Turkey in Depth

Our tour of Turkey starts in Istanbul. Once known as Constantinople, the city has been the capital of both the Byzantine and Ottoman empires and today, its historic riches are evident at every turn. Straddling Europe and Asia, Istanbul was an important stop on the old Silk Road. This resulted in the city forming a patchwork of cultures that makes up modern-day Istanbul (and its mouthwatering cuisine). Turkish food is a hearty and healthy mix of Middle Eastern, Asian, and Balkan style dishes ranging from barbecued meat kebabs to vine leaf-wrapped vegetable rice parcels.

For those arriving in time, our tour leader will meet you in the hotel reception at 7pm for a welcome meeting, followed by dinner for those who want to join. There are no activities planned today, so you're free to arrive in Istanbul at any time. If you miss the welcome meeting, our tour leader will catch you up as soon as possible. Please note that if some passengers are arriving after the planned welcome time, then the main introductory briefing will be conducted on the morning of day 2 when everybody is present.

If you'd like an airport transfer, you'll need to arrive at Istanbul Airport (IST) (a 90-minute drive from the centre) or Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW) (a two-hour drive from the centre). If you are arriving into Istanbul Airport (IST) and have an arrival transfer confirmed with us - once you have collected your luggage please proceed towards the airport exit. Your transfer driver will be waiting for you outside exit gate 14 with an Explore sign.

Our hotel is conveniently located within walking distance, or a short tram ride, from many of the Sultanahmet district's main sites. If your flight arrives earlier in the day, you might want to visit Istanbul's Grand Bazaar (closed on Sundays). Located within the walls of Istanbul, it's made up of over 60 streets and 3,000 shops selling everything from jewellery to carpets and furniture to local arts and crafts. The labyrinth of streets also houses two mosques, two hammams and plenty of cafes and restaurants, so there's plenty to explore.

This morning we'll get our first taste of a traditional Turkish breakfast, which usually consists of yogurts, cheese, and breads along with cucumbers, tomats, olives and fruits.

We'll head out on foot towards the Sultanahmet Square. Also known as the Hippodrome of Constantinople, the square was used for chariot racing in the Roman era. Today it's much more sedate but houses iconic landmarks such as the Byzantine Hagia Sophia, the Serpentine Column, Obelisk of Theodosius and the Walled Obelisk. We'll have a guided tour of the square, ending at its most famous building, the Sultanahmet Blue Mosque. Continuing on foot, we visit Suleymaniye Mosque, an imperial mosque commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent in the mid 1550s.

There are several lunch options around the Sultan Ahmet district, alternatively, it's a short walk or tram ride to the Spice Bazaar where there are plenty of traditional restaurants and cafes to try homecooked dishes.

This afternoon, we'll take the public ferry across the Bosphorus to Kadikoy. Taking around thirty minutes, the ferry offers great views of the city skyline from the waterway that separates the continent of Europe and Asia. The Asian side of Istanbul is full of lively cafes, bars, shops and galleries, it is less touristed and more residential and offers a view of another side to the city. After Exploring the neighbourhood on foot, we will return by ferry.

Depending on your interests and time available in Istanbul you may choose to join the leader on an exploration of Kadikoy or instead visit the Hagia Sophia, Galata Tower, Topkapi Palace Museum or Basilica Cistern. With so much to see in Istanbul you may choose to spend additional nights before or after the trip.

We'll depart early this morning (around 7am), leaving Turkey's largest city behind and heading for the capital, Ankara. The drive takes around six hours, but we'll have plenty of comfort breaks along the way. During the summer months, you can spot fields of sunflowers along the roads.

On arrival in Ankara, we'll visit the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Sitting high above the city, this monument honours the highly respected leader of Turkey's fight for independence, widely regarded as the founder of modern Turkey. We'll also visit the superb Museum of Anatolian Civilisations, which gives a fantastic overview of Turkey's complex history.

Tonight, we'll stay at a centrally located hotel, giving good access to the capital's restaurants and bars.

This morning, we'll set off to Cappadocia, stopping in Hacibektas (a three-hour drive from Ankara) en route. The museum here once housed the famous Bektashi Dervish sect and is now recreated as it would have looked during the 13th century.

After our visit, we'll continue for another hour to Goreme - our base for the next two nights and from where we'll begin to explore the landscape of Cappadocia. The area is famous for its unique geological formations as well as its rich history, which stretches back to before the Hittites (2000 BC).

This afternoon, we'll visit Kaymakli Underground City. Built by early Christians escaping oppression and once home to 3,500 people, this troglodyte cave-city is one of the largest of 34 similar excavations in Cappadocia. It contains nearly 100 tunnels on eight subterranean floors, and we'll explore the four that are open to the public, containing stables, a church and storage places. Finally, after a busy day exploring, you might like to try a popular local yoghurt drink called 'ayran' (it has an unusual salty and soured milk flavour).

