Day 1 : Istanbul: On arrival you’ll be met by our representative and transferred your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure.

 

Day 2 : Istanbul: After breakfast in your hotel, a full day guided tour includes St. Sophia, the cathedral built by Emperor Justinian in 537 which was the largest church in Christendom for a thousand years, the Byzantine Hippodrome with its various monuments including a 3500-year-old red granite obelisk brought from Egypt and erected here in 390 AD. The Ottoman Empire produced marvellous architecture and you'll see two of its finest works: Topkapi Palace, home of the sultans, and the famed Blue Mosque of Sultan Ahmet I. After all these visits, you'll venture into the labyrinthine Grand Bazaar. Transfer back to your hotel for overnight. (B)

 

Day 3 : Istanbul - Safranbolu: After breakfast drive to Safranbolu, a town boasting a glorious collection of old Ottoman houses with a rich collection of pieces of art which represent traditional Turkish life and culture. Its rich history and success in preserving it earned the town inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Best known for these old Turkish houses, the town is attracting more attention especially as these 19th century homes are gradually disappearing from other areas of Turkey. Visitors can enjoy walking the old narrow cobbled streets and seeing some of the traditional crafts and trades that are still practised today. Overnight in Safranbolu. (BD)

 

Day 4 : Safranbolu - Amasya: After breakfast, drive to Amasya, is the oldest settlement of the region. The city, sited on two sleep mountains, is famous for royal tombs carved into limestone. Maidens Palace, museum, clock tower, Medrese and Amasya Tower are a few of the monuments of the town also well-known for its fierce resistance during Turkey’s War of Independence in the 1920s. Overnight in Amasya. (BD)

 

Day 5 : Amasya - Corum: After breakfast walk along Green River past wooden houses and a statue of the famous early geographer Strabon. See Beyazıt Mosque complex one of Turkey’s earliest universities. Drive to Corum. Overnight (BD)

 

Day 6 : Corum - Hittite Capital Hattusas - Cappadocia: After breakfast, drive to Hattusas capital of the Hittite Empire. Before visiting the main capital see the open air sanctuary of Yazılıkaya as the sun shines directly on the bas-reliefs in the morning. Visit the Lion’s Gate, Tunnel, King’s Gate, Citadel and Grand Temple at Hattusas before driving to Cappadocia. Overnight. (BD)

 

Day 7 : Cappadocia: Full day touring to see the valleys, rock formations, remnants of older churches and Kaymakli underground city where early Christians hid from persecutors. At Avcilar and Pigeon Valley experience the moon-like topography of Cappadocia before continuing to Goreme Open Air Museumto see the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia in rock-cut churches with frescoes and paintings (10th to 13th century) and Pasabagi Valley. In the pottery town of Avanos the Kizilirmak River, Turkey’s longest, meanders leaving the red clay on its banks that has been the potters’ raw material for centuries. Return to your hotel. (BD)

 

Day 8 : Cappadocia: End of Tour. Transfer to Kayseri Airport. End of our services (B)