Turkey Cultural, religious historic sites Trips

We were a small group of 6, lovely people who helped make this a great holiday - along with our wonderful guide Alkan and our driver Ugur. We packed a lot into our 6 full days - tours around Istanbul and Antalya plus visits to fabulous ancient sites such as Troy, Ephesus, Hierapolis and the ancient city of Perge and wandering around the back streets of pretty towns. Plenty of time to explore .

The itinerary is packed and tried to cover a lot but i find it a little bit tiring. It could have been better if we can stay at least two nights in Istanbul so we can explore better its beauty. In the visit to Gallipoli we can actually shorten it so that we have enough time to rest after a long day.. For the optional experience, you can remove the Dervishes performance / it is soo boring. We can go straigjt to that great local restaurant! You could also consider offering hot air balloon so that price could be better? It is cheaper to get it online but scary! Although our pilot is superb that was one of the best highlights of our trip. I love dining with the locals. The food they offered are superb one of a kind dishes i will never forget and the women mothers hosted us are sooooo good. I love this. The hidden treasure experience is sooooo amazing! We love seeing the actual mushrolm house ourselves and not imagining the layout amd how they can live there. The food at the hotels are fantastic. From reception to cleanliness and ease of check in every single details are well taken cared of. Just be mindful of the triple sharing arrangements bec they usually provide only for two people but thats minor but good to mention. I would say the 4 star amd 5 star hotels you chose are great. I love Novotel and Dedeman the most. Last but not the least, i would like to commend the very good performace of our Travel Director Altay Gur! He is an amazing, superb, knowledgeable, joker amd have a very good sense of humor! I am very impresses on his knowledge as an Archaelogiat himself. He knows a lot and very family oriented which i admire most. he took care of all of us and i found that he is not too strict when it comea to time although we all tried to be on time. In my past trips with you we left one of our guests in one place because she was late. Altay Gur or Al is highly rated Trafalgar Travel Director. I wouls also like to commend our driver Fai? Sorry i dont know tje correct apelling. He was so nice and very pumctual and drove sooo good! I have no worries about any accidents as he is ao carrful. Overall i would give 20 ratings or more instead of 10 to this trip. I am very brry satisfied with Trafalgar. It never failed me and o woll comtinue to use this travel tours everytime i travel. This is my 4th time. Congratulations on the job well done! Trafalgar is the BEST

Excellent holiday with Explore. Well organised, as described with comfortable accommodation. I’ve seen previous reviews that said there were bedbugs at the village stay. There weren’t any. My daughter, an entomologist, checked and there were a few harmless shield bugs in the room, which we suspect someone misidentified. The village stay was spotlessly clean, the family hospitable and the food excellent. The holiday was made extra special by our guide, Nebil. He was incredibly knowledgeable about both ancient and modern Turkish history, a huge animal lover who thrives in the natural world. He kept a very mixed group very happy and had built great relationships along the trail meaning we had great places to stop and have a Turkish tea, a cooling ice cream or an evening meal. I can highly recommend this trip.

I have travelled extensively over the years, but this tour stands out as one of the most enjoyable and memorable experiences I have had. Turkey is a fascinating country with an incredible history, culture, landscape, and people. While the itinerary was excellent, what truly made this tour exceptional was our guide, Bushra. Bushra's knowledge was outstanding. She was able to explain complex historical events, cultural traditions, and local customs in a way that was engaging, informative, and easy to understand. However, her greatest strength was not her knowledge alone. It was the genuine care, kindness, and generosity she brought to every day of the tour. Bushra consistently went above and beyond to ensure everyone felt comfortable, informed, and included. She paid attention to the small details, anticipated needs before they became problems, and always made time for questions. Her warmth and sincerity created an environment where people felt welcome and cared for. What impressed me most was that her professionalism never felt scripted. She genuinely cared about the people on the tour and about sharing her country with us. Her passion for Turkey was evident in everything she did, and it made the experience far richer than simply visiting a list of destinations. Our driver, Emrah, also deserves recognition for his professionalism, patience, and safe driving throughout the journey. Together, Bushra and Emrah formed an outstanding team. I leave Turkey with wonderful memories, a deeper appreciation of the country, and gratitude for the people who helped create such a positive experience. Bushra is one of the kindest and most genuine people I have met, and she was a significant part of what made this tour so special. I would not hesitate to recommend this tour to others and would gladly travel with this company again.

An interesting and varied, although busy, itinerary. The hotels used are generally well-located, moderate in quality, but adequate. for the tour. Our guide Mehmet was very helpful, organised and speaks good English. He helped translate between English and Turkish whenever needed, and excelled at finding interesting and inexpensive local restaurants for lunch stops. We enjoyed the tour. The Explore trip notes for this tour provide a good description of it.

Absolutely fabulous holiday trekking in Turkey. I’d been to Turkey many times before but never seen it like this. Wonderful guide with expert knowledge, delicious food and drinks and so much wildlife! Butterflies, tortoises, birds, fish, flowers and such amazing scenery, breathtaking Mountain views. Excellent exercise, came home healthier and with increased skills. And memories!