Compare Treasures of Turkey by SmarTours vs Turkey: See & Experience Almost it ALL in 10 Days, 1st Class Custom Tours by Charlie The Traveler
Compare details and see what other travelers are saying.
| Trip |
5 | Excellent
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5 | Excellent
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| Duration | 14 days | 10 days |
| Price From | $ 2,399 | $ 1,875 |
| Price Per Day | $ 171 | $ 188 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | Group tour | Private guided tour |
| Lodging Level | Standard | Luxury |
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| Travel Themes |
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| Countries Visited | ||
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| Flights & Transport | Airfare included | Ground transport included |
| Activities |
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| Meals Included |
21 meals: 12 Breakfasts and 9 Dinners |
Dinner is included on Night 1. Lunch is included on Days 2, 3, 5, 6 and 9. We are very picky about food and refuse to accept anything short of quality. We do our best to ensure you are being offered healthy and tasty local cuisine. The very diverse cuisine alone is enough reason to visit Turkey and join our group tour. Turkey learned all the best recipes from the vast territories it occupied for hundreds of years and created its own incredibly diverse national cuisine. Personal favorites include: menemen (an egg dish), kofta (meatballs), kuzu tandir (a lamb dish), lahmacun (baked dough topped with minced meat and veggies), borek (a type of pastry), su boregi (another pastry), baklava (another pastry), pide (Turkish pizza), Gullac (a dessert), lokum (candy), kayisi tatlisi (apricot stuffed with cream and nuts), baklali enginar (artichokes), imam bayildı (stuffed eggplant), kunefe (dessert) and Turkish coffee. |
| Description |
Experience the Treasures of Turkey with smarTours on our fourteen day, comprehensive tour of this incredible country. Known as the “Crossroads of Civilizations”, Turkey is a vibrant country with a rich history. On this seven-city adventure, your journey provides breathtaking landscapes, striking and bizarre rock formations, Turkey’s fabled Turquoise Coast, the classical city of Troy, among a variety of other incredible features. Visit The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, The Acropolis in Pergamum, a seaside escape in Antalya, historic Topkapi Palace, and much more. |
You absolutely will not find another tour out there as packed with activities and attractions as this one, provided by CharlieTheTraveler. You will also not find another tour out there that offers it all "FIRST CLASS," yet for a relatively low price. We have thousands of travelers taking this specific tour every year-and that's because no competitor can beat us on quality, price and substance. |
Day 1: Depart USA
Your fascinating tour of Turkey, the “Crossroads of Civilizations” begins as you depart on overnight flights to Istanbul.
Day 2: Arrive Istanbul (Turkey)
Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: TRYP by Wyndham Hotel
Upon arrival when you visit Istanbul, you’ll be met and transferred to your centrally located hotel. This evening your tour director hosts a welcome dinner and orientation.
Day 3: Istanbul
Meals: Breakfast
Situated at the meeting point of Europe and Asia, Istanbul offers a fascinating blend of east and west. Your guided morning tour includes visits to St. Sophia, the great Byzantine Basilica built in the 6th century. Your tour ends with a visit to the vast and bustling Grand Bazaar, world famous labyrinth and passages housing numerous stores where you’ll have shopping opportunities galore. The balance of the day is at leisure and you may wish to join a leisurely cruise on the Bosphorous.
Day 4: Istanbul/Ankara
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Swissotel Ankara
Depart for the Turkish capital, Ankara, the country’s second largest city. Upon arrival, visit the Mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk, founder and first president of the Turkish Republic. Leading up to the Mausoleum, is a vast brick courtyard and monumental avenue lined with Neo Hittite stone statues and cenotaphs beneath its colonnades. You will also visit the fascinating Anatolian Civilization Museum. The balance of the day is at leisure to explore on your own.
Day 5: Ankara/Cappadocia
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodation: Dinler Hotel
Today, travel by road through the Turkish countryside to the world-renowned region of Cappadocia, a breathtaking landscape with striking and bizarre rock formations and underground cities.
Day 6: Cappadocia
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
On today’s guided excursion, visit the Open Air Museum in the Goreme Valley to view early Christian churches decorated with beautifulfrescoes depicting various scenes from the Bible. You’ll also visit the Kaymakli Underground City, which was hollowed out of volcanic rock and extends seven to nine floors deep into the earth. It is made up of a maze of corridors, chambers, storehouses, kitchens and churches. Finally, visit the village of Avanos, famous for its beautiful old houses as well as pottery and onyx workshops.
