Welcome to Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), one of the most historically significant cities in the world. Upon arrival at Istanbul Airport (IST), please proceed to Gate 9, where our representative will meet travellers and arrange the transfer to the hotel. For arrivals at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW), a surcharge of US$ 90 per person per transfer, based on a minimum of two people, applies. Hotel check-in begins at 3 PM.

Istanbul has been shaped by successive empires, from the Byzantine to the Ottoman, each leaving visible traces across the city. The rest of the day is at leisure to settle in, explore independently, or rest after the flight.

Overnight: Hilton Double Tree Piyalepasa, Istanbul (2 nights)

After breakfast at our hotel, we begin in the Historic Areas of Istanbul*, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a guided tour of Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia, and the Blue Mosque. Topkapı Palace served as the residence of Ottoman sultans for nearly 400 years. Its courtyards, audience halls, treasury, and sacred relic collections help show how Ottoman court life, administration, and ceremony were organized at the centre of the empire. Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque remain among the city’s most important Byzantine and Ottoman landmarks. Seen together, they introduce the religious, artistic, and political layers that shaped Istanbul over many centuries.

We also visit the Spice Market, known locally as the Egyptian Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı), with its displays of spices, dried fruits, Turkish delight, nuts, honeycomb, caviar, and aged Turkish cheeses. The evening is free to explore or relax at leisure. (B)

We drive toward Çanakkale, stopping to explore Gallipoli and visiting key sites such as ANZAC Cove, The Nek, Chunuk Bair, Lone Pine, the 57th Regiment Memorial, and the War Museum. The Gallipoli campaign was launched during the First World War in an attempt to break the deadlock and open a route through the Dardanelles. The peninsula is closely associated with the ANZAC landings of 25 April 1915 and with Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, whose leadership here became part of the story of modern Türkiye. In Türkiye, Gallipoli is remembered as a defining defence of the homeland during the final years of the Ottoman Empire.

Overnight: Kolin Hotel, Çanakkale (1 night) (B, D)

Today, we journey into ancient history with a visit to the legendary city of Troy*, a UNESCO World Heritage Site associated with Homer’s Iliad and the story of the Trojan War. The archaeological site also reveals a much longer history, with settlement layers that connect myth, literature, and the realities of ancient life in northwestern Anatolia.

After crossing the historic Mount Ida, we arrive at Pergamon to explore its dramatic Acropolis. Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape*, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reflects the city’s importance in the ancient Mediterranean world, with remains that include temples, theatre structures, and traces of later Byzantine influence. As a Hellenistic centre, Pergamon was known for its steeply sited urban plan, intellectual life, and strategic position above the surrounding plain.

We explore Pergamon’s ruins before continuing to the resort city of Kuşadası, where we stay for two nights.

Overnight: Elite World Hotel, Kuşadası (2 nights) (B, D)

We drive to Ephesus*, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best-preserved Classical cities in the eastern Mediterranean. Once a major port and trade centre of the ancient world, Ephesus became one of the most important cities of Roman Asia and an early centre of Christianity. We walk among the ruins, including the theatre and the remains of the ancient library, and see evidence of the city’s advanced urban planning. The scale of its streets, public buildings, and civic spaces helps explain the city’s former importance. We also explore local handicrafts, including handmade carpets and leather goods.

Our journey continues to Şirince, a village known for its stone houses and local fruit wines. During the Ottoman period, Orthodox Christian Greeks were known for winemaking in the area. After 1924, Muslim Turks from Thessaloniki helped continue the tradition using local fruits. The village adds a small but useful human layer to the day, connecting local architecture, food traditions, and the population movements that shaped the region in the early 20th century. (B, D)

After breakfast, we explore Hierapolis-Pamukkale*, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its Classical ruins and white travertine terraces. Hierapolis, meaning “sacred city,” was associated with thermal springs whose vapours were linked in antiquity to Pluto, the god of the underworld. The site brings together the practical and spiritual importance of thermal water in the ancient world, from healing traditions to funerary monuments and public spaces.

The hot spring waters of Pamukkale leave limestone deposits as they flow down the slope, creating the white, step-like terraces that gave the site its name, meaning “cotton castle.” A thermal pool among ancient remains is also available locally at an additional cost, schedule permitting.

Overnight: Adem Pira Hotel, Pamukkale (1 night) (B, D)

We drive to the lakeside town of Köyceğiz, where we enjoy a boat excursion and time along the water. Nearby Turtle Beach lies between saltwater and freshwater habitats and is known as an important nesting area for sea turtles. This part of the journey slows the pace after several archaeology-focused days and introduces the wetlands, river channels, and coastal scenery of southwestern Türkiye.

We continue to the thermal springs and mud baths before travelling onward to Fethiye for a two-night stay. The route also gives travellers a sense of how the landscape changes from inland plateaus to the Mediterranean coast.

