Day 1 - DEPART USA
Your international Turkish Airlines non-stop direct flight will depart from the United States this evening at 6:00 p.m., arriving in Istanbul the next day before noon and continuing to Ankara the same day.

Day 2 - ANKARA (Fly)
We will arrive in Ankara, the nation's capital, by plane approximately around 2 p.m. and will proceed to check into a 5-star hotel. The welcome dinner will be at the hotel.

Day 3, 4, 5 - CAPPADOCIA (One of the Natural Wonders of the World)
We will visit the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the father of modern Turkey, and the magnificent Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. We also will visit the villagers' bazaar and the ancient citadel. We will depart Ankara and turn our sights toward Cappadocia. During the 4-1/2 hour drive we will stop frequently for rest breaks. While in Cappadocia we will enjoy the unique landscapes of wind and rain eroded volcanic rock formations. Here, we will visit the amazing underground churches and cities carved into the rocks by early Christians. We will visit handicraft shops and a caravan-saray (an ancient caravan motel) as well as enjoy a Whirling Dervish ceremony. Going off the “tourist track”, we will have wonderful strolls where we visit small villages and discover the unknown Cappadocia. We will also enjoy an excellent lecture-demonstration on Turkish kilims and carpets. A Soganli doll maker will also present a demonstration on how their world famous Cappadocia dolls are made.

Our stay will be at the spectacular Cappadocia Cave Suites, the newest and most “luxurious cave living” in Cappadocia. In 2005, Abercrombie and Kent rated the Cave Suites the seventeenth most boutique hotel in the world. Most of the hotel’s eighteen spacious units have a Jacuzzi, several rooms have fireplaces and five units include two bedrooms. Some units have beautiful 200-year-old wooden ceilings and one unit is decorated in original 8th century painted frescoes showing the Maltese cross. The views are spectacular with the Fairy Chimneys in sight (www.cappadociacavesuites.com). Dinner will be at the Cave Suites restaurant.

OPTIONAL: Hot air balloon rides over Cappadocia at reduced rates. A balloon ride in Cappadocia (for people of all ages) is safe and nothing less than spectacular.

Day 6, 7 - MERSIN
We will visit an underground city while in Cappadocia. While there, we will also visit the beautiful monastery in Gümüsler, the only undestroyed, untouched church frescos in all of Çappadocia from the 12th century. Afterwards, we will cross the beautiful Toros Mountains on the way to Tarsus, the birthplace of St. Paul. We will visit St. Paul's well and check into the 5-star hotel Mersin Hilton overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The next day we will visit sites such as the castles of Tirtar, Pompeipolis, the amazing chasm and ancient churches in Neopolis, the city of Olba with its well preserved Zeus Temple, the Corycos fortress and the underground church of St. Thecla. We will have a wonderful day of visiting sites unique to our company.

Day 8, 9 - ANTALYA - Turkish Riviera
Today, we will take a long and beautiful drive to Antalya known as the Turkish Riviera. It is a beautiful city snuggled between the Mediterranean Sea and the Toros Mountains. During our stay in Antalya, we will tour the city as well as visit the ruined cities of Aspendos and Perge. Aspendos dates back to the time of the Hittites, yet the only visible remains are left over from the Roman Period. The restored theater at Aspendos is said to be the best in all of Turkey. Perge reached its height under the Romans and Alexander the Great. Today, what remain are the ruins of a great theater, a stadium, and the colonnaded main street. We will stay at the 5-star Dedeman Hotel, which has a beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains.

Day 10 - PAMUKKALE (One of the Natural Wonders of the World) - (Hierapolis)
We will depart Antalya early and drive to Aphrodisias; the city of art dedicated to the Goddess Aphrodite. The marble theater there is beautiful and the stadium that seats over 35,000 is immense. After Aphrodisias, we will continue our drive to Pamukkale where we will wander among a ruined city and its necropolis (city of the dead) and see many sarcophagi. We will visit the snow like travertine of calcium for which Pamukkale is famous. Pamukkale is one of the Natural Wonders of the world with strikingly beautiful mineral springs clinging to the hillsides that will amaze you. We will stay at the 5-star Colossae Hotel, which has a hot-Thermal mineral pool for our enjoyment.

