Ancient Anatolia Highlights - 9 Days

Welcome to Istanbul – we transfer you to your hotel, and the rest of the day is yours to start exploring this captivating city.

We tour the city that bridges Europe and Asia, visiting Topkapi Palace – including Hagia Irene and the Harem – the Blue Mosque, the St Sophia Museum and the Hippodrome.

We cruise the Bosphorus between two continents on a one hour public ferry as your guide highlights historic sights along the shore. Later, we fly to Cappadocia (flight included) and transfer you to your hotel – the remainder of the day is yours to explore.

We take in Cappadocia’s otherworldly scenery as we visit the Göreme Valley Open–Air Museum and the fairy chimneys, then descend through the levels of an underground city. This evening, you may choose to join an optional Turkish folklore night with belly dancers – a night to remember.

We visit the mausoleum of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi – the great 13th–century Sufi mystic and poet – and explore the Mevlana Museum’s beautifully adorned tomb, manuscripts and exhibits on the Whirling Dervishes. Continuing along the legendary Silk Road, we call at the Çatalhöyük Museum, which illuminates one of the world’s oldest and most advanced Neolithic settlements.

We travel to Pamukkale to see its gleaming calcium travertines – visit the ruins of Hierapolis, the Temple of Apollo and the Necropolis, then stroll over the magnificent white terraces of Pamukkale.

We explore Laodicea, chief city of the Lycus River Valley – also known as Laodicea ad Lyceum and once called Diospolis, the City of Zeus. This afternoon, we enjoy a display of locally handcrafted leather goods before arriving in Kusadasi for the night.

We delve into history with a guided tour of Ephesus, from the site of the Temple of Artemis to the grand façade of the Library of Celsus and the impressive amphitheatre. We also visit the Ephesus Archaeology Museum, where artefacts from the ancient city bring its story to life. At a carpet village, we learn how hand–woven carpets are made and what determines their value, then continue to Şirince for a wine tasting.

After breakfast, our journey concludes and we bid farewell to new friends before we transfer you to Izmir airport for your onward flight.