Tour Turkey: See & Experience Almost It All In 10 Days, 1St Class

Guide

Our tour guides/drivers are licensed, speak English and know how to bring excitement to your day. What we deliver is the complete opposite of the cookie-cutting tours the big corporations offer, leaving you in complete boredom. Although our tour guides/drivers are attentive, accommodating and engaged, they also know when to give you your private space and free time. It’s a perfect balance. *Female guides are available upon request. Note that although about half of the activities on this multi-day tour are shared with other travelers, we can make the trip almost completely private, per your request, at an additional cost. Typically, the hot-air balloon ride, the daytrips from Goreme exploring the surreal nature of Cappadocia, the visit to the House of Virgin Mary, the ruins at a site called Ephesus, the Temple of Artemis, the ancient Greek city of Hierapolis and the hot springs and travertine limestone at a site called Pamukkale, swimming at the Cleopatra Pools, and the boat tour around Oludeniz Lagoon are shared with other tourists. The rest of the tour is exclusive to you and whomever else you may book on behalf of.

Transport

We take care of almost all of your transportation needs once you are on the tour.

Meals

Dinner is included on Night 1. Lunch is included on Days 2, 3, 5, 6 and 9. We are very picky about food and refuse to accept anything short of quality. We do our best to ensure you are being offered healthy and tasty local cuisine. The very diverse cuisine alone is enough reason to visit Turkey and join our group tour. Turkey learned all the best recipes from the vast territories it occupied for hundreds of years and created its own incredibly diverse national cuisine. Personal favorites include: menemen (an egg dish), kofta (meatballs), kuzu tandir (a lamb dish), lahmacun (baked dough topped with minced meat and veggies), borek (a type of pastry), su boregi (another pastry), baklava (another pastry), pide (Turkish pizza), Gullac (a dessert), lokum (candy), kayisi tatlisi (apricot stuffed with cream and nuts), baklali enginar (artichokes), imam bayildı (stuffed eggplant), kunefe (dessert) and Turkish coffee.

Others

Lunches x 5 Dinner x 1 Air-Conditioned Vehicle All Entry Fees Private Transportation

Not included:

Others

Paragliding Over Oludeniz Lagoon Alcohol Travel Visa (only applicable to citizens of certain countries)

Insurance

All participants are required to book travel insurance within 72 hours of booking this tour. At a minimum, such insurance must cover cancellations, medical expenses, evacuations, flight loss or delays and 24/7 assistance.

Flights

Although airfare is not included in the price, we will find you the exact flights you need. Just ask. Below are the domestic flights needed for this tour: Day 1: Istanbul to Kayseri or Nevsehir (Cappadocia) Day 4: Kayseri or Nevsehir to Izmir Day 7 in the wintertime or Day 10 in the summertime: Dalaman to Istanbul

Accommodation

Below are the names of the hotels where we commonly have our customers stay. Note this is subject to availability. May through October: Nights 1-3: Goreme, Preferred Accommodation: Cappadocia Inn Hotel or Roma Cave Suite Hotel or Grand Cave Suites or Artemis Cave Suites Nights 4-6: Kusadasi, Preferred Accommodation: Charisma De Luxe Night 7: Bodrum, Preferred Accommodation: Salmakis Resort & Spa or Bodrium Otel & Spa or Ena Boutique Hotel Nights 8-9: Fethiye, Preferred Accommodation: Jiva Beach Resort or Tui Sensatori Resort Barut Fethiye November through April: Nights 1-3: Goreme, Preferred Accommodation: Cappadocia Inn Hotel or Roma Cave Suite Hotel or Grand Cave Suites or Artemis Cave Suites Nights 4-6: Kusadasi, Preferred Accommodation: Charisma De Luxe Nights 7-9: Istanbul, Preferred Accommodation: Radisson Blu Bosphorus Hotel or Sura Hagia Sophia Hotel or DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Istanbul Piyalepasa This tour includes lodging for 1 night, specifically in Kusadasi. However, upon request, we can book accommodation for you for all nights at establishments which meet your needs. For years, we automatically included 5-star hotels in our travel packages. In the interest of our customers, we ultimately decided to reduce the price of our tours and encourage specifically those with higher expectations to simply request room upgrades. Why? Some of our customers want simple and clean but ultimately cheap rooms. Some of our customers want 4-star hotels and are willing to pay more. Others want nothing short of 5-star extravagance. There isn’t a way to uphold ONE standard for hotels in our travel packages considering everyone has a different budget. What we CAN uphold are the standard and quality of our tours, all of which offer nothing short of a first-class experience. Again, upon request, we can upgrade your room type for the night included as well as book lodging for all nights on this tour. Let us know and we will provide you with pricing options.