Day 11, 12 – KUSADASI (Sardis/Ephesus)
Today we will drive to Sardis, where money was first minted, and see one of the world's oldest synagogues in Sardis, as well as see the excavations, the gymnasium and the Artemis Temple. Then we will drive one hour to Izmir, which is the third largest city in Turkey and a major shipping port. It was built in the 4th century B.C. by the orders of Alexander the Great. One of the seven churches of Asia that was mentioned in the Book of Revelations is also located here. We will check into the 5-star Korumar Hotel in Kusadasi, which features a lovely view of the Aegean Sea.

The next day we will continue our drive to the incredible city of Ephesus and its colossal Greek Theater, which is still used for performances today. The Marble Road, the Celsus Library, and the Temple of Diana are just a few of the things that we will be seeing. We will also visit the Ephesus Archaeological Museum as well as the house where the Virgin Mary lived her final days. After the crucifixion of Jesus, St. John brought her to Ephesus.

Day 13 - ÇANAKKALE (Troy)
We will have a scenic five-hour drive up the Aegean Coast and stop in Pergamon to see the Asklepion, an ancient hospital complex. We will then drive to Çanakkale where we will visit the legendary city of Troy and see a replica of the Trojan Horse. To date, nine different Troy's have been discovered; each built one on top of the other. We will have a chance to see this site still in the process of excavation. While in Çanakkale we will stay at the 4-star Akol hotel, which is the best available overlooking the Dardanelles and Gallipoli across the Straits.

Day 14, 15, 16 – ISTANBUL
We will leave the hotel early in the morning and take a ferryboat from Çanakkale to the European side where we will visit Gallipoli to see World War I battle sites and memorials. Afterwards, we will drive to Istanbul. Among the many things we will do in Istanbul is visit the Military Museum and enjoy a concert performed in traditional costumes by the world's first established military marching ensemble. On one of the nights, we will wine and dine while enjoying a folk dance and belly-dancing show.

Once called Byzantium in the 7th century B.C., Istanbul was originally named Constantinople in 326 A.D. by Constantine the Great when he moved the capital of the Roman Empire to what is now Istanbul. Istanbul received its current name from Mehmet II in 1453 and is the only city in the world that spans two continents. Here, we will visit several of Turkey's most famous museums and mosques. Topkapi Palace was first built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1453 and was the home of the Sultan until the 19th century. St. Sophia was built by the Roman Emperor Justinian and was completed in 537 A.D. It was the greatest Christian church in the world for more than 1000 years. The Blue Mosque was commissioned by Sultan Ahmet in 1603 and was constructed with the deliberate intention of rivaling the St. Sophia. We will also visit the spice market, the Rüstem pasha mosque with its exceptional tiles and the impressive mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent.

On the final day in Istanbul, we will take a morning Bosphorus cruise on a private boat. After the cruise, we will visit the Sadberk Hanim Museum, a private museum, which features artifacts as old as 6,000 B.C. of the many cultures that inhabited Anatolia. The afternoon will then be free and will give you a chance to go out on your own to explore the city. Suggested places to visit during your free time are the Cora Church, the Grand Bazaar, the Archeology museum and Domabahçe Palace.

We will have a final dinner together with lots of live music and entertainment by a gypsy orchestra, accompanied by Bora. All our tours will stay at the 5-star Eresin Topkapi hotel.

Please Note : The order of events may vary with each tour depending on the availability of various museums on certain days of the week.

Day 17 - DEPART FOR USA
We will depart the hotel shortly after breakfast for our morning flight on Turkish Airlines with our return to the United States the same day.