Classical Turkey Tour (14 Days)

This 14-day small-group tour by Argeus Tourism & Travel begins in Istanbul and visits Ankara, Antalya, Kusadasi and Pamukkale, as well as biblical Cappadocia and the ancient cities of Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Didyma, Hierapolis, Miletus, Priene, Perge, Aspendos, Side and Termessos.

Really, you see all the high points of Turkey in only two weeks.

The boutique hotels you'll stay in are among my favorites: small, charming, historic, perfectly located. You benefit from Argeus's ability to reserve rooms in these choice places even at preferred travel times.

The touring party is limited to 10 travelers—more like a group of friends than a "tour group:" enough fellow travel enthusiasts to promote camaraderie, not enough to bog you down.

The tour's two departure dates are Sunday, May 4th, and Sunday, September 14th, 2008: the two best times of the year to travel in Turkey. Tour fee is about $270 per person, per day, a very reasonable rate for what you get. See below for details.)

Day 1: Arrive in Istanbul (D)
An Argeus representative greets you at Istanbul's Atatürk Airport and escorts you to your hotel, the famous Blue House (Mavi Ev) in Sultanahmet. The major sights of Istanbul are literally right outside your door: the Blue Mosque, the Byzantine Hippodrome, the Sunken Palace Cistern, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and many more. Feel free to wander and browse until dinnertime.

Day 2: Istanbul (BLD)
After a buffet breakfast, we walk to Eminönü to visit the Rustem Pasha Mosque, an Ottoman gem famed for its beautiful faïence (colored tiles). We continue along the Street of the Mat-Makers (Hasircilar Caddesi), a market street lined with spice and snack shops, to the Egyptian (Spice) Bazaar where Geneose and Venetian goods were sold at a time when there was no Suez Canal, and all the spices from the East were also brought here by way of Egypt.

We then board a ferryboat and take a leisurely Bosphorus Cruise from northward to the village of Sariyer.

After lunch at a local restaurant we return to the city and enter the splendid realm of Topkapi Palace, one of the world's premier historical treasures, with its sumptuous pleasure kiosks, verdant gardens, mysterious Harem, and a Treasury filled with the incredible wealth of the sultans. The walk back to the Blue House for dinner is short, but filled with history....

Day 3: Istanbul (BLD)
We start our explorations with a tour of sumptuous Dolmabahçe Palace, home to the Ottoman sultan and imperial family for decades, and the place where President Kemal Atatürk died in 1938. We penetrate Istanbul's ancient city walls to visit the Kariye Museum, built as the Church of the Holy Savior in Chora and noted for its splendid 13th-century Byzantine mosaics. Then it's off to the huge Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul's largest, a work of Süleyman the Magnificent's genius architect, Mimar Sinan.

After lunch, we dive into Istanbul's world-famous Grand Bazaar: 4000 shops selling everything from priceless antiques to everyday necessities. Laden with purchases—or just dazed by the glitter of window-shopping (one bazaar street is lined with nothing but jewellers' shops) —we make our way back to the Blue House for a relaxing dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Istanbul & Cappadocia
We walk across the street from the Blue House to visit the Byzantine Hippodrome and its most famous architectural monument, the fabled Blue Mosque, built on the site of the Byzantine imperial palace. Then we walk next door to Hagia Sophia, the grandest church in Christendom for 1000 years. Finally, we descend into the dank, eerie depths of the Sunken Palace Cistern (Yerebatan Sarayi Sarniçi) for a look at this strategic Byzantine water-storage facility featured in the James Bond movie, From Russia With Love.

In the late afternoon we drive to Istanbul's Atatürk Airport for our flight to Kayseri Airport, then an hour's drive into the heart of biblical Cappadocia. We settle into our comfortable cave rooms at the Yunak Evleri in Ürgüp and have a late supper.

