Magic Carpet Tour Guaranteed Departure - 10 Days / 9 Nights

10-day Fixed Turkey tour starts when you arrive at the Istanbul Airport. Transfer to your hotel. You’ll be free for the rest of the day. You can explore the hotel's vicinity and try Turkish coffee at a local cafe—accommodation in Istanbul. 

After breakfast, we’ll start our Istanbul tour at 08:45 am. First, we will visit the great Hagia Sofia (Saint Sophia), built by the emperor Justinian in the 6th century AD as a church and later converted into a mosque. Next, we will visit the Topkapı Palace, a giant walled complex where Ottoman sultans ruled their great empire for over 420 years. Afterwards, we will visit the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque), a 17th-century Ottoman mosque famous for its six minarets and magnificent interior with blue tiles.

Then, we’ll explore Hippodrome Square, which was used as a meeting place for chariot races during the Byzantine period. Here, we will see the Serpent Column from Delphi, the Egyptian Obelisk, and the German Fountain of Wilhelm ll. Finally, we’ll visit the Grand Bazaar, one of the biggest and oldest markets in the world, home to more than 4000 shops full of hidden treasures and authentic items.  
In the afternoon, you can get an optional half-day Bosphorus Cruise. 
Accommodation in Istanbul.   (Breakfast)

Today, we will depart early for Çanakkale. Pick-up will be between 6:15 am and 6:45 am from your hotel. We will drive to the Gallipoli Peninsula for about 4 hours to visit one of the most important sites of World War I.
Gallipoli is home to the remains of 500,000 soldiers and is one of Turkey's most important war memorials. We will visit the site of the Battle of Gallipoli, including the Lone Pine Australian Memorial, Chunuk Bair Atatürk Monument, Anzac Cove, and Johnston's Jolly Cemetery. We see The original trenches and tunnels where the bloodiest and most dramatic scenes of the Dardanelles wars took place, and the bayonet wars were fought hand in hand.   At the end of the tour, we’ll drive to Çanakkale.
Overnight in Çanakkale. (Breakfast - Dinner)  

After breakfast, we’ll head to the ancient city of Troia or Troy, the real-life location of the legendary Trojan War described in Homer's Iliad. Next, we will visit the legendary Pergamon, the capital of the Kingdom of Pergamon Kings in 282-133 BC. We will visit the Acropolis, which is the city's administrative centre, the Temple of Zeus, Dionysus, Athena, Demeter, and the famous Pergamon Library of 200,000 rolls. The Altar of Zeus, excavated during the Pergamon (Bergama) excavations, is now on display at the Pergamonmuseum in Berlin. The Great Theatre of Pergamon here is the world's steepest theatre, and it could entertain up to 10,000 spectators in ancient times—Pergamon is one of the sites of the Seven Churches of Revelation. After our visits, we’ll drive to Kuşadası.
Accommodation in Kuşadası. (Breakfast - Dinner)

Today, we’ll immerse ourselves in history in Ephesus, the most beautiful ancient city of the Ionia region. After seeing the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, we will visit the ancient city of Ephesus. You will feel the mystical atmosphere of Ephesus as you walk on Curetes Street and see the ruins of the 25,000-capacity Grand Theater, the State Agora, the magnificent Celsus Library, the Odeon Temple, Prytaneion, Magnesia Gate, Grotto of the Seven Sleepers, and the Harbour of Ephesus. Our next stop will be the House of the Virgin Mary, a Christian pilgrimage site where the Virgin Mary spent her last years.  
Finally, we will visit the former Greek village of Şirince, famous for its fruit wines. Carpet weaving has long traditions in Turkey, and in this carpet village, we’ll learn how the carpets are made by hand and what determines their value. 
End of the tour.  Dinner and accommodation in Kuşadası.  (Breakfast - Dinner) 

After breakfast, we will drive to Pamukkale (220 km). We’ll have a lunch break after our visit and head for Pamukkale to visit Hierapolis, where we will see the Gate of Domitian, the Arcadian Street, the ancient 2nd century Roman Theater, the Nymphaion, the Temple of Apollo, the Plutonium, and the Necropolis. We will pass through the Roman Gate, admire the ancient Pamukkale Theater, and walk around the grave monuments built to honour heroes. Afterwards, we will have a relaxing walk on the travertine terraces and have a chance to swim in the Ancient Cleopatra Pools (extra cost). 
End of the tour. Dinner and accommodation are in a thermal hotel in Pamukkale. (Breakfast - Dinner)

After breakfast, we will drive to Cappadocia via the ancient Silk Road route. On the way, we’ll take a break in the city of Konya to have lunch and visit the Mevlana Museum, which houses the tomb of the great 13th-century Persian poet and founder of the Order of the Whirling Dervishes, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi, also known as Rumi, and the Alaeddin Mosque, which was built on Alaeddin Hill during the Seljuk period. Along the ancient Silk Road, we will also visit the Sultanhanı Caravanserai. 
After our visits, we will continue on our way to Cappadocia.
Dinner and accommodation in Cappadocia.  (Breakfast - Dinner)

Today, we will start our tour with a visit to Kaymaklı Underground City and Göreme Open Air Museum, home to a large monastery complex with dozens of monasteries, each of which has its own church, offering some of the best examples of Byzantine art. The churches carved into the rock feature paintings and frescoes from the tenth to the thirteenth century, whose colours retain freshness. Next, we will visit Paşabağı Valley on a vineyard on Zelve Road. Some of the mushroom-shaped rock formations here are several meters high. Fairy chimneys shaped by erosion for many years were used as houses by various religious groups; therefore, it is also known as the Monks Valley. Afterwards, we will visit the Devrent Valley, which offers a reddish moon view and looks like a movie set. It is famous for its rock formations resembling different animal figures. 
Dinner and accommodation in Cappadocia.  (Breakfast - Dinner) 

*Optional Turkish Folklore Night featuring traditional folklore and belly dancing shows in a cave music hall. (extra cost)

After breakfast, we will depart early for Ankara (approx. 330 km,) the capital of Turkey. On arrival, we will see Anıtkabir, also known as the Mausoleum of Atatürk, the final resting place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the leader of the Turkish War of Independence and the founder of the Republic of Turkey. After this visit, we’ll have time to lunch in a local restaurant and depart for Istanbul by vehicle (approx. 440 km). 
Arrival and overnight in Istanbul. (Breakfast)

Free time until your Sabiha Gökcen Airport transfer, or Istanbul Airport.  Our tour concludes with your transfer to Istanbul Airport. Hope to see you on another tour. (Breakfast)