Classical Turkey Tour

Fly from London (regional connections available) to Istanbul with Turkish Airlines. Transfer to the Levni Hotel for 3 nights. Meeting and welcome drink.

Morning tour of Istanbul including Hagia Sofia, built as a church by Emperor Justinian in the sixth century; the Blue Mosque, with its exquisite blue tiles; and the remains of the Hippodrome, which at its height could accommodate 100,000 spectators. Afternoon visit to the Basilica Cistern, a marvel of Byzantine engineering located underneath the city, and finish at the Egyptian Bazaar. 

Morning tour of Topkapi Palace, formerly the imperial residence of the Ottoman sultans. Tour the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul’s legendary covered market, and enjoy a traditional Turkish coffee. Afternoon at leisure.

Morning drive to Canakkale. Tour of the Gallipoli battlefield, scene of the aborted Allied invasion of 1915. Visit Cape Helles, Suvla Bay and Anzac Cove. Stay at the Kolin Hotel for 1 night. 

Drive from Canakkale to Izmir, stopping en route to visit the Unesco world heritage site of Troy. Continue to Pergamon for a tour of the historic town, including visits to the Acropolis, the Asclepion and the Red Basilica. Transfer to the Key Hotel for 1 night.

Morning drive to the ruins of Hierapolis and the travertine terraces, and the hot springs at Pamukkale. Continue to Laodicea, where the ruins of one of the seven biblical churches of Asia remain. Stay overnight at the Doga Thermal Hotel in Pamukkale.

Drive to Aphrodisias, one of the most beautiful classical sites in Turkey. Visit the Temple of Aphrodite and the most complete amphitheatre to have survived from the ancient world. Drive on to Sirince, a Greek village until the official exchange of citizens between Greece and Turkey in 1924. The village boasts its authentic Greco-Mediterranean architecture of narrow cobbled streets and whitewashed houses, enjoy wine tasting at a local vineyard nearby. Continue to Kusadasi and stay 2 nights at La Vista Boutique Hotel Kusadasi.

Morning tour of Ephesus, once the capital of Roman Asia Minor. See the remains of the Temple of Artemis, one of the original Seven Wonders of the World, as well as the main site with its fabled Library of Celsus. Continue to the house of the Virgin Mary. Afternoon at leisure or optional visit to the hillside town of Priene and the ancient Ionian ports of the Menderes valley.

Morning at leisure. Afternoon transfer to the airport and fly to London, via Istanbul.