Day 01: Istanbul, Turkey
Arrive at any time at the Istanbul Airport. Your local representative will meet you and transfer you to the Arcadia Hotel in the old part of the town overlooking the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. Located near the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque and within walking distance of the Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar. Enjoy the balance of your day at leisure to rest and relax, or explore the city on your own. Arcadia HotelDay 02: Istanbul
Enjoy a morning scenic cruise on the Bosphorus, the strait connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. The ferry stops on both the Asian and European sides for several times during the one-hour cruise. Later, we visit the Rumeli Fortress, a waterfront Ottoman castle built in 1452 to prevent enemy naval reinforcements and protect the city (Mehmet the Conqueror succeeded in taking Istanbul in 1453.) Today it is a museum. Return to old city by taxi to visit the spice market where a multitude of herbs have been sold since the 15th century. Return to your hotel on foot through old streets and markets. Arcadia Hotel (B,L)Day 03: Istanbul
Begin your day with a tour of Topkapi Palace, residence of the Ottoman Sultans for about 400 years, with its fabulous collections of jewels and other artifacts. Also visit the Harem section, another palace inside the Topkapi, here you will hear of the history of eunuchs and the high education of the concubines. Continue the tour with a visit to Hagia Sophia, originally built as a church by Constantine the Great in the 4th century and used as a mosque during the Ottoman era until 1935 (today it's a museum encompassing both Christianity and Islam). Next visit the Blue Mosque, famous for its beautiful blue tiles decorating the interior walls. Built in the 17th century and both it and Hagia Sophia are considered masterpieces of their period. Continue to the Basilica cistern, the best known and the largest of the closed cisterns built under the Justinian basilica in the 6th century. Later, we will discover the highlights of the ancient hippodrome, Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine Column, and others. Arcadia Hotel (B,L)
Day 04: Istanbul
Morning visit to Islamic Art Museum, where major pieces of Islamic art and ethnographic textiles are gathered from all over the country. After, walk to the Covered Bazaar, a labyrinth of streets filled with all sorts of tempting items to purchase: harem bracelets, colorful carpets, hand-painted ceramics, and more (it's said there are 3,000 shops!). This afternoon, enjoy a walking tour through the old streets and trade areas to the mosque complex of Suleiman the Magnificent, the most famous piece of Islamic art of the Ottoman Renaissance and built by the great architect Sinan. After lunch, you'll visit the Jewish settlement of Ottoman Turkey from the 16th century on. The 14th-century Galata Tower will provide a perfect view of the Golden Horn and Sea of Marmara with part of the Bosphoros. Visit a couple of artisan workshops in the area. Arcadia Hotel (B,L)Day 05: Cappadocia
Transfer to the domestic airport for your flight to Kayseri. You are met upon arrival and transferred to the Soganli Valley, a one-hour drive. This is surely one of the most beautiful and unusual spots in the world, with a moon-like landscape boasting a variety of weird but interesting natural formations, including pyramid-shaped rocks and sensuously carved fertile valleys that are volcanic in origin. We'll pass through the village of Taskin Pasa, and have lunch in an old Greek house in Sinasos. After checking into the hotel, you'll visit one of the local underground cities carved from the volcanic tufa to a depth of eight to ten stories (some of these cities were once populated by as many as 2,500 people), then drive to a couple of valleys for panoramic views and a wine tasting at a local cellar. Lykia Lodge (B,L,D)Day 06: Cappadocia
Morning visit to the Göreme Valley and its Open Air Museum, including reconstructed Dark Church with its preserved frescos. The entire valley is the place where early Christianity flourished. Also visit one of the underground clay pottery workshops to see how the pottery is produced just as was done in ancient times. After lunch in a local restaurant, walk up to Uchisar Castle with its panoramic views of the Cappadocia region, and walk in an area of pointed rock formations known as the Fairy Chimneys. Return to the hotel. (Option to hot-air balloon in the early morning, additional fees apply.) Lykia Lodge (B,L,D)Day 07: Cappadocia - Istanbul - Depart
Transfer to the Kayseri airport for your return flight to Istanbul and make your homebound connection. (B)
