Istanbul to Anatolia Package Tour – 15 Days

Welcome to Turkey. Your guide meets you at the airport and takes you to your hotel. On the way, the guide provides essential information about Turkey and your journey.

Overnight in Istanbul.

Visit the places regarded as Istanbul's principal symbols. After breakfast, your guide picks you up from the hotel and takes you to the first hill of the historic peninsula. Starting in Sultanahmet Square, the tour includes the Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia, the Hippodrome and Grand Bazaar.

Blue Mosque: Explore seventeenth-century Ottoman architecture in this mosque with six minarets and approximately 21,000 blue tiles, around 400 years old.

Hippodrome of Constantinople: Continue to the great racecourse developed under Constantine the Great, where the Romans held horse and chariot races. Monuments that stood in its centre still survive: the Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine Column and Column of Constantine, together with the later German Fountain, a gift from the German Empire.

Hagia Sophia: A symbol of Istanbul and Turkey whose name means Holy Wisdom. Built in five years between 532 and 537 during Emperor Justinian's reign, it served as a church, then a mosque and, between 1935 and 2020, a museum. It has since reopened as a mosque. Regarded as the world's largest cathedral until the sixteenth century, it brings together Byzantine and Ottoman art, including centuries-old mosaics.

Lunch: Included at a typical restaurant near Sultanahmet Square.

Topkapı Palace: One of the tour's most intriguing places. Built for Fatih Sultan Mehmet between 1460 and 1478 after the conquest of Istanbul, the palace became the residence of 24 Ottoman sultans, including Süleyman the Magnificent and Sultan Ahmet. Imagine the sultans' world as you see Ottoman jewellery, collections of ceramics, clocks and armour, beautiful courtyards and views of Istanbul.

Grand Bazaar: Finish with a visit to the Grand Bazaar. Open since 1461, it is one of the world's oldest shopping complexes. Find traditional and modern products and souvenirs for different tastes.

Transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.

After breakfast, continue to the old trading quarter of Eminönü for one of Istanbul's most popular excursions.

Spice Bazaar: Opened in 1664, the bazaar is filled with colours and aromas. Find Turkish delicacies, spices, saffron, Turkish coffee, teas and other products in its historic atmosphere.

Bosphorus boat trip: Sail along the natural strait between Europe and Asia. See both shores, Dolmabahçe Palace, Ortaköy and impressive waterfront villas. The boat passes beneath the suspension bridge built in 1973.

Bosphorus Bridge: Cross from one continent to another over the bridge that connected Asia and Europe in 1973.

Lunch: Included.

Beylerbeyi Palace: This summer residence of the Ottoman sultans was built in 1865 on the Asian shore near the Bosphorus Bridge. View the bridge while walking through the peaceful garden. Inside, discover patterns, paintings, chandeliers, original furniture and handmade carpets.

Çamlıca Hill — Lovers' Hill: From an altitude of 260 metres, enjoy views of both continents and understand Istanbul's geography.

Meet in the hotel reception and continue to the port for the ferry. After crossing the gulf in the Sea of Marmara, reach İznik, a city shaped by many civilisations and resembling an open-air museum. Climb Sancaktari Hill, where Abdulvahap Sancaktari's tomb stands. Your guide explains İznik's history before a photo stop and a visit to the centre.

See the Ancient Roman Theatre, an important theatre of Anatolia, and Hagia Sophia of Nicaea, which became a mosque in 1331. On the way to Bursa, stop for tea with a view of Lake İznik.

Continue to central Bursa to visit the Grand Mosque and Kozahan Silk Market. Built in 1399 with 20 domes, the mosque is an example of Ottoman art. Visit the Green Tomb and Green Mosque, associated with Bursa's World Heritage heritage. Lunch in the same area features Bursa's typical İskender dish.

Historic tree: Visit Bursa's well-known, approximately 600-year-old plane tree, described in the programme as having 13 main branches and a trunk circumference of about 9.2 metres. Rest beneath the tree away from the city's bustle and see farmers selling the fruit and vegetables they grow.

Overnight in Bursa.

After breakfast, leave for Izmir. On the way, visit Gölyazı, a village in the Bursa region among olive trees. A restored historic mill welcomes you at the entrance. Enjoy free time while your guide explains the region and take photographs of Gölyazı and Lake Uluabat. See Saint Panteleimon Church, an important Greek Orthodox church of Anatolia, then continue to Pergamon.

Pergamon, known as Bergama in Turkish, is associated with the Seven Churches of Revelation. The programme recalls its Hellenistic sculptors and Roman gladiator school. Reach the Acropolis, where the ancient city stood, and see Hellenistic palaces, pre-Roman water reservoirs and Trajan's Temple crowning the hill.

