Itinerary
12 Days Turkey Bus Tour Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival in Istanbul
Welcome to magical Istanbul, where people from many different cultures have lived together side by side throughout history.
You’ll be met by one of our team in Istanbul airport, and transferred by private car to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to relax and explore. Please note that we will leave a message at your hotel to confirm your pick-up time for tomorrow. Free evening.
Overnight Istanbul
Day 2 – Istanbul Classical Tour
Breakfast at the hotel, and then after breakfast you will be picked up from your hotel at approximately 08:45am for your Istanbul Old City tour.
Our first stop is Istanbul’s ancient Hippodrome. Your tour guide will give you an overview of the history of the place and all the details of its transformation. Highlights of your wander around the Hippodrome will include the German Fountain and the Obelisk of Theodosius and the Walled Obelisk.
Next up is a visit to the beautiful Blue Mosque. Officially known as the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, the Blue Mosque get its nickname from its magnificent blue tiles and breath-taking interior design.
We will then move on to Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya in Turkish), renowned for its history of being a church and then later being converted to a mosque. It is also considered one of the world’s great architectural feats. You will be enthralled as your guide explains about the history and uniqueness of the beautiful Hagia Sophia. Lunch will be at a local restaurant where you can taste some traditional Turkish cuisine.
We will also visit the Underground Basilica Cistern which was used to store the city’s water in the Byzantine & Ottoman eras – you’ll be amazed by the sophistication of ancient engineering as you wander through. Our last stop for the day is the bustling Grand Bazaar – home to more than 4,000 shops selling traditional Turkish wares as well as a number of artisans. At the end of your tour you will be dropped back to your hotel. Free evening. Please note that tomorrow you will check out from the hotel.
Overnight Istanbul
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Day 3 – Gallipoli Battlefields Tour
After breakfast we depart very early for our tour in Gallipoli. Gallipoli is called Çanakkale in Turkey and that was one of the highlights of World War I. One of the biggest tragedies of the humanity happened here and around half a million people from different cultures-languages-countries all confronted the same end.
Today we will be visiting the main battlefields in Gallipoli area which covers; Chunuk Valley, Anzac Cove, memorial cemetery and many other battlefields and also a local museum which is founded by a farmer living around the harbour.
Lunch will be served during your guided Gallipoli tour and after the tour you will be taken to your hotel. Overnight Çanakkale
(B, L)
Day 4 – Troy Tour – Bus to Kusadasi
After breakfast we will depart for Troy Tour. Troy is one of the famous ancient cities and important towns of Helenistic Culture. Here you will be visiting the ancient city of troy and also will see Trojan Horse.
After the guided Troy tour you will have lunch at a local restaurant and then drive down to Kusadasi for overnight.
On arrival in Kusadasi you will check in to your hotel and enjoy the comfort at your hotel.
Overnight Kusadasi
(B, L)
Day 5 -Ephesus Tour & Virgin Mary House Tour
Breakfast at your hotel. Today you will be picked up at approximately 8.30am for your tour of Ephesus – one of the best preserved ancient cities in the world. If you love history and appreciate having a sense of what life was like 2000 years ago, you will be in heaven today. Other sites you will visit today include the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and Virgin Mary’s House which is believed to be the place that she was brought by John, and the place where she spent her last days. After the tour, you will be dropped at the bus station for your bus to Pamukkale. We will meet you at the bus station and drive you to your hotel. Free evening.
Overnight Pamukkale
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Day 6 – Guided Pamukkale Tour
It’s a new day for a brand-new experience in Pamukkale – home of one of Turkey’s great natural wonders. The unique, UNESCO World Heritage-listed natural formations of Pamukkale resemble crystallized fields of cotton, which is how this site got its’ name of Pamuk (Cotton) -kale (Castle).
We’ll start our tour by visiting the red springs in the nearby village of Karahayit, where the waters are a rusty-red colour because of the high iron content of the water.
We then drive to the North gate of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed ancient Roman spa town of Hierapolis and start our tour. In ancient times, Hierapolis was a highly regarded place for healing, because of the reported therapeutic benefits to be had from bathing in its thermal waters. People travelled from all over the Roman Empire for healing treatments here.
As you wander around the ruins with your tour guide, you will see highlights such as the necropolis (graveyard), one of the biggest in the region, with over 1500 graves, the Roman bath, the theatre and the Agora (ancient market). You’ll also hear stories of some of the famous characters from history who visited or lived here including Cleopatra and St Philip, whose tomb is on top of a hill, outside the north-eastern section of the city walls, and which you will be able to see from a distance.
