Welcome to Turkey Istanbul Airport. Meet with TravelShop Booking staff and transfer to your hotel & check in. You will be given your room key and the rest of the day is yours to explore Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul.

(Breakfast included)

This morning, embark upon a fully guided tour of the only city that spans two continents, Europe and Asia. We start with Eyup cable car, and then ride up it to the Pierre Loti Café, where the French poet Pierre Loti wrote while admiring views of the Golden Horn. Sit down and relax here, while soaking up commanding views of the horn-shaped fjord below that splits the city’s European shoreline into two. Step inside Rustem Pasha Mosque for a short tour. Small yet spectacular, this city secret boasts an eye-catching interior with a liberal smattering of geometric and floral tiles that adorn the walls and ceiling before a visit to the Egyptian Spice market (stock up on bargain saffron, spices and Turkish delight here!).

Why hit just one continent when you can get double value from the city that straddles two?

No stay in Istanbul would complete without a traditional and unforgettable cruise along the Bosphorus, the winding straits seperating Europe and Asia. The humble fishing villages and suspension bridges set against the dramatic outline of the Strait exemplify the newest link between the East and West. While onboard, seeing Bosphorus Bridge and Rumeli Fortress, built in just 4 months in 1452 by Mehmet the Conqueror in preparation of his planned siege of Byzantine Constantinople.

The Marmaray provides you a unique chance to make a link between the European and Asian continents by train in a sub-sea tunnel (resting upon the sea floor beneath the waters of the Bosphorus Strait). This engineering feat was first conceived by a legendary Ottoman sultan in 1860. Designed to withstand earthquakes, this is the world’s first underwater tunnel that connects two continents. In theory, it brings closer the day when it will be possible to travel from London to Beijing via Istanbul by train! The giant rail system of Istanbul’s Marmaray Project was inaugurated and opened on October 29, 2013 following four years of construction delays that were largely due to the discovery of ruins dating from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods.

Next, a visit to the Hippodrome area – famed as the centre of Byzantine life for 1000 years and of Ottoman life for another 400! Continuing, visit the stunning Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia, built by Emperor Justinian. Once a church, then a mosque, today it is a museum. Before tour’s end, visiting the Basilica Cistern an ancient underground water tank replete with carved and fluted Corinthian columns and a puzzling head of Medusa. Visitors walk on walkways suspended above the clear, now shallow water. It’s very cool and peaceful. Overnight Istanbul.

(Breakfast included)

This morning you will be transferred to the railway station located on the Asian shore of the Sea of Marmara at Pendik, 12 km (7.5 miles) southwest of Sabiha Gokcen Airport. Turkey has inaugurated a high-speed rail link between Istanbul and Ankara, slashing by half the seven-hour journey time between the two cities by land. Flying in between the cities can take a total of 4 or 5 hours or more when transport to and from the airports, security checks, waiting, boarding, de-planing and baggage claim times are taken into account.

09:30 We board the train for our journey to the nation’s capital, Ankara. When Ataturk (Turkish army officer, revolutionary, and the first Presient of Turkey) declared it capital of his nascent republic in 1923, it was little more than a small provincial town. Fast-forward to the present day, and it’s a bustling, modern city of well over four million souls.

On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel located in the heart of Ankara city within a walking distance from the major touristic attractions. Overnight Ankara.

(Breakfast included)

Meet your guide at your centrally located hotel in Ankara for your sightseeing tour. Hop aboard your vehicle and drive to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. With your local guide, explore the museum’s exhibits which pay close attention to Anatolia’s past rulers. Start the day at the world-famous Anatolian Civilizations Museum. Housed in a wonderfully restored 15th-century covered market, the museum is a treasure trove of ancient artefacts and relics from early Anatolian civilizations. Starting with the Palaeolithic era the exhibits continue in chronological order to the Ottoman Empire, and include sculptures, reliefs, furniture, metalwork, and much more. There is also an ancient Greek and Roman exhibit and an informative display of the city’s history.

Next head to the most recognizable landmark in the city, the impressive Citadel of Ankara, set on a hilltop overlooking the city below. Within the thick walls of the hisar find winding streets, beautifully restored buildings, ancient mosques, and castle towers. Explore the citadel on foot and admire panoramic views of Ankara from one of the many vantage points.

Continue to the Mausoleum of Ataturk and see the grave of modern Turkey’s first president and national hero. Learn about this great leader and courageous soldier who revolutionized Turkey. Stroll through the Mausoleum, constructed in 1953, and observe statues, reliefs and embellishments conceived by Turkey’s art community. Finally, enjoy the option to visit the Old Copper Market (closed on Sunday). Overnight Ankara.

(Breakfast included)

Relaxing morning before you are transferred to the railway station and enjoy a two-hour high speed train journey to the birthplace of the spiritual Whirling Dervishes and home of one of the world’s most read poets – Jelaluddin Rumi.

Upon arrival into Konya transfer to the hotel and check in. Today is free for you to enjoy the hotel facilities or explore Konya independently. Overnight Konya.

(Breakfast included)

In Konya, taking a tour of some of the wonderful Seljuk Turkish monuments that Rumi would have known and visited. Rumi is now one of the most widely read poets in America. Everything about Rumi is absolute magic, from the story of his life to his superhuman ability of remaining in constant touch with the flow of intense creative energy for more than two decades. Stroll the streets of Konya, visiting first the Tomb of Rumi in the glittering Mevlana Museum, an important place of pilgrimage for Muslims and indeed all lovers of Rumi.

Next, we drive along Mevlana Caddesi, Konya’s main avenue, to reach the age-old Alaettin Hill (a prehistoric tumulus) to visit the 1000-year-old Alaaddin Mosque, where Rumi often prayed. In its courtyard are the tombs of many of the Seljuk Turkish sultans who ruled during Rumi’s lifetime, and who consulted him for spiritual guidance. Overnight Konya. 

(Breakfast included)

Early in the morning you will be transferred to Konya’s central railway station and board another high speed train for the exotic city of Istanbul. Overnight Istanbul.

(Breakfast included)

After breakfast transfer to Istanbul Airport for your 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.