Turkey in Brief

Today join a small group tour of Istanbul. Start your day by visiting the stunning Topkapi Palace that served as a palace of the Ottoman Sultans. Continue to the magnificent St Sophia (viewing from outside), the Hippodrome and the Sultanahmet Mosque, better known as the Blue Mosque, whose cascading domes and six slender minarets dominate the skyline of Istanbul. Finish your day at the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 3,000 shops.

Day at leisure or optional Istanbul experiences.

Options:
* Spice Market and Bosphorus cruise
* Turkish Bath Experience
* Whirling Dervishes Show

Early flight to Cappadocia from Istanbul before joining your group tour of the for a walk through famous rock-cut churches of the Rose Valley and rest in Cavusin, an old Greek village known for its Christian houses and churches. After lunch, visit the Ortahisar Castle and its storage caves. Continue to the Kaymakli Underground City where pigeons contributed to the lives of locals by fertilizing vineyards with their manure. Evening is at leisure in Cappadocia.

Private transfer to Neveshir airport for your flight to Izmir. On arrival, you will be transferred to your Kusadasi hotel where accommodation has been reserved for three-nights. Remainder of the day at leisure to explore the coastal town.

Today you will discover the wonderful ancient city of Ephesus and feel the atmosphere of Hellenistic and Roman times. Start the tour visiting the House of the Virgin Mary where she may have spent the last days of her life. Pope John-Paul II declared the Shrine of Virgin Mary as a pilgrimage place for Christians and it is also visited by Muslims who recognize Mary as the mother of one of their prophets. Every year, on August 15th, a ceremony is organized to commemorate Mary's Assumption. Next explore the Odeon, Goddess Rome Temple, Hadrian Temple, Divine Ceasar Temple, Pollia and Trajan Fountains, Celsius Library, more than thousand-year-old public toilets, Ephesus Theatre, Harbour Street and many other highlights of the town of Ephesus. Conclude the day with a visit to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and which made the city earn the title Servant of The Goddess. Lunch today will be at a local restaurant. Upon completion of the tour you will be transferred back to your hotel in Kusadasi.

Explore Pamukkale, an extraordinary natural wonder similar to New Zealand’s lost Pink and White Terraces. The city contains hot springs and travertines, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water. Your tour today will begin with lunch at a local restaurant in Pamukkale. After lunch the next stop will be the ancient city of Hierapolis, a UNESCO World Heritage site which differs from all other ancient cities in being located not on earth or rock, but on solid limestone layers formed by limestone water that flowed for centuries over this raised level plateau. "Hierapolis" means "sacred city" and the city was given this name because of the large number of temples it had. Today, the theatre, the Apollo temple and the Necropolis are the most important places to see in Hierapolis. During the tour you will see the Necropolis (Cemetery) of Hierapolis which is one of the biggest ancient cemeteries in Anatolia Roman Bath, Domitian Gate, and the Main Street, Byzantium Gate. Then walk to the natural warm water terraces which were formed by running warm water that contains calcium. The temperature of the water is about 35 Celcius. You will have the chance to see the gleaming white travertine terraces of Pamukkale, located next to the ruins of Hierapolis. The extraordinary effect is created when water from the hot springs loses carbon dioxide as it flows down the slopes, leaving deposits of limestone. The layers of white calcium carbonate, built up in steps on the plateau, gave the site the name Pamukkale (cotton castle). There will be some free time to swim in antique Cleopatra’s Pool (Optional). At the end of the tour, return to your hotel in Kusadasi.

Morning departure by tourist bus for a visit of Pergamon. Here you will visit the impressive Acropolis of Pergamum, perched on a high, steep-sided hill - one of the highest and most magnificent Acropolis in ancient history. Continue across the Ida Mountain to Troy. Admire the ruins and a replica of the Trojan Horse, a wooden horse said to have been used during the Trojan War by the Greeks to enter the city of Troy and win the war. Continue to Canakkale and the Gallipoli Peninsula for an overnight stay.

Morning at leisure to wander around the area. Meet your local guide and after lunch at a local restaurant, depart on a guided tour of Gallipoli. Visits will include Brighton Beach, Beach Cemetery, ANZAC Cove, Ariburnu Cemetery, ANZAC Commemorative Site, Mehmetcik Statue, Lone Pine Australian Memorial, Johnston's Jolly (Turkish and Allied trenches and tunnels), Turkish 57th Infantry Regiment Cemetery, The Nek Cemetery and Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial. Upon completion of the tour, take the tourist bus back to Istanbul arriving around 10:00pm in the evening. Overnight in Istanbul.

Transfer to the airport for your onward flight.

• Accommodation of your choice (option of Cave Hotels in Cappadocia)
• Arrival and departure transfers
• Air-conditioned tourist bus from Kusadasi to Eceabat and Eceabat to Istanbul
• Domestic flights Istanbul to Kayseri and Kayseri to Izmir
• Sightseeing tours with professional English-speaking guides (small group or regular)
• Entrance fees
• Daily breakfast
• 5 lunches and 2 Dinners
• 24/7 support in Turkey
• Assistance of local representatives
• Turkey Travel Notes – issued by Innovative Travel

• International airfares
• Optional tours and excursions
• Porterage
• Tipping/Gratuities (please refer to tour notes for a recommended guideline)
• Personal Expenses
• Departure taxes
• Hotel charges for minibar or any extra charges
• Visas (unless specified)
• Any other services not clearly mentioned in the inclusions above