Archaeological Turkey Tour

This Turkey tour is a showcase of the immense variety of monuments, culture and landscapes Turkey has to offer. It is a suitable tour for a group of like-minded travellers.

Suggested Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive Istanbul
On arrival in Istanbul, you will be escorted to your hotel for cocktails and a tour briefing from your guide.

Day 2: Istanbul (B)
In Istanbul today you will be escorted on a full day tour including the Church of St. Saviour in Chora, the Spice Market, the Archeological Museum and the Mosque of Süleyman the Magnificent.

Day 3: Istanbul (B)
Your second full day in Istanbul begins with a visit to Dolmabahçe Palace, followed by a cruise along the Bosphorus. In the afternoon you visit the Rüstem Pasha Mosque and the Islamic Art Museum.

Day 4: Istanbul – Trabzon (B, D)
Today includes the majestic Church of St. Sophia, renowned for its frescoes, and the remarkable Monastery of Sümela, which clings to a cliff-face high in the mountains.

Day 5: Trabzon – Erzurum (B)
Drive through the dramatic Pontic Alps to Erzurum, the highest town in Turkey, and a treasure house of medieval, Turkish architecture. Sights include the soaring Medrese of the Twin Minarets, the vast 12th century Great Mosque and the 14th century Yakutiye Medrese.

Day 6: Erzurum – Kars (B)
From Kars you explore the ruins of Ani, a medieval Armenian capital. The site is one of the most evocative in Turkey, including churches, palaces and mosques built between the 10th - 13th centuries.

Day 7: Kars – Van (B)
To Dogu Beyazıt to visit the exotic, 17th C Ishak Pasha Palace. You pass within sight of Mount Ararat and stop off at the famous Rock of Van before arriving in Van itself.Van

Day 8: Van (B)
In the morning visit the island Church of Akdamar. Built in the 10th C by King Gagik of Vaspurakan, it is famous for its sculpture and frescoes. In the afternoon the Urartian citadel of Çavustepe, the castle of Hosap and the cemetery of Ahlat.

Day 9: Van – Diyarbakir (B)
Drive to Diyarbakır and explore the magnificent, medieval city walls and the Great Mosque.

Day 10: Diyarbakır (B)
Drive east to the Tigris River to explore the picturesque ruins of medieval Hasankeyf, capital of the Artukid princes, then on to Mardin, one of Turkey’s most atmospheric and architecturally distinguished towns. Your last stop before returning to Diyarbakır will be the ancient but still functioning Syrian orthodox monastery of Darulzafeyran.

Day 11: Diyarbakır – Adiyaman (B, D)
Depart for Adıyaman, stopping off to visit the gigantic funerary monument of Nemrut Dag, the Karakus Tumulus and the Cendere Bridge.

Day 12: Adiyaman – Urfa (B, D)
Depart for Urfa visiting Harran en route, one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited sites. The medieval ruins are impressive, but the site is most famous for its beehive villages. Urfa also has ancient origins, and was once a great centre of learning and religious ferment.

Day 13: Urfa – Gaziantep (B)
Drive to Halfeti village for a Euphrates boat trip, then to the Hellenistic and Roman city of Zeugma, where spectacular mosaics were recently unearthed.

Day 14: Gaziantep – Antioch (B, D)
Drive to the Hittite Open Air Museum of Yesemek, then on to Antioch to visit the Church of St. Peter and the Mosaic Museum.

Day 15: Antioch – Mersin (B, D)
Depart for the pleasant seaside town of Mersin, via Tarsus, the birthplace of St. Paul. Sights in Tarsus include the Roman arch known as Cleopatra’s Gate, and St. Paul’s Well in the heart of the city’s charming old quarter.

Day 16: Mersin – Cappadocia (B, D)
Morning departure for Cappadocia, stopping off at the cave-monastery of Eski Gümüslük and Nigde, which has some splendid, pre-Ottoman, Turkish architecture. Once in Cappadocia, you will visit the villages of Çavusin, Pasabag and Avcılar, and the natural citadel of Uçhisar.

Day 17: Cappadocia (B)
A full day of sightseeing in Cappadocia including the Göreme Open Air Museum, kilim workshops, the Red Valley, Avanos village, and the underground city of Özkonak.

Day 18: Cappadocia – Ankara (B, D)
Depart Cappadocia and drive to Ankara to visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations and the Atatürk Mausoleum.

Day 19: Departure (B)
Depart for Ankara Airport.

Typically Included:
• Arrival and departure transfers
• 18 nights accommodation
• Meals as indicated
• Sightseeing as indicated
• Entrance fees
• Transport
• Private guides

Prices vary with seasonality please contact your Concierge Traveller Advisor for more information.

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