Fire of Anatolia - 11 Days

Welcome to Istanbul – we transfer you to your hotel, and the rest of the day is yours to explore the city at your own pace.

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.

After breakfast, we cruise the Bosphorus between two continents on a one hour public ferry as your guide points out historic sites along the way. This afternoon we fly to Cappadocia and transfer you to your hotel – the remainder of the day is yours to explore.

Today we marvel at Cappadocia’s lunar landscapes, visiting the Goreme Valley Open Air Museum and the fairy chimneys, and exploring the many levels of an underground city. Photo opportunities abound, so keep your camera ready. This evening you can choose an optional Turkish folklore show featuring folk dances and belly dancers – a night you won’t forget.

Leaving Cappadocia behind, we head to Konya, where we visit the mausoleum of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi at the Mevlana Museum, exploring his beautifully adorned tomb, ancient manuscripts and exhibits on the Whirling Dervishes. We then continue along the legendary Silk Road to the Çatalhöyük Museum, which brings to life one of the world’s oldest and most advanced Neolithic settlements.

Today we travel to Pamukkale and its gleaming calcium travertines. We visit the ruins of Hierapolis, including the Temple of Apollo and the Necropolis. There's also plenty of time to stroll across the magnificent white terraces.

We explore the ancient city of Laodicea – once the chief city of the Lycus River Valley, known as Laodicea on the Lycus and earlier as Diospolis, the City of Zeus. This afternoon we enjoy a display of locally handcrafted leather goods before making our way to the coastal city of Kusadasi.

We delve into Ephesus, from the site of the Temple of Artemis to the grand facade of the Library of Celsus and the impressive amphitheatre, then visit the Ephesus Archaeology Museum where artefacts bring the city’s history to life. At a carpet village we learn how carpets are made by hand and what determines their value, and afterwards we head to Sirince for a wine tasting.

We continue to Bergama to ascend the acropolis of Pergamon, whose temples and library made it a renowned cultural and political centre. We then visit Troy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the new award winning Troy Museum. The night is spent in Canakkale.

After breakfast, we visit the First World War battlefields of Gallipoli, including Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair Memorials, ANZAC Cove, The Nek, Johnston’s Jolly, and original trenches and tunnels. After a sobering but interesting day, we head back to Istanbul.

After breakfast, our journey concludes – say goodbye to your new friends before transferring to the airport for your onward flight.