11-Day Turkey Highlights Tour from Istanbul with Cappadocia and Kusadasi

Upon arrival, be received by a representative and transferred to the chosen hotel.

Have breakfast and explore the magnificent city of Istanbul, visiting the Basilica of Hagia Sophia, the culmination of Byzantine art and the pearl of Istanbul.

Also visit the famous Topkapı Palace, the residence of the Ottoman sultans for four centuries, including its treasury and sacred relics.

Enjoy a typical lunch at a local restaurant in the Sultanahmet area, then continue to the Blue Mosque, a wonder of harmony, proportion, and elegance, and to the Hippodrome, which preserves the Obelisk of Theodosius, the Serpentine Column, the Fountain of Emperor William, and the Egyptian Obelisk.

Move on to the famous Grand Bazaar and enjoy free time roaming among its 4,000 stores.

Return to the accommodation.

Have breakfast at the hotel and depart for a boat trip on the Bosphorus, which separates Europe and Asia.

During this journey, see the sultans' palaces and old, typical wooden houses, and enjoy history from a different perspective.

Visit the Spice Bazaar, established by the Ottomans five centuries ago and in use ever since.

Have breakfast and depart for Ankara through the mountains of Bolu with your Turkish tour guide.

Upon arrival, visit Ankara, the capital of the Turkish Republic and the second-most populous city in Turkey, a modern and cosmopolitan city filled with ancient history and culture.

Later, visit the Anıtkabir Mausoleum, the symbol of Ankara, where the founder of the Turkish Republic lies. At the end of the afternoon, arrive at the hotel for dinner and accommodation.

Have breakfast and depart for Cappadocia. En route, see Salt Lake, the second-largest lake in Turkey, and a 13th-century caravanserai, a medieval inn.

Arrive in Cappadocia.

Have dinner and rest at the accommodation.

Visit Cappadocia, a fascinating region with an original landscape formed by lava thrown by the Erciyes and Hasan volcanoes 3 million years ago.

Continue to the Göreme Valley, an incredible Byzantine monastic complex composed of churches carved into the rock and decorated with beautiful frescoes.

Next, visit Avcılar Valley and the Paşabağı and Gövercinlik valleys, and admire the best views of the volcanic formations known as "fairy chimneys".

Discover workshops featuring typical carpets and stones such as onyx and turquoise.

Have dinner at the hotel and stay overnight.

Depart for Konya, the capital of the Seleucid Sultans, and visit the Mausoleum of Mevlana, the poet and philosopher who founded the mystical and religious sect of the Dancing Dervishes.

Continue the journey to Pamukkale. Upon arrival, visit Hierapolis, an ancient Hellenistic city that today lies in ruins.

Visit the famous Cotton Castle, a natural wonder of gigantic white waterfalls, stalactites, and natural pools formed over the centuries by the passage of waters rich in calcareous salts from thermal springs.

Arrive at the hotel, have dinner, and stay overnight.

Have breakfast at the hotel.

Depart in the morning for Ephesus, a Greco-Roman city, the former capital of Asia Minor, and one of the best-preserved cities of antiquity, where the Temple of Hadrian, the Temple of Trajan, the theatre, and the Library of Celsus are located.

Visit the House of the Virgin Mary, where she spent the last years of her life.

Continue to Kusadasi and visit this beautiful town, admiring its famous port from which cruise ships depart for the Greek islands.

Continue to the hotel and stay on the beach by the Aegean Sea for three nights with dinner.

Have breakfast at the hotel and enjoy the beaches offered by the hotel.

Stroll through the center of Kusadasi and enjoy its atmosphere.

Have dinner and rest.

Have breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Izmir Airport for your flight to Istanbul.

Arrive and transfer to the hotel.

Have breakfast and transfer to the airport.