9 Day Istanbul and Cappadocia Tour by Public Bus

Arrival to Istanbul airport and meet for transfer on to your hotel. Rest of the day at leisure (as per your flight arrival time). Overnight in Istanbul

08:30 You will be picked up from your hotel for Full day tour of Byzantine & Ottoman Relics In this day you will be able to see:HAGIA SOPHIA: Byzantium largest cathedral, converted to mosque 1453 by the Ottoman Empire and today open as a museum to see both religion remains.BLUE MOSQUE: This mosque complex, containing Istanbul’s only mosque with six minarets was built by Sedefkar Mehmet Aga for Sultan Ahmed 1st. early 17th century.HIPPODROME: Center of sport activities and political events of the Eastern Roman Empire.GRAND BAZAAR: Famous shopping center worldwide. Shopping possibilities for carpet, jewellery, leather etcTOPKAPI PALACE: Built between 1475 and 1478 by Mehmet II, Fatih, the conqueror of Istanbul, served as the residence of the sultan and administrative seat of the Ottoman Empire for 400 years.After the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel at around 5:30 pm. Overnight in Istanbul. (B, L).Please note that St. Sophia is closed on Mondays and the Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays. As such, if your tour falls on these days we will replace either sights with a visit to the Kariye Museum also known as The Chora Church. The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sunday. EVENING BUS TO CAPPADOCIA

MORNING ARRIVE TO NEVSEHIR BUS STATION AT 07:30AM AND TAKE FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE TO GO URGUP CITY BUS STATAIN TO MEEY WITH MY DRIVER TO TRANSFER YOU TO OUR DEDELI KONAK HOTEL IN URGUP CITYFairy Chimneys Tour at 09:30amIn this day you will be able to see: DEVRENT VALLEY: Devrent is situated on the northern slopes of Aktepe, 1km from Pasabaglari (Monks’ Valley) and 5 km from Avanos. The ruins at Devrent are spread over three valleys, which also house several pointed fairy chimneys with large stems.LOVE VALLEY: The best place to see three-headed fairy chimneys. Pasabag, the Pasha’s Vineyard, is surrounded by incredible natural rock formations; a spectacular scene.AVANOS: A center of terra cotta work of art since 3000 BC, it is a town where you will be invited to visit a traditional pottery workshop, which is possibly set deep into the hillsides. The clay, which comes from the Red River passing through the town, gives life both to the land and to the local economy.UCHISAR: Uchisar is a troglodyte town situated right in the middle of Cappadocia. It is named after the enormous piece of rock in the center of the town, which was once used as a castle. This extraordinary rock is the highest peak of the area with the view of whole Cappadocia and Erciyes (Argeus) Mountain. After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel.

You will be picked up from your hotel for Full day tour of South Cappadocia. In this day you will be able to see: KIZILCUKUR: is an isolated valley behind Urgup. It has beautiful rock formation with some great hidden rock-carved churches. The most interesting part of this area is the countless tracks connecting the small villages and towns through vineyards and gardens like a spider net. It is always possible to see villagers working in the area and offering grapes, apples or apricots to you.CAVUSIN: One of the oldest settlements in the area, Cavusin is situated 2km from Goreme, on the Göreme-Avanos road. The Church of St.John the Baptist offers a panoramic view of the village. This church and its paintigs date back to the 5th century, making the oldest church in the region. It had a large courtyard which is unusual for Cappadocia, this has been eroded away however.PIGEON HOUSE: Visit the pigeon houses and rock formations.

Our tour starts at 09:30 by pick-up from your hotel. After our guide’s introduction to Cappadocia at the Goreme panoramic view point, we drive about 1 hour and visit the most spectacular gorge of Turkey: Ihlara. The 6 km hike in the Ihlara Valley will be the highlight of our day. The Melendiz River has carved an impressive canyon through the verdant valley and we will walk about two hours along the river, passing Byzantine rock chapels decorated with frescoes. Especially the first half of the hike where we will be the only tourists walking, is totally peaceful. We end the hiking portion of the tour near Belisirma village, where we will have lunch in a quaint riverside restaurant. After lunch, we stop at the biggest rock-cut monastery of Cappadocia, Selime Monastery and Cathedral. Selime is the biggest rock-cut cathedral of Cappadocia and located at the end of Ihlara Valley. It has has been used as a fortress by both Byzantine and Seljuk armies during 10th to 12th centuries. Derinkuyu Underground City. Previously known as Melagobia, Derinkuyu was one of the biggest settlements in Cappadocia and its 8 level underground city is the deepest of the region today. We will explore the caves of this interesting city and your guide will explain about the way of life here. With its floors extending to a depth of approximately 60 m, it was large enough to shelter approximately 20,000 people together with their livestock and food stores. It is the largest excavated underground city in Turkey and is one of several underground complexes found across Cappadocia. Derinkuyu itself connects to Kaymaklli via an 8 km tunnel. We will then drive back to your hotel and finish the tour around 17:00.

Pick up time: 09:00 A.M First we will visit Mustafapaşa, an old and charming Greek Village. Then we will go to the Keslik Monastery located in the middle of a bizzare landscape. In the heart of the monastery is the Church of St. Michael with frescoes from the 13/14 Century. From Keslik we will go to Taskinpaşa Village. Here we find an old Medrese (religious seminary) which is not in use anymore. Later we will see the working archaeological site of the ancient ruins of Sobesos with its mosaics and the outer buildings which are the first traces of a Roman and Christian settlement mix in Cappadocia. Our next stop will be the churches of Soğanlı Valley, where we will enjoy our lunchEVENING BUS TO ISTANBUL

YOU WILL TAKE FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE TO GO OLD TOWN OF SULTANAHMED FREE DAY STAY ISTANBUL

Pick up at 08:30am from the hotel and depart for the Istanbul Bosphorus Shopping Tour.Visit the SPICE BAZAAR (Egyptian Bazaar). The air here is filled with the enticing aromas of cinnamon, caraway, saffron, mint, thyme and every other conceivable herb and spice. BOSPHORUS Boat tour a traditional excursion by pubblic ferry along the waterway separating Europe and Asia. See Dolmabahce Palace, and further along, the parks and imperial pavilions of Yildiz Palace. On the coastal edge of this park, is Çiragan Palace, 300 meters of its marble facade faces the shore. RUMELI FORTRESS Built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452 prior to the conquest of Istanbul was completed in only 4 months to control and protect the infamous Bosphorus passage. DOLMABAHCE The summer residence of Ottoman sultans exists in its original renovated glory. BOSPHORUS BRIDGE enjoy a unique chance to step from one continent (Asia) to another (Europe) Camlica Hill view of Istanbul the highest point in Istanbul. STAY ISTANBUL

DEPARTURE TRANSFER TO ISTANBUL AIRPORT END OF OUR SERVICE