About this trip

Best of Turkey & Greece Tour

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Istanbul

Welcome to Turkey. Arrive in Istanbul Airport ( IST ) or to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport ( SAW ) , Our representative will meet you at the airport with your name sign and private transfer to the hotel for overnight stay in Istanbul.

Day 2: Istanbul Tour (B)

09.00 a.m. After breakfast pick up from hotel and our journey begins in Istanbul, the only city in the world situated on two continents. Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul - it's three names span more than 2600 years, nearly 1600 of them as the capital of two of the greatest empires the world has known, Byzantine and Ottoman. We visit the Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Hippodrome, where chariot races and the Byzantine riots took place. Visit the Grand Bazaar for shopping. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 3: Istanbul Tour (B)

08.30 a.m. After breakfast, pick up from hotel . First visit Spice Bazaar (Egyptian Bazaar): The air here is filled with the enticing aromas of cinnamon, caraway, saffron, mint, thyme and every other concievable herb and spice then Boat trip on the bosphorus : A traditional excursion by boat along the waterway separating Europe and Asia. The shore is lined with old wooden villas, palaces of marble, fortresses, and small fishing villages. Afternoon visit Underground cistern. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 4: Istanbul to Cappadocia by flight - Cappadocia Tour (B)

Early morning pick up from hotel and transfer to Istanbul airport for flight to Cappadocia . Arrival to Cappadocia. Our Tour guide will meet you at the airport and start for Cappadocia tour. First meeting with Cappadocia, visiting Three Sisters Fairy Chimneys in Urgup which are the most popular and seen on advertisements. You will see that the houses for the pigeons are like the houses for the people. Then we descend into the center of the earth in the Kaymakli Underground City one of the largest and the deepest of 200 others in Cappadocia. After the tour program transfer to your hotel

Day 5 : Cappadocia Tour - Izmir - Kusadasi (B)

Optional : Hot Air Ballooning Tour After breakfast take our second day private Cappadocia tour. Drive to Devrent Valley, take a walk through this lunar landscape where different rock formations can be seen.. Seeing the best examples of the fairy chimneys at Pasabag Fairy Chimneys Valley, we drive further to Avanos Town, which is famous with tile and pottery workshops. After lunch our next stop is Goreme Open Air Museum where you will enjoy the fantastic rock churches and beautiful frescos from various centuries decorating the walls of the churches. Then we drive to the Uchisar Rock Castle, which is the highest and the most dominant point, giving us a breathtaking panorama. We end the day visiting Esentepe Windy Hill for panaromic view and taking photos. Transfer to the airport for flight back to Izmir via Istanbul. Arrival to Izmir and transfer to Kusadasi for overnight.

Day 6 : Kusadasi - Ephesus (B)

After breakfast drive to Ephesus. First visit Artemis Temple where is one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World. Continue to Ephesus, walk through history along marble streets lined with wonderful public buildings, among them The State Agora, Odeon, Memnius Monument, the Temple of Domitian, , Polio Fountain, Curetes Street, The Trajan Fountain, The Baths of Scholastica, Hadrian Temple, Latrina, Celcus Library, the gate of Mihridates and Mazues, Commercial Agora and The Grand Theater are two of the most impressive buildings in Ephesus. Grand theatre was built in 3rd century B.C and it was later expanded to 24.000 spectators by the Romans in the 1st century A.D. After Lunch break visit House of Virgin Mary. This house is located on the Aladag Mountains 5 miles from Ephesus. At the third Ecumenical Council of 431 in Ephesus, it was claimed that Mary came to Ephesus with St. John in 37 A.D. and lived there until her death in 48 A.D. After the discovery of the house, the Archbishop of Izmir declared it a place of pilgrimage in 1892. On July 26, 1967, Pope Paul VI visited this place and prayed here. After the tour, drive to Kusadasi for overnight.

Day 7: Kusadasi - Pamukkale - Kusadasi (B)

Drive to Pamukkale. Discovery of Travertine terraces and Hierapolis. The travertine terraces at Pamukkale are one of the most spectacular natural wonders we ever have seen from various mineral springs in a vast white cliff side, about 200 m overlooking the plain, calcite-laden waters have dripped down over a series of terraced levels and created a fairyland of bizarre solidified cascades and shell-shaped basins. It looks like creations from snow or like balls from cotton, which gave the scenery the Turkish name Pamukkale (cotton castle): Moreover the water in the basins is changing its color according to how the light enters. After tour return to Kusadasi hotel. Overnight: Kusadasi

Day 8 : Kusadasi - Greek Islands Cruise - Patmos (B, Cruise Full Board + Classic Drinks)

You will be transferred to the pier to embark on a 3 day Greek Island cruise. First stop is Patmos. This island is known as the site of the apocalyptic revelations of St. John the Divine, written here during his exile from the Roman Empire.

Day 9 : Cruise - Rhodes (Cruise Full Board + Classic Drinks)

Morning arrival in Rhodes, the island of Roses. Tour of Acropolis of Lindos and the Citadel of the Knights is included with the cruise group.

Day 10 : Cruise – Heraklion (Crete) - Santorini( Cruise Full Board + Classic Drinks )

This morning’s port of call is Heraklion, Crete. Optional excursion to the Minoan Palace of Knossos. Your next port of call is Santorini, where you are free to explore the land of the fabled Atlantis.

Day 11: Cruise - Santorini - Athens (B)

After disembarking from the cruise, you will be transferred to your Athens hotel. The rest of the day is free. Overnight: Athens

Day 12: Athens City Tour (B)

After breakfast transfer to terminal to join your group. This tour gives you an opportunity to observe the striking contrasts that make Athens such a fascinating city. Our expert guides will take you to see the Panathenaic Stadium where the first Olympic Games of modern times were held in 1896 (short stop). Continue and pass by the Prime Minister's residence (ex Royal Palace) guarded by the Euzones in their colorful uniform, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Hadrian's Arch, the Parliament and the memorial to the Unknown Soldier, the Academy, the University, the National Library, the Constitution Square (Syntagma). On the Acropolis visit the Architectural Masterpieces of the Golden Age of Athens: The Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion and finally "the harmony between material and spirit", the monument that "puts order in the mind", the Parthenon. Continue and visit the place where at last the statues found their home and admire the wonders of the classical era: The new Acropolis museum. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight: Athens

Note: Some hotels in Athens are situated on a narrow street where tour buses can't enter. You might have to walk 3-4 minutes to reach the meeting point.

Day 13: Athens - Departure (B)

Breakfast and transfer to airport.

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