10 Day Turkey, Bulgaria & Greece Cultural Discovery Tour: Istanbul to Athens

After breakfast, we have Istanbul City Tour. Our first visit will be HIPPODROME. Ancient Hippodrome was the scene of chariot races, with the three monuments; the Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine. Than we will visit SULTANAHMET IMPERIAL MOSQUE. Across from Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, it was built in the 16th century by the architect Mehmet, is known as the BLUE MOSQUE because of its magnificent interior decoration of blue Iznik tiles. Our next see will be HAGIA SOPHIA GRAND MOSQUE. The Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, previously known as the Church of Divine Wisdom, is simply the best of its kind! Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque is the greatest surviving example of Byzantine Architecture. For 1000 years, it was once the largest church in the world, decorated with stunning 6th century golden mosaics. Today it is a mosque. You can see it from outside.  After that see TOPKAPI PALACE, the great palace of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th centuries housing an exquisite collection of crystal, silver, and Chinese porcelain, robes worn by the sultans and their families, the famous jewels of the Imperial Treasury, miniatures, the Holy Mantle; enshrining relics of the Prophet Mohammed. You can see it from outside.    The Basilica Cistern Museum is one of the most important cultural assets where we can trace the traces of glorious Istanbul history. With its 80,000-ton water storage capacity, Yerebatan Cistern is the largest covered cistern in the city and stands out with more reclaimed supporting elements compared to other covered cisterns. Covering an area of approximately 10,000 square meters, this colossal structure has a rectangular shape with a length of 140 meters and a width of 70 meters. You can see it from outside.  After the tour, transfer back to your hotel. Dinner at Indian restaurant and Overnight in Istanbul.

If you would like to visit with entrance below sites;

Topkapi Palace Museum Entrance Fee. You pay the door price.
The Basilica Cistern Museum Entrance You pay the door price.

(Breakfast included)
After breakfast between 08:00 am and 09:30 am pick-ups from hotel. Your tour consultant will give you final timing one day before. BOSPHORUS BY BOAT; a traditional excursion by boat along the waterway separating Europe and Asia. The shore lined with old wooden villas, palaces of marble, fortresses, and small fishing villages. During the excursion, you will see the magnificent sights of the following attractions from your boat. See Dolmabahce Palace, and further along, the parks and imperial pavilions of Yildiz Palace. On the coastal edge of this park, is Ciragan Palace, 300 meters of its marble facade faces the shore. At Ortakoy a great variety of artists, gather every sunday to display their work along the street. Ortakoy is a symbol of tolerance with a church, a mosque and a synagogue existing side by side for centuries. RUMELI FORTRESS (view from boat), Built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452 prior to the conquest of Istanbul was completed in only four months to control and protect the infamous Bosporus passage. It is one of the most beautiful works of military architecture anywhere in the world. BEYLERBEYI PALACE (view from boat), is the summer residence of Ottoman sultans exists in its original renovated glory featuring original antique furniture and magnificent gardens with the Harem on the Asian side of Istanbul. Lunch break at the Turkish restaurant. After the lunch we will then take you to the GRAND COVERED BAZAAR In this labyrinth of streets and passages are more than 4,000 shops with each trade having its own area: the goldsmiths' street, the carpet sellers, Turkish arts and crafts, such as hand painted ceramic plates, hand-honed copperware, brassware and trays, water ewers, onyx-ware and meerschaum pipes. After the tour transfer back to your hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.

(Breakfast included)
After breakfast, check out from the hotel and Depart for Bulgaria. Arrival in Plovdiv around noon, in Bulgaria. Check in to hotel and rest of day is yours. Explore Plovdiv city, shop in the local markets, or enjoy many big party or games in Casinos. Overnight in Plovdiv.

(Breakfast included)
After breakfast, departure for Sofia. Guided sightseeing tour of the city center including visit to the National History Museum and the mediaeval Boyana Church included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Visit to Alexander Nevski Cathedral - one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in Europe, as well as one of Sofia’s symbols and a primary tourist attraction; St. George Rotunda and St. Sophia Church, built by the Roman emperor Justinian in the 6th century, National Theatre, former Royal Palace, the Presidency, etc. Free time in the city center and main shopping area around Vitosha Boulevard. Optional evening panoramic tour “Sofia by night” and dinner at a traditional restaurant with folklore music and dances. Overnight in Sofia.

