Turkey: Istanbul, Cappadocia & Walking the Turquoise Coast

Visions of ancient kingdoms, whirling dirvishes and exotic food float through your head as you touch down in Istanbul. Take in the hustle and bustle of the city and catch glimpses of the spires of some of the city's many mosques en route to the hotel. Welcome to Istanbul, and to Turkey, and we invite you to let the sights, sounds, flavours and history ignite your imagination as you embark on this thrilling adventure. ...more ...less

Arrive in Istanbul at any time and transfer to your hotel. Meet your fellow group members at the welcome meeting in the evening and get all the important information about the adventure ahead. Afterwards, head out on a short orientation walk to the old square to see the iconic Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque lit up at night before arriving at a nearby restaurant for a delicious welcome dinner of local specialties.

TRANSPORT: You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure.

ACTIVITY: Set off from the hotel with your CEO on an evening orientation walk of Istanbul. Pass by some of city's highlights like the Hagia Sophia (also known as the Aya Sofya) and the Blue Mosque to see them all lit up at night.

ACTIVITY: Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.

Often the best way to discover a city is on foot, and this certainly rings true in Istanbul. Visit some of the iconic highlights of the old city to fully appreciate the rich history and complex mingling of cultures that have shaped the city over the millennia. Feast on delectable local street food and try cookies from one of the city's oldest bakeries before taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the Grand Bazaar.

Head out on a walking tour of Istanbul, visiting the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque and the Basilica Cistern. Enjoy street food döner sandwiches and wraps for lunch then explore the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar before taking the rest of the afternoon and evening at leisure.

ACTIVITY: Begin the day in Istanbul with a walking tour in the old city, including a visit to the historic Hippodrome and the Blue Mosque. Be awed by the Blue Mosque's symmetry and internal tile work, and take the chance to learn more about the ceremony behind Islam, as it is a working mosque. Continue to the Basilica Cistern and then pass in front of the magnificent Hagia Sophia (or Aya Sofya), one of the great churches of the Byzantine Empire which was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest. There will be time for an optional visit to the Hagia Sofia before continuing on to lunch.

ACTIVITY: Roam through the lively streets of Istanbul's Old Town and bring your appetite - there are dozens of street food stalls to choose from! Opt to try the cheese-stuffed börek, minced meat topped lahmacun, bagel-like simit or classic döner.

ACTIVITY: Walk through the Grand Bazaar, the area locals come to do their shopping, and down to Golden Horn. Enjoy a coffee break at Buyuk Valide Han while admiring the view of Bhosporus. Visit Rustempasa Mosque.

Leaving Istanbul behind, you'll head firmly onto the Asian continent to the surreal, wind-sculpted landscapes of the Cappadocia region. Step into ancient history with a visit to the tunnels and storerooms of the vast Kaymakli underground city complex. Settle into your cave hotel, carved right out of the rocky landscape.

Take a morning flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia in time for a lunch of traditional pide, a type of Turkish pizza. Drive to the Dervent Valley, stopping at landscape viewpoints and at the iconic "Three Beauties" to marvel at the fairy rock chimney formations. Continue to the underground city of Kaymakli for a visit before arriving at the hotel in the evening.

TRANSPORT: Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.

TRANSPORT: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

ACTIVITY: Visit the ancient and expansive subterranean complex of the Kaymakli Underground City. Thought to have been built between the 8th and 7th Century BC, Kaymakli was carved out of the rock and consists of nearly a hundred tunnels with vast amounts of storerooms, ventilation shafts and a church.

Immerse yourself in the otherworldly landscapes of Cappadocia by exploring either on foot or by e-bike. See the fairy chimneys up close and imagine how the wind and elements have shaped the earth and impacted human settlements throughout the ages until modern times. Observe churches cut out of the rocks and hilltop structures with commanding views of the surroundings. You'll learn of the human experience in this region by having dinner and tea in a local family home for a one-of-a-kind cultural exchange.

Choose between a hike or an e-bike ride through the rock formations of Cappadocia before visiting the impressive rock-carved churches at the Göreme Open Air Museum. Climb the stairs up to the top of a rock formation of Uchisar Castle for incredible views before driving to a small village to have dinner and tea with a local family. Return to the hotel in the evening.

