Multi Centre Tour Turkey

8 days by AIR Multi Centre Tour
Day 1
Fly from London to Istanbul, meet your guide and transfer to your hotel for your evening meal (first included meal). En route to the hotel take a short orientation tour of Istanbul, seeing the old city walls, the Chora Church and the Golden Horn. The former capital of 3 successive empires: Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman, the city is a fascinating mixture of the past and present. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 2
Meet your coach and depart for Topkapi Palace, the Ottoman residence for almost 400 years. The Babusselam is the main entrance to the museums. See the costumes, weapons, medals and thousands if beautiful miniatures. Visit the ancient city of Istanbul. See Sultanahmet Mosque (the Blue Mosque), the only mosque in the world with 6 minarets and famous for its beautiful interior tiles of blue, green and white with flowers and tree motifs. Visit the Hippodrome where the chariot races and competitive athletic events took place during Roman times. There is also an Egyptian obelisk here. Finish the day with a visit to the Grand Bazaar, situated in the heart of the old city. The labyrinth of streets and passageways contain over 4,000 shops. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 3
Drive along the coast of the Marmara Sea to Cannakale, visiting Gallipoli enroute. The Gallipoli Peninsula was the scene of one of the most notorious military campaigns of World War I. The whole peninsula is now a vast memorial, with plaques and monuments to the campaign. See Anzac Cove, the Gallipoli War Museum, Lone Pine Cemetery and Chunuk Bair. Take a boat across the Dardanelles to Cannakale. Overnight in Cannakale.
Day 4
Visit Troy, immortalised by Homer's Illiad. You can see a replica of the famous wooden horse. Drive south along the beautiful Aegean coast to ancient Pergamum, an advanced city specialising in commerce, culture, art and medicine. Parchment was invented here and there was once the great library of Pergamum that housed 200,000 scrolls belonging to King Attalus (later given to Cleopatra by Anthony as a wedding gift). See the Acropolis, Altar of Zeus, Temple of Trojan, the steepest theatre, Temple of Athena and the remains of the Asclepion. Overnight in Kusadasi.
Day 5
Visit Ephesus, one of the bestpreserved ancient cities in the world. See the great Library, magnificently restored. After lunch continue to Aphrodisias, a cultural centre, renowned for sculpture. See the best preserved Stadium in Anatolia, the Temple of Aphrodite, the Agora, the Odeon, the baths and Theatre. Continue to the ancient city of Hierapolis, now known as Pamukkale, which means 'Cotton Castle' in Turkish, describing the white lime cascades (calcareous deposits) formed by hot mineral springs. Visit the Roman health spa and see the theatre, baths, colonnaded avenue and the largest Necropolis in Asia Minor. You can have a mineral spring bath at your hotel. Overnight in Pamukkale.
Day 6
Depart for Bursa, the first capital city of the Ottoman Empire and the birthplace of modern Turkish culture. The historic city is set amongst the wooden slopes of Uludag (ancient Olympus). Imperial mosques and mausoleums adorn the city. See the Green Mosque, Yesil Turbe and the Grand Mosque. Enjoy a Turkish bath in your hotel. Overnight in Bursa.
Day 7
Visit the oldest Ottoman village, famous for its Ottoman Wooden Houses. Also visit Iznik, an openair museum and tourist town, world renowned for enamel tile making. Continue on to Istanbul. Take the ferry across the Gulf of Izmit. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 8
Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK. Sample Itinerary