• 10 Breakfast (B)
• 1 Dinner (D)

• See Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. Visit the Grand Bazaar
• Visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilisation and Ataturk’s Mausoleum
• Visit Pasabagi and the Red Valley and marvel at the underground city of Saratli
• Visit the Mevlana Museum, home of the Whirling Dervishes
• See the Cotton Castle springs and the ruins of the Roman health spa of Hierapolis
• Visit the ruins of the ancient city and see the Wooden Horse
• See Anzac Cove, Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair Cemeteries

• Deluxe coach travel
• Selected hotel dinners, with optional meals to purchase
• 3-star stays

• Istanbul: Join your Travel Director for a sightseeing tour through Istanbul, past the vast dome of Hagia Sophia, through the ancient Hippodrome, where weathered obelisks still stand along its long open course, and towards the grand pointed spires of the Blue Mosque.
• Istanbul: Haggle for souvenirs at Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar one of the largest covered markets in the world with 60 streets and over 5,000 shops.
• Ankara: Visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, wandering through galleries filled with carved stone reliefs, ancient pottery and artefacts spanning thousands of years of Anatolian history.
• Ankara: In Ankara, visit the Mausoleum of Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic, where pale travertine, towering colonnades and the vast ceremonial square surround his final resting place.
• Gallipoli: You’ll journey along the Gallipoli Peninsula, from the deep blue shoreline of Anzac Cove to the memorials of Lone Pine Cemetery and the lofty heights of Chunuk Bair.

Create a mosaic lamp with local artisans in Cappadocia, arranging coloured glass into a patterned keepsake. This hands-on workshop offers time to concentrate on the small choices of colour and design that give each lamp its character.

Decorative glasswork is a familiar feature of Turkish craft markets and interiors. Making your own piece provides a different way to engage with the region’s creative traditions. This optional workshop is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Costsaver

Discover Istanbul with your Travel Director on a guided sightseeing tour past the vast dome of Hagia Sophia, the ancient Hippodrome and the slender minarets of the Blue Mosque. See how Byzantine and Ottoman landmarks share the heart of the city.

The Hippodrome’s surviving obelisks recall the chariot races of Constantinople, while Hagia Sophia’s changing roles reflect centuries of religious and political history. This is an outdoor sightseeing tour; interior visits are not specified.

Wander through Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, a vast covered market where shopfronts display patterned textiles, ceramics and glowing glass lanterns. Explore its vaulted lanes and take in the calls of traders and the scent of Turkish tea.

Founded in the Ottoman era, the bazaar grew into a trading centre with thousands of shops. The visit offers a close look at a market that remains part of Istanbul’s commercial and social life.

Explore Ankara’s Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, examining pottery, carved stone reliefs and other artefacts from the peoples who shaped this region. Its collections offer a view of Anatolia’s long history, from prehistoric settlements to ancient kingdoms.

Housed in restored buildings near Ankara Castle, the museum gives context to the Hittite heritage and archaeological sites encountered across Turkey. Look closely at objects that bring everyday life, belief and craftsmanship into focus.

Visit Anitkabir, the Mausoleum of Ataturk, in Ankara. Walk through its monumental grounds to the ceremonial square and the resting place of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic.

Its pale stone, long colonnades and formal scale express the importance of a leader whose reforms transformed modern Turkey. The visit provides a place to consider the republic’s founding and Ataturk’s enduring public significance.

Visit a regional rug production centre in Cappadocia for a closer look at one of Turkey’s established textile traditions. See the colours, patterns and workmanship behind rugs made for homes and trade.

Weaving traditions vary across Anatolia, with designs often reflecting local techniques and tastes. This visit adds a craft perspective to Cappadocia’s landscape and historic sites; purchases are not required.

Visit Konya’s Mevlana Museum and mausoleum, the resting place of the 13th-century poet and Sufi thinker Jalaluddin Rumi, known in Turkey as Mevlana. Explore a site closely associated with the Mevlevi tradition.

Konya was a centre of Mevlana’s teaching, which helped inspire the ceremonial practice of the Whirling Dervishes. The museum provides cultural and spiritual context for a tradition that remains closely identified with the city.

See Pamukkale’s white travertine terraces, formed as mineral-rich thermal water flowed down the hillside, and explore the adjoining ruins of Hierapolis. The bright terraces and ancient stone remains create one of Turkey’s most recognisable landscapes.

Hierapolis flourished as a Roman spa city, drawing visitors to its thermal springs. Exploring both sites reveals how a striking natural feature shaped centuries of settlement and bathing culture; bathing is not specified as part of the visit.

Walk along Izmir’s breezy promenade, taking in harbour views and the everyday rhythm of this Aegean city. Stretch your legs beside the water while getting a feel for its open, coastal setting.