Discover the library of Pergamon, traditionally described as the ancient world's second-largest after Alexandria, and the city's connection with the development of parchment. Descend from the seating of one of antiquity's steepest theatres to the lower terrace and the site of the Altar of Zeus, whose surviving monument is displayed in Berlin. Your guide's stories bring the past to life. Continue to Izmir after a day of history.

Overnight in Izmir.

Ephesus, associated with the Seven Churches of Revelation and visited by travellers from around the world, is one of the best-preserved classical cities in the eastern Mediterranean. Experience the atmosphere of Roman times in a city associated with the goddess Artemis.

Visit the Temple of Hadrian and the Library of Celsus, both a library and a monument, described in the programme as the third-largest library of antiquity after Alexandria and Pergamon. The great theatre occupies a prominent position overlooking Harbour Street. Its capacity was approximately 25,000 spectators, and it also hosted public spectacles. Discover further details among the city's monuments.

Continue towards the House of the Virgin Mary, with a short stop to photograph the large statue of Mary on the way. Among the pine trees, visit the house traditionally associated with the final years of Mary, mother of Jesus. Read about the evidence for that tradition, drink the spring water and leave a written wish in this peaceful setting.

Şirince village: Visit the former Greek village mentioned by the writer Dido Sotiriou in her book about Anatolia. Walk among historic houses and streets with distinctive architecture. At fruit-wine cellars, guests may taste wines and purchase them.

Overnight in Kuşadası.

After breakfast in Kuşadası, depart for Priene, where Alexander the Great is believed to have spent time. The ancient city preserves many examples of Hellenistic architecture, including its theatre. Continue to Miletus.

Miletus is associated with thinkers and architects such as Thales, Anaximenes and Hippodamus. Afterwards, travel to Didyma to visit the great Temple of Apollo.

Overnight in Kuşadası.

After breakfast, depart for Pamukkale and its extraordinary pools. Calcium-rich waters emerge at approximately 35°C and flow down the mountain from a height of about 100 metres, creating numerous terraces and white formations.

Also visit the ruins of Hierapolis, including its basilica, theatre, Roman bath and extensive necropolis.

Overnight in Pamukkale.

After breakfast, travel to Konya, the city associated with the thinker Mevlana Rumi. Begin at Mevlana's tomb and museum, in the former rose garden of the Seljuk Palace.

Continue past the city's old houses and enjoy a typical local lunch. Visit Hagios Monastery and Aya Elena Church, described in the programme as an early Christian church.

Overnight in Konya.

Travel towards Cappadocia, visiting a thirteenth-century caravanserai on the way. The first stop in the region is Ihlara Valley, formed by the Melendiz River, where you can see ancient churches carved into the rock.

Continue to Derinkuyu Underground City, an impressive refuge designed to shelter thousands of people for extended periods. After exploring its underground spaces, continue to Uçhisar. Stop to photograph Güvercinlik — Pigeon Valley — and Uçhisar Castle, then reach the hotel.

After breakfast, visit an onyx workshop to learn about the stone's properties and how it is worked. Continue to Göreme Open-Air Museum in the Göreme Valley, formerly called Korama. See rock-cut churches, including Elmalı, the Serpentine Church and Çarıklı, together with dining rooms, kitchens and storage rooms. Their paintings depict biblical scenes.

Walk in Kızılçukur, one of Cappadocia's most photographed valleys. Iron-bearing minerals give the tuff its colour: rocks that appear pink during the day turn red at sunset.

See the Red River in Avanos and learn about pottery made from Kızılırmak clay. Stop for photographs in Paşabağ — Monks Valley — with its striking multi-headed fairy chimneys. Walk among the formations, then continue to Devrent Valley, known for unusual shapes including a camel-like rock.

Take a panoramic tour of Ürgüp, see Asmalı Mansion from outside and visit wine cellars to taste Cappadocia's wines. The programme offers the opportunity to try beans with pastırma and a traditional pottery kebab. After the meal, continue to Avanos, celebrated for its pottery.

At the end of the day, see capped fairy chimneys and the Three Beauties, a symbol of Cappadocia. Return to the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

Visit Hacıbektaş, associated with the universal teachings of Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli from the thirteenth century to the present and with his tomb. Continue to Ankara.

Begin at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, whose collections display the remains of the civilisations that lived in Anatolia. Then visit the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, leader of the Turkish national movement and first president of the Republic of Turkey.

Overnight in Ankara.

Leave Ankara in the morning and travel to Istanbul. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure.

Overnight in Istanbul.

Transfer to the airport and end of services. We look forward to welcoming you on another Colorido Tours Turkey journey.