Fri. Sept. 11 Welcome to Istanbul

Upon arrival you will be transferred to your hotel.

At 5pm, meet your guide at your hotel lobby and embark your private yacht for a leisurely sunset cruise along Bosphorus for 3 hours against the majestic skyline of Istanbul & watch the splendid mansions, Judas blossoms, forts and palaces.

In the words of Pierre Loti “…there, God, nature and man came together to create the most magnificent thing that the human eye can contemplate on earth.”

Created by a cataclysmic flood some 7700 years ago, the Strait connects the Black Sea with the Mediterranean and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The strategic importance of the passage has always been of enormous proportions and its feature of a long and deep harbor (Golden Horn) gave reason for creation of a city.

The starting point for the sitting of the city’s monuments was primarily the effect of their appearance from the Sea. A subtle perfection was attained by clearly setting sublime domes and minarets against the sky and by unifying the urban texture with the topography of the landscape. The water that surrounds the city was regarded as a mirror, which would capture and reflect the images above, complementing the glorious buildings further. The elements of the pre-Islamic past and the unequalled silhouette of the Muslim city are surrounded by late-Roman city walls, and all of these only enrich the ultimately diversified cultural life of Istanbul.

The infinite energy of today’s city beats merely as a finite moment watching the waters that flow fast through the Bosphorus. The duality between Europe and Asia created by the Strait characterizes the identity of the city and finds its expression in countless moments.

Istanbul possesses an evocative panorama under the weight of her long history. Monuments of colossal cultural value are immersed in a beautiful landscape and the outcome is Istanbul’s breath-taking filigree silhouette…

At 8pm, disembark your yacht at the pier of one of the leading meat restaurants in town, “Ali Ocakbasi” for Welcome Dinner. At the end of your dinner, you’re taken back to your hotel by bus.

Meals - D
Overnight - 5* Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul (Superior Sea View Room)

Sat. Sept. 12 Istanbul

After breakfast, meet your ‘private’ guide & vehicle at your hotel lobby and ‘enjoy a day of touring in Istanbul’! Step into the Blue Mosque and you’ll see why it carries the name. Inside are 21.000 shimmering blue tiles broken by 260 stained-glass windows. The light-filled mosque is an elegant tribute to Ottoman genius of the 17th century. With six graceful minarets adorning the imperial building, this masterpiece is one of the city’s most recognized landmarks. Then “The Hippodrome” which was a colossal stadium where the socio-political life of the Roman capital was centered.

Visit St Sophia, one of the most extraordinary buildings in the history of architecture. When a previous church on this site was burned in 532, Justinian ordered to build a structure worthy of his empire. The building inspired countless generations by its colossal definition of what the interior space in a domed basilica was to be and by its innovations in weight-support and construction techniques - and what a dome it was: the popular belief was that ‘the dome was suspended from Heaven by an invisible golden chain’. In reality, it was work of men, but a worldly simulator of the Heavens…
Next is 6th century Basilica Cistern - perhaps the most unusual structure in Istanbul, exhibiting the engineering marvels that solved water supply problems. It comprises more than two acres and 336 columns over 8m high support its ceiling.

In the afternoon, explore one of the most dazzling of all the bazaars; the Grand Covered Bazaar; built in 1461, and in service ever since…Along with magnificent mosques and complexes, undoubtedly, the mother of all bazaars was a monument of rise of Istanbul. It contains more than 3.500 shops and employing more than 20.000 people under same roof. Everything imaginable: gold & silver jewels, old & new rugs, antiques, tiles, leather & souvenirs. Just seeing and experiencing this venue is worth the trip. Return to your hotel at the end of your day…

Meals - B, L
Hotel - 5* Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul (Superior Sea View Room)

Sun. Sept. 13 Istanbul

After breakfast, meet your guide and vehicle at your hotel for another day of touring Istanbul. Explore Topkapi Palace which was the center of Ottoman government and the court, the Turks ruled most of Europe and the Middle East from here. Covering the prime property on the peninsula, the court-defined grounds of the Palace express in the architectural sense the Ottoman ideal of the perfect life balanced between its formative components. Enjoy the breath-taking grounds, domes, porticos, terraces and great exhibitions halls of the Palace including “The Harem”…!

Visit Spice Bazaar, where you will stroll through the busy market area to find all manners of wonderful things. This charmingly busy neighborhood perfectly narrates the Ottoman ideal of a balanced social existence…

In the afternoon, visit Taksim Square, where you will explore ‘on foot’ the district of Pera, present day heart of Istanbul, where also the cosmopolitan energy of the city is concentrated. Learn of the multi-cultural life in the metropolitan capital; see beautiful neo-classical, neo-renaissance and first-republic buildings. Istanbul is the very home of coffee-houses and of their deployment to Europe. Very few realize how coffee, never a mere beverage, changed social patterns and economic structures in the Middle East and Europe so drastically.

