Istanbul, a city rich with history, flavors and colors, an ancient and modern, eastern and western city full of life and people Enjoy the only country between two continents (Europe and Asia) with Medita travel.
Flight to Istanbul. Arrival, reception and transfer to the hotel. Overnight stay.
Breakfast. Half day visit to the “GOLDEN HORN” : We will start with a visit to the famous Pierre Loti cafe which is on the top of the hill in the Eyup district and has a great view of the Golden Horn. Free time to enjoy the view with the possibility to have coffee or tea. Afterwards we will head to St. George’s Cathedral, the fifth church of Constantinople which has housed the ecumenical patriarchate since the 15th century.
Formerly a convent for Orthodox nuns, it was converted into the patriarchal offices by Bishop Matthew II (1598-1601). En route, we will see part of the walls of Constantinople, once an impenetrable fortification, stretching seven kilometers from the Sea of Marmara to the Golden Horn.
Next we will visit the Suleymaniye Mosque, considered the most beautiful of Istanbul’s imperial mosques, built between 1550 and 1557 by Sinan, the famous architect of the Ottoman Golden Age. This is the end of the tour. Free afternoon to explore the city or make optional visits according to the information of your guide at destination. Overnight.
Breakfast. Half day visit to the “Bosphorus”: We will transfer to the port to embark and start the cruise on the Bosphorus, a strait that separates two continents and connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. From the boat we can admire the Dolmabahce Palace, the Mosque, the bohemian neighborhood of Ortakoy, the Fortresses of Rumelia and Anatolia, the Beylerbeyi Palace, the typical wooden houses “yali”, etc..
Then we will visit the Spice Bazaar, also called Egyptian Bazaar, is one of the oldest markets in Istanbul and one of the best places to buy typical products such as spices, sweets or nuts. Free afternoon to explore the city or make optional visits according to the information of your guide at destination. Lodging.
Breakfast. At the indicated time flight to Gaziantep. Transfer to the hotel. Accommodation
Half Board. In the morning we will visit the archaeological museum of Zeugma, this is the most important museum of Roman mosaics in the world. A modern facility with all the latest technology, it transports us to the richness of the Roman Villa of the ancient Mesopotamian valley. We will leave the city of Gaziantep to continue to the Euphrates and Halfeti.
Upon arrival in Halfeti, we embark on a small and comfortable boat that takes us on a tour of the Euphrates. Continue to Urfa, ancient city of Mesopotamia known as “the city of the prophets”, where the prophet Abraham was born. Arrival and visit the archaeological museum of Sanliurfa. In this fantastic museum we can see from art and sculptures from the site of Göbekli Tepe, as well as great information about this spectacular place and an impressive collection from the Paleolithic.
It is necessary to emphasize that in this museum the oldest sculpture of the history of the humanity is exhibited, the “Balikligöl statue” that is totally extraordinary and that shows us a halo of mystery and exquisite enigma. Then we will visit the sacred and mythical points of interest in the city of Sanliurfa; Abraham’s Grotto and the Sacred Lake. Dinner and overnight.
Half board. Morning departure to visit Göbekli Tepe is an ancient sanctuary that stands at the highest point of an extensive mountain range located about 15 km away. The site, which is currently being excavated by Turkish and German archaeologists, was erected by hunter-gatherers in the 10th millennium BC (ca. 11,500 years ago), before sedentarization began.
Mysteriously, this whole complex of stones, pillars and sculptures was deliberately buried around 8000 BC, remaining abandoned for 500 years. Together with Nevali Çori, this site has revolutionized the understanding of the Eurasian Neolithic. Later, departure to Mardin, a city of the Christian-Syriac religion where the Aramaic liturgy is still performed. En route we will visit the traditional village Dara, where you will find Necropolis and Roman cisterns. Dinner and overnight.