Historically known as Smyrna, Izmir was a trading hub with Greek, Turkish and other communities contributing to its character. Its waterfront offers a way to appreciate that multicultural past alongside the life of the modern city.

Visit the ruins of ancient Troy and see a replica of the Wooden Horse associated with the city’s best-known legend. Explore an archaeological site where the remains of successive settlements connect history with Homer’s epic tales.

The story of the Trojan War has captured imaginations for millennia, but Troy was also a real city near the Dardanelles. Its layered ruins offer a perspective beyond the familiar tale of the siege.

Explore the Gallipoli Peninsula, visiting Anzac Cove, Lone Pine Cemetery and Chunuk Bair. See the shoreline and high ground where forces fought during the First World War’s Gallipoli campaign, with time to reflect at its memorial sites.

Gallipoli holds particular significance for Turkey, Australia and New Zealand. The cemeteries and monuments honour those who died on both sides, giving the peninsula’s peaceful-looking coast a deeply moving historical weight.

Watch sunrise from a panoramic Cappadocia viewpoint as colourful hot-air balloons float above the valleys and fairy chimneys. Enjoy the changing light on the rock formations and the spectacle of balloons drifting across the sky.

This is a ground-based balloon-watching experience, not a balloon flight. Balloon activity depends on weather and operating conditions. The optional viewpoint visit is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Discover ancient rock churches in Goreme, where Cappadocia’s soft volcanic stone was carved into places of worship. See how their interiors connect the region’s dramatic terrain with its Christian heritage.

Rock-cut churches are an enduring part of Cappadocia’s cultural landscape, shaped by communities that lived and worshipped here over many centuries. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Join a sunset hike through Cappadocia’s valleys, walking among sculpted rock formations as the light softens. Take in the shapes and colours of the terrain on foot while the sky shifts towards pink and gold.

These valleys were formed from volcanic deposits worn into ridges and pillars over time. Seeing them at dusk offers a quieter, ground-level view of Cappadocia’s geology. This optional hike is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Witness a Whirling Dervishes ceremony in Cappadocia and observe the measured movements of a ritual associated with the Mevlevi Sufi tradition. The dancers’ turning, music and formal dress create a contemplative atmosphere.

Known as the sema, the ceremony expresses spiritual devotion rather than simply theatrical performance. Its roots are linked to the teachings of Mevlana, whose mausoleum stands in Konya. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Explore ancient Ephesus, including the Library of Celsus and Hadrian’s Temple, and visit the House of the Virgin Mary, traditionally associated with her final years. The experience also includes lunch at a local restaurant.

Visit glassmakers in Nazarkoy village to learn about the region’s colourful evil-eye beads, traditionally used as symbols of protection. This optional excursion combines Roman history, a religious site and living craft heritage. It is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Get hands-on in a Turkish cooking class in Istanbul, helping prepare some favourite dishes before sitting down to enjoy the results together. The shared meal makes the cooking itself the centre of the evening.

Turkey’s food traditions draw on regional ingredients and centuries of exchange between cultures. Preparing dishes offers a practical connection to those traditions, with conversation around the table part of the experience. This optional class is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Descend into Saratli Underground City in Cappadocia to explore chambers and passages carved beneath the region’s volcanic landscape. See how an underground settlement made use of the soft rock to create sheltered spaces.

Cappadocia’s subterranean communities developed places for storage, daily life and refuge over many centuries. Moving through Saratli’s enclosed rooms reveals a striking contrast with the open valleys and rock formations above ground.

Explore two of Cappadocia’s distinctive landscapes at Pasabagi and Red Valley. See Pasabagi’s tall, capped fairy chimneys and take in the layered rock and warm-toned slopes of Red Valley.

Volcanic deposits, erosion and centuries of human use have shaped this unusual terrain. Together, the stops show why Cappadocia is known both for its sculptural scenery and for the communities that adapted to living within it.

Explore the Topkapi Palace Museum, once the seat of the Ottoman sultans, and cruise the Bosphorus, the waterway dividing Istanbul’s European and Asian shores. Together, the palace and strait show two sides of the city’s imperial setting.

Topkapi’s courtyards recall centuries of Ottoman court life, while the cruise offers waterside views of Istanbul’s skyline. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Taste Iskender doner at a local Izmir restaurant, a generous dish of grilled meat served over bread with tomato sauce, yoghurt and melted butter. Sharing a table offers a satisfying introduction to a Turkish favourite.

The dish takes its name from Iskender Efendi, who developed the style in Bursa in the 19th century. Its combination of savoury meat, warm bread and tangy yoghurt makes dinner the focus of this experience. It is at additional cost and bookable on tour.