Turkey tours from Canada 16 Days 15 Nights

After your arrival to Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW) , we will meet you in front of the exit gate at the international terminal ; with a sign bearing your name and transfer you to your hotel in Old City area (Sultanahmet). You will have free time in the afternoon depending on your arrival time. It is possible to include some tours on this day if you are arriving in the morning. Overnight accommodation in Istanbul.

(Breakfast and Lunch included)
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  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.

Please Note: Please do not forget to carry Scarf with you because of visiting to Blue Mosque & Haghia Sophia Mosque

(breakfast and lunch included)
Today, our journey will start with a ferry to Yalova, enjoying the lovely countryside view. We will then keep driving to Bursa to see the former capital of Ottoman Empire. We will visit Ulucami (The Grand Mosque) and Kozahan respectively and then have a break for the lunch. Bursa is very famous with its “kebap of Alexander The Great“.
After lunch, we will have a short drive to Cumalikizik Village, which was one of the first Ottoman Villages in Turkey. It is also declared as a UNESCO World Heritage in 2014. The village is located on the skirts of a mountain and has very different-colored houses. After seeing the village and a break for coffee, we will drive back to the hotel.Overnight accommodation in Bursa

Visit citys; Safranbolu , Cumalikizik , Safranbolu , Bursa Grand Mosque

(Breakfast and lunch included)
After having an early breakfast, we will start driving to Safranbolu for about 4 hours and have our lunch after the arrival. We will then begin touring in Old Safranbolu Town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. The Old Town preserves many old buildings, with 1008 registered historical artifacts. These are: 1 private museum, 25 mosques, 5 tombs, 8 historical fountains, 5 Turkish baths, 3 caravanserais, 1 historical clock tower, 1 sundial and hundreds of houses and mansions. Also there are mounds of ancient settlements, rock tombs and historical bridges.
The Old Town is situated in a deep ravine in a fairly dry area in the rain shadow of the mountains. The name of the town derives from ‘saffron’ and the Greek word ‘polis’ (city), since Safranbolu was a trading place and a center for growing saffron. After a few hours of walking in the city, we will check-in to our hotel. Overnight accommodation in Safranbolu

( Breakfast and lunch included)
Today, we will drive to Ankara, the capital city of Turkey, to visit Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum and Ataturk’s Mausoleum. The museum is housed in a 15th-century bedesten (covered market). The central room houses reliefs and statues, while the surrounding hall displays exhibits from Paleolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Assyrian, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartians and Lydian periods.
The eternal resting place of the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Mausoleum is at the same time a museum harboring many towers. It is possible to see and understand the entire process of founding the republic with the artifacts and written documents in the museum section. Then, we will drive you to your hotel. Overnight accommodation in Ankara

(breakfast and Lunch Dinner included)
After the breakfast at the hotel, we will drive to the Capital City of Ancient Hittites: Hattusha. This ancient city is dating back to almost 4000 years. The site, discovered in 1834, was not comprehensively excavated until 1906, which was the memorable date of the discovery of a copy of a peace treaty between Hattushili III and the Pharaoh Ramses II, which made possible the identification of Hattusha. Since then, joint efforts on the part of German and Turkish archaeologists have made decisive progress in knowledge of the Hittite capital. In the 13th century, the city was surrounded by a system of double walls forming a perimeter of roughly 8 km. It was protected at the east end by the Kayalı Bogaz outpost, 1.5 km from the Royal Gate. To the north, beyond the walls, were located a necropolis cut into the rock at Osmankayası and the great rupestral sanctuary of Yazılıkaya, whose walls decorated with bas-reliefs are the undisputed masterpiece of Hittite art. We will also visit Yazilikaya Open Air Sanctuary. It was the religious center of the Hittites who were known as ” the country with 1000 gods“. The most remarkable monument is the great temple, dedicated to the god of storms and the goddess of the Sun, Arinna, and surrounded by an array of buildings including stores. Thousands of cuneiform tablets were found in this area. Slightly to the north of the temple is the Assyrian settlement’s karum with its houses built around a central courtyard. Part of it dates back to the pre-Hittite period. After visiting the site, we will drive you to the hotel in Ankara. Hattusha has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. We will then drive to Cappadocia. Overnight accommodation in Cappadocia.

Yazilikaya 12 Gods
Hattusha City Walls & Storage
Hattusha Lion Gate
Hattusha Sphinx Gate

( Breakfast and lunch Dinner included)
Optional Hot Air Balloon Flight in the early morning can be a good start the day with sunrise.
We will start touring in magical Cappadocia. The tour will begin with a panoramic view point in Goreme to give you the information about the geography, formation and history of Cappadocia as well as seeing the most famous valleys in Cappadocia. You will be able to see The Pigeon Valley, Rose and Red Valleys, Goreme and Uchisar Villages from this point. After driving about 30 minutes, we will visit Kaymakli Underground City which is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Cappadocia. the most impressive aspect of the Kaymaklı Underground City is the organised, structured and very well thought nature of the entire city. It had everything from living quarters, sleeping rooms, stables and communal kitchens to a church and a graveyard as well as being well fortified to protect its inhabitants.
After experiencing the life in underground, we will drive you to Pigeon Valley to see Uchisar Castle and the valley from a panoramic point. We will have our lunch at a local restaurant in Avanos. We will then see the kick-wheel pottery demonstration in Avanos which is the oldest art in the area. We will visit Pasabag (Monks Valley) which is also known as mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys. The fairy-chimneys in Pasabag are the best-protected ones in the area and it gives the best idea about the formation of a fairy-chimney. Finally, we will visit Devrent Valley in which you will see the camel-shaped fairy chimney and much more different shapes than usual. The tour will end around 5:00pm and we will drive you back to your hotel.Overnight accommodation in Cappadocia.

( Breakfast and Lunch Dinner included)
After the breakfast, we will start the hike in Red & Rose Valleys in which you will be able to see lots of pigeon houses and some rock-cut churches. The hike will take about 1,5 hours. The hike will end in Cavusin Village which is an abandoned village with amazing view. The village was abandoned because of the falling rocks in 1950s. After seeing the panoramic view of the village, we will climb up to Uchisar Castle which is the highest point in Cappadocia. You will be able to see all the valleys of Cappadocia from one point there.
We will drive to Bizim Ev Restaurant to have our lunch after this visit. You can get the famous “Pottery Kebab” in this restaurant. After lunch, we will visit Goreme Open Air Museum hich is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. You will see the best-preserved rock-cut churches in Cappadocia area. The Dark Church which has an extra admission fee will be included at your visit. We will then drive to Mustafapasa (Sinasos) Village. This village housed both Turkish and Greek people until the population exchange compulsory has been fulfilled in 1924. Then we will stop in Urgup to see beautiful examples of fairy chimneys. After this visit, we will drive you to your hotel around 5:00pm. Overnight accommodation in Cappadocia.

Pasabag Fairy Chimneys
Uchisar Castle
Goreme Open Air Museum
Kaymakli Underground City

(Breakfast, lunch and Dinner included)
We will start driving around 08:00am and drive to our first stop, Karatayhan Caravanserai from 13th Century. Caravanserais were used for centuries as road side inns where travelers could restand keep their animals in safe places. Caravanserais supported commerce, information, and people across the network of trade routes covering Asia, North Africa, and South-Eastern Europe. We will then drive to Kahramanmaras to have our lunch and also to taste the world-wide famous goat milk ice-cream. After about 3 hours of driving, we will check-in to our hotel in Kahta or Adiyaman. The dinner will be served at the hotel. Overnight accommodation in Kahta

(Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included)
We will wake-up quite early this morning around 03:30am to climb up to the summit of Mount Nemrut. Mount Nemrut has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. We will hike up to summit about 30 minutes after arriving to the entrance of the national park. After seeing one of the best sunrise in the world, statues of gods and kings, we will drive down from the mount to see Arsemia Ancient city, Cendere Bridge and Karakus Tumulus. After having the breakfast at the hotel, we will keep driving to Sanliurfa. We will first visit Gobeklitepe in Urfa. Gobeklitepe has been proved by the scientists that it is the oldest temple in the world from 11,500 years ago. Gobeklitepe has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018. Having lunch in Sanliurfa, we will see Prophet Abraham’s Cave and the Pools of Holy Carp. We will then drive about 1 hour to Harran to see the mud-brick beehive houses which are at the Tentative World Heritage List of UNESCO since 2000. We will also visit the first Islamic University building in the world there and then drive back to check-in our hotel in Sanliurfa. We will have the dinner at the hotel. Overnight accommodation in Sanliurfa.

Mount Nemrut
Harran Houses
Gobeklitepe
Zeugma Mosaic Museum

( Breakfast and Lunch Dinner  included)
We will start the day around 08:30am and then drive about 2 hours to Gaziantep to visit Zeugma Mosaic Museum there. >The Gaziantep Mosaic Museum has Turkey's finest fully protected mosaics. The museum has beautiful mosaics from Zeugma Ancient City. Zeugma is in the Tentative List of UNESCO since 2021. These mosaics are a 2000 years old and unique in design, colour and perfection. Besides this 1450 m² of mosaics, there are also 140 m² of frescoes, 4 Roman fountains, 20 columns, 4 limestone sculptures, bronze statue of Mars, grave steles, and sarcophagi.
After visiting the museum, we will drive you to Gaziantep Airport to fly to Izmir airport. After landing at the airport, our driver will meet you in front of the exit gate at the domestic terminal; with a sign bearing your name and transfer you to your hotel. Overnight accommodation in Kusadasi.

( Breakfast and lunch Dinner included)
We will start the day around 09:30am and drive to Ephesus Ancient City, one of the biggest excavations in the world. We will visit the Odeon, The Fountain of Trajan, the stream baths of Scholastica, Hadrian and Domitian Temples, impressive library of Celsius. We will then visit The Grand Theatre, where Saint Paul preached. The theatre was the largest one in ancient times with capacity of 24.000 seats.

The walk in the Ephesus ruins will be around 2 hours and then we will have the lunch. After lunch, we will visit The Artemis Temple which is one the Seven Wonders of the World in Ancient World. We wil drive to The Virgin Mary House which is believed that she lived there for a while with St. John the Evangalist. The tour will end around 4:30pm and we will drive you back to your hotel. Ephesus is in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list since 2015. Overnight accommodation in Kusadasi.

Ephesus Ancient City
Hierapolis Ancient City
Travertine Terraces
Aphrodisias Ancient City

(Breakfast and lunch Dinner included)
After the breakfast, we will start driving around 07:30am to Hierapolis Ancient City. We will visit the biggest Necropolis (cemetery) in Turkey, The Domitian and Byzantium Gates, Main Street and The theatre, which has a capacity of 20.000 seats. After visiting the theatrei, you will have some free time to enjoy a possible swim in Cleopatra Pool. There is an extra 10 Euro entrance fee for this pool. The walk in the Hierapolis ruins will end with the arrival to Travertine terraces.
The travertine pools are very strange formations caused by thermal springs which contains huge amount of calcium bicarbonate , chalk and limestone. The travertines cascade down the hills naturally and very much resemble a frozen waterfall. The tour will end around 4:00pm and then we will drive back to the hotel. The travertine terraces and Hierapolis Ancient city has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
After lunch, we will visit probably the most beautiful ancient city in Turkey: Aphrodisias. The city was very famous with its' sculptures back in the history and they did amazing items in the ancient city as well. We will visit Sebasteion, Theater, Agora, Tiberius Portico, Hadrian Baths, Bishop Palace, Aphrodite Temple, Odeon, Stadium, Tetraphylon and Aphrodisias Museum. Aphrodisias has been listesd as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2017. We will then drive back to Selcuk. Overnight accommodation in Kusadasi.

(breakfast, lunch and dinner included)
The breakfast will be served at the hotel and then we will drive about 2 hours to get to Pergamon Ancient City, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. . Acropolis is located on top of a hill and it is reached by a cable-car. By walking down from the Acropolis, you can visit The Gymnasium, The Temple of Athena, The Library of Pergamon which once had more than 200.000 books, The Temple of Trajan, The Zeus Altar and The Temple of Dionysos. You will also visit The Theatre which is one of the steepest theatres in the world which a capacity of 10.000 people.

We will also visit The Asclepion Health Center. It is believed that Asclepion, built in the name of Aesculapius, the god of Health and Medicine, has existed since the 4th century BC. In Asclepion Health Center, the dreams of the patients were analyzed by their doctors (priests) about 2000 years before Sigmund Freud did and the ancient city became very important. You will be able to see the Roman Theatre, the North Stoa, the South Stoa, the Temple of Asclepius and a circular treatment center, the healing spring, an underground passageway and a library. After visiting Asclepion, we will drive to Canakkale. Overnight accommodation in Canakkale

Pergamon Ancient City
Asclepion
Troy
Gallipoli Battlefields

(Breakfast and lunch included)
Our day will start with the famous archaeological and mythological site of Troy, home of the “Trojan Horse” and”Helen of Troy“. you will start touring in the famous Troy Ancient City and you will get information about The Trojan Horse, Helen of Troy, The Trojan Wars, The battle between Achilles and Paris, Sacrificial Altars, The 3700 year old city walls, Houses of Troy I, 3000 B.C. – 2500 B.C, The Bouleterium (Senate Building), The Odeon (Concert Hall), Current excavations in progress and remains of the various cities from Troy I through to Troy IX.
 After this visit, will start touring in Gallipoli area and you will visit Brighton Beach, Beach Cemetery, ANZAC Cove, Ariburnu Cemetery, ANZAC Commemoration Site, Respect to Mehmetcik Statue, Lone Pine Australian Memorial, Johnston’s Jolly (Turkish & Allied trenches & tunnels), 57th Regiment Turkish Memorial, The Nek and Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial. Then we will have the drive to Istanbul. Overnight accommodation in Istanbul.

After having breakfast at the hotel, we will drive you to Istanbul Airport to have the flight back home