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Day 1 Day 1: Wine Tasting After Arriving At The Country’S Second Most Popular Destination
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Wine Tasting After Arriving At The Country’S Second Most Popular Destination

Our tour starts in Goreme, best reached via the airport in Kayseri or Nevşehir. This village is used as a base from which to explore Cappadocia’s cave dwellings. In the evening, we are taken to a wine house. There we do wine tasting for about 45 minutes.

Note that you are most likely to go through Istanbul before reaching Goreme. If you are not famililar with this city, then we strongly recommend you spend some time there after completing our 10-day tour. Istanbul is arguably one of the world’s greatest cities. If you are interested in a guided tour, please ask us for details.
Day 2 Day 2: Hot-Air Balloon Ride, Cave Dwellings & Experiencing A Turkish Bath
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Hot-Air Balloon Ride, Cave Dwellings & Experiencing A Turkish Bath

We go on an excursion today. The day starts with an early-morning, hot-air balloon ride over the cave dwellings of Cappadocia. The tour takes about an hour. Following this is a tour of the area: the surreal-looking rock formations of Pasabagi (a.k.a. Monks’ Valley), Devrent (a.k.a. Camel Rock), a pottery workshop in the small town of Avanos, the Goreme Open Air Museum, Love Valley and Uchisar Castle. Lunch is included on today’s tour. The day ends with a traditional Turkish bathhouse (a.k.a. hammam). There we are bathed and massaged and sip on tea.
Day 3 Day 3: A Folkloric Night Show, A Rock-Cut Monastery & An Underground City
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: A Folkloric Night Show, A Rock-Cut Monastery & An Underground City

We go on another excursion today. The destinations for today are a viewpoint called Esentepe, the underground city of Derinkuyu, Selime Monastery, a viewpoint overlooking Ihlara Valley, a hike inside Ihlara Valley, Pigeon Valley and a gemstone (a.k.a. onyx) workshop. Lunch is included on today’s tour. In the evening, we go to a night show. There we listen to traditional music while watching locals wearing folkloric attire do a great deal of choreography.
Day 4 Day 4: Having A Traditional Dinner Inside A Native’S Home & The Castle & Beaches Of Kusadası
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Having A Traditional Dinner Inside A Native’S Home & The Castle & Beaches Of Kusadası

We relocate from Goreme to Kuşadası via a flight through Izmir. We are provided with a guided tour in Kuşadası, covering sites like the city walls and castle. We also have time to go swimming. In the evening, we are taken to a native Turk’s home. There we watch how traditional food is prepared as well as have dinner. The combination of tasty cuisine, rich culture and good company creates an unforgettable experience.
Day 5 Day 5: An Ancient City, Bathing In Hot Springs & Travertine Limestone
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: An Ancient City, Bathing In Hot Springs & Travertine Limestone

Still based in Kusadası, it’s almost time to visit the world-renowned archaeological site that is Ephesus. First, however, we head to a Catholic shrine named the House of Virgin Mary. It is believed that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken to this stone house by Saint John and lived there for the remainder of her earthly life. Moving onto Ephesus, it is one of the largest Roman archaeological sites in the eastern Mediterranean. The visible ruins still give some idea of the city’s original splendor and the names associated with the ruins are evocative of its former life. Following our tour there is lunch, which is included on today’s tour.

