Arrive in Istanbul, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Balance of the day at leisure.

After breakfast at your hotel, you begin a full day sightseeing tour of Istanbul. Highlights include a visit to the illustrious Topkapi Palace (harem section is optional), the ancient Roman Hippodrome (site of chariot races) and the Hagia Sophia, the Byzantine church that was converted to a mosque in 15th century. You will also visit the famed “Blue Mosque” and the Grand Bazaar, the world’s largest covered bazaar, where you’ll have free time to discover some of the nearly 4,000 tiny shops that line its maze of passageways.

his morning you’ll be picked-up at your hotel and proceed to the “Spice Bazaar” (also known as the Egyptian Bazaar). With its array of spices, dried fruits, nuts and seeds, Lokum (“Turkish Delight”) and other exotic edibles, the Bazaar has the fragrance and atmosphere of the Middle East. After a brief visit, you continue to the embarkation point of your leisurely Bosphorus cruise offering wonderful views of Istanbul’s European and Asian shorelines with their Ottoman palaces, citadels, and centuries-old mansions. At the end of the cruise (approx. 1:00 pm), you will be driven back to your hotel. The balance of the day is free for independent activities.

Early this morning you’ll be transferred to the airport for your flight to Kayseri Airport, where on arrival, you will be met and proceed on your tour of Cappadocia. Your first encounter with Cappadocia’s almost Martian landscape is in the Dervent Valley, where you’ll see Pasabag’s “Fairy Chimneys”. Here it is said that “the voice of the wind harmonizes with the songs of the fairies”. Moving on, you’ll enjoy a visit to the Avanos Center of Terracotta Art, followed by lunch. After lunch, you visit the famous Goreme Open Air Museum to see the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia. Your tour of Cappadocia ends with a visit to the Uchisar Rock Castles, where you’ll have a spectacular panoramic view of the surrounding valleys. Overnight stay in Cappadocia.

The day begins with a visit to the “Red Valley” throughout Cavus in Village where you explore the famous rock-cut churches. Then you set out on a 2 km hike through the Gulludere Valley that ends with a visit to the village of Cavusin. After lunch, you continue to the Pigeon Valley and visit the Underground City, where early Christians lived in fear and faith, and is one of the most fascinating underground settlements in Cappadocia. The underground city was originally carved out as eight floors, four floors of which can be visited today. The tunnels are still used today as storage areas, stables, and cellars. Your tour of Cappadocia ends with a visit to the natural castles at Ortahisar. Then it’s back to the airport to board your flight to Istanbul on arrival to Istanbul Transfer to hotel.

ree time until you are transferred to the airport for your homeward flight. Or you can continue your vacation with another of our escorted tours, or one of our short stay packages or cruises.