ACTIVITY: Explore the unique Open Air Museum, a site made up of a number of medieval painted cave churches. Carved out by Orthodox monks, many of the churches are up to 1,000 years old and still retain their amazing colour and vibrancy.

ACTIVITY: Option 1: On the Meskender Valley Hike, we will start our hike downhill through the fairy chimneys. Then we'll go through the caves and visit some cave houses. We will have many photo opportunities during our hike through the spellbinding valley.

Option 2: Meet your cycling guide and journey through the valley on e-bikes. We will be cycling through the fairy chimneys and magical rock formations. We'll stop to visit cave houses along our cycling adventure. There will be many photo opportunities so don't forget your camera.

ACTIVITY: Climb the stairs, some man made and some natural, up to the top of the rock formation where you will be met with an amazing view of the region.

ACTIVITY: Join a local family in Zelve for a dinner together. They will be preparing a tradition dinner made in pottery. After, join the family for tea and lovely conversation.

Discover more of Turkish cuisine today as you visit a local food and vegetable market then take part in a cooking class to learn how to make gözleme, a delicious savoury stuffed turnover, cooked on an iron griddle over the fire. You'll see the landscapes change again as you fly towards Turkey's Aegean coastline and discover the ancient village of Şirince, an agricultural settlement that dates back to ancient and medieval times.

Drive to the town of Ugrup for time to shop and explore before continuing to a local food and vegetable market in Avanos. Next, take part in a cooking class to learn how to prepare typical Turkish gözleme. Afterwards, catch a flight west from Kayseri to Izmir and transfer to the Village of Şirince to take part in a short orientation walk before enjoying the rest of the evening at leisure.

Additional Information: Please note that due to varying airline schedules of the flight to Izmir, it is possible that the order of activities be changed as well as the exact locations of each on this day.

TRANSPORT: Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.

ACTIVITY: Drive to Zelve for a Gozleme cooking class with different ingredients. We will learn how to prepare the dough while using the rolling pins. Choose what ingredients you want, like cheese, mince meat, potato and spinach. Fill your dough and cook it on a traditional iron plate on the fire.

ACTIVITY: Visit the Avanos Fruit & Vegetable Market to prepare for the Gozleme cooking class.

Be transported back in time as you explore the vast ancient city of Ephesus, walking through the site to its northern gate. You'll see the remains of the Temple of Artemis, where expert excavation makes it easy to imagine it in all its glory. Visit the House of the Virgin Mary and explore the area around the Greek Orthodox Church, stopping for a drink from the refreshing natural spring water.

Drive to Ephesus for a tour of the site, including a visit to St. John's Basilica. Enjoy some free time for lunch in Selçuk before visiting the House of the Virgin Mary and the Greek Orthodox church. Enjoy a 3-course farewell dinner at a local restaurant before returning to your hotel in Şirince for the night.

ACTIVITY: Spend the afternoon exploring Selçuk or the village of Şirince as you wish.

ACTIVITY: Tour the ruins of ancient Ephesus to get a feeling of what life must have been like during Roman times. Take in its massive, well-preserved theatre, which dominates the view down Harbour Street. See the two-story library, whose façade has been carefully reconstructed from all original pieces. Built in AD 125, it once held nearly 12,000 scrolls.

ACTIVITY: Drive to the House of the Virgin Mary where we will have a short walk around the Greek Orthodox Church, drink from the natural spring water and visit inside of the church.

ACTIVITY: See the remains of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Ancient Seven Wonders of the World.

ACTIVITY: Visit the basilica and tour the castle.

Lace up your walking shoes today as you descend an ancient trail from village to village through olive orchards and past ancient sites with sweeping views toward the ocean. Pass through the neighborhood of Notion, where the Greek mathematician Pythagoras lived and taught before taking the afternoon to explore nearby Selçuk.

Drive to the town of Çile to start your walk down to the village of Ahmetbeyli on the coast, stopping to visit the ancient site of Claros. Continue to the city of Selçuk for free time to have lunch or for individual exploration before meeting new group members in the evening at the hotel who are travelling with us on the next leg of the adventure.

