Wonders of Turkey & Greek Cruise
This tour attracts many visitors to Turkey who want to get a taste of what this fascinating country has to offer..
Anyone with a love of history and a sense of adventure will appreciate this tour.
Turkey is well endowed with natural wonders like the eerie moonscape of Göreme, with its rock-hewn churches and dwellings, and the cascading terraces of Pamukkale. But there is also ancient Ephesus, Turkey’s grandest and best preserved archeological site.
Blue Mosque, Istanbul
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Excursions & Sights
Visit Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, Basilica of St. Sophia & famous Grand Bazaar
Tour Topkapi Palace in Istanbul - former home of the Sultans
View the huge reconstructed Trojan Horse in Troy
Visit Pergamon’s Acropolis, Temple of Athena, library & Asklepieon
Visit the Virgin Mary’s House and the Archeological Museum in Selçuk
View Pamukkale’s cascading white terraces and visit the ruins of Hierapolis
Visit Konya’s famous Mevlana Tekke and see the Karatay Medrese & Ince Minaret
Tour the underground city of Kaymakli and see the cone of Uçhisar
Visit the well preserved Agzikarahan Caravanserai
Visit Ataturk’s Mausoleum and Hittite Museum in Ankara
Guided City Tours
In-depth sightseeing tours in Istanbul, Gallipoli, Troy, Pergamon, Ephesus & GöremeOrientation tours in Konya & Ankara
ITINERARY
DAY 1 – DEPART CANADA
Overnight flight to Istanbul.
DAY 2 – ISTANBUL AT LEISURE
Welcome to Turkey – a land rich in archeological sites, historic monuments, warm-hearted people and an enormous variety of spectacular scenery. On arrival at Istanbul Airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel for your three-night stay.
Hotel: Crowne Plaza Old City.
DAY 3 – ISTANBUL AT LEISURE
DAY 4 – ISTANBUL SIGHTSEEING
Get your cameras ready today. Visit the Blue Mosque with its beautiful tiles and the Hippodrome where Roman chariot races were held, and visit St Sophia, at one time a cathedral and a mosque, and now a magnificent museum. Move on to visit the fabulous Topkapi Palace, a walled city perched above the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn, and then the famous Grand Bazaar where – all under cover – there are more than 4,000 shops, cafes and tea houses. Consider sampling some traditional apple tea, or spending the evening watching some belly-dancing. (BB)
DAY 5 – ISTANBUL – ÇANAKKALE
Drive along the shores of the Sea of Marmara to the peninsula of Gelibolu, better known in the west as Gallipoli. Here are the battlefields where, for nine disastrous months during the Great War, Anzac troops fought unsuccessfully to gain control of the strategic Dardanelle Straits. Visit Anzac Cove and Lone Pine Cemetery, final resting place of soldiers who gave their lives over the entire Gallipoli campaign. From Eceabat, a 30-minute sea crossing to Çanakkale takes you from one continent to another as you leave Europe for Asia.
Hotel: Kolin. (BB,D)
DAY 6 – ÇANAKKALE – IZMIR
Drive to Homer’s legendary city of Troy, where archeological excavation has established nine levels of habitation. See an enormous reconstruction of the famous Trojan wooden horse before continuing to Pergamon, the seat of an ancient kingdom. Visit the Acropolis, the Temple of Athena and the famous library, which is said to have contained 200,000 volumes. View the Red Courtyard and visit the ruins of the Asklepion, one of the most famous shrines and therapeutic centres in the ancient world. Continue to the pretty port of Izmir on the Aegean Sea.
Hotel: Hilton (BB,D)
DAY 7 – IZMIR – KUSADASI
En route to Ephesus, visit the archeological museum at Selcuk where many of the excavated artifacts of Ephesus are displayed, and visit the House of the Virgin Mary, spectacularly situated above the Ephesus ruins. Finally, tour Ephesus itself, one of the world’s finest archeological sites. Visit the colonnaded Arcadian Way, the splendid façade of the Library of Celsus and see the Amphitheatre, the largest and most impressive structure to survive from Hellenistic Ephesus. Head to the lively coastal town of Kusadasi for an overnight stay. Your hotel is one of the newest and most luxurious in this resort town – relax with a cool drink and take advantage of the hotel’s indoor pool, Turkish bath and fitness centre.
Hotel: Charisma. (BB,D)
DAY 8 – KUSADASI – PAMUKKALE
Drive inland to Pamukkale, famous for its ‘Cotton Castle’, a dazzling chalk-white array of fantastically shaped limestone terraces. Visit the ruins of ancient Hierapolis and the fairyland terraces and see the glistening pools and cascades in scallop-shell basins. The rest of the day is yours to relax and enjoy the blissfully warm thermal pools at the hotel.
Hotel: Colossae Thermal. (BB,D)
DAY 9 – PAMUKKALE – CAPPADOCIA
Head to Konya, the old capital of the Anatolian Seljuk Empire, now Turkey’s most religious city and home to the mystic Whirling Dervish sect. Visit the Mevlana Tekke, a museum and national monument, with its beautiful fluted turquoise dome, which contains the tomb of the Whirling Dervishes’ founder. See the Karatay Medrese and Ince Minaret before driving on to the historic region of Nevsehir in Cappadocia.
Hotel: Dedeman. (BB,D)
DAY 10 – CAPPADOCIA – FULL DAY EXCURSION TO GOREME
Enjoy an excursion to Göreme, a unique region of volcanic landscapes and rock-hewn churches decorated with ancient wall paintings, some of which you can see in the open-air museum. Continue to the Zelve Valley where the scenery is dotted with churches, caves and troglodyte dwellings. Tour the underground city Kaymakli, and see the cone of Uchisar. Enjoy dinner at the hotel followed by a colorful folklore show in an underground cave, featuring dances from different regions. (BB,HD)
DAY 11 – CAPPADOCIA – ANKARA
Visit Agzikarahan, one of the best-preserved Seljuk caravanserais in Anatolia. Continue on to Ankara to visit the Hittite Museum and Anit Kabir, the mausoleum of Ataturk, Turkey’s greatest modern leader.
Hotel: Sheraton. (BB,D)
DAY 12 – ANKARA – ISTANBUL
Leaving Ankara, take the highway for a scenic drive through the Turkish countryside to Istanbul. Upon arrival, embark on a superb Highlight cruise along the Bosphorus Waterway. Travelling towards the old city from close to the Black Sea, the scenery complements the grandeur of the Ottoman palaces, old mansions and fortresses. Consider celebrating the tour with a farewell dinner with your new friends at a colorful local restaurant.
Hotel: Crowne Plaza Old City. (BB)
DAY 13 – DEPART FOR ATHENS
Welcome to Greece! You are met at the airport and transferred to your hotel.
DAY 14– ATHENS AT LEISURE
Hotel: Metropolitan.
DAY 15 – ATHENS SIGHTSEEING
(BB)
DAY 16 – CRUISING – MYKONOS
Board your cruise ship and set sail for the Cyclades. Arrive early evening at the lovely island of Mykonos. (BB,L,D,S)
DAY 17 – CRUISING – RHODES
Enjoy a full day on Rhodes, once the headquarters of the crusaders. Take time to explore the Old City or stroll along the beautiful beaches. Tonight, enjoy a Greek Evening and Dinner with entertainment. (BB,L,HD,S)
DAY 18 – CRUISING – PATMOS – KUSADASI. Dock at the island of Patmos where St John the Divine received his vision of the Apocalypse. Sail to the Turkish port of Kusadasi to visit the bazaar or perhaps take an excursion to the ancient ruins of Ephesus. (BB,L,D,S)
DAY 19 – ATHENS
Disembark and transfer to your hotel where the rest of the day is at leisure.
Hotel: Metropolitan. (BB)
DAY 20 – RETURN TO CANADA
The tour ends with Transfers to the airport. (BB)
GENERAL INFORMATION & CONDITIONS
Tour Prices: Are based on costs, charges, tariffs, rates, prices, taxes, levies and exchange rates as of 02 June 2008. Should any of these costs change a surcharge may apply. If the total tour price increases by more than 10%, passengers will have the right to cancel within 7 days of notification of the surcharge without penalty. No surcharges regarding cost or currency fluctuations will be made to the Land Only price once the deposit is received. This guarantee also excludes fuel surcharges and does not apply to any taxes, charges or levies imposed by any government or its agencies. Airport taxes are subject to change. In exchange for these guarantees no refund will be made if costs are reduced. All prices are in Cad$ unless otherwise specified
Fr. $4978.00 per/person dble occ. Departure Date: March 6/09
