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Private Tour – Istanbul, Cappadocia & Izmir (Ephesus) Tour

Land Only price (includes double occupancy – single supplement is an additional $40 per night) w/ three Turkey domestic flights included:

2 PEOPLE MINIMUM: $1,980 per person
3 PEOPLE MINIMUM: $1,780 per person plus single supplement
4 PERSON MINIMUM: $1,680 per person

DAY 1 – ARRIVE IN ISTANBUL
Upon arrival in Istanbul, you will be met by a driver, who will then take you to the 5-star Eresin Topkapi Hotel to check-in. You will have the rest of the day to rest and, in the evening, there will be a welcome dinner at a local Turkish restaurant.

DAY 2 – ISTANBUL
Istanbul, once called Byzantium in the 7th century B.C., was named 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 worl

d that spans two continents. In Istanbul, 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 greatest 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. In addition, we will visit the Hippodrome. We will have dinner served with wine and lots of live music and entertainment by a gypsy orchestra before returning to the Eresin Topkapi hotel.

DAY 3, 4 – CAPPADOCIA
After breakfast, we will take a morning flight from Istanbul to the Kayseri Airport. A short drive will take you to your destination. 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. Our hotel’s twenty-two spacious units almost all have windows with views to the outside, 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.

While in Cappadocia (one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World), we will enjoy the unique landscapes of wind and rain-eroded volcanic rock formations. Also amazing is the incredible underground cities of Cappadocia. We will go to Derinkuyu where ancient people from 3 to 4,000 years ago started carving layers of living quarters into the bedrock connected by catacombs. These floors are separated by huge wheels that could be moved by a lever to close the passage. This allowed these underground fortresses to remain impenetrable and gave security to the early Christians and other occupants of these underground cities, some serving populations as many as 15,000. These cities were mentioned first in the book “Anabassis”, march of the 10,000 Greek mercenaries on their way to Persia in 400 B.C. written by Xenephon. In the region of Cappadocia, a 10,000 square mile area, there are 1,000 churches carved by early and later Christians. About 100 of them still have frescoes from the Old and the New Testament. Although some of these frescoes have been damaged, many of them remain intact at the Open Air Museum in Goreme, less than a mile from our hotel. We will visit this site with churches, living quarters, refectories, storage areas, etc. It is a very impressive site.

We will also visit ancient handicraft shops and see a caravanserai, an ancient caravan motel. Going off the “tourist track”, we will have wonderful strolls where we visit small villages and discover the unknown Cappadocia. We will also enjoy an excellent lecture-demonstration on Turkish kilims and carpets. On one of the nights, we will attend a folk dance show with belly-dancing and a Whirling Dervish demonstration.

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 5, 6 – IZMIR / KUSADASI (Ephesus)
Today we will fly from Kayseri to Izmir (please note that because this flight does not depart daily, the Izmir dates may be subject to change), which is the third largest city in Turkey and a major shipping port. Arriving in Izmir, the guide will pick us up and drive us to the 5-star Korumar Hotel in Kusadasi to check-in. This hotel features a beautiful view of the Aegean Sea. The rest of the day will be free to enjoy the many amenities the hotel has to offer. Dinner will be at the hotel.

The next day we will drive to the incredible city of Ephesus and its colossal Greek Theater, which is still used for performances today. The Marble Road, the Celsus Library, and the Temple of Diana are just a few of the things that we will be seeing here. We will also visit the house where the Virgin Mary lived her final days. After the crucifixion of Jesus, St. John brought her to Ephesus.

OPTIONAL – If you have already visited Ephesus, a day trip to Pamukkale can be taken instead, but please note that this may slightly change the itinerary.

DAY 7 – IZMIR / IST / USA
This morning we will drive to the Izmir airport for your return flight to Istanbul. Upon arrival in Istanbul, you will take your connecting flight back to the U.S..

Please Note: The order of events may vary and if time permits we will do much more.

**Flight schedules and itinerary are subject to change**

WHAT IS INCLUDED: