11 days: Tour of Turkey, with Troy and other mythical destinations

11-day Turkey tour with Troy and other mythical destinations

If you have a special sensitivity for Homer and Antiquity In general, this 11-day tour of Turkey, with Troy and other mythical destinations, is made for you.
We will take you through the
archaeological sites The most fascinating places in the country, which evoke a golden period not only for Turkey, but for the whole civilization in general.
But we don’t just stop there, we also delve into
cities of great interest, such as Istanbul or Çanakkalesuch as Istanbul and Çanakkale, and we will discover natural natural corners of the most amazing places, such as Pamukkale and Cappadocia.
All this and much more awaits you in this legendary circuit.
Do you dare to be part of the adventure?

The best of Ancient Greece, in this circuit...

What distinguishes this circuit from others in our catalog is that it integrates the best places of Ancient Greece, located in the current Anatolian peninsula.
Did you know that
Troyfamous for its war and its horse, was actually located in present-day Turkey?
And that
PergamonThe city where the best scrolls were made was very close?
And what was one of the greatest cities of antiquity?
Ephesuson the Turkish Aegean coast?
And what was one of the most sacred places of antiquity?
HierapolisIn the province of Denizli, next to one of the most amazing places of the local geology?
You will discover all this and much more in this tour of Turkey, with Troy and other great archaeological sites.

... without forgetting the great Turkish destinations

In addition to the spectacular Greco-Roman sites of Anatolia, in this circuit we do not forget the great Turkish destinations, those that attract and fascinate travelers of any profile.
Who does not want to visit the frenetic and monumental
Istanbul?
Who wouldn’t want to go among the fairy chimneys of the
Cappadocia?
Can anyone resist to the charm of the travertine terraces of
Pamukkale?
Who is not curious or even devoted to learning about the
House of the Virgin in Ephesus?
For all these reasons, the roadmap of this 11-day circuit with Troy and other destinations will become a vital experience, difficult to forget.

Itinerary for this complete tour of Turkey, with Troya

In these 11 days of circuit, with 10 nights en route, you will take two internal flights to shorten the longest trips, while a comfortable private vehicle will transfer you by road between the nearest destinations.
This is the detailed itinerary.

  • Day 1: Istanbul Airport – Istanbul
  • Day 2: Istanbul (Historic Center)
  • Day 3: Istanbul – Istanbul Airport – Kayseri Airport – Cappadocia
  • Day 4: North Cappadocia
  • Day 5: South Cappadocia
  • Day 6: Cappadocia – Kayseri Airport – Izmir Airport – Kusadasi
  • Day 7: Kusadasi – Pamukkale – Hierapolis – Kusadasi
  • Day 8: Kusadasi – Ephesus – Kusadasi
  • Day 9: Kusadasi – Pergamon – Canakkale
  • Day 10: Canakkale – Troy – Istanbul
  • Day 11: Istanbul – Istanbul Airport

Day 1: Istanbul Airport - Istanbul

This mythical tour starts at the airport of an incomparable city: Istanbul.
At the foot of the terminal, our staff will be waiting for you to meet you at the airport.
pick-up and transfer by private vehicle to the hotelwhere you will spend the first two nights.
There, after checking in and receiving basic information about the country and the trip, you may have some free time for a first walk around the city, if the flight arrival time allows it.

  • Pick up at Istanbul Airport
  • Transfer by private vehicle to the hotel
  • Check-in
  • Free time (flight arrival time permitting)
  • Overnight in hotel in Istanbul

Day 2: Istanbul (Historic Center)

The second day of the tour is, in fact, the first day with guided visits to monuments, and undoubtedly one of the most intense of the whole program: from the morning until late afternoon, you will not fail to discover the most monumental and interesting places, both inside and out.

A prominent place of the day is occupied by Hagia SophiaThe mosque has a Christian name because it was created in the 6th century as a Byzantine basilica.
Its structure with a large central dome is a symbol of the glorious period of Emperor Justinian, but also of the later Ottoman era, as its minarets created a school.

The Blue Mosqueknown in the city as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is another of the temples that leave visitors speechless.
In this case not only for its domes, semi-domes and minarets, like Hagia Sophia, but especially for the elegance of its Iznik ceramics, whose color gives its name to the enclosure.

The Topkapi Palace is the third great monument to visit during the day.
In this case, a fortified residence from where the sultans ruled their empire, wrapped in opulence and security, on the shores of the Bosphorus.
Its rooms reflect this, in addition to displaying rich collections of porcelain, jewelry, weapons and other attributes of power.

All of this is very close to the epicenter of the historical center, Sultanahmet Square. Sultanahmet Squarewhich we will visit as it deserves.
Erected over the ancient Hippodrome of Constantinople, symbolic monuments of local history are erected here, such as the Serpentine Column from Greek times, the Obelisk of Theodosius from Roman times or the German Fountain, symbol of fraternity with that country at the end of the 19th century.

Two cultural experiences complete the day.
On the one hand, lunch in a traditional restaurant, booked at the most appropriate time between the different visits.
On the other hand, the
Grand BazaarA covered market with thousands of stalls selling handicrafts and local products, where you will be free to ‘lose yourself’ in the afternoon (except on closed days: Sundays and local holidays).
After such a full and varied day, we will take you back to the hotel for a well-deserved rest.

  • Breakfast at hotel in Istanbul
  • Full day in Istanbul.
    Guided tours in:

    • Saint Sophia
    • Blue Mosque
    • Topkapi Palace
    • Sultanahmet Square
  • Lunch at local restaurant
  • Free time for shopping in the Grand Bazaar
  • Overnight in hotel in Istanbul

Day 3: Istanbul - Istanbul Airport - Kayseri Airport - Cappadocia

After discovering Istanbul, a city located between two continents, it is time to go into the ‘deep Turkey’, that is, the interior of Anatolia.
To do this, at the agreed time we will pick you up at the hotel and transfer you to the
airport (Istanbul or Sabiha Gokçen) (Istanbul or Sabiha Gokçen) to take the flight to Cappadocia.

The arrival airport will be Kayseriand our agency staff will be waiting for you there for the transfer to the hotel, located in the heart of the Göreme National Park. Göreme National Park.
En función del horario del vuelo, puede quedar tiempo libre antes o después del mismo, ya sea en Estambul o en Capadocia.

  • Breakfast at hotel in Istanbul
  • Check-out
  • Transfer to Istanbul airport
  • Flight Istanbul – Cappadocia (Kayseri)
  • Pick up and transfer to hotel
  • Overnight in hotel in Cappadocia

Day 4: North Cappadocia

Cappadocia is one of the most fascinating regions of Turkey.
And as such, it occupies a very important place in this circuit, which is why we spread the visits over two days: the fourth and the fifth.
In this case, the day can begin with the experience dreamed of by many: the
balloon ride.
Volar por encima del paisaje lunar del Parque Nacional de Göreme, al mismo tiempo que lo hacen decenas de otros globos aerostáticos, supone un momento inolvidable.
Quienes deseen vivirlo, deben tener en cuenta que es una actividad opcional y que la recogida en el hotel es muy temprano, a las
4.00 approximatelyIt is necessary to travel to the take-off site and to assimilate certain safety measures.

Later, after the return of those who fly and breakfast for those who stay, the road route from the hotel will begin.
On this first day in Cappadocia, the menu is dominated by fairy chimney landscapes, rock-hewn churches and panoramic views (in the
Devrent Valley, the Pasabag Valley and the Zelve Valley.), but also handicrafts, such as the red pottery in Avanos and the stores of kilims and other works of textile art.

During the day, lunch will be served in a traditional Cappadocia restaurant.
And in the evening, we will return to the hotel to rest and replenish energy after a day that, for some, may start very early, and that will certainly be loaded with miles of road and unparalleled landscapes.