Half Board. In the morning the Syriac monastery of Deyrul Zafaran, one of the oldest in the world. The monastery was, for 640 years (until 1932), the residence of the Assyrian Orthodox Patriarch. The site was called Deyrul Zafaran (Church of Saffron) after the saffron that was grown in the surrounding area. Assyrians from all over the world come every year to pray and be blessed here.
Next we will visit the center of Mardin. The city sprawls along the slopes of a mountain crowned by its fortress. It is a candy-colored village featuring the huge dome of the 12th century Seljuk Iraqi Ulu Camii Mosque, located in the small but intricate maze of alleys of the city center. We will pass by the Zinciriye Madrasa, whose minarets stand in the middle of the historic center. The main artery of the old town is Cumhuriyet Street.
There spreads the huge and chaotic bazaar, such as delicate works in copper and brass, or the famous Aleppo soaps and where the smell of freshly baked bread is never missing. Later, departure to Diyarbakir, one of the most important cities in the area, known in classical times as Amidiya, the city was annexed by Rome in 297 AD and became an essential part of the defensive line between the Roman and Parthosanid Empires of Persia.
En route we will visit Zerzevan Castle, the first temple built by the Eastern Roman Empire in the 4th century as a military base on the ancient trade route between Diyarbakir and Mardin, which was in use until the 7th century, it houses the last temple of Mithras discovered in the world. Archaeological excavations at the site revealed the existence of subway structures.
Arrival in Diyarbakır and start the visit of the historic center and its religious monuments on foot, entering its walls, to stroll through its narrow streets, bustling and full of life. We make a stop at the caravanserais of Hasan Pasa Hani, today converted into a center of obligatory stop for tea before visiting the Great Mosque, the most important of the twenty-two that exist in the city and the oldest in Anatolia, initially built as a Christian cathedral called “St. Thomas”.
We continue the tour visiting the Minaret of the four feet, built by Kasim Khan. Legend has it that if you pass seven times between its four columns, it will bring good luck. Dinner and overnight.
Half Board. In the morning departure to visit Mount Nemrut which preserves some impressive statues created in 38 BC by order of King Antiochus to surround his tomb. It is one of the most extraordinary sites in Turkey at an altitude of 2,000 meters and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987.
Arrival at the summit of Mount Nemrut and visit the burial mound of King Antiochus made of small stones, conical in shape and with a height of about 50 meters. On both sides, on two terraces, we can admire the colossal representations of Greek-Babylonian gods. Later, departure to Malatya, known for the cultivation of apricots. Dinner and overnight.
Half Board. Early departure to the region of Cappadocia, where the indescribable harmony of a kaleidoscope of colors, turns the reds and browns into grays, greens and yellows. Upon arrival in Cappadocia, we will see the famous ‘Three Beauties of Ürgüp’, where you can see the mushroom-shaped rock formations and a panorama of the town of Ürgüp.
Then we will visit the small and beautiful village of Ortahisar which highlighted with its high geological formation castle 86 m high and was converted into a dwellings by the Hittites. Dinner and overnight. In the evening you can optionally attend a ceremony (sema) of whirling dervishes.
Half board. Optionally you can take a spectacular hot air balloon ride at sunrise. Departure to visit this fantastic region, where St. George was born, with its fascinating and original landscape, formed 3 million years ago by lava thrown from the Erciyes and Hasan Volcanoes. Visit to the subway city of Ozkonak or similar built by Christian communities to protect themselves from Arab attacks.
Stop at a carpet and kilim workshop. In the afternoon, visit the many monasteries and chapels of Göreme, carved into the rocks and decorated with frescoes. We will also pass through the valley of Güvercinlik (of the dovecotes) and admire a wonderful panoramic view of the castle of Uchisar, located on top of a promontory of volcanic rock perforated by tunnels and windows.
At the end we will make a stop at an artisan workshop of decoration, typical stones and jewelry of Cappadocia. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. In the evening you can optionally attend a show of Turkish folk dances.
Breakfast. At the indicated time transfer to the airport to board your flight back to your city of origin.
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.