During your walk, you will explore churches of different origin, socialize with locals while enjoying the art-neo/deco structures from 19th and early 20th c. Also explore Galata neighborhood & Cukurcuma which is set in the heart of Istanbul’s artsy quarter, Beyoglu. This neighborhood, once home to a large Greek community, has managed to keep a balance between its original flea market charm and newfound respectability, with musty shops overflowing with Ottoman-era knickknacks next to new galleries, designer boutiques & cafes. Back to your hotel in the late afternoon.

Meals - B, L
Overnight - Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul (Superior Sea View Room)

Mon. Sept. 14 Istanbul/Cappadocia

After breakfast, meet your vehicle at your hotel at 10:30am and transfer to airport for your flight to Cappadocia departing at 12:20am on Turkish Air TK2012. At arrival in Cappadocia at 13:45, meet your ‘private’ vehicle and start exploring this magical region.

During the time you spend in this magical fairy land, you are able to explore the three faces of Cappadocia: By plenty of panoramic viewings and several opportunities for hiking and ballooning that will take you off the road into the very heart of the landscape, you will meet the face created by Nature.

By guided visits to its fascinating rock-carved churches and subterranean settlements, you will marvel at the face created by faithful and industrious men. And by scheduled and optional wonderings, that of its fascinating culture today; the art, creativity and endeavor of its men and women manifest in its pottery and its weavings.

Meals - B, L, D
Overnight - Barcelo in Cappadocia (Deluxe Room)

Tues. Sept. 15th Cappadocia

Early in the morning, you are picked from your hotel and taken to take-off zone for approximately 1 hour Hot Air Balloon ride over the Cappadocian landscape. Many report this to be an experience of a lifetime and recommended by National Geographic as the most suitable landscape and climate. After the flight, return to your hotel for breakfast…

After breakfast, meet your guide and continue exploring extraordinary treasures of the region…This time, explore the sacred art; Rock-carved churches of Goreme, today an ‘open-air museum’ including the most famous of those rock temples with stunning fresco art on the walls. An extra visit will be given to Dark Church, which has the best-preserved frescoes of the entire region.

Later in the day, drive to and visit Avanos, to witness timeless pottery making art since Hittite times (3rd millennium BC) via Red Valley, one of the most beautiful and mysterious valleys in the region. The valley, with its fabulous volcanic rock formations, is in the heart of Cappadocia but well away from the mainstream tourist haunts. The little chapels of the hermits, carved out of the valley walls, lend a spiritual dimension to the beauty.

Before returning to your hotel, visit another marvel of the region: the ‘underground city’. The massive underground complex expanded by the early Christians fleeing from persecution of the Romans.

Meals - B, L, D
Overnight - Barcelo in Cappadocia (Deluxe Room)

Wed. Sept. 16th Cappadocia/Ephesus/Izmir

After breakfast, meet your private vehicle at your hotel and transfer to Cappadica airport for your flight to Izmir. At arrival in Izmir, meet your private vehicle and drive to Ephesus (1hr)

Ephesus antique city that will feature the remains of the best preserved Ionian site in Roman times in Eastern Mediterranean which was the leading trading city, also a center for the cult of Cybele/Artemis.
Your Ephesus visit also features the spectacular Terrace Houses located on the ramp of Ephesus where the wealthy Ephesians lived which are decorated with spectacular mosaics and frescoes. These houses were brought to light after completion of excavations in 1980s constituting the best preserved examples of domestic architecture ever found. In the late afternoon, check-in your hotel.

Meals - B, L
Overnight - SwissOtel, Izmir (Garden Room)

Thurs. Sept. 18th Bodrum

At around 11:30am, embark your ‘private’ gulet for a leisurely cruise along crystal clear, turquoise waters of Aegean visiting nearby coves including lunch! While enjoying the scenery, you will anchor at one of the coves and before and after lunch, will also have time to swim (shower available on the vessel). Upon disembarkation around 5pm in the late afternoon at Bodrum Marina, your guide & vehicle will take you back to your hotel.

At 7:45pm, meet at Michelin Guide recommended restaurant at your hotel overlooking Bodrum for “Farewell Dinner”.

Meals - B, L, D
Overnight - The Marmara Hotel, Bodrum (Sea View Room)

Sat. Sept. 19th Bodrum/Istanbul/USA

Transfer to Bodrum airport for flight to Istanbul to meet your connecting flight to the USA

Pricing $10975.00 Per Person

CE Fee additional
Based on Double Occupancy
For More Information or to Reserve your Place contact
Jodi Murphy at 610 420-9364
agent @cruiseandtravelpartners.com

Cruise and Travel Partners

Turkey CE Land Tour

Itinerary