Overnight: Marina Boutique Hotel, Fethiye (2 nights) (B, D)

After breakfast, we explore Kayaköy, once a Greek settlement known as Levissi. Its stone houses and abandoned churches are a quiet reminder of the communities that once lived here and of the population changes that followed the early 20th century. In the afternoon, we drive to Ölüdeniz, whose name means “dead sea” in Turkish because of its calm waters. Its lagoon is part of a protected natural area, with a long beach set below Baba Dağ. The contrast between Kayaköy’s historical stillness and Ölüdeniz’s coastal setting makes this one of the more varied days of the tour. An optional sunset cruise with dinner is available at additional cost. (B)

Today, we continue to Antalya on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast. Long important as a harbour city, Antalya combines Roman remains, old-town streets, and easy access to the landscapes of the Turquoise Coast. In the old town, we see Hadrian’s Gate, a Roman triumphal arch dating from the second century. We also visit the Düden Waterfalls near Lara, where the water descends through greenery close to the city.

Overnight: Best Western Khan Hotel, Antalya (1 night) (B, D)

We depart early for Konya, stopping en route at the ancient theatre of Aspendos, one of the best-preserved Roman theatres in the region. Its galleries, stage structure, and acoustics remain important examples of Roman engineering. The theatre helps illustrate the scale and sophistication of Roman public life in southern Anatolia.

Upon arrival in Konya, we visit the Mevlana Museum, dedicated to Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, the 13th-century poet, mystic, and spiritual figure associated with the Whirling Dervishes. His mausoleum remains one of Türkiye’s most visited cultural and pilgrimage sites. Konya is an important stop because it shifts the journey from the Classical and coastal world into the spiritual and intellectual history of Anatolia.

After visiting Rumi’s mausoleum, we continue to Cappadocia for a two-night stay.

Overnight: Crown Plaza Nevşehir Hotel, Cappadocia (2 nights) (B, D)

Cappadocia’s volcanic valleys, cave settlements and carved rock formations give this day one of the tour’s most distinctive landscapes. The day may begin with an optional early morning hot-air balloon ride at additional cost. Later, we explore an underground city, one of many subterranean settlements in the region that were used as places of refuge during periods of conflict and instability. These multi-level spaces reflect the practical ingenuity of communities living in a volcanic landscape that could be carved for shelter, storage, worship, and defence.

We then visit the Göreme Open Air Museum within Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia*, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area is known for rock-cut churches and monastic spaces decorated with Byzantine frescoes. The painted churches give the region much of its cultural weight, showing how religious communities adapted the landscape for both daily life and devotion.

We continue to the natural fortress of Uçhisar, where the volcanic rock formations were used for shelter and defence.

In the evening, an optional Turkish folklore dinner show is available at additional cost. (B)

Our morning takes us to Ankara, the capital of Türkiye. Here, we visit Anıtkabir, the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the modern Republic of Türkiye. The complex includes exhibits connected to Atatürk’s life, military career, and role in the formation of the republic. This visit helps place the earlier imperial and battlefield history of the tour into the context of the modern Turkish state.

We then continue to the City of Safranbolu*, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its well-preserved Ottoman-era houses and urban layout. The town’s timber-framed mansions, lanes, and caravan-route setting preserve a strong sense of Ottoman domestic and commercial life.

Overnight: Imren Lokum Konagi Hotel, Safranbolu (1 night) (B, D)

After breakfast, we explore Safranbolu, once a caravan station on the East–West trade route. During its peak in the 17th century, the town’s domestic architecture influenced Ottoman urban design. We also have time to taste local Turkish delight. This is a useful final contrast to Istanbul: smaller in scale, but important for understanding how trade, craftsmanship, and family life shaped Ottoman towns beyond the capital.

Next, we return to Istanbul and visit the Grand Bazaar, one of the world’s largest covered markets, with lanes of shops selling jewellery, ceramics, carpets, textiles, spices, and antiques. The bazaar also brings the journey back to Istanbul’s long role as a commercial meeting point between regions.

The evening is at leisure in Istanbul.

Overnight: Kent (Old City) Hotel, Istanbul (1 night) (B)

Hotel check-out time is 11 AM. After breakfast, we are transferred to Istanbul Airport (IST) for our departure flight.  Please note that departure transfers to Istanbul Airport (IST) are provided by shuttle. The hotel shuttle is available at 9 AM and 1 PM.

For those departing after 1 PM, a private transfer is available at US$ 90 per person, based on a minimum of two people. Istanbul is an ideal city for a pre- or post-tour extension. For details, please contact us. (B)

For those departing after 1 PM, a private transfer is available at CA$ 130 per person, based on a minimum of two people. Istanbul is an ideal city for a pre- or post-tour extension. For details, please contact us. (B)