Day 5: Cappadocia (BLD)
We start exploring this biblical "moonscape" region right away with a drive to the fabled Underground Cities, and enter the subterranean labyrinth of Kaymakli that protected local people from marauding armies over the centuries. Imagine being in a huge "Swiss cheese" made of volcanic stone! Wandering through the labyrinth is an unforgettable experience.

Then for a bit of fresh air, we drive over the mountains to the dramatic Ihlara Valley for a walk along the Melendiz River to see the many small Byzantine churches decorated with medieval frescoes. Lunch is at a restaurant by the river in the traditional village of Belisirma, followed by a visit to the village of Selime, and the ride back to Ürgüp and our cave hotel.

Day 6: Cappadocia (BLD)
After breakfast, we plunge into the lunar landscape of Cappadocia at the Dervent Valley, then we head to Zelve Open Air Museum, which is one of the earliest inhabited and latest abandoned monastic settlements of Cappadocia. Seeing the best examples of the fairy chimneys at Pasabag Fairy Chimneys Valley, we drive to Avanos, famous for its pottery. After lunch at a local restaurant, we tour Göreme Open Air Museum, with its dozens of beautifully painted cave churches, monasteries, refectories and other troglodyte dwellings. We end the day with the climb to the top of Uçhisar, a natural rock fortress that is the highest point in the region, offering us a breathtaking panorama of the Cappadocian moonscape. Then it's off to dinner and our comfortable cave quarters at Yunak Evleri.

Day 7: Cappadocia, Ankara & Kusadasi (BLD)
We drive west along the ancient Silk Road, stopping to admire the Agzikarahan, an unusual example of the Seljuk Turkish caravanserai. Turning north, we drive along the eastern shore of Salt Lake (Tuz Gölü), Turkey's second-largest. Arriving in Ankara, an ancient city that is now the capital of the Turkish Republic, we have lunch before visiting the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations. Awarded the title of "European Museum of the Year" in 1997, it is famous for its splendid collections of 3000-year-old Hittite art objects, as well as valuable artifacts from later periods. Continuing to Ankara's airport, we fly to Izmir, then drive for about an hour through the rich countryside famous for its figs to reach Kusadasi. Our hotel here is the famous Kismet, founded by a branch of the Ottoman imperial family in the town's most splendid setting. We watch the sun set over the Bay of Kusadasi and Bird Island at dinnertime.

Day 8: Ephesus (BLD)
We start today's explorations at the pine-shaded hilltop site proclaimed by the pope to be the House of the Virgin Mary. Then we descend to the marble streets of ancient Ephesus, the most impressive ancient city in the Mediterranean, with its marble temples, mosaic-rich houses, its noble library, 25,000-seat Great Theater, public baths and latrines, and even a brothel. Later in the afternoon we visit St John's Basilica, believed to be built atop the tomb of the Apostle. From the basilica, we will be able to look down on the remains of the great Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We end the day with a visit to the grand Isa Bey Mosque, just down the hill from the basilica. Then it's back to our hotel in Kusadasi for a relaxing dinner.

Day 9: Priene, Miletus & Didyma (BLD)
We drive south to Priene, a leading member of the ancient Panionic League and the first city to plan its streets on a grid. The ancient city, backed by a dramatic mountain, overlooks the sweeping floodplain of the Meander River, on the far side of which is ancient Miletus, our next stop. We visit the gigantic theater of Miletus, then continue south to the stupendous oracular Temple of Apollo at Didyma. After lunch at a local restaurant we explore the huge marble temple, which was as important as the one at Delphi in ancient times. As the afternoon draws to a close we return to our hilltop hotel in Kusadasi for dinner and a restful evening.

Day 10: Aphrodisias & Pamukkale (BLD)
Driving east up the fertile Meander River valley, we pass fruit orchards and cotton fields on our way to ancient Aphrodisias, the City of the Goddess of Love. This is among Turkey's best-preserved and most magnificent cities, especially as it was the home of a renowned school for sculptors. Beautiful statues and carvings abound in both the ruins and the modern museum. The great marble theater, the smaller Bouleuterion, the vast Temple of Aphrodite, the perfectly-preserved stadium, and the stupendous Tetrapylon (triumphal gate) cannot be missed.