We'll spend the next two nights in a traditional stone hotel on the outskirts of Goreme. Our hotel has indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a sauna, terrace bar, restaurant and beautiful mountain views - if you're up early enough in the morning, you'll be able to see hot air balloons filling the sky.

If you are considering a ballooning optional excursion, we advise you book this yourself for today as we make a very early start tomorrow morning. Please see optional excursions for more details.

Today we'll have a full day to explore Cappadocia. There'll be the option of taking a walk through one of the iconic valleys of Cappadocia such as the Love or Red Valleys, giving us an astounding view of the local landscapes. According to interests, the temperature and Tour Leader suggestions, the walk will vary - lasting approximately 2-3 hours to cover 4 to 5 kilometres or 3 to 4 miles. Formed by volcanic eruptions that covered the valleys with mud, ash, and blocks of hard rock, over the ages this volcanic 'tufa' has been sculpted by erosion into strange shapes. Byzantine hermits settled in this area and carved churches, houses and fortresses into these cone formations known as fairy-tale chimneys as well as complete underground cities.

This afternoon, we'll visit Uchisar Castle, a citadel perched on a rock, giving expansive views over Cappadocia and the surrounding valleys. We'll also spend time at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Goreme Open Air Museum, where we'll explore its many rock-carved churches and monastic buildings.

We've got a long day ahead of us, so we'll leave Cappadocia early this morning, around 7am. Our first stop will be the 13th-century Sultanhani Caravanserai. Once the largest roadside inn in Turkey, it supported the constant flow of commerce between the East and the West. Afterwards, we'll drive another two hours to Konya - one of Turkey's important religious sites and the home of the Mevlana sect (better known as the Whirling Dervishes). Here, we'll visit the Mevlana Museum and learn more about Sufism and the Whirling Dervish tradition.

After lunch, we'll head back out on the road, driving to Antalya, the gateway to Turkey's southern Mediterranean. On arrival, we'll head into the old town - much of which dates back to the Selcuk Turks and then Roman and Byzantine times. We'll wander through the narrow cobblestone streets and head to the historic harbour, lined with restaurants, cafes, and bars. Please note that we could arrive into Antalya as late as 19.30 today and depending on our arrival time we may visit Antalya old town in the morning as well or instead.

Note, today is the longest day overall and we'll spend a total of seven hours driving, however, our journey will be broken up by comfort breaks and site visits.

We'll set off around 9am this morning to drive to Olympos, around 90 minutes away. Although its early history is shrouded in mystery, we do know that Olympos was an important Lycian city by the 2nd century BC and that the Olympians worshipped Hephaestus (Vulcan), the god of fire. Today, only fragmentary ruins remain in a lush, overgrown site overlooking the beautiful coastline.

We'll take a short but steep uphill walk through forest to the 'Chimaera' eternal flame, before having the opportunity to refresh with a dip in the sea - don't forget to bring your swimwear and a towel. If you'd prefer not to join the walk, you can relax in the cafe at the bottom of the hill.

Our journey continues along the Turquoise Coast (so named because of the clear waters of the Aegean Sea) to the pleasant coastal resort town of Kas - our base for the next two nights.

With its old Greek houses and their picturesque balconies, it's clear to see why the seaport of Kas has become one of the more popular resort towns on the Turkish Riviera.

Today is free to relax in Kas or take part in an optional activity. You could take a boat trip to see the sunken ruins at Kekova or try your hand at sea kayaking. Kas is also a great place to pick up souvenirs, but don't forget to haggle!

For a little more culture, it's possible to arrange a trip to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the ancient city of Xanthos, once capital of the Lycian League.

Today we have an early start to drive to Dalyan, where we'll swap bus for boat and head out onto the gentle waters of the Dalyan River looking out for loggerhead turtles amongst the reeds. After viewing the rock-cut tombs of ancient Caunos from the water, we step onto dry land to explore the ancient settlement itself, which dates back to 400 BC.

We recommend packing your swimming costume and a towel today as there'll be the opportunity to take a dip in the turquoise waters at Iztuzu Beach. There'll also be the chance to visit the Turtle Conservation Centre (DEKAMER) before returning to Dalyan. The conservation centre works to protect the turtle nesting areas on Iztuzu Beach, cares for and rehabilitates injured turtles and attempts to educate the local fisherman on the importance of using propeller guards. Later this afternoon we head to our accommodation on the peaceful outskirts of Dalyan to check in to our hotel for the night.

Today we'll spend around three hours driving and about an hour travelling by boat.

Today we'll take a four-hour drive to Pamukkale to explore one of Turkey's most amazing natural wonders, the 'cotton castle'. The castle takes its name from the white calcareous concretions deposited by mineral springs. Above the terraced pools you'll find the ancient spa town of Hierapolis where the ruins date back to 2nd century BC and the time of Eumenes II. Earthquakes have rocked the area throughout history and the site was finally abandoned in 1334 following a particularly strong quake. As recently as the mid-20th century, hotels were constructed on top of its priceless ruins but luckily, UNESCO World Heritage status has saved it from further damage. You can visit the theatre, Temple of Apollo, Frontinus Gate and see a number of sarcophagi as well as having the chance to go into the Archaeology Museum housed in the former Roman baths.

