Breakfast. Departure to Ankara, the capital of modern Turkey, passing through the Bolu Mountains. Arrival and visit to the Mausoleum of Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic. Completed in 1953, it is an impressive fusion of ancient and modern architectural styles.

Visit to the Independence Museum, which houses a wax statue of Ataturk, his writings, letters, and personal items, as well as a photo exhibition and recordings of important moments in his life and the constitution of the new Turkish Republic. Lunch stop and continuation to Cappadocia. Upon arrival in Cappadocia, we visit a pottery workshop. Arrival at the hotel. Dinner and accommodation.

At dawn, you will have the opportunity to participate in an optional hot air balloon excursion.

After breakfast, visit this fantastic region with its fascinating and unique landscape formed by the lava from the Erciyes and Hasan volcanoes 3 million years ago. We will stop at Esentepe to photograph the beautiful Göreme valley, then visit its numerous monasteries, churches, and chapels carved into the rocks.

We continue to the valleys of Love, Devrent, Avcilar, and Guvercinlik, which have a spectacular landscape of “Fairy Chimneys.” Lunch stop. We will then visit one of the onyx and turquoise jewelry workshops. Visit a troglodyte city, Uchisar or Cavusin. Stop in Avanos, famous for its clay works that have been the city’s livelihood. We will end at a typical carpet workshop to learn about the manufacture of this centuries-old Turkish tradition. Dinner at the hotel.

In the evening, you will attend the famous “Turkish Night,” a show of folk dances in a typical cave with unlimited regional alcoholic drinks.

Breakfast. Early departure via Konya. Stop at a 13th-century “caravansary” that was part of the ancient silk route. After lunch, we continue to Pamukkale, a spectacular and unique place in the world for its dazzling white waterfalls and natural pools. Its Turkish translation is “cotton castle.” Next to it is the ancient Hierapolis with one of the largest necropolises of antiquity. Dinner and accommodation.

OPTIONAL opportunity for a hot air balloon flight over Pamukkale.

Breakfast. Departure to Ephesus, an ancient Greco-Roman city and one of the best-preserved today, where we will visit the Temple of Hadrian, Temple of Trajan, the Theater, the fabulous Library of Celsus, etc. Lunch. Continuation to the House of the Virgin Mary, where she spent the last years of her life. Opportunity to visit a typical leather factory. Arrival in Izmir. Dinner and accommodation.

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire.

Visit to the Silk Bazaar or Koza Han, built in 1491 as a center for the city’s silk industry. We will also visit the Great Mosque of Bursa, with its 20 domes, which was, for over 500 years, the largest mosque in Turkey.

Continuation to Istanbul. Arrival and transfer to the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Ottoman and Byzantine Tour: Visiting the old part where the most prominent Ottoman and Byzantine monuments are concentrated. Start with a visit to the ancient Roman Hippodrome, highlighting the Obelisk of Theodosius, the Egyptian Obelisk, the Serpentine Column, and the German Fountain. Then visit the famous Blue Mosque, the most important in Istanbul and, until 2016, the only one in the world with 6 minarets. Continue to visit the world-famous Hagia Sophia, symbol of Istanbul. One of the masterpieces of Byzantine art. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. We will also visit the Topkapi Palace, the famous and enormous complex from which the Ottoman Empire was directed for almost 400 years. Finally, your guide will take you to the Grand Bazaar. Free time for shopping.

Guided visit to the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul. The Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul. Built in the 6th century during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I to store water. Enjoy the ambient lighting as you explore Istanbul’s hidden underground side.