Grand Tour of Türkiye 15 Days

Arrival at IST airport. VIP welcome with a personalised name sign and transfer by premium vehicle to your boutique hotel in Sultanahmet, the historic heart of Istanbul. Check-in and rest. In the evening, a welcome cocktail with your guide to go over the 15-day itinerary while you enjoy views of Hagia Sophia lit up from the rooftop.
Accommodation: luxury boutique hotel in Sultanahmet.

An imperial day: Hagia Sophia with its golden mosaics and 55-metre dome, the Blue Mosque with 20,000 İznik tiles, the Basilica Cistern with its 336 submerged columns and the Hippodrome where chariots once raced. Lunch at a premium restaurant with a terrace overlooking Sultanahmet. In the afternoon, free time to explore or relax in the hotel hammam.
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.
Accommodation: luxury boutique hotel in Sultanahmet.

Topkapı Palace: the Harem, the imperial courtyards and the sacred relics. Private yacht cruise on the Bosphorus with lunch on board, sailing past palaces and fortresses. In the afternoon, the neighbourhoods of Balat and Fener: colourful Ottoman houses, cobbled streets and vintage cafés. Dinner at a panoramic restaurant.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Accommodation: luxury boutique hotel in Sultanahmet.

A drive along the Dardanelles to the Gallipoli Peninsula: we visit the memorials of the Battle of Gallipoli (1915), one of the most significant moments in Turkish and Australian history. Ferry across the strait to Çanakkale, the city that guards the passage between Europe and Asia. A stroll along the waterfront and overnight in Çanakkale.
Distance: ~340 km (4 h).
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.
Accommodation: hotel in Çanakkale.

Morning at the ruins of Troy: the gate in the city walls, the Temple of Athena and the replica of the famous Trojan Horse. Your guide brings the myths of the Iliad to life on the spot. On to Pergamon: the impressive Acropolis with its vertiginous 10,000-seat theatre built into the hillside, the Asclepieion (an ancient healing centre) and the Red Basilica. Lunch on the way. Arrival in Izmir.
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.
Accommodation: hotel in Izmir.

A full day in Ephesus, one of the best-preserved ancient cities in the Mediterranean: the Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre where St Paul preached, the great marble avenue, the baths and the Terrace Houses (2nd-century mosaics). Visit to the House of the Virgin Mary on the hillside. Lunch in the charming village of Şirince, famous for its home-made fruit wines and its Ottoman houses among the vineyards.
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.
Accommodation: hotel in Kuşadası.

Drive to Pamukkale. White travertine terraces — we walk barefoot over the petrified cascades, with thermal water at 35 °C. At the top, Hierapolis: the Roman theatre, the necropolis and the Gate of Domitian. A swim in Cleopatra's Pool among submerged Roman columns (included in this premium tour). Overnight at a thermal hotel.
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.
Accommodation: luxury thermal hotel in Pamukkale.

A scenic drive to the Turquoise Coast. Arrival in Fethiye, the gateway to one of the most beautiful stretches of the Mediterranean coast. Free afternoon to explore the harbour, the market street and the Lycian rock tombs carved into the cliff above the town.
Distance: ~280 km (3.5 h).
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.
Accommodation: boutique hotel in Fethiye.

Morning at the Blue Lagoon of Ölüdeniz, considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world for its crystal-clear turquoise water. Visit to the Greek ghost village of Kayaköy, abandoned in 1923 during the population exchange. Afternoon to relax, or paragliding over Ölüdeniz (extra).
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.
Accommodation: boutique hotel in Fethiye.

A spectacular coastal drive to Antalya, one of the most beautiful roads in Türkiye. A stop in Kaş, a charming fishing town, for a coffee with a view. Boat trip to Kekova island and its sunken city: Lycian ruins under the crystal-clear water, visible from the boat. We continue to Antalya.
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.
Accommodation: luxury hotel in Antalya.

The old town of Kaleiçi with its cobbled streets, Hadrian's Gate (2nd century) and the Roman harbour. The Düden Waterfalls plunging straight into the Mediterranean. In the afternoon, the Roman theatre of Aspendos, the best preserved of the ancient world, with seating for 15,000 spectators and perfect acoustics.
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.
Accommodation: luxury hotel in Antalya.

A drive through the Taurus Mountains to Konya, the city of the whirling dervishes. The Mevlana Museum with the tomb of the poet Rumi, crowned by a turquoise cone visible from all over the city. Your guide explains the spiritual legacy of Sufism. Dinner with a dervish show (included).
Distance: ~300 km (4 h).
Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Accommodation: hotel in Konya.

A drive to Cappadocia with a stop at a 13th-century Seljuk caravanserai, an old inn on the Silk Road. Panoramic views of the valleys on arrival. Check-in at a premium cave hotel and a walk around Göreme. Dinner at a cave restaurant.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Accommodation: premium cave hotel in Cappadocia.

Option of a sunrise balloon flight (included in this premium tour). The Göreme Open-Air Museum with its rock-cut churches and Byzantine frescoes. Kaymaklı Underground City. Pottery workshop in Avanos. Panoramic views from Uçhisar. Lunch at a winery with a tasting of Cappadocian wines.
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.
Accommodation: premium cave hotel in Cappadocia.

Last breakfast with views of the balloons from the terrace. Domestic flight ASR → IST. Transfer to the international airport for your flight home. Farewell to your guide after 15 days exploring the essence of Türkiye.
Domestic flight included: ASR → IST.
Meals included: breakfast.