Explore the rich history of Turkey. You will start your tour in Istanbul, Turkey’s business and industrial center, and one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. See the sites in Canakkale, Kusadasi, Pumukkale, Antalya, and Cappadocia, and then enjoy your last night back in Istanbul.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 - Istanbul
Your trip begins with a regularly scheduled overnight flight to Istanbul aboard an internationally recognized airline.
Day 2 - Istanbul
Welcome to Istanbul, crossroads of East and West as well as the world’s only city that spans two continents. A Go Ahead representative greets you at the airport after you clear customs and then escorts you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax or begin acquainting yourself with Istanbul. At an included dinner this evening, meet your fellow travelers.
Included meals: breakfast (in flight), dinner
Day 3 - Istanbul
Your Tour Director, who is also a licensed guide, introduces you to Istanbul’s major sites on this morning’s sightseeing tour. Discover the ancient Hippodrome, which once served as the public center of Byzantium for more than 1,000 years. Then behold the breathtaking Blue Mosque, built by Sultan Ahmet and decorated with exquisite blue Iznik tiles. Continue to magnificent Topkapi Palace, once the residence of the Ottoman sultans. You’ll also visit the Church of Divine Wisdom, better known as Aya Sophia. About 1,000 years older than St. Peter’s in Rome, this awe-inspiring building was the pride of Christendom until the city fell to the Turks in 1453.
Your tour concludes with a stop at Istanbul’s legendary Grand Bazaar, where you can browse and barter for treasures from brassware to spices. Tonight, enjoy our Istanbul by Night optional excursion, which features traditional Turkish food and entertainment.
Included meals: breakfast
Included entrances: Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Aya Sophia
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$65 CAD |
Istanbul by Night
Join your tour director for an evening walking tour of Istanbul. Then
enjoy dining and entertainment in one of the city’s popular nightclubs.
The unique art of belly dancing is just one of the exotic attractions
that awaits you during this captivating performance of Turkish music
and dance.
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Day 4 - Canakkale
Journey today to Troy, the city from which the beautiful Helen incited the Trojan War. Tour the ancient site, where the remains of nine civilizations dating back 5,000 years were excavated only 120 years ago. Then, make your way along the Aegean coast to Canakkale, a town coveted in centuries past by warring forces because of its strategic location at the entrance to the Dardanelles. Dinner is included tonight.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Day 5 - Kusadasi
Travel south along the Aegean coast to Pergamon. A stronghold of the Greek Attalid dynasty, this was at one time one of the world’s most magnificent cities. Here, you’ll visit the Acropolis before continuing on to Kusadasi, a resort town on Turkey’s west coast for an included dinner this evening.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Day 6 - Kusadasi
Today’s excursion introduces you to one of the Mediterranean region’s best-preserved classical cities, Ephesus, once a sacred center for the cult of Artemis. Your guided tour highlights all the major landmarks: the elaborate Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian and the Great Theatre, which is still in use today. Leaving Ephesus, you’ll then travel to the house where the Virgin Mary is said to have spent her final days. Afterwards, join a special optional excursion to the town of Sirince for a firsthand look at rural village life in Turkey. Dinner is included tonight.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Included entrances: Ephesus ruins, St. Mary’s House
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$25 CAD |
Village of Sirince
On a walking tour led by your tour director, stroll past some of the country’s best-preserved 19th-century architecture and enjoy panoramic views of peach orchards and olive groves.
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Day 7 - Pamukkale
Departing Kusadasi, stop first at the ruins of Miletus. In ancient times, this harbor held 200 Greek warships. The Roman theater and baths of Faustina are particularly impressive. Then continue on to the ancient Temple of Apollo in Didyma, started in A.D. 300 and used for approximately 1,400 years. This was once considered home to the gods and solely inhabited by priests. Arrive later in Pamukkale, where dinner is included tonight.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Day 8 - Pamukkale
On this morning’s guided tour, discover why Pamukkale was a popular spa town during Roman times with a visit to its travertines—petrified waterfalls of white stone that create multilayered natural basins filled with warm mineral water. Afterwards, journey to the well-preserved ruins of Hierapolis nearby. Hierapolis was established as a thermal spa at the end of the 2nd century B.C., and the ruins of the baths, temples and other Greek monuments can be seen at the site. Enjoy a free afternoon to soak in the Pamukkale hot springs or join an optional excursion to Aphrodisias, another of Turkey’s best-preserved archaeological sites. Dinner is included tonight.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
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$29 CAD |
Aphrodisias
Today Aphrodisias is one of Turkey’s best-preserved archaeological sites. On your visit, marvel at the excavated ruins that bear testimony to this age-old artists’ colony.
