From Istanbul: 10-Day Turkey Tour & optional Hot Air Balloon
1º Day | Arrival to Istanbul Arrival to Istanbul. Meet with an English-speaking assistant at the airport. Transfer to the hotel for check-in. Overnight at the hotel. 2º Day | Istanbul (Breakfast, Lunch) Breakfast at the hotel. Free time at Spice Market for shopping. Then proceed to take a Bosphorus cruise excursion along the Bosphorus. Lunch. After lunch, visit Sultanahmet Mosque, Hippodrome, and the famous Hagia Sophia. Overnight at the hotel. 3º Day | Istanbul | Ankara (Breakfast, Dinner) Breakfast at the hotel. Departure from the hotel to visit Topkapi Palace. Free time at Grand Bazaar (closed during the first day of the religious holidays). Drive to Ankara. Dinner & overnight at the hotel. 4º Day | Ankara | Cappadocia (Breakfast, Dinner) Breakfast. Visit Anatolian Civilizations Museum, then proceed to the Mausoleum of Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic. Drive to Cappadocia. En route, visit the underground city which was constructed by the first Christians to protect themselves from the attacks. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. 5º Day | Cappadocia (Breakfast, Dinner) Breakfast. Visit Göreme Open Air Museum - a UNESCO Heritage site, a fantastic region with its cave churches located in the valley. Then proceed to Uchisar Village and then the spectacular fairy chimneys. Visit Derbent Valley and explore the natural rock formations and get a chance to attend the workshops on carpets and onyx stones. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. 6º Day | Cappadocia | Pamukkale (Breakfast, Dinner) After breakfast at the hotel, drive to Pamukkale. En route, visit Sultanhan Caravansarai that was built during the Seljuk Empire. Continue to Pamukkale. Visit Cotton Steps – a UNESCO Heritage site that is believed to have healing thermal water. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. 7º Day | Pamukkale | Ephesus | Izmir (Breakfast, Dinner) Breakfast. Visit the Ephesus Ruins – the city that was dedicated to Artemis: the Odeon, Temple of Hadrian, the House of Love, the Library of Celsus, the Agora. Then proceed to the Virgin Mary House - believed to be the final resting place of the mother of Jesus. Then stop at a Leather Production Store. Proceed to Izmir. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. 8º Day | Izmir | Pergamon | Troy | Çanakkale (Breakfast, Dinner) Breakfast. Drive to the Pergamon region and visit the ruins of Asclepion which is the first hospital of Asia Minor in human history. Then continue to Troy, visit the famous city that evokes the poetic name of Homer's Iliad. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. 9º Day | Çanakkale | Gallipoli | Istanbul (Breakfast) Breakfast. We will cross the Dardanelles Strait by ferry and continue to Gallipoli Peninsula. We will visit one of the most emotionally touching places in Turkey, the WWI battlefields of Gallipoli. Continuation to Istanbul for overnight. 10º Day | Departure from Istanbul (Breakfast) Breakfast. Transfer to the airport and fly home. End of our services.