Istanbul - Ephesus - Pamukkale - Cappadocia - Istanbul
DAY 1- ARRIVAL IN ISTANBUL
Upon your arrival at the Istanbul Airport and as you exit baggage claim, you will be met by a True Blue Tour representative for transfer to your hotel. If your arrival time allows, you will pass by our office on the way to your hotel for introductions, tea and a bit of orientation about your tour. The remainder of the day will be free for you to pass at your leisure. Overnight in Istanbul.
DAY 2- ISTANBUL TO EPHESUS (Breakfast)
Enjoy breakfast in your hotel and check out at your leisure by noon. Leave your luggage in our office while you take a free and easy day to explore Istanbul as you wish until your departure time.
You will be picked up at our office in the evening and transferred to the bus terminal for your overnight bus to Selcuk/Ephesus. Please note that long haul coach service in Turkey is fully modern. You will travel in a new model air conditioned and heated coach with refreshment service. There will be breaks along the way at full service travel centers where you can purchase a meal and freshen up. (B)
DAY 3- COMPREHENSIVE EPHESUS TOUR (Breakfast, Lunch)
Ephesus, House of Mother Mary, Temple of Artemis, Isa Bey Mosque, Selcuk Archaeological Museum
You will have an early morning arrival at the bus terminal in Selcuk where there will be a bit of time for you to freshen up and grab some breakfast. You will be met at the bus terminal and transferred to join a small group for your full day guided tour of Ephesus and the surrounding sites.
Tour extensively the ancient city of Ephesus. Very probably the largest archeological site in Turkey, it rises on the north slope of Mount Pion extending southward to the slope of Mount Koressos. First founded as a colony of Athens some 1000 years before Christ, it was rebuilt and fortified with city walls in the late part of the 4th century BC by Lysimachus, who had been left in charge of the city by Alexander the Great after his visit there in 334 BC. After Alexandria and Antiochia, during the Roman period, it was designated as the capital of Asia Minor. The apostle, Paul, came to Ephesus in the 1st century and it is believed to be the place from where he wrote his letter known as 1 Corinthians in the Holy Bible. Ephesus is also one of the seven churches, or communities of Christians, referred to in Revelations (Revelations 2:1-7). Explore the extensive site of this white marble ancient city and marvel at its spectacular monuments, such as the Library of Celsus, the Agora, the Odeon, the Trajan Fountain, the Domitianus Temple, the theater and the roman latrines, etc.
You will also visit the House of Mother Mary, located on the top of Bulbul Dag (the Mount of the Nightingale), seven kilometers south of the ancient city of Ephesus. Here the Blessed Virgin is said to have lived her last years on earth having been brought to the area under the care of St John, who also lived and preached here. It was reconstructed on the foundations unearthed in 1891 by Lazarist Fathers following the detailed description given to them by an infirmed German woman who claimed to have been shown this neighborhood in visions that she had of the Virgin Mother. Soon after, this place began to attract interest and is visited today by pilgrims from all over the world. Pope John XXIII visited this shrine many times during his stay as the Apostolic Delegate in Turkey while Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II came here as pilgrims in 1967 and 1979 respectively.
The tour will make a stop to see what remains of the Temple of Artemis. This famous temple is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and is also known as Artemission. It was first built in the lonian style during 560-550 BC by the Lydian King, Croesus. After being burned down in 356 BC, it was rebuilt on the same foundations, its height extended by 3 meters. This temple, which is also famous for its marble statues, is 55x115 meters in dimension and was the largest of all the ancient temples. It was discovered during excavations that were undertaken by the British Museum, in 1869-1874 under the supervision of J.T. Wood and in 1904-1905 under David G. Hogart. Many of the ruins were taken to the museum in England.
Isa Bey Mosque will be on the tour's itinerary. It is one of the most important architectural works of the Turkish Aydin Emirate, who ruled in western Anatolia from 1308 until 1426. This mosque was conceived and constructed in 1374 by Aydinoglu Isa Bey (1360-1390) in his administrative capital of Selcuk, near Ephesus. It is the second example of twin minaret mosques in Anatolia from the period of pre-Ottoman principalities and is larger than most of the mosques built during the same time period. Its architect was Ali bin Mushimish, from Damascus. Repairs were made in 1934 and the mosque was fully restored later in the second half of twentieth century.
The tour will finally visit the Selcuk Archaeological Museum, which houses some important artifacts from around the region including a famous statue of Artemis and an exquisite marble statue of a boy riding a dolphin.
