Itinerary (Best Travel Period: April-June/September-November)

Day 1 : Arrive Istanbul

• Visit timeless Hagia Sophia, with its marvelous Byzantine architecture, and the sixth-century Basilica Cistern.
• See the nearby Hippodrome as well, and view the City Walls, dating to the time of Constantine.
• Enjoy time at leisure for lunch, and then proceed to Chora Church (subject to renovations).
• Stroll the Pera District, an ancient section of the city also called Beyoglu.

Day 2 : Istanbul

• Discover Topkapi Palace, the headquarters for the Turks who once ruled most of the Mediterranean.
• Discover Dolmabahçe Palace.
• Tour the Sultanahmet Camii.
• Embarking on a private cruise of the Bosphorus.

Day 3 : Cappadocia

• Fly to Cappadocia
• Enjoy a private barbecue lunch
• View frescoes at the rock-carved churches of Göreme, and visit the stunningly restored Dark Church at this enchanting open-air museum.

Day 4 : Cappadocia

• Enjoy an optional hot-air balloon excursion over Cappadocia – Explore its volcanic stone “fairy chimneys” — curved slopes and pointy spires sculpted by wind and rain.
• Explore the fascinating underground city at Kaymakli, which dates to as early as the eighth century BC and includes chapels, kitchens, air vents and living quarters carved out of volcanic rock.
• Visit Zelve Open-air Museum
• Visit pottery studio besides Halys River

Day 5 : Cappadocia/Izmir/Bodrum

• Explore the remains of the great Ionian city of Ephesus, where Saint Paul once lived and preached.
• Go to Bodrum and check in to your hotel, enjoying breathtaking views of the Aegean coastline.

Day 6 : Bodrum

• Enjoy SPA in Mediterranean style
• Explore picturesque Bodrum, the home of Herodotus

Day 7 : Bodrum/Istanbul/Departure

• Visit one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, or the foundations of it. The mausoleum was destroyed in an earthquake and the remaining rubble used by the Knights Hospitaliers in the building of the Castle of St. Peter, and much of the statues and relief transferred to the British Museum.
• Departure