  • Optional: balloon ride
  • Breakfast at the hotel
  • Road route:
    • Devrent Valley
    • Pasabag Valley
    • Zelve Valley
    • Visit to handicraft workshops in Avanos and en route
  • Lunch at local restaurant
  • Overnight in hotel in Cappadocia

Day 5: South Cappadocia

The fifth day of the tour is the second day to discover Cappadocia in depth, and the landscapes will not disappoint.
After breakfast, we will get back on the road and stop at the evocative
Valley of LoveA place where the fairy chimneys have adopted the most surprising shapes thanks to erosion.
Something that also occurs in the
Three Graces or the Three Beauties, as you will discover further along the route.

Not only erosion has caused these works of art in Göreme National Park: also man, digging the rock, has created troglodytic spaces of the most striking, and some of them in the most unlikely locations.
An example of this is
Ortahisarat the foot of an impregnable castle.
Or the village of
Cavusintoday uninhabited but no less charming for that.
O
Uçhisar and its castle, an example of the coexistence of volcanic tuff buildings and cave paintings.

But the unique spaces of Cappadocia are also underground, in this case in the form of subway galleries: Derinkuyu is the best example, which was inhabited for centuries because of its secrecy and environmental conditions, and still preserves recognizable spaces such as cult halls.

In the Valley of the PigeonsThe inhabitants are these birds that find their perfect habitat here.
And to give another ethnographic and costumbrista touch, during the route we will visit some local jewelry store, so original for the use of native raw materials, as the beautiful Zultanita.

As in the previous day, you will have lunch in a local restaurant with traditional cuisine.
And at the end of the day, you will rest again at the hotel, for the third and last night.

  • Breakfast at hotel
  • Road route in Cappadocia:
    • Valley of Love
    • Subway City
    • Valle de las Palomas
    • Ortahisar
    • Uçhisar
    • Cavusin
  • Lunch at local restaurant
  • Visit to local jewelry stores
  • Overnight in hotel in Cappadocia

Day 6: Cappadocia - Kayseri Airport - Izmir Airport - Kusadasi

On this sixth day of the tour, it is time to leave the interior of Anatolia to discover the Turkish Aegean coast and other attractions in the westernmost part of the peninsula.
For this purpose, we will organize the
transfer from the hotel to Kayseri Airport, and from there you will fly (with stopover or direct) to Izmir.and from there you will fly (with stopover or direct) to Izmir.

At the airport of that city (Izmir Adnan Menderes) we will meet you to make the transfer by road to Kusadasiabout 60 km away.
In this city on the Aegean coast your hotel will be located tonight and the next two nights.
After checking in, you may have some free time to stroll around the town center and the seafront, always lively thanks to the cruise ships that stop here, and with pleasant places to contemplate and stroll, such as the Pigeon Island and the castle.

  • Breakfast at hotel in Cappadocia
  • Check-out
  • Private transfer to Kayseri Airport
  • Cappadocia (Kayseri) – Izmir flight
  • Pick up and transfer to Kusadasi
  • Hotel check-in
  • Free time, arrival time permitting
  • Overnight in hotel in Kusadasi

Day 7: Kusadasi - Pamukkale - Hierapolis - Kusadasi

On the seventh day of the tour, the alarm clock will ring early to start an unforgettable excursion: Pamukkale-Hierapolis.
After breakfast, we will drive along the almost
200 km that separate Kusadasi from this tourist destination and, upon arrival, we will start the visit of this site that includes the best of geology and archeology.

On the one hand, Pamukkale Pamukkale offers an almost unreal picture, with travertine terraces that surprise for their pure white color and smooth texture.
Walking and taking pictures in this environment leaves you speechless.
And the same goes for those who dare to put their feet in the pools of water, which are dammed here from the natural spring that has created this masterpiece of nature, based on sedimentary calcite.

Pamukkale was already a known and admired place in ancient times, and that is why the Pergameneans in the 2nd century BC and the Romans in the 1st century AD created a sacred city next to it.
That city was
Hierapolis and it is part of the same visitable enclosure, with archaeological and monumental remains of the most spectacular: its theater, its urbanism, its access doors… and its Plutoniumthat is to say, a temple dedicated to the god of the Underworld, around a grotto that expelled toxic gases.

