Tour Overview
Turkey is a paradise of sun, sea, mountains, and lakes that offers the vacationer a complete change from the stress and routine of everyday life. From April to October, most places in Turkey have an ideal climate that is perfect for relaxing on sandy beaches or enjoying the tranquility of mountains and lakes. Turkey also has a magnificent past, and is a land full of historic treasures from 13 successive civilizations spanning 10,000 years. Even if you spend only a short time in Turkey, you can see a lot of this great past. There is no doubt that one visit will not be enough, and you will want to come back again and again as you discover one extraordinary place after another. All of them, no matter how different, have one thing in common: the friendly and hospitable people of this unique country.Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Istanbul, TurkeyWelcome to Istanbul. Today when you arrive at the Istanbul Airport, a local iExplore representative who will transfer you to The Sultanhan Hotel will meet you. Enjoy the balance of your day at leisure to rest and relax, or explore the city on your own.
The Sultanhan Hotel Istanbul is located in the Sultanahmet, the most historically-significant part of Istanbul. This area is home to well-known sites such as the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar and the Islamic Art Museum. Most of these locations are within easy walking distance from the hotel. The Ataturk International Airport is approximately 18 kilometers away. Guests may check in at any time, day or night.The Sultanhan Hotel Istanbul features satellite television, direct-dial phones, minibars and safes in all its rooms. The décor is very much traditional, with tile and textile examples of Turkish decorative art displayed prominently. There is room service available 24 hours per day and the staff is multilingual. The hotel has its own restaurant and bar.The Sultanhan Hotel Istanbul was formerly a government house which has been converted to a boutique hotel. It is located in the heart of Istanbul's historic district and close to public transportation. The hotel puts great efforts toward décor, invoking the history expressed in the environs in which it is set.
Sultanhan Hotel Day 2: Istanbul
Enjoy a morning scenic cruise on the Bosphorus, the strait connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. The ferry stops on both the Asian and European sides for several times during the one-hour cruise. Later, we visit the Rumeli Fortress, a waterfront Ottoman castle built in 1452 to prevent enemy naval reinforcements and protect the city (Mehmet the Conqueror succeeded in taking Istanbul in 1453.) Today it is a museum. Return to old city by taxi to visit the spice market where a multitude of herbs have been sold since the 15th century. Return to your hotel on foot through old streets and markets.
Breakfast, Lunch
The Sultanhan Hotel Day 3: Istanbul
Begin your day with a tour of Topkapi Palace, residence of the Ottoman Sultans for about 400 years, with its fabulous collections of jewels and other artifacts. Also visit the Harem section, another palace inside the Topkapi, here you will hear of the history of eunuchs and the high education of the concubines. Continue the tour with a visit to Hagia Sophia, originally built as a church by Constantine the Great in the 4th century and used as a mosque during the Ottoman era until 1935 (today it's a museum encompassing both Christianity and Islam). Next visit the Blue Mosque, famous for its beautiful blue tiles decorating the interior walls. Built in the 17th century and both it and Hagia Sophia are considered masterpieces of their period. Continue to the Basilica cistern, the best known and the largest of the closed cisterns built under the Justinian basilica in the 6th century. Later, we will discover the highlights of the ancient hippodrome, Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine Column, and others.
Breakfast, Lunch
The Sultanhan Hotel Day 4: Istanbul
Morning visit to Islamic Art Museum, where major pieces of Islamic art and ethnographic textiles are gathered from all over the country. After, walk to the Covered Bazaar, a labyrinth of streets filled with all sorts of tempting items to purchase: harem bracelets, colorful carpets, hand-painted ceramics, and more (it's said there are 3,000 shops!). This afternoon, enjoy a walking tour through the old streets and trade areas to the mosque complex of Suleiman the Magnificent, the most famous piece of Islamic art of the Ottoman Renaissance and built by the great architect Sinan. After lunch, you'll visit the Jewish settlement of Ottoman Turkey from the 16th century on. The 14th-century Galata Tower will provide a perfect view of the Golden Horn and Sea of Marmara with part of the Bosphorus. Visit a couple of artisan workshops in the area.
Breakfast, Lunch
The Sultanhan Hotel Day 5: Istanbul- Cappadocia
Transfer to the domestic airport for your flight to Kayseri. You are met upon arrival and transferred to the Soganli Valley, a one-hour drive. This is surely one of the most beautiful and unusual spots in the world, with a moon-like landscape boasting a variety of weird but interesting natural formations, including pyramid-shaped rocks and sensuously carved fertile valleys that are volcanic in origin. We'll pass through the village of Taskin Pasa, and have lunch in an old Greek house in Sinasos. After checking into the hotel, you'll visit one of the local underground cities carved from the volcanic tufa to a depth of eight to ten stories (some of these cities were once populated by as many as 2,500 people), then drive to a couple of valleys for panoramic views and a wine tasting at a local cellar.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lykia Lodge Day 6: Cappadocia
Morning visit to the Göreme Valley and its Open Air Museum, including reconstructed Dark Church with its preserved frescoes. The entire valley is the place where early Christianity flourished. Also visit one of the underground clay pottery workshops to see how the pottery is produced just as was done in ancient times. After lunch in a local restaurant, walk up to Uchisar Castle with its panoramic views of the Cappadocia region, and walk in an area of pointed rock formations known as the Fairy Chimneys. Return to the hotel. (Option to hot-air balloon in the early morning, additional fees apply.) Ask us for details.)
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lykia Lodge Day 7: Cappadocia- Istanbul- Depart
Transfer to the Kayseri airport for your return flight to Istanbul and make your homebound connection.
Breakfast