ACTIVITY: Drive to a Çile where we start our walk down to Ahmetbeyli Village. During the walk we will be go through Claros, an ancient Greek Sanctuary and oracle from the 4th Century BC. Then we will continue to Notion which is an important coastal city know for its harbour and where many historical figures, like Pythagoras the mathematician, once lived here. We will take our time and enjoy these sites away from the throngs of visitors.

ACTIVITY: Spend the afternoon exploring Selçuk or the village of Şirince as you wish.

Delve deep into Turkey's history as you wander through ancient temples and ruins dating back thousands of years. The massive columns and sheer size of these complexes will spark the imagination into how these places once were in their heyday. Sip tea from a local tea house and enjoy a picnic lunch before continuing south to the Bodrum Peninsula, jutting out into the Aegean Sea.

Drive from Şirince to the ancient sites of Priene and Miletus to visit the ancient ruins, theatre and temples. After a light typical lunch, stop in a local tea house before visiting the temple complex of Didyma on the way to Bodrum. Enjoy a free evening to choose from one of the many great restaurants around or join the CEO at their local favourite.

TRANSPORT: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

ACTIVITY: Visit Priene, an ancient site dating back to 6th Century BC. Its well-preserved remains are an incredible example of early Greek urban planning as it is laid out in a grid with evenly-spaced streets and blocks. Other structures include the Temple of Athena, a theatre, gymnasium, stadium and many houses and storerooms.

ACTIVITY: Visit Miletus, located near the mouth of the Maeander River. The history of Miletus goes back to 3500 BC when the ancient city was an important trading outpost for goods coming out of the interior of the country. The site and the impressive theater we will see are from the Roman period.

ACTIVITY: Drive to Akköy for a light picnic lunch with Turkish Bagels. This is a very typical local meal. Enjoy it with cheese, olives and a cup of tea.

ACTIVITY: Visit the Apollo temple at the ancient Greek sanctuary of Didyma. Said to have been destroyed by Persians in 494 BC, it was later restored by Alexander the Great during the 3rd century BC where it flourished for centuries thereafter.

Sitting at a strategic position on the water, Bodrum has been an important marine and shipping hub for the region over the thousands of years that people have lived there. You'll discover parts of this history firsthand as you wander through the castle and some of the city's other historical sites. Venture out to the end of the Bodrum Peninsula for a delicious lunch of local specialties with great views across the sea and coastline.

Visit Bodrum Castle before heading to the ancient city of Halikarnasos to see the tomb of Mosaleus and the theatre. Continue to Gumusluk for lunch overlooking the bay before stopping at the Bodrum windmills perched on a hill with views of the surrounding area. Enjoy the rest of the day and evening at leisure.

ACTIVITY: Take a tour of the Bodrum Castle, also known as the Castle of St. Peter, where you can explore the Museum of Underwater Archaeology that feature exhibits collected from shipwrecks over the years. Enjoy breathtaking views of the city and surrounding coastline.

ACTIVITY: Tour one of the ancient wonders of the world in Halicarnassus, where we will see the foundations of the tomb of King Mausolus, from where the origin of the word "Mausoleum" dates back to 4th Century BC. Then we will walk to the theatre that is still in use today for concerts and festivals.

ACTIVITY: Free time to explore Bodrum.

Swap the bus for a boat as you drift down the Dalyan River for another day of adventure. Feel the warmth of the bubbling natural mud pools and let your skin soak in all of those rejuvenating minerals before taking a refreshing rinse in the river or lake. Meander further downriver to the sprawling ancient site of Kaunos and cruise right up to your hotel for a relaxing evening by the pool or gazing across the river at the rock tombs.

Drive from Bodrum to Dalyan and take a boat trip on the Dalyan River. Soak in mud baths and then travel upriver to visit the Acropolis of Kaunos and see the nearby rock tombs. Continue to Dalyan beach to have lunch next to the river, relax and swim before arriving by boat to the hotel for a free evening.

TRANSPORT: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

ACTIVITY: Come aboard this boat excursion for a close-up view of the famous Carian rock tombs and remains of the ancient city of Kaunos and Dalyan. Cruise to Iztuzu Beach, past rock faces peppered with ancient tombs. Relax at the beach at the end of the tour, and enjoy a cold drink by the water.

ACTIVITY: It is said that Cleopatra herself frequented the mud baths of Dalyan for its beautification effects. Jump in to feel the healing power of this mud for yourself.