As an optional activity is the bathing in the Cleopatra’s Poolwhere popular tradition places the famous Egyptian pharaoh.
But what is undeniable is the evocative power of its waters at 36ºC, with remains of Roman constructions at the bottom of the water.
Lunch will be taken in a break of the visit and at the end of the day, we will return to Kusadasi to rest at the hotel.

  • Breakfast at hotel in Kusadasi
  • Road excursion, with guided tours:
    • Travertine terraces in Pamukkale
    • Archaeological site of Hierapolis
    • Optional: bathing in Cleopatra’s Pool
  • Lunch at local restaurant
  • Return to Kusadasi by road
  • Overnight in hotel in Kusadasi

Day 8: Kusadasi - Ephesus - Kusadasi

Kusadasi is located in a strategic point of the Aegean coast, as it is only about 15 km away from Ephesus, one of the largest and best preserved archaeological sites in the world.
Therefore, after breakfast, we will head there, with the aim of visiting the site in depth.

Its richness and importance will be easy to understand when strolling through Ephesus, where monuments such as the Library of Celsus, two theatres, an agora, several temples, and the Library of Celsus, two theaters, an agora, several temples in honor of Roman emperors and commemorative gates, such as that of Hercules.
Its urbanism was very marked by the position of the port and the need to provide public services to the citizens, such as latrines.

A few kilometers away from the enclosure was also located the famous Temple of Artemisnow disappeared but of obligatory mention for having been one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Another construction of sacred character that will attract our attention will be the House of the Virgin Maryabout 8 km from Ephesus.
In it, according to tradition and the Vatican, the mother of Jesus spent some time after the death of her son, accompanied by St. John.
Today it is a place full of spirituality, where many pilgrims go.

Lunch is scheduled during a midday break at a local restaurant.
After sightseeing, we will return to Kusadasi for a third and final night’s rest at the hotel in Kusadasi.

  • Breakfast at hotel in Kusadasi
  • Full day of visits in Ephesus:
    • Archaeological site
    • Temple of Artemis
    • House of the Virgin Mary
  • Lunch at local restaurant
  • Overnight in hotel in Kusadasi

Day 9: Kusadasi - Pergamon - Çanakkale

On the ninth day of the tour, you will leave Kusadasi to discover a place full of history, where the archaeological remains have an even more significant relevance.
We are talking about
Pergamon, about 200 km away north of Kusadasi.
Therefore, after breakfast and check-in at the hotel, we will leave early to make the most of the day.

What we will find in Pergamon will be mainly the evocative remains of the Acropolis. AcropolisThe city of Bergamo, that is, the upper part of the ancient city that has not been engulfed by the modern city (Bergama).
It was part of the capital of the homonymous kingdom, integrated into the Hellenistic world with monuments such as the
Altar of Zeus or the temples of Athena and Dionysus.
The foundations of the royal palace, the citadel and the walls can also be identified.
But the most imposing space is perhaps the
theaterstrategically located on the mountainside.

In addition, we will travel 3 kilometers outside of the site to see the AsclepionIt was a unique place in the entire Greek world: a pioneering healing center, where herbal treatments, baths and psychological care were performed.
It is no coincidence, therefore, that it was dedicated to the god of medicine.

Undoubtedly, a very advanced place for its time, as evidenced by the fact that the production of parchment was perfected here, which took its name from this great production center.
Its
libraryThe library, which was located next to the theater, was another symbol of the city, since it housed tens of thousands of scrolls and was considered one of the most important in the world, next to that of Alexandria.

All this will be discussed in depth during the day, and lunch will be offered in the modern city of Bergama during a break.
At the end of the sightseeing program, we will travel by road to
Çanakkaleabout 200 km away, on the Dardanelles Strait.
Allí estará el hotel de esta noche y, pese a llegar aquí al final del día, se puede aprovechar para dar una vuelta para conocer la estratégica y hermosa ubicación de esta ciudad.