We'll move on to the 'frozen waterfall'. Situated on a high escarpment, Pamukkale has been an attraction since Roman times. Stalactites of bright white petrified waterfalls cascade from basin to basin. We'll visit the incredible travertine pools, where you can opt to get your feet wet and enjoy the views overlooking the Menderes Valley.

After our visit, we'll check into our hotel and the rest of the afternoon is free. We stay in a large resort style hotel on the outskirts of town that is a convenient location for visiting Pamukkale and Hieropolis. At certain times of the year, we might visit the site later to avoid the hottest part of the day.

Today we'll visit the Greco-Roman site of Aphrodisias, the ancient city of love and sanctuary of Aphrodite. The drive here takes around an hour and a half and this site is in many ways as spectacular as Ephesus, but far quieter by comparison. The tetrapylon is a wonderfully ornate example of a huge gateway which would have once welcomed you into the main street leading to the Temple of Aphrodite. The best of the skillfully sculpted reliefs and stonework for which this site is famous are found in the excellent on-site museum that you may like to visit. The well-preserved odeon and theatre are also well worth seeing, as is the Sebasteion, which is carved with reliefs depicting Aphrodite and her worshippers. The piece de resistance is the stadium which measures 270 metres long by 60 metres wide and would have held 30,000 spectators. On the seats you'll find carvings into the rock, which have been graffitied during the athletic events that took place here.

Later, a three-hour drive takes us to Selcuk, our base for the next two nights.

Today we'll visit Selcuk's historic neighbour, the great Greco-Roman city of Ephesus. We'll aim to get there in time for the site opening before it becomes too crowded.

Once visited by Mark Anthony and Cleopatra, and by St. Paul, inspiring the Epistle to the Ephesians, this seaport reached its zenith in the 2nd century AD, becoming one of the main cultural and economic centres of the ancient world. It boasted a gymnasium and a stadium with seating for 70,000 spectators. Other highlights include the Baths of Constantine, the brothel, the Temple of Hadrian with its beautiful facade, the theatre (a giant with 24,000 seats) and the odeon (a 2000-seat music and ptry centre), the Arcadian Way (where Cleopatra entered from the harbour) and the Marble Avenue featuring the Library of Celsus.

Driving on a short distance, we'll visit the scattered remains of the famous Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, before returning to Selcuk for a free afternoon.

This afternoon, you might like to explore St John's Basilica, the Isa Bey Mosque or Selcuk Museum. Alternatively, you might enjoy a spot of shopping or simply soaking up the town's laid-back vibe with a Turkish tea in one of the many open-air cafés.

This morning, we'll leave our hotel around 7am to continue our journey north. We'll travel for two hours past endless olive groves and pomegranate trees to the Greco-Roman remains of Pergamon, set on the hill overlooking the modern-day town of Bergama.

Pergamon gave its name to the word 'parchment', the material the town was well-known for throughout the Middle East. We'll visit the ancient Acropolis and later continue for around three hours to the ancient site of Troy where, according to legend, the artful Ulysses devised the Wooden Horse Strategy, thereby ending the ten-year Trojan War. Here, nine ruined cities, one on top of the other, have been uncovered, going back 5,000 years. Troy VI is the assumed walled city of King Priam (1800-1275 BC), celebrated by the blind Greek pt Homer in the Iliad and all but lost in legend until it was unearthed by amateur archaeologist Schliemann in 1871.

Later this afternoon, we'll drive the short distance to our hotel for the night, in the lively town of Canakkale on the Dardanelles, arriving between 6 and 7pm.

Today is one of our longest driving days and we'll travel for approximately seven hours.

We'll have an early start this morning, leaving our hotel around 6.30am to board the 30-minute ferry crossing from the Dardanelles Straits to the Gallipoli Peninsula on the European side of the waters. It was here in 1916 that, after much bloody hand-to-hand fighting and loss of life, the ill-fated Allied campaign was forced to concede victory to the Turks and withdraw. At Anzac Cove - a 600 metre beach that was the famous site of the Anzac landing - we will visit the Anzac Commemorative site and Ari Burnu Cemetery. We continue inland slightly to visit the Lone Pine Australian Memorial and Cemetery before following the shoreline of the Sea of Marmara back to Istanbul for our final evening.

The drive back to Istanbul will take around five hours, arriving in the early evening.

Our tour ends at our hotel in Istanbul.

There are no activities planned today, so you're free to depart at any time. If your flight leaves later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you'd like a hotel transfer, you'll need to depart from Istanbul Airport (IST), around a ninety-minute drive from the hotel, or Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW), around a two-hour drive from the hotel.