Arrival to Istanbul Airport where our driver/guide will meet you and transfer you to your hotel for check-in before having the rest of the day at your leisure.

Go to the Topkapi Palace, which was once used by the Ottoman Sultans from the 15th to 19th centuries and see the magnificent collection of priceless jewels, silver, crystal, and porcelain, robes that were worn by the sultans and the relics of the prophet Mohammed. (Entrance to the Harem is extra).

Visit the Hagia Sophia, which was built by Emperor Justinian and was the largest building in the world for over 1000 years and has intricate mosaics and a huge central dome.

After lunch, we will visit the stunning Blue Mosque that was built for Sultan Ahmet I, and is a unique piece of architecture with its six minarets and features 20,000 beautiful Iznik tiles.

Visit the ancient Hippodrome with Obelisk of Theodosius, Snake Pillar and German Fountain of Wilhelm II and visit the hidden Underground Cistern.

See the Grand Covered Bazaar with its many shops perfect for your holiday souvenirs.

Visit the exotic Egyptian Spice Market located on the Golden Horn before boarding your cruise of the Bosphorus where the waterway separates the two continents Europe and Asia.

Pass by Rumeli fortress which was built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452, so he could prepare for his conquest of Istanbul.

Cross over the Bosphorus Bridge to Asia where you will visit Beylerbeyi Palace, which was once the summer address of the Ottoman Sultans, then on to Camlica Hill for a fantastic view of Istanbul.

Transfer to the airport in the morning and fly to Trabzon. Arrive and transfer to your hotel. Visit the Sumela Monastery which is also known as the Monastery of the Virgin Mary, and has been said that it is neither in heaven or on earth. Carved on the mountain, it looks like a nine-story high building that hangs down from the clouds and sits on the top of the forest.

Drive along the Silk Route and through the Zigana Mountains which will take us to Karaca Cave that is considered to be the most beautiful in Turkey for its colours and formations.

Visit Cifte Minare and Yakutiye Medrese before having some free time in Rustem Pasha Bedesten, a devoted manufacturer that sells Oltutas jewellery.

Continue to Erzurum via Bayburt where we check-in for an overnight stay in Erzurum.

After a tasty breakfast, we drive to Ani via Kars. Ani which dates as far back as the 5th century AD, and served as the capital of Armenia from 806.

After our visits here we will then drive to Sarikamis once the Tsars of Russia favourite retreat and where we spend the night.

Today we head further south to Van via Dogubeyazit. We will then stop and see the Ishak Pasa Palace. This complex is made up of a mosque, a palace and a fortress, which initially had a different room for every day of the year and you can also see the remains of Eski Beyazit, and Urartian City which flourished in 1000 BC.

We will have the chance to see Mt. Ararat from all sides and is claimed to be the resting-place of Noah’s Ark, but so far no one has found any evidence – yet the search is still on.

We will also visit the Muradiye waterfalls en route.

We will take a ferry across the lake to visit the most exceptional Armenian architecture, the Church of the Holy Cross that is on Akdamar Island.

Explore the huge Van Castle from the days of Urartu where you will see the hieroglyphs and sense the spirit of the once Urartu capital Tushpa and feel the salty waters of the great Lake Van called ‘the Sea’ by the locals.

After lunch at a local restaurant, we head to Cavustepe.

We have an early departure for the longest bus ride of the tour (7:30 am – 3:30 pm). Drive west from Van around the southern end of Lake Van to Bitlis, then southwest to Mardin near the Iraqi border. We then travel via Bitlis and Ahlat where we will visit the Conic Tombs of Seljuk-Turkish period.

In the morning, visit Mardin, a unique city with lovely old-Arabic style houses, which are often decorated with delicate carvings. This is a lively trading centre with people coming from different villages to buy and sell. Mardin also has a fantastic view of the Plain of Mesopotamia.

It is a city that played an essential part in the early development of Christianity. Visit the fascinating Monastery of Deyr-az-Zaferan just outside of Mardin and founded in 762 A.D.

After lunch, we will drive to Hasankeyf that is situated by the Tigris river.

Soon to be submerged under the floodwaters of a new dam on the Tigris, Hasankeyf has hundreds of caves, hidden waterways, tombs, a larger and smaller Palace, as well as ruins of the Great Mosque. We will then drive to Urfa.

Today we will visit the Mevlid Halil Mosque, the Cave of Prophet Abraham and the sacred fish pool. You will also have a chance to wander the streets in the Old Bazaar before continuing to Harran, city of the prophet Abraham. See Islamic school, the fortress and the curious beehive-shaped adobe houses. We will then make our way to Kahta for an overnight stay.

Hike to the summit of Mount Nemrut (one of the most famous UNESCO world cultural heritage sites) and watch the sunset, be in awe of the colossal heads and the statues of ancient deities, as you take a step into mythology. This magnificent landmark sits at an elevation of 8000 ft. The mountain top complex is made up of two flat areas that are strewn with statues and are separated by a false peak of crushed rock. Antiochus constructed the entire complex around 2000 years ago as a dedication to his divine ancestry.

