Classical Turkey

Fly to Istanbul

Fly from London (regional connections available) to Istanbul with Turkish Airlines. Transfer to the Levni Hotel for three nights. Meeting and welcome dinner. (N)

Meal basis: As per itinerary – B: Breakfast, L: Lunch, D: Dinner, N: No meals.

Istanbul

Morning tour of Istanbul including the remains of the Hippodrome, which at its height could accommodate 100,000 spectators, the Blue Mosque, with its exquisite blue tiles and Hagia Sofia, built as a church by Emperor Justinian in the sixth century. Afternoon visit to the Basilica Cistern, a marvel of Byzantine engineering located underneath the city, and finish at the Egyptian Bazaar. (B)

Istanbul

Morning tour of Topkapi Palace, formerly the imperial residence of the Ottoman sultans. Tour the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul’s legendary covered market, and enjoy a traditional Turkish coffee. Afternoon at leisure. (B)

Canakkale

Morning drive to Canakkale. Tour of the Gallipoli battlefield, scene of the aborted Allied invasion of 1915. Visit Cape Helles, Suvla Bay and Anzac Cove. Stay at the Kolin Hotel for 1 night. (B, D)

Troy - Pergamon - Izmir

Drive from Canakkale to Izmir, stopping en route to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Troy. Continue to Pergamon for a tour of the historic town, including visits to the Acropolis, the Asclepion and Temple of Athena while in Troy. Transfer to the Key Hotel for 1 night. (B)

Hierapolis - Pamukkale - Laodicea

Morning drive to the ruins of Hierapolis and the travertine terraces, and the hot springs at Pamukkale. Continue to Laodicea, where the ruins of one of the seven biblical churches of Asia remain. Stay overnight at the Adempira Hotel in Pamukkale. (B, D)

Aphrodisias - Kusadasi

Drive to Aphrodisias. Visit the Temple of Aphrodite and the most complete amphitheatre to have survived from the ancient world. Drive on to the village of Sirince, with its authentic Greco-Mediterranean architecture of narrow cobbled streets and whitewashed houses. Enjoy wine tasting at a nearby vineyard. Continue to Kusadasi and stay 2 nights at Ilayda Avantgarde Kusadasi. (B)

Ephesus

Morning tour of Ephesus, once the capital of Roman Asia Minor. See the remains of the Temple of Artemis, one of the original Seven Wonders of the World, as well as the main site with its fabled Library of Celsus. Continue to the house of the Virgin Mary. Afternoon at leisure or optional visit to the hillside town of Priene and the ancient Ionian ports of the Menderes Valley. (B)

Fly to London

Morning at leisure. Afternoon transfer to the airport and fly to London, via Istanbul. (B)

Meal basis: As per itinerary – B: Breakfast, L: Lunch, D: Dinner, N: No meals.

Fly to Istanbul

Fly from London (regional connections available) to Istanbul with Turkish Airlines. Transfer to the Levni Hotel for three nights. Meeting and welcome drink. (N)

Meal basis: As per itinerary – B: Breakfast, L: Lunch, D: Dinner, N: No meals.

Istanbul

Morning tour of Istanbul including the remains of the Hippodrome, which at its height could accommodate 100,000 spectators, the Blue Mosque, with its exquisite blue tiles and Hagia Sofia, built as a church by Emperor Justinian in the sixth century. Afternoon visit to the Basilica Cistern, a marvel of Byzantine engineering located underneath the city, and finish at the Egyptian Bazaar. (B)

Istanbul

Morning tour of Topkapi Palace, formerly the imperial residence of the Ottoman sultans. Tour the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul’s legendary covered market, and enjoy a traditional Turkish coffee. Afternoon at leisure. (B)

Canakkale

Morning drive to Canakkale. Tour of the Gallipoli battlefield, scene of the aborted Allied invasion of 1915. Visit Cape Helles, Suvla Bay and Anzac Cove. Stay at the Kolin Hotel for 1 night. (B, D)

Troy - Pergamon - Izmir

Drive from Canakkale to Izmir, stopping en route to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Troy. Continue to Pergamon for a tour of the historic town, including visits to the Acropolis, the Asclepion and Temple of Athena while in Troy. Transfer to the Key Hotel for 1 night. (B)

Hierapolis - Pamukkale - Laodicea

Morning drive to the ruins of Hierapolis and the travertine terraces, and the hot springs at Pamukkale. Continue to Laodicea, where the ruins of one of the seven biblical churches of Asia remain. Stay overnight at the Adempira Hotel in Pamukkale. (B, D)

Aphrodisias - Kusadasi

Drive to Aphrodisias. Visit the Temple of Aphrodite and the most complete amphitheatre to have survived from the ancient world. Drive on to the village of Sirince, with its authentic Greco-Mediterranean architecture of narrow cobbled streets and whitewashed houses. Enjoy wine tasting at a nearby vineyard. Continue to Kusadasi and stay 2 nights at Ilayda Avantgarde Kusadasi. (B)

Ephesus

Morning tour of Ephesus, once the capital of Roman Asia Minor. See the remains of the Temple of Artemis, one of the original Seven Wonders of the World, as well as the main site with its fabled Library of Celsus. Continue to the house of the Virgin Mary. Afternoon at leisure or optional visit to the hillside town of Priene and the ancient Ionian ports of the Menderes Valley. (B)

Fly to London

Morning at leisure. Afternoon transfer to the airport and fly to London, via Istanbul. (B)

Meal basis: As per itinerary – B: Breakfast, L: Lunch, D: Dinner, N: No meals.