Our itineraries are flexible and can be adjusted according to your preferences and the time you have available. Contact us for a personalised program.
Journey of Mr & Mrs. C, accommodation in 5* superior hotels
Private VIP tours, June 2011
Budget: 360 € per person and per day
You can peruse photos of the hotels inlcuded in this program in the photo gallery.
THE GREAT CLASSICS, TOP QUALITY ACCOMMODATION AND VIP SERVICES
Day 1: 13/06 - Istanbul
Arrival at Istanbul Ataturk Airport. Transfer to your hotel located in the historic district of the city.
Overnight in Taksim at www.themarmarahotels.com in a deluxe room with views of the Bosphorus;
Day 2: 14/06 - Istanbul (Private guide and vehicle)
In the morning, stroll through the Egyptian Bazaar, also known as "the Spice Bazaar." Then you climb aboard a private yacht for a cruise of almost and a half two hours on the Bosphorus. From your yacht, you will see the Topkapi Palace, the Tower of Leander, the Dolmabahce Palace, Ciragan Palace on the Park Yildiz, the beautiful Baroque Ortakoy Mosque and the suspension bridge between two continents. Get off at Sariyer, a village on the Black Sea where you will meet up with your driver.
After a lunch break, you go down to the Bosphorus Ortakoy, a promenade of the most popular of istanbulotes: a beautiful mosque in the waterfront, local artists displaying their works, and a general air a little bohemian . The Bosphorus in all its glory.
To end the day, we'll take you to stroll through the Grand Bazaar,which has close to 4000 stores.
Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 3: 15/06 - Istanbul (Private guide and vehicle)
Visit on foot the legendary St. Sophia, built by Emperor Justinian in 320 AD. Then the Blue Mosque, with its impressive six minarets, the Topkapi Palace, or the Ottoman sultans lived until the nineteenth century. The treasure is phenomenal and reflects the power of the Ottoman Empire.
After lunch, explore the Hippodrome and the Basilica Cistern, Yerebatan with its graceful columns.
Overnight in Istanbul
Day 4: 16/06 - Izmir-Kusadasi - Ephesus (Private guide and vehicle)
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Izmir. Upon arrival,transfer to your hotel in Kusadasi.
In the afternoon, visit of Ephesus, the best preserved ancient city in Turkey, known to have been the commercial, religious and social center of the ancient world.
You’ll visit the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Explore the Grand Amphitheatre, which hosts up to 24,000 spectators, the Library of Celsius, the Fountains of Trajan, Hadrian and the Temple of Domit, and private homes.
Then you will visit the House of the Virgin Mary, where she ended her life.
Overnight at www.kismet.com.tr Deluxe room with sea view.
Day 5: 17/06 - Cappadocia (Private guide and vehicle)
Morning transfer to Izmir airport for your flight to Cappadocia. On arrival, transfer to your hotel. Free morning to relax.
In the afternoon, visit the famous Open Air Museum of Goreme, a monastic complex composed of churches with Byzantine frescoes very pretty. Finish the day with a visit to Avanos and its traditional potters in their workshops in clay.
Overnight at www.museum-hotel.com Superior cave suite.
Day 6: 18/06 - Cappadocia (Private guide and vehicle)
After a first stop in Uchisar, from where you can admire a fantastic panorama over the valleys, you’ll visit the underground city of Kaymakli. Then, following the Silk Road, visit the Soganli Valley, or Valley of Dolls, so named because the village manufacturing traditional cloth dolls. The valley contains rock monasteries and some beautiful churches with frescoes. We’ll return via Mustafapasha, a former Greek village known for its fine Ottoman and Greek architecture and the fairy chimney valley of Devrent.
Day 7: 19/06 - Cappadocia (Private guide and vehicle)
Today you’ll visit Zelve, a cave village inhabited until the early 50, and dug in three adjacent valleys. Secret passages allow you to pass from one valley to anotherin case of an attack.
The next stop is Pasabag, known as the Valley of the Monks with the most amazing fairy chimneys with multiple "hats". One can really see how these formations happened over the years. Then a stop at the Devrent Valley with its lunar landscape and in the old town of Urgup. We’ll end the day in Ortahisar, a village built around a rocky peak, off the beaten track. One very last stop at the top of a mountain to watch the sunset over the Red valley and the Valley of Roses.
Day 8: 20/06 - Istanbul - St Petersburg
Transfer to Kayseri airport for your flight to St Petersburg, via Istanbul.
PRICE: € 2900 per person based on two people sharing a double room
The price includes:
All hotel accommodation with breakfast
Private tours with licensed tour guides, car and driver as described
Tickets to the sites.
Cruise on the Bosphorus by private yacht
Whirling Dervishes Ceremony
All transfers airport / hotel
