TURKISH DELIGHT
A cultural tour of Turkey

Turkey is a unique place in the world. It is an Asian – Middle Eastern country and yet European too - a home to many world civilizations. Rich in history and culture, it is one of the few countries in the world that has to be visited, not once, but over and over again. Our Turkish Delight program has been specifically tailored for the first timer’s experience of Turkey.  A wonderful introduction to the Byzantine, Ottoman and Turkish land of past and present.

Day 1: Arrive Istanbul
This evening you are scheduled to arrive Istanbul International Airport.  Once clearing through Customs & Immigration, you will be met & transfer to the hotel.  This evening an orientation meeting has been scheduled at around 1900 hrs.
Overnight: Aziyade Hotel (2 nights)

Day 2: Istanbul
After breakfast, visit the Suleymaniye Mosque (the culmination of Ottoman architecture), as well as the Rustem Pasa Mosque with its beautiful Iznik (Nicea) tiles and the Spice Market with its exotic aromas. After lunch, visit treasure-filled Topkapi Palace (residence of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th century) with its terraces overlooking the Marmara Sea, the Bosphorus, and the Golden Horn. End the day at the historic Grand Bazaar. Dinner is on your own. (B, L)

Day 3: Istanbul / Bolu (162 miles)
In the morning, visit the Blue Mosque, recognizable by its six minarets. Built between 1609 and 1616 for Sultan Ahmet I, the interior is decorated with some 21,000 blue Iznik tiles. Visit the Hippodrome, where political, cultural, and athletic activities took place during Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman times. Visit the imposing Hagia Sophia, which marked the apogee of Byzantine Emperor Justinian's reign. Thereafter there is the possibility of an optional Cruise on the Bosporus, separating Asia from Europe and connecting the Marmara Sea to the Black Sea. Relish the best views of the city and its historic monuments. Discover beautiful marble palaces (Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi), wooden Ottoman villas (yalis), and medieval fortresses. Lunch at a seafood restaurant along the Bosphorus. In the afternoon, drive to Bolu.
Overnight: Koru Hotel (1 night) (B, L, D)

Day 4: Bolu / Ankara / Cappadocia (293 miles)
In the early morning, drive to Ankara, the nation’s capital since 1923. Explore The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations with its rich collection from the Hittite, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman periods. Visit the Mausoleum of Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey. After lunch, continue to Cappadocia.
Overnight: Mustafa Hotel (2 nights) (B, L, D)

Day 5: Cappadocia 
Take a full day to discover Cappadocia. Visit the Goreme Valley, an open-air museum with rockhewn churches (7th-13th centuries) adorned with biblical frescoes. At a handicraft center, learn about the arts of rural Turkey and watch a demonstration on hand-made rugs. Tour an Underground City. Marvel at the cavedwellings and fairy chimneys of the Avcilar Valley and the Kiliclar Valley. (B, L, D)

Day 6: Cappadocia / Konya / Antalya (330 miles)
After breakfast, drive to Konya. En route, stop at the Sultanhani Caravanserai, Anatolia’s largest staging post for merchants during the Seljuk period in the 13th century. In Konya, visit the Museum of Mevlana honoring the famous mystic poet and founder of the Sufi Order of the Whirling Dervishes. After lunch, continue to Antalya.
Overnight: Khan Hotel (2 nights) (B, L, D)

Day 7: Antalya / Aspendos / Perge / Antalya
Visit two magnificent sites: Aspendos, a treasure with the world’s best-preserved Roman Theater, and Perge, a spectacular Greco-Roman city. On the return to Antalya, discover the tradition of jewelry-making by visiting one of the largest jewelers of Turkey. Later in the afternoon, visit Old Antalya - Kaleici and stroll through the picturesque streets of the old port.  (B, L, D)

Day 8: Antalya / Sagalassos / Pamukkale (209 miles)
Leaving Antalya, travel over the Taurus Mountains to the Greco-Roman city of Sagalassos, a recently excavated archeological gem. After lunch, drive to Pamukkale.
Overnight: Pam Hotel (1 night) (B, L, D)

Day 9: Pamukkale / Selcuk (143 miles)
In the morning, admire the unreal landscape at the "Cotton Castle" of Pamukkale with its white terraces of limestone deposited by thermal waters through the ages. See the ancient spa, Hierapolis, still used today. Discover the necropolis, one of the largest cemeteries from antiquity to the present. After lunch, drive to Aphrodisias, the ancient site dedicated to the goddess of beauty, love, and fertility. Appreciate Anatolia’s best-preserved stadium. At this site, which drew artisans to its school of sculpture, enjoy the Temple of Aphrodite, the Tetrapylon, and the Theater. Continue to Selcuk.
Overnight: Kalehan Hotel (2 nights) (B, L, D)

