Bosphorus, may be spotted on the banks. (B,D).

An early start this morning as you depart for Gallipoli, the site of battles involving the Allied Forces including Australians and New Zealanders during World War I. In the hilly land which forms the Gallipoli or Gelibolu area, there are memorials to all the Turkish, Australian, New Zealand, French and British troops who died here in what was one of the most tragic WW1 offensives.  You will stop for breakfast enroute (not included). Visit Brighton Beach, Beach Cemetery, Anzac Cove, Ariburnu Cemetery, Lone Pine-Australian Memorial, Johnston’s Jolly (Turkish & Allied trenches and tunnels), 57th Regiment Turkish Memorial, the Nek and Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial. After having time to reflect on the history of the area, drive back to Istanbul at around 18:30. You will stop for dinner enroute (not included). Arrive in Istanbul around midnight (L).

This morning is yours at leisure to have a lie in or explore at leisure.

This afternoon, it is time to venture deeper into the local culture and understand the Greek and Jewish heritage in Istanbul. Located along the shores of the Golden Horn, the Fener district was once the Greek centre in Istanbul and is now becoming one of the city’s trendy design districts. With its steep cobble stoned streets dominated by the Rum Lisesi (Greek Orthodox College) and the Ecumenical Patriarchate Church of St. George is considered to be for Orthodox Christians, the equivalent of St. Peters in Rome.

Balat was once the Jewish quarter during the Byzantine Empire as well as the Ottoman period, with three synagogues still operating. With its colourful Ottoman houses in various states of repair, this area is a photographers dream. Sunday is market day with locals selling fresh vegetables and fruit. Return to your hotel by car.

This evening, enjoy dinner at the classy Matbah Restaurant. Matbah’s uniqueness lies in its faithful preservation of centuries-old Ottoman recipes, meticulously prepared with locally sourced ingredients, accompanied by live music and a carefully curated wine selection. (B, D).

Overnight Four Seasons Sultanahmet or similar

Following breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Cappadocia. Cappadocia is one of the most beautiful and fascinating regions of Türkiye with an amazing landscape full of weird and wonderful rock formations created by volcanic activity and erosion. On arrival, you will be met at the airport before visiting the Devrent Valley where the rock formations will play with your imagination. Walk through this amazing valley before visiting Pasabagi (Monk’s Valley) with multiple stems and caps, peculiar to this area.

After visiting Pasabagi, drive to Avanos which is known for its pottery, a craft dating back to the Hittite period. The red clay which is worked by local craftsmen, comes from the residue in the Kizilirmak River, the longest river of Türkiye. Avanos village is quaint with many Greek style homes inhabited by colourful villagers. Pause for lunch before you continue to Goreme Open Air Museum (entry to the Dark Church is additional). Here you will visit the beautiful churches, chapels and monasteries carved into the fairy chimneys from the 10th to the 13th centuries with frescos painted on the walls – some still vivid in colour. Continuing on, you will have the opportunity to taste Cappadocian wine in a local winery before transferring to your cave hotel.

Your accommodation this evening is located on the site of an ancient monastery in Old Uçhisar Village, Argos in Cappadocia has carefully restored the remains of historical dwellings, underground tunnels and caves to offer our guests not only an unsurpassed place to stay but a unique perspective from which to view this magical land.

This evening, dinner is at one of the rock-carved venues with accompanying music and Turkish dances (B,D).

2 nights Argos Hotel or similar

This morning is an early start as you are picked up from your hotel before sunrise at around 4am. It is time for a memorable balloon flight. Warm up with a hot tea or coffee and cookies before you have your safety briefing delivered by your pilot. Climb in to the baskets and take off gently over the eerie but beautiful landscape. Drift through the valleys and canyons taking in the silence and colours of the lunar landscape below as the sun slowly rises. After an hour of floating, you will land and enjoy champagne and cakes. You will then return to your hotel for breakfast.

Now that your belly is full, it is time to visit the panoramic Pigeon Valley where pigeons contributed to the lives of locals with their manure to fertilise the vineyards. Continue to Kaymakli Underground City where early Christians lived in fear and faith. Due to its soft volcanic rock, Kaymakli people built this splendid underground city around their homes for security reasons. Secret tunnels connected to the underground city have also been discovered. Early Christians living in the region from 4th century also used these underground dwellings to protect themselves from religious tortures by building caves and an elaborate labyrinth of narrow tunnels and traps for enemies. Approximately 3,500 people once lived here.

Continue to the remote village of Ayvali to feel like a true insider, as you’re welcomed into a villager’s home to prepare a typical Anatolian meal. Learn about Turkish culinary traditions whilst feasting on regional specialities including the delicate ‘borek’ pastries (made with cheese that’s been ripened in an earthenware jug), traditional bulgur soup, yaprak sarmasi (seasoned rice wrapped in grape leaves), manti (Turkish ravioli), dolaz (a delicious fried dessert served with local honey) can be made. Meet local men relaxing in a ‘kiraathane/traditional coffee-house’ where you can learn about the male villagers’ lifestyle and sample wine from the Cappadocia region. After a strong Turkish coffee, bid goodbye to your friendly hosts and stroll through Ayvali’s tiny streets where the locals may invite you into their home for tea or homemade desserts in their kitchens. Your visit to the village may also feature a walk to the local market on the days it operates to check out the most interesting stalls and chat to the vendors, or, if it’s not market day, walk through the village to pick your own organic fruit, or visit one of the cool storage caves. Drive to Rose Valley, one of the most beautiful trekking valleys in Cappadocia, and explore the famous rock-cut churches by hiking through the valley as the sunsets.