Next is a Greek temple dedicated to an ancient and local form of the goddess Artemis. This temple was completely rebuilt twice, once after a devastating flood and three hundred years later after an act of arson. In Artemis Temple’s final form, it was considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Next is a visit to the ruined Basilica of Saint John. It stands over the believed burial site of John the Apostle. Lastly is Isa Bey Mosque. It is one of the oldest and most impressive works of architectural art in the region.
Day 6 Day 6: Bathing In Natural Pools & The Travertine Limestone Formations Of Pamukkale
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: Bathing In Natural Pools & The Travertine Limestone Formations Of Pamukkale

We make another daytrip today. We are taken to the village of Pamukkale. There we first have a guided tour of the ancient Greek city of Hierapolis. Next is lunch, which is included on today’s tour. Next is a visit to nearby Pamukkale, a natural site which shares the same name as the village. Pamukkale consists of hot springs and travertine limestone. It is one of the country’s most photographed locations. Lastly is swimming in nearby natural pools called Cleopatra Pools. People have bathed in these pools for thousands of years.
Day 7 Day 7: The Maze-Like Streets Of Turkey’S Best Known Beach Town
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: The Maze-Like Streets Of Turkey’S Best Known Beach Town

After relocating from Kusadasi to Bodrum, we have a guided tour around the harbor and through the maze-like streets. The traditional houses are characterized by their prismatic shapes, simplistic designs and locally sourced building materials like stone, wood, clay and cane. The highlights for today are the castle and going swimming.
Day 8 Day 8: Postcard-Perfect Oludeniz Lagoon, A River Cruise, A Therapeutic Mud Bath & Tombs Carved Into The Mountainside
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: Postcard-Perfect Oludeniz Lagoon, A River Cruise, A Therapeutic Mud Bath & Tombs Carved Into The Mountainside

Although we are relocating from Bodrum to the resort town of Fethiye, an important stop is made en route, specifically to the village of Dalyan. There we take a river cruise, passing by the mountain-carved Lycian tombs and heading to a therapeutic mud pool. After bathing in the mud clay, we visit the Tomb of Amyntas, near Fethiye. Like the Lycian tombs in Dalyan, Amyntas is carved into the mountainside. After checking it out, we are taken to a viewpoint overlooking the postcard-perfect Oludeniz Lagoon. We are then taken to the lagoon itself. Oludeniz has a sandy bay, on a blue lagoon. The seawater is famous for its shades of turquoise and aquamarine. We go swimming and then head back to Fethiye, where we are based for the remainder of our tour in Turkey.
Day 9 Day 9: An All-Day Boat Cruise Around The Turkish Riviera
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 9: An All-Day Boat Cruise Around The Turkish Riviera

We go on a daytrip today. We are taken back to Oludeniz Lagoon. There we take an all-day boat tour. The destinations are the Blue Cave, a butterfly valley, Saint Nicholas Island, a cold-water spring, Camel Beach (home to a rock which resembles a camel) and an aquarium. Lunch is included on today’s tour, around 1:00pm.

Not included in the tour but highly popular nonetheless is paragliding over Oludeniz Lagoon. It is done from Mount Babadag, which is a 1-hour drive away from the lagoon. If you are interested in paragliding, please let us know. It would be done in the morning before taking the boat tour. You would be picked up from your hotel a bit earlier today, at 8:00am instead.
Day 10 Day 10: Our Tour Ends This Morning
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 10: Our Tour Ends This Morning

Transportation will be arranged for you to reach the airport in Dalaman.

10 days tour

Turkey: See & Experience Almost It All In 10 Days, 1St Class

This tour includes:

Not included:

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Itinerary of your trip Turkey: See & Experience Almost It All In 10 Days, 1St Class

Day 1: Wine Tasting After Arriving At The Country’S Second Most Popular Destination

Day 2: Hot-Air Balloon Ride, Cave Dwellings & Experiencing A Turkish Bath

Day 3: A Folkloric Night Show, A Rock-Cut Monastery & An Underground City

Day 4: Having A Traditional Dinner Inside A Native’S Home & The Castle & Beaches Of Kusadası

Day 5: An Ancient City, Bathing In Hot Springs & Travertine Limestone

Day 6: Bathing In Natural Pools & The Travertine Limestone Formations Of Pamukkale

Day 7: The Maze-Like Streets Of Turkey’S Best Known Beach Town

Day 8: Postcard-Perfect Oludeniz Lagoon, A River Cruise, A Therapeutic Mud Bath & Tombs Carved Into The Mountainside

Day 9: An All-Day Boat Cruise Around The Turkish Riviera

Day 10: Our Tour Ends This Morning

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