Day 10: Selcuk / Ephesus / Selcuk
After breakfast, visit Ephesus; discover one of the world’s best places to visualize an ancient Roman city. View the remains of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. After lunch, drive to one of the most popular markets in the region: the Market of Tire. Return to Selcuk. (B, L, D)

Day 11: Selcuk / Sardis / Pergamum / Kucukkuyu (218 miles)
In the morning, travel to the capital of the Kingdom of Lydia, Sardis. In this Pactolus Valley city famous for inventing coinage and its wealthy King Croesus, visit the Bath - Gymnasium Complex, the marble-paved Synagogue (3rd c. AD), and the Temple of Artemis. Proceed to Pergamum, capital of the Attalid dynasty. After lunch, explore this ancient city where parchment was invented. Ride a cable car to the upper city to take in the ruins of the Acropolis: agoras, temples, palaces, library (200,000 volumes), and the foundation of the Zeus Altar (now in Berlin). Gaze in awe at the spectacular panorama from the impressive theatre built into the steep hillside. In the lower city, visit the Asclepion, a sanctuary and healing center dedicated to the god of healing, Asclepius. Continue to Kucukkuyu. 
Overnight: Saruhan Hotel (1 night) (B, L, D)

Day 12: Kucukkuyu / Assos / Troy / Canakkale (112 miles)
In the morning, depart for Assos to see the Temple of Athena overlooking the sea from the highest spot on the acropolis. Explore the site of the ancient city of Troy, whose 3,400 year history spans nine superimposed settlements (Troy I to Troy IX). Deepen your understanding of Homer's epic poem, The Iliad, which immortalized King Priam's glorious city through the stories of Helen, Menelaus, Paris, Agamemnon, Achilles, and Hector. Pose at a reconstruction of the legendary Trojan Wooden Horse at the entrance to the site. Continue to Çanakkale.
Overnight: Akok Hotel (1 night) (B, L, D)

Day 13: Canakkale / Gallipoli / Istanbul (212 miles)
In the morning, cross the Strait of the Dardanelles by ferry to Gallipoli, where the dramatic battles of WWI took place. Ponder the battlefields at the Gallipoli Historical National Park. Continue to Istanbul. Lunch en route. In the evening, enjoy a goodbye drink at the hotel bar. Dinner including wine.
Overnight: Aziyade Hotel (1 night) (B, L, D)

Day 14: Departure
Check out by 1100 hrs.  Transfer to the airport for your flight out. (B)

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Departure Dates
2012 English Speaking Departures Every Sunday
Inclusions
Tour Price Includes Tour Price Does Not Include Hotel Accommodation as mentioned or similar International Airfare Meal Plan as mentioned (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner) Airport / Departure Taxes All sightseeing and transfers by private transportation Insurances / Visas Services of local English speaking guides Tips / Gratuities Entrance fees to museums and sites included in the itinerary
Tour Price
We accept payment in US $ (US Dollars), CA $ (Canadian Dollars) or equivalent EURO (for clients outside North America). Bestway Tours & Safaris offers conversion rate protection. Once full payment has been received, and no modification has been made to the tour itinerary, we will honour that rate. For complete payment procedures, please download Bestway_Payment_Info.pdf Note: to read this file you must have Adobe Acrobat.
Departures - 2012 Double Occupancy Single Room Supplement Mar 04, Nov 18 US $ 1520 US $ 635 every Sunday from Jun 10 – Aug 19 US $ 1745 US $ 635 every Sunday from Mar 11 – Jun 03, Aug 26 – Nov 04, Dec 16 & Dec 23 US $ 1860 US $ 635
Estimated International Airfare - International airfare is NOT included in this tour
Canada - West Coast US $ 1300 USA - West Coast US $ 1100 Canada - East Coast US $ 1100 USA - East Coast US $ 900
Participants
This tour operates on a minimum of 02 participants.
Notes
Customised Itinerary If you would like to have a tour on dates other than the above ones or with a customised itinerary, please contact us and we will be happy to work out an exclusive program for you. Foreign Language Departures Please contact us for information on French, German, Italian and Spanish speaking departures. You may e-mail us at bestway@bestway.com or call us at 604.264.7378. Residents of U.S.A./Canada may call us toll free at 1.800.663.0844.