We’ll then take a break at the Cleopatra Antique Pool where the water is a pleasant 36 degrees Celsius and filled with invigorating minerals. Here, you have the chance to swim over Roman columns which believed to have fallen into the water during an earthquake. Please note that entrance to the swimming pool is an additional 200TL per person, payable at the site.
Your guide will give you free time to paddle in some of the pools as you wander down the hill to Pamukkale’s natural park and lake. You will then meet your tour guide for a late lunch. After lunch you will have the chance for a no-hassle, obligation-free visit to one of the area’s Onyx, leather or textile factories – all products for which this area is renown.
Overnight Pamukkale
(B, L)
Day 7 – Pamukkale – Cappadocia
Today you will have free time to enjoy your time in Pamukkale until your departure for Cappadocia. Bus to Cappadocia from Pamukkale duration is 10 hours. Our Pamukkale to Cappadocia bus will make stops for refreshment, eating and resting.
Overnight in Cappadocia
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Day 8 – Cappadocia Highlights Tour 1
At 09:30 your tour guide and driver will arrive to pick you up from your hotel for your first tour of Cappadocia. Our first stop of the day will be at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Göreme Open Air Museum which was once a Byzantine monastic settlement comprised of more than 10 churches, rectories, accommodation and a theological school. You’ll be amazed at the tiny churches carved into the rocks and decorated with frescoes, many of which are in good condition.
Our second stop will be Paşabağ Valley, also called the Monks Valley, home to some of the best examples of mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys. This valley was previously home to a settlement of monks, and today you can climb up into one of the fairy chimneys and see part of their former quarters.
We then drive to Devrent Valley, also known as “Imagination Valley”, where some of the most surreal rock formations can be found, many of them shaped like animals. See if you can spot the camel, snake, seal and dolphin-shaped rocks.
We will have lunch at a local cave restaurant in the town of Avanos, which is famous for its pottery. After a tasty lunch of traditional Turkish cuisine, we will visit a local family-run pottery workshop for a kick-wheel pottery demonstration.
Our last stop will be Uçhisar Castle & Pigeon Valley. Uçhisar is highest point of the Cappadocia. This is a great opportunity to get some great panorama shots of Cappadocia and the fairy chimneys. After the tour you will be dropped back at your hotel.
Overnight Cappadocia
(B, L)
Day 9 – Cappadocia Highlights Tour 2
Good morning! Cappadocia is so vast with so many amazing landscapes that today you will go on another day tour to make sure you have covered the most famous of its beauties.
Pick up from your hotel at approximately 09:30. Your first stop of the day will be Esentepe, a popular spot for enjoying a panoramic view of Göreme and its fairy chimneys and unique rock formations.
We will then drive to Derinkuyu Underground City, one of the deepest of Cappadocia’s many underground cities, and built by early Christians fleeing from persecution. Including rooms such as stables, cellars, chapels and wineries, you’ll be impressed as you wander through this underground city.
We then drive to Ihlara Valley where we will hike a section of the valley, checking out the tiny churches cut into the rocks, along the way. We will then have some chill time and lunch at Belisirma Village before heading to Selime Monastery, the biggest rock-cut cathedral in Cappadocia. Drop back to your hotel at the end of the tour.
Overnight Cappadocia
(B, L)
Day 10 – Cappadocia to Istanbul Bus
Today we will depart from Cappadocia to Istanbul by bus.
The bus from Cappadocia to Istanbul will depart at 08:00 pm, our team will arrange your transfer to the bus station. Cappadocia to Istanbul by bus duration is 12 hours. On the way to Istanbul from Cappadocia the bus will have enough stops for personal needs.
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Day 11 – Istanbul Free Time & Bosphorus Cruise
Today you will have free time until 12:45-13:30 and then we will pick you up for Bosphorus Cruise Tour.
Istanbul is the only city in the world where you can find a mosque, a church and a synagogue standing hand in hand for centuries. And also the only city in the world which is based on two continents: Europe and Asia.
After sailing on river you will step on Asia and drive to highest peak of city for the panoramic views of İstanbul.
We are happy to be with you in your one day tour from Europe to Asia on sea and from Asia to Europe on a bridge!
After the tour we will take you back to your hotel.
Overnight in Istanbul
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Day 12 – Departure
After breakfast, check out of the hotel. End of Services. We thank you for choosing Tours for Turkey for your trip to Turkey.
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