Our itineraries are flexible and can be adjusted according to your preferences and the time you have available. Contact us for a personalised program.
Mr & Mrs L.P’s trip
4* accommodation, July 2016
BUDGET: 144 € per day, per person
You can peruse photos of the hotels included in this program in the photo gallery
This program combines private services and the independence of a rental vehicle. A program that allows you to thoroughly explore each region you’ll visit.
Day 1: 13/07 Istanbul
Arrival at Istanbul Ataturk Airport and transfer to your hotel. www.themarmarahotels.com
Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 2: 14/07 Istanbul (Private guide)
Visit of the legendary St. Sophia, built by Emperor Justinian in 320 AD followed by the Blue Mosque, with its six impressive minarets and the Hippodrome. You’ll be impressed by the Basilica Cistern, Yerebatan, with its graceful columns. After lunch, visit of Topkapi Palace where the Ottoman sultans lived until the nineteenth century. The treasure and the harem are phenomenal and reflect the power of the Ottoman Empire.
Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 3: 15/07 Istanbul (Private guide and vehicle)
In the morning you hop onto a ferry for a cruise of almost two hours on the Bosphorus. From the boat you’ll see: the Topkapi Palace, the Tower of Leander, the Dolmabahçe Palace, the Ciragan Palace, Yildiz Park, the beautiful Baroque Ortakoy Mosque and the suspension bridge between two continents. You’ll disembark in Sariyer, a village on the Black Sea where you’ll will join your driver and drive down the Bosphorus up to Ortakoy, a charming and romantic village of istanbuliotes at the foot of the suspension bridge. The Bosphorus in all its glory. Back to the historic district to visit the Egyptian Bazaar and its surroundings and at the end of the day you’ll explore the Grand Bazaar.
Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 4: 16 / 7 Istanbul (Private guide)
This walk along the main street of Beyoglu will give you a glimpse of the glory of Istanbul`s past, particularly that of the 18th and 19th centuries. During that period foreign embassies were installed in sumptuous palaces. Currently the center of the modern city, the hill of Beyoglu is a lively place, full of shops and restaurants. This is where you’ll get a true image of modern-day Istanbul.
Discover: Bank Street, the church St. Peter and St. Paul, the flower market, Istiklal Street, the Hotel Pera Palace, Galatasaray High School and many others monuments. You will also discover the area around the Galata Tower, from which one can see one of the most comprehensive views of Istanbul. The neighbourhood is Bohemian with narrow streets and street musicians. You can also visit the Galata Mevlevihane (dervish convent). Stroll through Tophane by the water and enjoy a narghile in one of the many cafes.
Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 5: 17 / 7 Istanbul (Private guide and vehicle)
Morning departure by minivan to visit the Mosque of Suleyman, the second largest mosque in Istanbul and by far the most impressive with its many annexes. It is a monument to its founder, better known by the nickname of "the Magnificent" and one of the major works of the great architect Sinan, the greatest of Ottoman architects.
Then visit the beautiful Byzantine church of St Saviour in Chora. A little off the beaten track, this church offers some of the most beautiful frescoes and mosaics in the world.
Close by, you’ll have a great view over the Golden Horn from the Pierre Loti café and the mosque of Eyüp. Visit the Patriarch of Constantinople, headquarters of Greek Orthodox Church.
In the afternoon, visit the Dolmabahce Palace, home of the last Ottoman sultans, whose architecture and decoration rival Western palaces.
Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 6: 18 / 7 Istanbul (Private guide)
Day tour to the Princes’ islands. Ride a ferry to Buyuk Ada, the big island. Upon arrival, one hour tour of the island in a horse-cart. You’ll see lovely wooden homes of Istanbul’s 19th century bourgeoisie. Ferry back and taxi to the hotel.
Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 7: 19 / 7 Istanbul - Cappadocia
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Cappadocia. Upon arrival transfer to your hotel.
Overnight at www.uchisarkayahotel.com.
Day 8: 20/07 - Cappadocia (Private guide and vehicle)
After a first stop in Uchisar, for a panoramic view over the are, you’ll visit the underground city of Derinkuyu. Then we’ll head to the Soganli Valley with its many rock churches. Then we go up the Silk Road to the medrese Taskinpasa and the Roman site of Sobessos, recently discovered, with its mosaic floors and baths. We finish with the Greek village of Mustafa Pasa with its beautiful houses with carved facades. Return to hotel.
Day 9: 21/07 - Cappadocia (Private guide and vehicle)
We start the day with your guide with the of the Open Air Museum of Goreme a monastic complex composed of churches, rectories, and dwellings, and one of the earliest centers for religious education. With an easy walking tour of about 1:30 that will allow you to see some of the most beautiful valleys, we’ll reach Cavusin. After lunch, visit the Pasabag Valley with its fairy chimneys with multiple hats, where one can best understand the extraordinary geological phenomenon of the region and also see some hermit caves. We then make a stop at the lunar Devrent valley before continuing to the old village of Ürgüp.
Day 10: 22/07 - Izmir-Selcuk
Transfer to Kayseri airport for your flight to Izmir. Pick up your rental car at the airport and drive to the village of Sirince and the hinterland. Overnight in Selcuk at www.kalehan.com
Day 11: 23/07 – Ephesus (Private guide)
Visit Ephesus and the House of Virgin Mary. Overnight in Selcuk
Day 12: 24/07 - Priene, Millet, Didyma -.Dalyan (Private guide)
Visit the Lake Bafa and the sites of Priene, Millet, Didyma. Say farewell to your guide.
Drive to Dalyan and overnight at www.binkayahotel.com or similar.
Day 13: 25/07 - Dalyan
Visit the Datca Peninsula. Overnight in Dalyan
Day 14: 26.7-Fethiye
Visit Gocek en route . Overnight in Fethiye at www.yachtclassichotel.com
Day 15: 27/07 - Fethiye
Spend the day in Oludeniz and in the hinterland. See also Kayakoy, the ghost town, abandoned by its Greek population during the exchange of populations in 1924.
Day 16: 28/07 - Fethiye
Day cruise to the valley of butterflies and other beauties.
Day 17: 29/07 - Kas
En route see Patara. Overnight at www.divakas.com
Day 18: 30/07 - Kas
Overnight in Kas
Day 19: Antalya 31/07-
En route see Kekova and Phaselis.
Overnight in Antalya www.themarmarahotels.com
Day 20: 01/08 – Antalya (Private guide)
Visit Perge, Aspendos, Termessos.
Overnight in Antalya
Day 21: 02/08 - Antalya
Overnight in Antalya
Day 22: 03/08 - Antalya
Overnight in Antalya
Day 23: 04/08 - Departure
Drop off your rental car at the airport of Antalya.
RATE: 2 920 € per person based on 2 persons in double room.
The price includes:
All hotel accommodation with breakfast
Half board in Cappadocia and Antalya
All private excursions as described (does not include lunch)
Ferry tickets for the cruise
All transfers airport / hotel (private in Istanbul, Cappadocia shuttle)
Renault Megane hire car with A / C or similar + drop off fees