Also, you should take time to visit the old castle, Arsemeia, cross over the still functioning Cendere Bridge (Septimius Severus bridge) dating back to the 3rd century and Tumulus Tomb of Karakus.

Then drive back to the hotel for a delicious breakfast before driving to Kahraman Maras to have some world-famous ice-cream. Then we will then drive to Cappadocia.

Tour the Kaymaklı Underground City, one of the fascinating underground settlements in Cappadocia then drive to Sahinefendi (Sobesos) which is newly discovered (01 May 2002) mosaic houses and Archaeological excavation site. Villages in the valleys are surrounded by the “tabletop” mountains which are spectacular.

Continue to the Keslik Monastery close to Cemil, that hides its frescoes behind a thin smoke layer which you can only see by torchlight.

Visit Mustafapaşa (Sinasos), an old Greek town with its spectacular old Greek houses; outstanding examples of late Greek settlements and architecture.

Visit Saruhan Caravanserai, a roadside inn where travellers would rest and recover from their day’s journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of information, commerce and people across a network of trade routes of North Africa, Asia, and South-Eastern Europe on the legendary Silk Road and the Spice Road. Continue with the panorama of the Red Valley, with its fabulous volcanic rock formations and is in the heart of Cappadocia but still away from the tourist crowd.

Meet at the hotel reception after breakfast, then have your first meeting with the lunar landscape of Cappadocia with some rock formations beyond belief in Devrent valley, walk-in Pasabag near Zelve and wonder at the “fairy chimneys” where the sound of the wind mixes with the “songs of fairies”.

Lunch in Avanos which has been the centre of terra cotta work of art since around 3000 BC and you will get a demonstration in a traditional pottery workshop.

In the afternoon, visit the famous Goreme Open Air Museum and see the best examples of Byzantine art that are in Cappadocia in rock-cut churches with frescoes and paintings (10th to 13th century).

Continue to Uchisar Rock-Castle to have a panoramic view of the valleys of Cappadocia.

OPTION 1: IHLARA CANYON HIKING to Ihlara and on the way walk in the Ihlara Canyon, a “mirage” in the Steps of Anatolia to Belisirma village, the ancient Peristrema: “Valley of the Sky” along the Melendiz River. OPTION 2: TURKISH VILLAGE LIFE AND CULINARY TOUR Starting the day with a visit to the local market (only available only on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays) or take a morning walk to the fruit orchards in Ayvali Village.

We will see Perge, which was initially settled by the Hittites around 1500 BC. Visit the impressive collonaded street, baths, nymphaeum, and agora and the fountain of the River God, where waters once poured down the centre of the city.

Visit Aspendos to see one of the best-preserved amphitheatres in the world.

We will then visit the beautiful Kursunlu waterfalls or Antalya Museum.

Drive to the travertine terraces at Pamukkale which are definitely one of the most spectacular natural wonders that you will be able to see from several mineral springs in a substantial white cliffside.

Drive to Ephesus, on the way, visit Aphrodisias which was primarily known as a centre for the arts, specifically sculpture. The Aphrodisias School of Sculpture had a distinctive style and was very well circulated throughout the Greek and Roman world.

Visit the ancient city of Ephesus and spend a few hours walking in the footsteps of Alexander the Great, Apostles Paul, Caesar, Cicero, and John and many other well-known historical names.

The recently opened Terrace Houses (entry included) which is where the wealthiest Romans lived and are a great example of sensitive excavation and presentation and the mosaics and frescos are stunning.

Tradition has it that St John brought Virgin Mary hereafter the Crucifixion and lived her last years close to the city of Ephesus on a secluded mountaintop. A lovely chapel was constructed on the site and tended by Franciscans and open to visitors and has been designated a pilgrimage site by the Pope.

We will continue with Saint John Church where Apostle John spent his final years and was buried.

Visit Pergamon that became an important kingdom during the Hellenistic period and had the second-best library in the time of the ancient Greek civilisation, after Alexandria. Asclepion that is located to the southwest of the lower city and was a sanctuary dedicated to the god of health. Asclepics that was one of the largest hospitals in history and is located to the west of the city, which was a great centre of culture, art and medicine. When the Ptolemies stopped exporting papyrus because of competitors, and partly because of shortages, the Pergamenes created a new substance to use in codices, called pergaminus or parchment after the city. This was made of calfskin, a predecessor of vellum.

Visit Troy in the morning, 4000 years old Ancient City popular with the Trojan War and Trojan horse and known as the centre of ancient civilisations. Many years, people believed that it was a city in tales, and that is never actually existed until it was first found. It was first known as Ilium or New Ilium. Today Troy or New Ilium places in Hisarlik at Canakkale. The remains of the city from the thieves and destructors can be visited. After your visit, you will be transferred to Istanbul.

Transfer to Istanbul Airport to connect to your international flight