(Breakfast included)
After the breakfast, we depart for Rila Monastery - the most exquisite example of the monastery art and architecture in Bulgaria. Guided tour of the monastery complex. Visit to Nativity of the Virgin Church with its miracle icon of the Virgin and splendid gilded iconostasis. The old kitchen, the monastery museum where you can learn about the long and heroic history of the monastery, the wood carved cross made for a period of twelve years by a monk called Rafael, Hrelyo’s Tower and many spectacular views from the mountain and the surrounding nature. Drive to Sandanski in the afternoon. Overnight in Sandanski.

(Breakfast included)
After breakfast, drive to Melnik – the smallest town in Bulgaria famous for its excellent wines and sandstone rocky pyramids. Visit to Kordopulova museum-house. Around noon departure for Greece. Arrive Thessaloniki early afternoon. The rest of the day will be free to explore and enjoy Thessaloniki on your own, walking around, doing the shopping or relaxing in one of many cafeterias or Taverns in Thessaloniki down town. Overnight in Thessaloniki.

(Breakfast included)
Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, drive to Vergina, the most important remains of the monumental palace of the Kingdom of Macedonia, lavishly decorated with mosaics and painted stuccoes, and the burial ground with more than 300 tumuli, some of which date from the 11th century B.C. One of the royal tombs is identified as that of Philip II, who conquered all the Greek cities, paving the way for his son Alexander and the expansion of the Hellenistic world. After the visit drive to Athens. On the way, make a short stop at Thermopylae where a fierce battle took place between the Persians and Greeks during the Persian invasion of 480-479 BC. The Greek force (300 strong) was very small but was determined to make a stand against the huge Persian army. Overnight in Athens.

(Breakfast included)
In the morning, after breakfast, we will pick you up from the hotel and shall start our sightseeing tour of the center of Athens including The Constitution of Greece (Sintagma). It was created by the Fifth Revisional Parliament of the Hellenes and entered into force in 1975. It has been revised three times since, in 1986, in 2001 and in 2008. The Constitutional history of Greece goes back to the Greek War of Independence, during which the first three revolutionary Greek constitutions were adopted. Afterwards we will visit Old Parliament House. The Old Parliament building, which is located at Stadiou Street in Athens, housed the Greek Parliament between 1875 and 1932. It now houses the country's National Historical Museum. In front of the building stands a large equestrian statue of General Theodoros Kolokotronis, cast in bronze. It was sculpted by Lazaros Sochos in Paris in 1900, and erected in its current place in 1904. Continue our tour, we will go to The National Library of Greece which is situated near the center of city of Athens. It holds 4,500 Greek manuscripts, which is one of the greatest collection of Greek scripts. There are also many chrysobulls and archives of the Greek Revolution Then we will continue driving down Herod Atticus Street, you will see the Evzones in their picturesque uniform and the PRESIDENTIAL PALACE which is the official residence of the President of the Hellenic Republic. It previously served as the Royal Palace, until the abolition of the monarchy by referendum in 1974. On your way to the Acropolis you will see the Hadrian's Arch, visit the Temple of Olympian Zeus. and you will make a short stop at the Panathenaic Stadium which was refurbished a second time in 1895 for the 1896 Olympics, with completion funding provided by the Greek benefactor George Averoff whose marble statue now stands at the entrance, based on designs by architects Anastasios Metaxas and Ernst Ziller. Upon arrive Acropolis, we will visit Acropolis Museum which is focused on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens. The museum was built to house every artifact found on the rock and on its feet, from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece. It also lies on the archaeological site of Makrygianni and the ruins of a part of Roman and early Byzantine Athens. Also, we will visit the architectural masterpieces of the Golden Age of Athens: the PROPYLAEA, the TEMPLE of ATHENA NIKE, the ERECHTHEION. The last stop before we back to hotel is The Parthenon. The Parthenon is a temple in Acropolis, the harmony between material and spirit, the monument that puts order in the mind. Early evening, we will back to hotel, you can relax in the rest of the day. Overnight in Athens.

(Breakfast included)
Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, transfer to Athens International Airport for a flight back home. We hope your tour was a memorable one and we would like to see you in the future in one of our tours again. Have a nice trip back home and thanks for choosing TravelShop Booking.