After the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Kusadasi. (B,L)
DAY 4- PAMUKKALE AND HIERAPOLIS TOUR- CAPPADOCIA (Breakfast, Lunch)
Pamukkale Mineral Pools, Ancient City of Hierapolis
After breakfast and check out from your hotel, you will be picked up and transferred to Pamukkale for your full day guided tour.
In Pamukkale, which means Cotton Castle in Turkish, you will see one of the natural wonders of the world, travertine terraces of hot spring pools which have been formed by deposits of calcium carbonate. The area has been declared a World Heritage Site and is not open for bathing; however, during our break for lunch there may be an opportunity to bathe in a hot spring originating from the same waters but separate from the Heritage Site. After lunch, you will be taken to visit the ancient ruins of the City of Hierapolis. Founded in the second century BC by the king of Pergamum and ceded to Rome a few decades later in 133 BC, its thermal pools were revered by the ancients as sacred baths. The city was a thriving trading center in ancient times and is mentioned in the Bible by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossians (Colossians 4:13). See the ancient city gates, baths, theater and necropolis.
After the tour you will be transferred to the bus terminal for your overnight bus to Urgup/Cappadocia. (B,L)
DAY 5- NORTH CAPPADOCIA TOUR (Lunch)
Devrent and Monk's Valleys, Avanos, Goreme Open Air Museum, Uchisar Castle
You will have an early morning arrival at the bus terminal in Urgup where you will be met and transferred to your hotel if time allows. In any case, there will be a bit of time for you to freshen up and grab some breakfast. At about 09:30 you will depart to join a small group for your full day guided tour of Cappadocia's northern region.
Your tour will begin by making a stop to take in the landscape of Devrent Valley after which you will view the striking fairy chimneys and other rock formations in the Monk’s Valley, where you will also see a chapel dedicated to the well known reclusive monk, St. Simeon as well as some small cave habitations that were carved and used by monks one thousand years ago. In Avanos, an artistic center that dates to Hittite occupation some 3500 years ago, you will have the opportunity to witness potters at their wheels. The red clay found at the Kizilirmak River, along the banks of which the village is located, has been used since the times of the Hittites to make functional and ornamental pottery. After a lunch break, you will move on to visit the Goreme Open-Air Museum where you will marvel at the numerous cave churches and monasteries with their richly frescoed walls painted by Orthodox Monks around 1000-1200 AD. See also the Uchisar Castle. Situated at the highest point in Cappadocia and providing superb panoramic vistas, it is a large rock formation full of interconnected rooms, stairs, tunnels and passages that have been carved from the tufa. Scattered throughout the immediate surroundings are several Roman tombs also cut from the tufa.
After the tour, at about 17:30, you will be transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Urgup. (L)
DAY 6- SOUTH CAPPADOCIA TOUR (Breakfast, Lunch)
Kaymakli Underground City, Cavusin, Red Valley, Ortahisar Castle
Today you will begin with a visit to the remarkable underground city of Kaymakli, which was occupied during the period of early Christianity when the local population went underground for protection. When the Arabs invaded Asia Minor in the 7th and 8th centuries, Cappadocia remained relatively undisturbed by the conflicts; perhaps due to the fact that the monks and local Christians went underground, literally, excavating the subterranean cities and richly frescoed cave churches which you can explore today. Kaymakli is one of many such complexes that have been discovered in the region. Wind through the network of tunnels and chambers as you descend several levels underground. The tour will then visit Cavusin, an old Christian village, where you will see a triple apse church and the Monastery of St. John the Baptist. The day's touring includes lunch and an easy grade, three kilometer hike through the Red Gulludere Valley, inaccessible by automobile and providing absolutely breathtaking scenery. Walk among the fantastic rock formations and along the way discover hidden frescoed cave churches. Before tour's end, visit the natural landmark of Ortahisar Castle and enjoy the panoramic view of fairy chimneys and the generally fantastic landscape.
After the tour, at about 17:30, you will be transferred to the bus terminal for your overnight bus to Istanbul. (B,L)
DAY 7- ISTANBUL
You will have a shuttle bus transfer from the Istanbul bus terminal to Sultanahmet. Once in Sultanahmet, you will return to check into the hotel in which you stayed on the first night of your tour. Enjoy the day at your leisure in Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul.
DAY 8- ISTANBUL (Breakfast)
Enjoy breakfast in your hotel and check out at your leisure by noon. This marks the end of services for our Shoestring Economy Highlights Tour. (B)
Please make note of the following:
