Turkish Escape

8 Day Tour from Istanbul to Istanbul
Embark on an escape to Turkey to discover a country of captivating culture across its transcontinental peninsula. Spanning the borders of Asia and Europe, this fascinating country of culture and color is calling with an 8-day Turkish Escape for the ages! Your adventure begins in Istanbul, a city of great diversity and a combination of tree-lined boulevards, cafés and cosmopolitan restaurants set against a backdrop where little has changed for centuries. During its 3,000 years of turbulent history, it has been home to the Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, Ottomans, and the Turks themselves- all leaving their marks. Highlights of your sightseeing are inside visits to the 6th century Hagia Sophia, the largest ever church and for over a thousand years the largest covered space on earth and to the amazing Topkapi Palace which was the seat of government for one of the greatest Empires of the Medieval age.

Pay tribute to the fallen war heroes at the Anzac cemetery and visit 3 of the most famous ancient sites in the country: Troy, Pergamon and Ephesus. Each very different and distinctive. Troy, the oldest, dating from 3,000BC and made up to 9 separate cities all built over each other; Pergamon an impregnable defensive site with amazing views in all directions which flourished as one of the ancient world’s greatest centers of healing; and Ephesus, the greatest city in the Eastern Mediterranean during Roman times which boasts an extraordinary number of superbly preserved monuments.

Cross from Europe to Asia on board a scenic ferry journey across the Dardanelles Strait and get ready to taste the superb Turkish cuisine, an interesting blend of Mediterranean specialties and flavors.

This is the perfect vacation if you are looking for a genuine and unique blend of diverse cultures, centuries of history and atmosphere, the mysterious East with the familiar West.
All This. Included
Special Features Included in this Tour:
• Guided sightseeing of Istanbul’s highlights featuring visits to the Roman Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace
• Visit to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul with traditional Turkish coffee experience at a historical coffee roaster
• Visit to the WWI battlefields on the Gallipoli peninsula, the Anzac Cemetery, and the Lone Pine Memorial
• Guided sightseeing of the Troy archaeological site and see the symbolic wooden Trojan Horse
• Guided visit to the Asklepion at Pergamon
• Guided walk through the ancient ruins of Ephesus; see St. John’s Basilica and Archeological Museum.
• Visit to the ancient city of Hieropolis at Pamukkale featuring views of the travertine terraces and thermal pools.
• Visit to the Great Ottoman Mosque (Ulu Camii) of Bursa, plus the Historical Covered Bazaar, and the Silk Market with Kestane Sekeri tasting
• Dardanelles crossing by ferry