8D7N GREAT ANATOLIA (PRIVATE)
Overview
This 8-day, 7-night private tour takes you across the vibrant landscapes and historical marvels of Turkey, beginning with the fascinating city of Istanbul and continuing through Anatolia’s unique and captivating regions.
Upon your arrival in Istanbul, you’ll be welcomed by your representative and transferred to your hotel, where you’ll settle in for the night. Day two offers a full day of sightseeing, where you’ll visit the famed Blue Mosque with its iconic minarets and blue Iznik tiles, and explore the historic Hippodrome. Discover the awe-inspiring Hagia Sophia, followed by a visit to the opulent Topkapi Palace, once the residence of Ottoman Sultans. After lunch, venture into the bustling Grand Bazaar, sampling Turkish coffee at Sark Kahvesi, a renowned coffee spot.
On day three, a domestic flight brings you to Ankara, where you’ll visit the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and the Anatolian Civilizations Museum, which houses remarkable artifacts from ancient civilizations. The journey continues to Cappadocia, where you’ll have dinner and rest at your hotel.
A highlight of day four is an optional hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia’s surreal landscape, an experience unique to this region. Later, you’ll visit the Goreme Open Air Museum, Kaymakli Underground Cistern, and several of Cappadocia’s mesmerizing valleys, such as Devrent, Pigeon, and Avanos, known for its ancient pottery-making traditions.
Day five takes you to Konya, where you’ll visit the historic Sultanhan caravanserai and the Mevlana Museum, home to the Theological School of Whirling Dervishes. After lunch, you’ll journey onward to Pamukkale, known for its breathtaking thermal pools.
On day six, explore Pamukkale’s iconic calcium terraces and visit the ancient city of Hierapolis, with its well-preserved Roman theater and ancient Byzantine baths. The tour continues to Kusadasi, where you’ll enjoy dinner and overnight accommodations.
Day seven introduces you to the ancient city of Ephesus, one of the most significant sites in early Christianity. You’ll visit the Basilica of St. John, the Isabey Mosque, and the extensively excavated ruins of Ephesus, with landmarks such as the Great Theatre and Church of the Councils. Take some time for shopping in Kusadasi’s local markets before flying back to Istanbul for an overnight stay.
On your final day, you’ll enjoy breakfast in Istanbul before transferring to the airport for your departure, carrying with you unforgettable memories of Turkey’s cultural richness and natural wonders.
Included/Excluded
- Domestic flight tickets -Istanbul to Ankara and Izmir to Istanbul
- Sightseeing as per above itinerary
- Hotel Accommodation at below suggested hotels or similar category
- Daily standard tourist meals where indicated on tour program. ( Drinks are not included during the Dinners )
- Transportation by A/C deluxe vehicle
- English speaking professional tour guide
- All entry fees to the sites & museums
- Tips to the hotel and restaurant staff Service charges & local taxes Tips to tour guide and driver.
- Return International Flight Ticket
- Personal expenses, optional tour and any not mentioned in the itinerary.
- Travel Insurance
- Drinks and meals which are not listed at tour program.
- Optional Hot Air Balloon estimated USD 320 depends on Low or Peak season (based on seasonality)
DAY 1 ARRIVAL ISTANBUL ( No Meal )
- Following our arrival in Istanbul, meet with our representative at the airport and transferred to our hotel where we will have our dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2 Istanbul (Breakfast/Lunch)
- After breakfast we set off on a full day of sightseeing in Istanbul. We will start with a visit to the renewed Sultanahmet Mosque, known popularly as The Blue Mosque an incredibly beautiful mosque known for its blue Iznik (Nicaea) tiles are unique for the fact that it has six minarets.
- Continue to the Hippodrome once the vast arena that functioned as the heart of sporting (chariots races and athletics) events and political activities of the old city.
- From here we go to the nearby Hagia Sophia the Church of Divine Wisdom.
- After lunch our next visit will be Topkapi Palace which for more than 400 years was the imperial residence of the Ottoman Sultans, now home to the priceless collections porcelain, jewelry, calligraphy and many masterpieces of art.
- The tour will end with the visit to the Grand Bazaar, the vast and legendary covered market that is the biggest souk in the world with nearly 4000 shops of antiques, jewelry and carpets.
- During the visit of the Grand Bazaar, we will be experiencing Turkish coffee from Sark Kahvesi, historical coffee roasters located in the Grand Bazaar.
Day 3 Istanbul / Ankara / Cappadocia (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)
- After breakfast, we drive to Istanbul airport for our domestic flight to Ankara.