Continuing our drive up the river valley, we reach the ancient spa city of Hierapolis, now called Pamukkale. We have time to explore the ruins, including the triumphal way, the vast necropolis, the beautifully-restored theater, the museum, the sacred pool of warm mineral water, and the natural travertine terraces of gleaming white calcium. Then we settle in for a mineral-water swim and dinner at the Richmond Thermal Hotel Pamukkale.

Day 11: Termessos & Antalya (BLD)
We drive through gorgeous mountain scenery (yayla in Turkish), descending from the Anatolian plain toward Antalya. After a lunch stop, we take a detour to the mountain fastness of Termessos, an ancient city high at the top of a steep valley. It was so remote and well-defended that Alexander the Great passed it by. The mountain panoramas are simply spectacular!

Descending to Antalya, the "capital of the Turquoise Coast," we penetrate the Roman walls of Kaleiçi (Old Antalya) where we settle in at the charming Marina Residence (May) or Tekeli Konaklari (September) boutique hotel within sight of the Roman harbor (now filled with yachts). Take a stroll before or after dinner—you're right at the center of everything there is to see!

Day 12: Antalya as You Like It! (BD)
No driving today! Relax by the pool, stroll through Kaleiçi or the nearby bazaar, take the tram to the excellent Antalya Museum and/or the beautiful long Konyaalti Beach. Have lunch (on your own) in the city, in Kaleiçi, or the Roman harbor: there are dozens of good choices with a few minutes' walk of your hotel. If you wish, we can arrange an optional tour to nearby waterfalls and to the Antalya Archeological Museum (at extra cost). We gather again for dinner at our hotel to trade stories of the day's discoveries.

Day 13: Perge, Aspendos & Side (BLD)
We drive to the eastern outskirts of Antalya to visit the impressive ruins of ancient Perge, then continue to Aspendos, with the best-preserved Hellenistic theater on the Mediterranean, still used for performances. After lunch near the theatre, we drive east to Side (SEE-deh), where Anthony and Cleopatra are said to have met for a romantic tryst. Its marble temples and beautiful beaches keep us busy until it's time to return to Antalya, a good dinner, and a good night's sleep.

Day 14: Antalya & Istanbul (B)
In the morning, we fly from Antalya to Istanbul so you can catch your homeward flight. (Please advise us of your flight details so we can reserve your connecting flight from Antalya).

If you wish, we'll be happy to arrange additional nights at the Blue House Hotel in Istanbul (optional, at extra cost) so you can do last-minute shopping or see even more of the imperial city, perhaps the Great Palace Mosaic Museum, or the Archeological Museums, or the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts. They're all just a few minutes' stroll from the Blue House.

Tour Details:

Guaranteed departure dates: May 4 & September 14, 2008 (departures on other dates are possible; rates vary depending on the number of persons in the group)

—Minimum 6, maximum 10 persons on guaranteed departure dates

—Tour fee: US$3790 per person double occupancy (single supplement: US$560) (contact Argeus for fees for other dates)

—Infants 0-2 years free; children 2-12 years 50% discount; student (13 to 17 years) discount 10%

Your Tour Includes:

—Accommodation as described in the tour itinerary

—Most meals, as shown in the tour description (B= buffet breakfast; L = lunch; D = dinner)

—Transportation within Turkey, including flights (but international transport to Turkey is NOT included)

—Licensed professional multilingual guide

—All admission fees

—All taxes

Your Tour Does NOT Include:

—International airfares (ie, to/from Turkey)

—Visa fee on arrival in Turkey

—Personal travel insurance

—Drinks

—Gratuities (tips), which are customary, but voluntary at your discretion

For more information and availability, please contact Argeus. When you do, please mention TTP. Here's why.

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Above, the Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey.
Below, the Great Theater, Ephesus.

Above, cave dwellings in Cappadocia.
Below, Tetrapylon, Aphrodisias.

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