Embark on an unforgettable journey through Turkey! From vibrant Istanbul to historic Ankara, you will explore the treasures of Anatolia. Admire the grandeur of the Bosphorus Bridge on your way to the capital, where you’ll discover the secrets of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations and the majestic mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Then, immerse yourself in the wonders of Cappadocia, from fairy chimneys to troglodyte villages. Next, marvel at the travertine formations in Pamukkale and explore the ancient ruins of Ephesus and Pergamon. Finally, honor the fallen in Gallipoli before returning to Istanbul – book now for an unforgettable adventure in Turkey!
We will pick you up from your hotel in Istanbul at the agreed time and drive to Ankara, the capital of Turkey, located 450 km away. One of the highlights of the trip is when the bus crosses the huge Bosphorus Bridge.
After a few hours on the road, you will arrive at your hotel. Enjoy an exquisite dinner at the hotel before retiring to your room.
Once you have enjoyed a delicious Turkish breakfast, we will embark on a tour of the capital city. The guided tour includes admiring the most important sites of Ankara, such as the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. It houses numerous collections of Anatolian archaeology, such as objects from the Paleolithic, Neolithic, Hittite, Phrygian and other periods. Then, you will visit Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (first President of the Republic of Turkey).
Afterwards, we will leave the capital behind and head to Cappadocia. On the way, we will stop at Saratli, an amazing Underground City founded by Christian communities to protect themselves from Muslim Arab attacks. While visiting the well-preserved city, you will stroll through the ancient stables, rooms and public halls.
You will arrive in Cappadocia in the afternoon, where you will have dinner and spend the night.
Enjoy a healthy breakfast and head out to explore the breathtaking scenery of Cappadocia, one of Turkey’s most famous regions, filled with impressive rock formations, fairy chimneys and lunar landscapes. You will also have the opportunity to take one of the most famous hot air balloon rides in the world: if there is one image that stands out in Cappadocia, it is the hundreds of balloons in the sky at sunrise.
On this guided tour, you will visit Göreme, an area full of houses and churches carved into the sandstone rocks and paintings from the 10th and 11th centuries. Then, you will visit Uçhisar, a troglodyte village with impressive cave houses. Followed by the Valley of the Monks, home to the most impressive fairy chimneys and the Derbent Valley.
After marveling at the unique landscape of Cappadocia, you will return to your hotel.
Enjoy a delicious breakfast and leave Cappadocia behind in your air-conditioned bus. The tour heads to Pamukkale, the location of the ancient Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis.
In the middle of the trip, we will stop at Sultan Han, a Seljuk caravanserai established during the 13th century. Then, once in Pamukkale, you will have free time to discover the “cotton castle”, a unique sight formed by thermal pools and petrified waterfalls.
After a busy day, you will return to your hotel, where you will enjoy a hearty dinner and spend the night.
Board the bus in the morning and depart for Ephesus, a city dedicated to the goddess Artemis.
Once you arrive in this beautiful city, you will visit the Odeon, the Temple of Hadrian, the House of Love, the Library of Celsus, the Agora, the Theater and the Marble Street. You will also visit the House of the Virgin Mary, the last place where the Virgin Mary lived.
On your way to Smyrna, we will stop at a leather factory to visit its store.
Upon arrival in Izmir, the third largest city in the country, we will drive to the hotel, where we will have lunch and spend the night.
Leave Smyrna behind and head for Pergamon, the historic city located very close to the modern city of Bergama. Once you reach the ancient Greek city, you will visit the well-preserved ruins, especially the Sanctuary of Asclepius, the first hospital in Asia Minor.
Next, head to Troy, a world-famous historic city dating back to late classical antiquity and the scene of the Trojan War. As you stroll through the archaeological site, you will see the wooden horse used during the filming of Troy with Brad Pitt.
Continue your journey to Çanakkale, where you will have dinner and spend the night.
In the morning, we will cross the Dardanelles Strait by ferry and head to the Gallipoli Peninsula. Here, we will visit the World War I battlefields of Gallipoli, where we will see important sites such as Brighton Beach, the Beach Cemetery, the ANZAC Memorial Site, Turkish and Allied trenches and tunnels, among others.
Then, after a fun-filled week discovering the best of Turkey, you will arrive back in Istanbul at 4:30 pm and we will drop you off at your hotel or wherever you prefer. If your hotel is not in the center of Istanbul, we will drop you off in Taksim or in the old part of the city.
Turkey is the only country that is located between two continents, Europe and Asia ,97% is on the Asian side ,3% is on the European side, due to its inspiration of being part of the European Union it was considered as an extension of Europe.
The first thing that comes to mind is Istanbul, but Ankara is the capital of the Turkish republic, it is the second largest city in Turkey after Istanbul, Ankara is a commercial and industrial city, also known for its grapes, pears and honey, where the founder of Turkey (ataturk) chose to put his mausoleum to be buried there.
Turkish is the most spoken language in Turkey, which had its own letters until kamal din ataturk arrived and ordered to write the language with Latin alphabet.
There are also other languages spoken in Turkey among them the KURMANJI LANGUAGE, which is the language spoken by the Kurds who are approximately 10%, there is a minority who speak Arabic although lately after the difficulties that Turkey encountered in becoming part of the European Union there are many access to learn Arabic to communicate more with the Asian side of the Arabian Gulf. The most immigrant languages to Turkey is Persian and the most learned language is English (17%).
The months between March and October are best for visiting Istanbul and the Mediterranean coasts. The inner regions of the Anatolian plateau, including Cappadocia, are best visited in the months between April and June and between September and October, when temperatures are warm, but not as unbearable as in July and August.
Eastern Turkey between April and June as well and from September until the onset of winter (avoid in this case also if possible July and August). This is a rather sensitive area, although in our opinion Mardin is a safe city.
In terms of climate, we can differentiate the following zones in Turkey:
Turkey has 83 million people which makes it among the most populated countries in the world, within the ranking of 196 states that make up the world population table of datosmacro.com.
Some 7.07% of Turkey’s population are immigrants, according to the latest immigration data published by the UN. Turkey is the 72nd country in the world by percentage of immigration.
Turkey has an average population density of 106 inhabitants per square kilometer.
The current official currency of the Republic of Turkey is known under the name of Turkish Lira, Turkish Lira comes in the form of banknotes and in the form of coins, as in any other country. The banknotes come in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 20, 50, 100 and 200 Turkish Lira, all Turkish coins would feature the former president of the country kamal el din ataturk .
The Turkish currency suffers lately especially after the covid crisis , 1 EUR = 32.78 TRY and at the dollar exchange rate 1 USD = 29.15 TRY.
Nowadays, credit cards are very common, so money in Turkey can be stored on cards. Most stores, cafes and restaurants accept VISA and Master Card.
Turkey is mostly Muslim with dress codes governed by Islam, however, it is a secular state since 1923 which allowed to have had some duality in the social classes between the more modern and the more traditional. Tourists visiting Turkey opt for the classic combination of shorts and T-shirt, this dress is appropriate throughout Turkey, but is not accepted in mosques. The recommendation is to wear comfortable, discreet and modest clothing and comfortable shoes. On the beaches you can dress as you like, you can wear bikinis, shorts, T-shirts and flip-flops or bare feet are normal wear for both Turks and foreigners.
We can say with total certainty that yes, taking into account a good travel insurance (see our insurance page).
Anatolia is a region known as Asia Minor. It is the Asian part of modern-day Turkey.