Dinner this evening is at a local restaurant which will be followed by a Whirling Dervishes show. (B,D)

Early this morning, you will be transferred to the airport in Kayseri or Nevsehir for your flight to Izmir (which may be via Istanbul depending on flight schedules). On arrival, drive to Selcuk to visit Ephesus, one of the best preserved Greek Roman cities in the world, and the cradle of early Christianity as recorded in the Bible. You will also visit the Hillside Houses (if not closed due to the ongoing restorations), one of the most popular ancient sites of Türkiye with many acres of carefully excavated ruins. Stop by the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Explore the Ephesus Archaeological Museum before you visit the House of Virgin Mary where she is supposed to have spent her last years together with St. John. Continue onto Sirince and visit a wine house en-route where you will taste the well-known Sirince wines before checking into your hotel.

Your accommodation this evening, Gullu Konaklar, hiding more than one hundred years of history within its walls is located hidden amongst olive groves atop a hill. Once a Greek village, Sirince displays a unique architecture in all of its enchanting dwellings and Gullu Konaklar is one of them. The first owner of this mansion, who was granted the land after World War I, had it built from its ceiling, to its doors and window frames with the best materials and with utmost pride. Later on, it has been refurbished with attention to all detail, protecting its historical texture, which you may see in the detailed workmanship that adorns the mansion in all of its nooks and crannies.  In 2001, the building was registered as an historical property and is now protected by the government. (B)

Overnight Gullu Konaklar or similar

Leaving Sirince, you will travel to Aphrodisias, the city of Aphrodite which is famous for its sculptors. Continue to Pamukkale known all over the world as the ‘Cotton Castle’ because of its formations from the warm calcium-rich mineral water. The calcium built natural shelves, pools and stalactites compound into a very singular and beautiful view.

The nearby ancient Hierapolis, is famous for its healing thermal/mineral baths and beautiful petrified waterfalls. Hierapolis in the past was a cure centre founded around 190 BC. Tour the spectacular Roman theatre with more than 12,000 seats, the 2nd century agora, one of the largest in the world, the Roman baths, the foundations of the Temple of Apollo and an extraordinary necropolis. (B,D)

Overnight Doga Hotel or similar

Today you will drive to Gocek where you will visit Dalyan. Here you have an opportunity to take a rowboat to the other side of the river and then hike to Caunos, the Carian border city to Lycia founded in the 9th century BC. From here, you will then continue to Gocek.

Your accommodation for the next 3 nights is at D-Resort a serene, upmarket resort on a stretch of unspoiled Turkish-Mediterranean coastline. Offering extensive wellness facilities, three restaurants serving a range of cuisine and its own marina where sleek yachts bob in turquoise water. (B)

3 nights D-Resort or similar

Today you will spend the day on the water in a traditional wooden gullet. No words can describe the beauty of this region. Sail around islands dotted with pine forests, fascinating rock carvings and in turquoise waters. The scenery is magical. Enjoy swimming and snorkelling in secluded bays with pristine nature. You may even have dolphins swim alongside your gullet. (B,L)

Today is yours at leisure to explore this beautiful fishing village. (B)

Drive to visit Xanthos, the capital of the Lycian region and a UNESCO World Heritage site, before continuing to Patara, the birth place of Santa Claus. You will stop for lunch and some free time in Kas, a quaint fishing village with laid back vibes and great shopping. Continue to Demre/Myra, to visit its splendidly carved Lycian Rock Tombs overlooking an amphitheatre, all dating back to 600 B.C. and the Church of St. Nicholas, the saint referred to as Santa Claus. Overnight at Olympos near Kemer.

Your accommodation tonight is the Olympos Lodge, ranked as one of the top 10 best boutique hotels in the Mediterranean. Protected from development because it is a noted turtle nesting site, the beach here is an unspoilt gem. Backed by pine clad peaks, book-ended by limestone ridges plunging into deep blue waters and fronted by the graceful arc of a three-mile long beach, this location has everything going for it. Nestled amongst a mass of citrus orchards and other vegetation, the Olympos Lodge occupies a prime spot towards the southern end of the beach, flanked by a crystal clear river. The atmospheric Graeco-Roman site of Olympos, is a fifteen minute stroll along the shore. (B)

2 nights Olympos Lodge or similar

Today is yours at leisure to explore Olympos and Kemer. (B)

This morning you will transfer to the airport in Antalya for your flight to Istanbul.

On arrival in Istanbul, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

The afternoon is yours at leisure. We suggest visiting Beyoglu, with its antique shops, funky furniture stores and iconic Galata Tower, legacy of the Genovese. Visit the Museum of Innocence, (based on the novel by Orhan Pamuk). Then stroll down the famous Istiklal Street, the throbbing heart of Taksim area. (B).

2 nights Four Seasons Sultanahmet or similar

Today is yours at leisure to explore Istanbul or to do any last minute shopping.

Why not venture to the Spice Bazaar where your senses will be overwhelmed with the smells of the orient – here you can learn about spices and their different uses. Meander through the streets surrounding the Spice Bazaar, and why not stop at one of the local cafes to enjoy the delicious Turkish Kunefe accompanied with a refreshing traditional Turkish tea, called Cay.

Another suggestion is to cross over to Eminonu and take a short ferry ride across to the modernised city of Kadikoy, located on the Asian Side. Here, people of all kinds mingle together. Immerse yourself in the colourful local food markets dotted along cobbled streets, sample some of fresh produce on offer, before returning to the old city by ferry – a chance to see the beautiful skyline of Istanbul and capture some fabulous photo opportunities on your journey home. (B).

Today you will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight. (B)