Jewels of Turkey: 6 Days

We will meet you on arrival at Istanbul New Airport and drive you to your hotel in the city. You are free for the rest of the day.

Check out of your hotel after breakfast and meet your tour guide as per the pickup schedule for a full-day sightseeing tour of Istanbul's old city. See the stunning Hagia Sophia, which was the religious centre of the city during the Byzantine period. The next highlight that you will see is Topkapı Palace. As well as being the imperial residence of the Sultan, the palace was also the seat of government during the Ottoman Empire.

Continue to the hippodrome. Built by the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus in 203 AD, it could seat 100,000 spectators. Also see the Blue Mosque. Built by the Ottoman Sultan Ahmet I in the year 1616, the mosque is today one of the most famous landmarks of the old city with its six minarets and a magnificent dome. Visit the Grand Bazaar after that. With 18 entrances and more than 4,000 shops, this is one of the largest bazaars in the world.

Drive back to your hotel after the sightseeing tour is over. Grab your luggage and transfer to the airport for your 90-minute domestic flight to Izmir. Meet your driver on arrival and drive to your hotel in Kusadasi.

Meet your tour guide as per the pickup schedule (to be provided after you have booked the trip) and start your full-day tour of Epheseus. This was the second largest city in the world after Rome in the first century AD and walking down its ancient streets still evokes the sense of being transported back in time. Some if its most striking monuments are the Library of Celsus ( the third largest library in the ancient world) and the Roman theatre (the largest in Asia).

Visit the House of Virgin Mary, where Mary is said to have spent her last days. The other highlight of today is the Temple of Artemis, widely considered to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Drive back to your hotel in Kusadasi after the sightseeing tour is over.

Check out of your hotel after breakfast. Meet your tour guide at a pre-determined time for your full-day tour of Pamukkale. Pamukkale's hot springs are believed to have healing powers. Throughout history, people have traveled to this place from far and wide to cure their ailments.

Waters from Pamukkale's hot springs spilling down the hillside have formed terraces of cascading pools. Today, Pamukkale is a Unesco World Heritage site. After the hot springs come the ancient city of Hierapolis in Anatolia, home to a necropolis with 1,200 gravestones. Its sacred pool is a highlight with waters rippling over the scattered ruins of the Romans.

Drive back to Cardak Airport after the tour is over for your 90-minute domestic flight to Istanbul. Meet your driver on arrival and transfer to your hotel in the city. Stay overnight in Istanbul.

Meet your tour guide for a half-day tour of the city. Visit the Spice Bazaar of Istanbul. This bazaar was also called the Egyptian bazaar during the Ottoman period because shopkeepers here would sell herbs and spices brought from Egypt and Asia.

Then cruise down the Bosphorus and enjoy a magnificent view of the city. The shore is lined with old wooden villas, marble palaces, fortresses and small fishing villages. Pass by the magnificent Dolmabahce Palace, Rustem Pasa Mosque and Rumeli Fortress as well as the parks and imperial pavilions of Yildiz Palace.

Drive back to your hotel after the tour is over. You are free for the rest of the day.

Check out of your hotel after breakfast. We will drive you to Istanbul Airport as per your departure schedule.