  • Breakfast at hotel in Kusadasi
  • Check-out
  • Road trip to Pergamon.
    Sightseeing:

    • Acropolis
    • Asclepion
  • Lunch at a restaurant in Bergama
  • Road trip to Çanakkale
  • Overnight in hotel in Çanakkale

Day 10: Çanakkale - Troy - Istanbul

Ancient Greece is even more present in this circuit through Turkey with TroyThe destination to visit on this tenth day.
This mythical archaeological site is located very close to Çanakkale.
That is why in this city there is a recreation of the famous Trojan Horse, and from there we will leave in the morning to visit the site.

Although Troy is a mixture of the historical and the legendary, you will inevitably feel a special emotion as you walk around the site of the famous battle, immortalized by Homer in the IliadThe site was named after the Greek name for Troy: Ilion.
No great monuments or constructions are preserved, but many urban layers are superimposed that will allow us to know the evolution of such a special site, inhabited since the beginning of the third millennium BC.

In a moment of rest, between stories of the mythical battle and episodes of the famous work of Homer, we will have lunch for the day.
And once the visit to the archaeological site is over, we will set off to
Istanbul.
Para ello, cruzaremos el Estrecho de Dardanelos, escenario también de otra gran batalla bélica, en este caso de la Primera Guerra Mundial, y por el lado europeo del país llegaremos a la ciudad donde empezó este circuito por Turquía, con Troya aún en la retina.

  • Breakfast at hotel in Çanakkale
  • Road trip to Troy
  • Visit to the archaeological site of Troy
  • Lunch in a traditional restaurant
  • Road trip to Istanbul
  • Overnight in hotel in Istanbul

Day 11: Istanbul - Istanbul Airport

The eleventh day is the last day of the tour and we will schedule it according to the departure time of your flight.
We will pick you up at the agreed time, after breakfast and check-out, in time to reach the corresponding airport (Istanbul or Sabiha Gokçen).
At the terminal we will end our services, hoping to have helped you to fulfill a dream: to visit the most beautiful destinations in Turkey and travel to Homeric Troy, Greek Pergamon and other legendary places of the past.

  • Breakfast at hotel in Istanbul
  • Check-out
  • Private transfer to the airport
  • End of our services

Services included in this tour of Turkey with Troya and more

In order to make a circuit as extensive as this one a success, we include the following services, essential and premium at the same time:

  • Air tickets Istanbul – Kayseri and Kayseri – Izmir, with 15 kg baggage allowance per person on each flight, as well as one 8 kg carry-on bag.
  • Transfers by private vehicle with chauffeur to/from airports and hotels in Istanbul, Cappadocia, Izmir and Kusadasi.
  • All trips in private vehicle with driver to travel from one destination to another and to make the visits described in the program.
  • Vehicle fares and costs, such as gasoline, parking and tolls
  • 3 nights hotel accommodation in Istanbul, breakfast only (1st, 2nd and 10th day)
  • 3 nights in a hotel in Cappadocia, breakfast only (3rd, 4th and 5th day)
  • 3 nights in hotel in Kusadasi, breakfast only (7th and 8th day)
  • 1 night in hotel in Çanakkale, breakfast only (7th and 8th day)
  • Entrance fees to museums, sites and monuments described in the program
  • Guided tours described in the program, in the language chosen by the clients and conducted by an official guide accredited by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Turkey.
  • 7 lunches in local restaurants (one in Istanbul, two in Cappadocia, one in Pamukkale-Hierapolis, one in Ephesus, one in Pergamon and one in Troy)
  • 24-hour assistance service in Spanish
  • Fees and taxes

Services not included

The choice of some services and the inclusion of some activities will depend on the criteria of each traveler, and are not part of the initial package of the trip.
They are the following:

  • International inbound and outbound flights (to/from Istanbul)
  • Lunches on the 1st, 3rd, 6th and 10th day
  • Dinners
  • Beverages
  • Tips
  • Personal expenses
  • Balloon ride in Cappadocia
  • Bathing in Cleopatra’s Pool

The experience of our customers is our best guarantee.

Discover other circuits