ACTIVITY: On the west bank of the ancient Kalbis river lie the remains of the fortified Byzantine walls, the ancient City of Kaunos. Explore these ruins with archeological finds that date back to the 4th Century BC.

ACTIVITY: Spend time relaxing on Dalyan Beach.

The Turkish countryside opens up as you follow the coast south to a small village where the trailhead lies for today's hike. Set off on foot with the remote ancient city of Pinara as your goal, to explore the remains of the theatre, basilica and the Lycian rock tombs carved out of the stone cliffs. Back in the village you'll gain insights into daily life of the people who live in this region with a delicious lunch prepared by a local family.

Travel from Dalyan to the village of Minare to start the hike to the historical site of Pinara. Back in Minare, enjoy a local lunch prepared by a family before continuing on to Göcek to check into the hotel and have an evening at leisure.

ACTIVITY: You'll be warmly invited to a family's house for lunch, providing a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the local culture. This experience includes not just a taste of traditional cuisine but also a chance to engage in conversation with the family, learning about their daily life and customs.

TRANSPORT: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

ACTIVITY: Walk along the world renowned Lycian Way to reach the ancient ruins of Pinara. Once one of the major Lycian cities, all that is left is a theatre, temple, baths and tombs cut into the hillside. Enjoy a pleasant trek – the walk does not have any major physical challenges — and the reward of visiting the site is worth the journey.

ACTIVITY: During your free time, feel free to walk on the beach or swim in the pool.

The Lycian Way is yours to discover today either by sea kayak or on foot. Hike from village to village along the coast with the Mediterranean on one side and forest on the other, or alternatively paddle the rocky coves and shoreline around Saint Nicholas Island. Regroup in the picturesque seaside resort village of Ölüdeniz which serves as the official start point for the marked footpath of the Lycian Way and also is home to one of the most beautiful beaches in Turkey.

Choose either a half-day hike along part of the Lycian Way or go sea kayaking along the Turquoise Coast. Have lunch at a local restaurant in Ölüdeniz and then take some free time to explore before returning to the hotel in the evening.

ACTIVITY: Go for a refreshing dip. Swim in the clear blue waters of the Oludeniz lagoon and enjoy the stunning beach setting.

ACTIVITY: During your free time, feel free to walk on the beach or swim in the pool.

ACTIVITY: Option 1: Meet your kayaking guide for a briefing and start paddling. We will be kayaking through the crystal clear waters of Aquarium Cove and around St. Nicholas Island (Gemiler Island) where there used to be a small Greek Orthodox chapel. After kayaking for about 2 hours, drive to Oludeniz to meet the group.

Option 2: Hike part of the Lycian Way, first stopping at Kayakoy, a village that was deserted after the first world war after the exchange of population with Greece. We will walk to the top of the village for a great view then head down on a rolling trail to the coves of the Mediterranean, where the forest meets the sea at the village of Oludeniz.
Total hiking time is approximately 2 hours (5 km).

There's no better way to appreciate the beauty of rocky coastline and blue waters than from a boat. You'll spend the day winding in and out of the bays of Göcek, swimming and snorkelling along the way, as well as make a stop for a short hike to a beach where a natural hot water spring meets the sea. Göcek and the Turquoise Coast provide the ultimate capstone to this adventure along the Lycian Way.

Head out on a full-day boat tour of Göcek's bays for swimming and snorkelling with a barbecue lunch onboard. Stop for a hike to Cleopatra's Baths before returning to Göcek. Enjoy a delicious farewell dinner at a local restaurant in the evening.

ACTIVITY: Spend your last day in Göcek on an incredible boat adventure. Hop aboard and cruise along the many bays and coves of the Turquoise Coast. After about an hour and a half, start a short hike from Sarsala Beach to Cleopatra's Baths where you can relax, swim and enjoy the natural hot spring water that makes the sea lukewarm. After a delicious barbecue lunch on board, continue on to admire more beautiful bays and swimming and snorkelling areas.

Today your adventure comes to an end and you can depart at any time.

Departure transfers to Dalaman airport are included.

TRANSPORT: Transfer to the Dalaman airport for your flight home.

ACTIVITY: Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.