10D8N Explore Türkiye (Summer)

Dinner

Istanbul – Straddling two continents, this magical meeting place of East and West has many historic structures scattered throughout the city. Upon arrival, check-in to your hotel after dinner.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Istanbul City Walls – A massive wall of fortification from ancient Constantinople built by emperor Theodosius II over 1500 years ago.

• Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Mosque) - Built between 16th century’s religious center and the only mosque in Istanbul with 6 minarets.

• Hippodrome Square - An open-air museum with various monuments from different periods. Originally, the Hippodrome was a stadium where Roman chariot races took place.

• Hagia Sophia Museum - An innovative architecture with rich history, religious significance and extraordinary characteristics that uniquely combines Christianity and Islam in the same place.

• Topkapi Palace - Built by Sultan Mehmed during the years 1460-1478 following the conquest of Istanbul. It served as the main residence and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans. Now it is an important museum in Turkiye with many exhibition halls, a treasury section and Harem.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Bolu - Famous for its dense forests and fauna, Bolu is a province of Turkiye located approximately half-way between Istanbul and Ankara, with a history dating back to Phrygians around 1200 BC during the Hellenistic period.

• Salt Lake (Tuz Golu) - Occupying a huge area in the arid central plateau, it's the second largest lake and the biggest salt lake of Turkiye. It's also one of the biggest salt lake in the world.

• Underground City - It is believed that the cities were initially built during the 8th and 7th centuries BC by the Phrygians, who carved their living spaces into the region’s soft volcanic rock. The idea behind the subterranean cities was to protect the people from enemies, allowing thousands of people to live their lives in total secrecy.

Breakfast, Cave Restaurant Lunch, Dinner

• Hotair Balloon (Optional) - The breathtaking landscape makes it a top destination for balloon flights. Float through impressive valleys with distinctive rock formations, colors and features. Then, drift up over rippled ravines for breathtaking views over the region.

• Jeep Tour (Optional) - Ride through the region of Cappadocia and enjoy spectacular views from a panoramic viewing point in Goreme. Visit the Goligoli Caves and Monastery, one of the oldest cave monasteries, cave churches, multi-layer dovecotes, and other cultural attractions.

• Pigeon Valley - The valley is named after the many pigeon houses or dovecotes carved into the rocks and cliffs when pigeons were used as message carriers years ago. The great viewpoint overlooking Uchisar with many pigeon houses and thousands of pigeons flying around you makes it the most instagrammable place.

• Uchisar “Castle” Village - It is one of the best viewpoints in Cappadocia overlooking the Castle.

• Pottery Village - A family tradition dating as far back as 2000 BC on the banks of Red River, people have been using what resources the land provides for their daily living. It has supplied many generations of master artisans with red clay to produce artistic pieces of pottery.

• Traditional Carpet Weaving Centre – Known historically as the center of handcrafted carpet making, it has a rich regional heritage of carpet-making. Experience how these Turkish’s traditional masterpiece are created.

• Local Gemstone Factory & Museum - Cappadocia has various of gemstones but onyx, zultanite and turquoise are exceptionally popular. Understand the stories behind these stones and see the process of making these semi-precious gemstones into beautiful jewelries.

Breakfast , Lunch, Dinner

• Ancient Caravanserai – It is considered as one of the best examples of Seljuk architecture in the 13th-century Turkiye. It was a roadside inn where travelers (caravanners) could rest from the day's journey. It supported and protected the flow of commerce, for people across the trade routes of ‘The Silk Road’.

• Mevlana Museum - Started life as the dervish lodge (Tekke) of the Mevlevi order, better known as the whirling dervishes. It houses the mausoleum of Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi, a Persian Sufi mystic.

• Cotton Textile Outlet - The 7th largest cotton producer globally, cotton is also a significant export crop for the country. Visit the outlet for some of the best and finest textile product from Turkiye.

• Whirling Dervish (Optional) – A traditional ceremony known as a sema, in which their series of mesmerizing turns help them and the audience reach a state of nirvana.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Pamukkale (Cotton Castle) - Famous for the incredible white travertine terraces on which Hierapolis, once a major center of trade and culture, sat atop. The hot springs release mineral-rich water onto the landscape below, forming a unique structure that looks like a cotton castle, and that is where the name comes from.

• Hierapolis & Necropolis - Necropolis comes from the Greek word meaning “city of the dead,” is used to refer to cemeteries. Hierapolis was founded in the 2nd century B.C. The city flourished, until it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1179 AD.

• Ephesus Ancient City - An ancient port city whose ruins are well-preserved in modern-day Turkiye. The city was once considered the most important Greek city and the most important trading center in the Mediterranean region.

• Isa Bey Mosque - It is a large rectangular structure built in 1375, surrounded by high walls of limestone and marble, much of which came from the nearby Ephesus ruins.

• Cave of Seven Sleepers - When the Roman ruler of the Pact began killing, 7 brothers from a noble family took refuge in a cave. The ruler who wanted to kill them had closed the mouth of the cave. The young people awakened centuries later.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Leather Outlet & Show - Leather is an industry in Turkiye with more than 500 years of leather-making. Visit one of the famous outlet to understand the reason why it is one of the biggest exporting country of leather with the finest quality.

• Ulu Cami (Grand Mosque) - Built by Yıldırım Bayezid between 1396 and 1399. After the victory at Nicopolis in 1396, Yıldırım Bayezid wanted to built 20 masjids in Bursa, but on suggestion of Emir Sultan, his son-in-law and one of the period’s important scholar men, he built only one, the “Ulu Cami”, or Grand Mosque, covering it with 20 domes.

• Koza Han - A place where silkworm cocoons were sold. It became the first textile center in Turkiye because the fabrics obtained from these cocoons were worn by wealthy people for many centuries. There are around 1000 years of history in this tradition and it comes from Central Asia.

• Osman Gazi & Orhan Gazi Mausoleum - Osman and Orhan Gazi's tombs are among the most significant shrines not only in Bursa, but also in Turkiye and the Islamic world. This is due to the fact that Osman Gazi and his son Orhan were the primary founders of the Ottoman Empire, which is considered to be one of the greatest empires in history.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Turkish Delight & Apple Tea Shop - Turkish Delight & Apple Tea are the traditional family of confections, understand the traditional, different types of quality and enjoy free sampling.

• Bosphorous Cruise - Cruise along Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, overlooking the fabulous sight of Istanbul’s most famous monuments like Dolmabahçe Palace, Rumeli Castle, Maiden's Tower, and more.

• Spice Market - Built in 1664 as part of the Yeni Camii, it is known in Turkish as Mısır Çarşısı "Egyptian Bazaar". Just about every spice you can imagine is on offer, heaped into vibrant domes.

• Grand Bazaar - One of the world's most famous shopping destinations and, at 30,700 square meters, the world's biggest enclosed bazaar. Once inside, the bazaar's 64 streets and smaller alleyways house roughly 4,000 stores.

Breakfast

• Free Time until departure before heading back home.