History and Heritage Tour (Mini)
The Aegean Sea, Central regions, Northwestern regions and Istanbul
12 Nights / 14 Day Tours
These tours are led by our experienced, English fluent CFT Turkish guides, who will introduce you to the daily life, culture, history and traditions of Turkey.
Tour Codes: #CFT 7, #CFT 8, #CFT 9, #CFT 10, #CFT 11 & #CFT 12
2010 History & Heritage (Mini) Tour Dates & Prices
Day 1 – DEPART USA
Your international flight will depart the U.S., arriving in Istanbul the next day.
Day 2 – ARRIVE ISTANBUL
After passport and visa procedure, you will be taken to the 5-star hotel Barcelo Eresin Topkapi in the old city. There will be time to relax and rest before meeting the group in the evening for an early dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 3 – CANAKKALE (Troy)
In the morning, we will drive to Gallipoli to see the World War I memorial and battle sites. Afterwards, we will take a ferry to Çanakkale, a small city on the Dardanelles across from Gallipoli. We will stay at the best available hotel, which overlooks the Dardanelles straight.
Day 4, 5 – IZMIR/KUSADASI (Ephesus)
This morning, we will visit the legendary city of Troy and have the opportunity to see a replica of the Trojan Horse. To date nine different Troy’s have been discovered; each built one on top of the other. We will have a chance to see this site still in the process of excavation. Afterwards, we will drive to Pergamon to see the Asklepion, an ancient hospital complex. We will then drive 1½ hours to Izmir where we will stay at the 5-star Korumar Hotel. Dinner will be at the hotel.
The next day we will drive to the incredible city of Ephesus and see its colossal Greek Theater, which is still used for performances today. Among the many things we will be seeing are the Marble Road, the Celsus Library and the Temple of Diana. We will also visit the house where Virgin Mary lived her final days.
Day 6 – PAMUKKALE (One of the Natural Wonders of the World) Hierapolis
Today we will drive to Aphrodisias, the city of art dedicated to the Goddess Aphrodite. The marble theatre there is beautiful and the immense stadium, which is the largest and best preserved in the world, seats over 35,000. We will also visit the museum there. Afterwards, we will continue to Pamukkale. Also called “Hierapolis”, this city has an incredible necropolis, the city of the dead, and is world famous for its calcium-travertines. We will stay at the 5-star Colossae Hotel and spa. At the hotel, you can swim in the heated pools of enriched mineral water that can cure many illnesses including stomach ailments and skin diseases.
Day 7, 8, 9 – CAPPADOCIA (One of the Natural Wonders of the World)
Along the way to Cappadocia, we will stop briefly in Konya to visit the Whirling Dervish Museum, a very holy place for Turkish Muslims. There are exhibits of Dervish costumes, instruments, illuminated manuscripts and various ethnographic artifacts. Arriving in Cappadocia, we will enjoy the unique landscape of wind and rain eroded volcanic rock formations. We will tour the amazing underground churches and cities carved into the rocks by early Christians. We will visit handicraft shops and a caravanserai (an ancient caravan motel) as well as attend a folk dance show with belly-dancing and a Whirling Dervish demonstration. Going off the tourist track, we will have wonderful strolls where we visit small villages and discover the unknown Cappadocia. In Cappadocia there will be an excellent lecture and demonstration on Turkish carpets and kilims as well as a lecture/demonstration on pottery. A doll maker from Soganli will also demonstrate how their World-famous Cappadocia dolls are made.
Your stay will be at the spectacular Cappadocia Cave Suites, the newest and most “luxurious cave living” in Cappadocia. In 2005, Abercrombie and Kent rated the Cave Suites the seventeenth most boutique hotel in the world. This hotel’s twenty-two spacious units almost all have windows with views to the outside and most feature a Jacuzzi. Several rooms have fireplaces and eight units include two bedrooms. Some units have beautiful 200-year-old wooden ceilings and one unit is decorated in original 8th century painted frescoes showing the Maltese cross. The views are spectacular with the Fairy Chimneys in sight (www.cappadociacavesuites.com). Breakfast and dinner will be at the Cave Suites restaurant.
OPTIONAL: Hot air balloon rides over Cappadocia at reduced rates. A balloon ride in Cappadocia (for people of all ages) is safe and nothing less than spectacular.
Day 10 – ANKARA / ISTANBUL
Early in the morning, we will drive to Ankara where we will visit the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the father of modern Turkey, and the magnificent Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. Our stay will be at a 5-star hotel. Dinner will be at the hotel.
Day 11, 12, 13 – ISTANBUL
Early in the morning, we will depart Ankara and drive to Istanbul. Late in the afternoon, we will visit the Military Museum to enjoy a concert performed in traditional costumes by the world’s first established military marching ensemble before having dinner at a local Turkish restaurant.
Istanbul, once called Byzantium in the 7th century B.C., was renamed Constantinople in 326 A.D. by Constantine the Great when he moved the capital of the Roman Empire to what is now Istanbul. Istanbul received its current name from Mehmet II in 1453 and is the only city in the world that spans two continents. Here, we will visit several of Turkey’s most famous museums and mosques. Topkapi Palace was first built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1453 and was the home of the sultan until the 19th century. St. Sophia was built by Roman Emperor Justinian and was completed in 537 A.D. It was the largest Christian church in the world for more than 1000 years. The Blue Mosque was commissioned by Sultan Ahmet in 1603 and was constructed with the deliberate intention of rivaling the St. Sophia. We will also visit the Rustem Pasha Mosque with its exceptional tiles, the spice market and the mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent. On one of the evenings, we will have dinner with lots of live music and entertainment by a gypsy orchestra. We will stay at the 5-star Eresin Topkapi Hotel.
On the second day in Istanbul, we will take a morning Bosphorus cruise (the size of the boat will vary depending on the group’s size):
- Small groups (under 10 people) will take a city ferry cruise, which touches both the European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus.
- Large groups (more than 10 people) will take a Bosphorus cruise in a private boat.
After the cruise, the afternoon will be free and will give you a chance to go out on your own to explore the city. We would recommend visiting the Grand Bazaar on this day. Dinner this evening will be on your own.
Please Note: The order of events may vary with each tour depending on the availability of various museums on certain days of the week.
Day 14 – DEPART FOR USA
We will depart the hotel shortly after breakfast. We will have a morning flight, returning to U.S.A. in the afternoon of the same day.
**Flight schedules and itinerary are subject to change**
Bora Özkök is a Berkeley educated architect and world-renowned teacher of Turkish culture, music, folk dance and folklore. He has authored several books, produced his own folk music albums, playing a variety of instruments, produced several videos on Turkey and is the only director of a major tour operating company who also leads several of his company's tours. He has appeared numerous times on Turkish national television and has given workshops and lectures on four continents and all over the United States.