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Day 9 - Antalya
Traveling inland today, cross fertile plains to Demre, located on the fertile Kale River Delta. Visit the 4th-century church named for Bishop Nicholas. A philanthropist renowned for his anonymous gifts to poor girls without dowries, this same bishop is the historical figure who evolved into the legendary St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus. Continue to the ruins of Phaselis. Although not the most extensively excavated site, the setting of this ancient Lycian city is magical, encompassing three tiny bays and shaded by fragrant pine trees. Reaching the Mediterranean coast, arrive in the great city of Antalya, where you’ll spend the night. Enjoy an included dinner.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Day 10 - Antalya
Antalya has for the past millennium been Turkey’s major Mediterranean port. In recent decades, it has become a popular resort town as well. Take a tour of Antalya, focusing on the Old Town with its gracious Ottoman houses, the Roman Harbor and the marble arch erected by the Emperor Hadrian in A.D. 120. You’ll also visit Antalya’s archaeological museum, which has an excellent collection of Turkish crafts, costumes and artifacts. Join an optional excursion to ancient Perge and Aspendos this afternoon. Dinner is included tonight.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Included entrances: Antalya Museum, Hadrian’s Gate
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$30 CAD |
Aspendos & Perge
The ancient remains of this proud city are extensive, and you’ll have a
chance to explore the Great Theatre, Hellenistic Gates, Roman bath
houses and the impressive stadium. Then visit the Roman theater at
Aspendos, the center of classical drama in the 1st century A.D.
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Day 11 - Cappadocia
Crossing the Taurus Mountains, reach the Plain of Pamphylia. Visit the mystical center of Konya, where you’ll find the spiritual home of Sufism and the Whirling Dervishes (part of a religious sect that originated in the 13th century). Learn more about the Dervishes on your tour of the Mevlana Museum, which was once their monastery. Then traverse the windswept Anatolian Steppes before reaching Cappadocia, known for its unique landscapes made of soft volcanic rock. This evening, after an included dinner, join an optional excursion to see a Whirling Dervishes performance (seasonal).
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Included entrances: Mevlana Museum
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$45 CAD |
Whirling Dervishes
The Muslim sect known as the Whirling Dervishes was founded in the 13th century by Mevlana Celeldin Rumi. They were named after their elaborate dance-like ritual, which honors the movement of the earth. Learn more about this fascinating ancient sect and its modern-day practitioners during this special cultural performance of dance, music and tradition.
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Day 12 - Cappadocia
Tour the famous Göreme Open Air Museum, comprising beautifully frescoed rock churches dating back to the 4th century. Continue next to the charming towns of Pasabag, a bustling trading center, and Avanos, where the local economy thrives on the production of pottery created from the distinctive red clay of the Kizilirmak River. This evening, you may opt to attend a folklore show. Dinner is included tonight.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Included entrances: Open Air Museum
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$45 CAD |
Cappadocia Folklore Show
An authentic Cappadocian restaurant carved out of sheer rock provides
the setting for an evening of snacks, drinks and entertainment. Taste
delicious Turkish wine, beer and snacks while a troupe of traditional
dancers perform.
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Day 13 - Cappadocia
This morning is free for your own explorations of Cappadoccia. You might choose to visit the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts or the Mosaic Museum. Alternatively, join an optional excursion to explore an underground city where you’ll experience the mysterious inner-workings of this ancient subterranean complex. Later today, catch your afternoon flight back to Istanbul.
Included meals: breakfast
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$29 CAD |
Underground City
Some of the most interesting cultural riches in Cappadocia are the 150-200 known underground cities of varying sizes. Today, you can take an optional tour an underground city in Cappadocia
Please note: There may be low and tight entraceways during this tour. This excursion may be difficult for people with back problems or claustrophobia.
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Day 14 - Istanbul
Enjoy a free day to explore Istanbul or join an optional excursion to Bosphorus, also known as the Istanbul Strait. This boundary between the European part of Turkey (Thrace) and its Asian part is the world’s narrowest strait and is used for international navigation as it connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. This evening, reflect on your journey at an included Farewell Dinner.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
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$55 CAD |
Bosphorus Straits Cruise
View decadent Ottoman palaces and imposing medieval castles, as you journey through this narrow waterway, which separates Europe and Asia. Then stop on shore to explore the Rumeli Fortress, where Mehmet the Conqueror planned his siege of Istanbul. Lunch is included.
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Day 15 - Istanbul
If you are not staying for our tour extension in Istanbul, a Go Ahead representative escorts you to the airport early this morning for your return flight home.
Included meals: breakfast
Extend Your Stay
Add 2 nights in Istanbul for only $369 CAD (Single room: add $109 CAD)
The undisputed cultural, economic, and historical capital of Turkey, Istanbul has enough monuments and attractions (as well as enticing restaurants and shops) to keep you busy for days. Straddling Europe and Asia, the city once known as Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine and then the Ottoman Empire, has for centuries been a bustling and cosmopolitan crossroads. The Byzantine-built Aya Sofya and the Ottoman-era Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace are within walking distance of each other, while other historic mosques and churches are sprinkled throughout the city.