- Upon arrival to Ankara, we will visit to the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
- After that, visit the Anatolian Civilizations Museum at which numerous remnants from Stone Age, Neolithic Age, Hittites, Urartians, Phrygians and many others are on display.
- After that, we drive to Cappadocia.
- Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Cappadocia.
Day 4 Cappadocia (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)
- OPTIONAL HOT AIR BALLOON IN CAPPADOCIA: You will be collected from your hotel roughly one hour before sunrise. We drive to our base, and serve tea, coffee and cookies, as the passengers meet. Then we go to our take off field designated for that day. The balloon will be ready and waiting for you. Following a safety briefing from your pilot, we climb into the baskets and take off. During the flight we rise to altitudes of several hundred meters to give you a good view of all that there is around, but what we do mostly is drift through the valleys and canyons and around the fairy chimneys, performing contour flying. This sort of balloon flight is possible only in Cappadocia in the whole world. The actual flight time is between 45 to 55 minutes. On landing, we have a traditional celebration party with some champagne and cakes, and we give every passenger a commemorative flight certificate written to their names. Then we bring you back to your hotels. The whole excursion takes about 3 hours from pick up to drop off.
- After breakfast, we will explore the famous valleys of Cappadocia.
- Visit Goreme Open Air Museum, Kaymakli Underground Cistern, Devrent, Pigeon, Pasabag and Avanos valleys, the latter providing us with the opportunity to purchase some pottery made with kick-wheel method that has been shaped here for millennia.
- Dinner and overnight at hotel in Cappadocia.
Day 5 Cappadocia / Konya / Pamukkale (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)
- Early departure for Konya. On the way visit the 13th century Seljukian caravanserai “Sultanhan”.
- The next stop will be Konya which is famous with Mevlana Museum and the Theological Scholl of Whirling Dervishes.
- Lunch enroute, drive to Pamukkale.
Day 6 Pamukkale / Kusadasi (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)
- After breakfast, you will depart from your hotel to visit Aphrodisias.
- Afterwards, you will visit Hierapolis founded during the Hellenistic period as a control point of trading routes connecting East to West.
- Upon arrival at the site, you will be welcomed by the spectacular views of calcium pools that have been irrigated by the spring waters of Hierapolis for thousands of years.
- After a short break to take pictures and enjoy the view, you will continue to the ancient site that is still being excavated by Italian archaeologists.
- You will keep exploring the ancient site by touring the Gate of Domitianus and the Byzantine Baths.
- Once you reach the lower slopes of the hills that rise behind the site, you will note one of the best-preserved Roman Theatres of the world of archaeology.
- Dinner and overnight in Kusadasi.
Day 7 Kusadasi / Istanbul (Breakfast/Lunch)
- After breakfast, we will drive shortly to the town of Seljuk.
- From this point, a wide-open view overlooking the former harbor of the ancient city of Ephesus can be seen.
- After the visit of the Basilica of St John, we will walk downhill to visit the 14th century Isabey Mosque.
- Following this visit, our driver will pick us up to drive shortly to the ruins of Ephesus the city mentioned in the Bible several times.
- Stroll through the extensively excavated archeological site with the Great Theatre where St Paul had preached and the Church of the Councils (two of the Christian Councils were held here).
- Concluding your sightseeing, you may spend some leisurely time in the town center of Kusadasi.
- You may stroll through the charming market that is right across the port to hunt for bargains in fine jewelry, silverware and leather products at a great variety of stores offering handmade souvenirs of Turkish culture.
- At the end of tour, we drive to Izmir airport for our departure flight back to Istanbul.
- Arrive in Istanbul, we drive to our hotel in Istanbul.
Day 8 Istanbul / Departure (Breakfast)
- After breakfast, we transferred to Istanbul airport for our departure flight back home.
| NO OF PAX | PACKAGE PRICE (MYR) |
|---|---|
| 02PAXS | MYR 17,500 |
| 03 PAXS | MYR 13,320 |
| 04 PAXS | MYR 11,220 |
| 05 PAXS | MYR 9960 |
| 06 PAXS | MYR 9140 |
| 07 PAXS | MYR 8550 |
| SINGLE SUPPLEMENT | MYR 2600 |
| CITY | HOTELS 4star |
|---|---|
| Istanbul | Hotel Beyaz Saray or similar, |
| Kusadasi | Suhan Cappadocia or similar |
| Pamukkale | Adempira Thermal Hotel or similar |
| Kusadasi | Palmin Hotel or similar |