Day 7: Cappadocia/Konya/Antalya.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodation: Marmara Hotel
This morning visit the 13th century Sultan Han located at a secluded point on the ancient Silk Road between Aksaray and Konya. It was used as a caravanserai during the Seljuk period when trade flourished, requiring roads for caravan transport and inns for the traveling traders and their camels. Continue your journey by road via Konya, passing through lush forests, orchards and olive groves on the sloping hills downward to the splendid Mediterrannean Sea.
Day 8: Antalya
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Full day at leisure to enjoy at your own pace. Your seaside resort hotel enjoys a choice location overlooking Turkey’s fabled Turquoise Coast. You may join an optional tour ($63) to ancient Perge, the most attractive and well-preserved Pamphylian city that reached its apex during the reign of Alexander the Great. Continue to Aspendos, founded by the colonists from Argos and best known for its huge theater. On this optional tour you’ll also visit the Antalya’s Archaeological Museum that houses artifacts and antiques from 2500 years of Anatolian culture.
Day 9: Pamukkale/Izmir
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodation: DoubleTree by Hilton Izmir Hotel
Journey to Pamukkale and visit the Necropolis and the ancient city of Hieropolis (“Holy City”), situated atop the Pamukkale hot springs. These hot springs have served as a thermal bath since the 2nd century B.C. Later, arrive in Izmir, believed to be the birthplace of Homer.
Day 10: Ephesus Excursion
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Today, venture to explore Ephesus considered to be the world’s best-preserved classical city and famous throughout history for its Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Ephesus was undoubtedly one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world and among its impressive structures you will marvel at the Library of Celcus, Temple of Hadrian, the Great Theater and the Odeon. Later, visit to the House of Virgin Mary, a shrine said to be the final home of the Virgin Mary near Ephesus. Return to Izmir.
Day 11: Pergamum/Canakkale
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Drive to Pergamum, a powerful kingdom during the ancient Hellenistic period, and visit the Acropolis, an impressive structure that houses the Temple of Trajan, the Heroon Shrine, the Sanctuary of Athena and the Altar of Zeus. You’ll also view the Theater and the Library of Pergamum, whose collection came second only to that of Egypt’s Alexandria. Arrive in Canakkale. Iris Hotel
Day 12: Troy/Istanbul
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodation: Renaissance Istanbul Polat Bosphorus Hotel
This morning, marvel at the classical city of Troy as you tour this 4000-year-old city and legendary center of the Trojan War, made immortal by Homer’s epic poem the Iliad. Cross by ferry the Dardanelles, a narrow strait connecting the Aegean and Black Sea and arrive in Istanbul. Upon your return to Istanbul, you may delight in a visit to the Spice Market, the exotic food market selling dried fruits and spices, the underground cistern, the water source of the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. This evening savor an included festive farewell dinner.
Day 13: Istanbul
Meals: Breakfast
On a guided morning tour, a local expert will introduce you to some of the highlights of the city, previously known as Constantinople and the seat of the Eastern Roman Empire. Visit the splendid Topkapi Palace, the residence of the Ottoman Sultans for almost 600 years and now a fascinating museum. Here, visit of the Treasury section with the crown jewels and the unique collection of Chinese porcelains. Continue to the ancient Hippodrome, the place chariot races and competitive athletic events took place during the Roman period and finally, explore the elegant Blue Mosque, a 17th century Ottoman Mosque famous for its six minarets and magnificent interior with blue tiles. The balance of the day is at leisure.
Day 14: Istanbul/USA
Meals: Breakfast
Today we bid our tour of Turkey farewell. Your exciting journey concludes as you arrive New York.
Day 1: Wine Tasting After Arriving at the Country's Second Most Popular Destination
Our tour starts in Goreme, best reached via the airport in Kayseri or Nevşehir. This village is used as a base from which to explore Cappadocia’s cave dwellings. In the evening, we are taken to a wine house. There we do wine tasting for about 45 minutes.
Note that you are most likely to go through Istanbul before reaching Goreme. If you are not famililar with this city, then we strongly recommend you spend some time there before beginning our 10-day tour. Istanbul is arguably one of the world's greatest cities. If you are interested in a guided tour, please ask us for details.
Day 2: Hot-Air Balloon Ride, Cave Dwellings & Experiencing a Turkish Bath
We go on an excursion today. The day starts with an early-morning, hot-air balloon ride over the cave dwellings of Cappadocia. The tour takes about an hour. Following this is a tour of the area: the surreal-looking rock formations of Pasabagi (a.k.a. Monks’ Valley), Devrent (a.k.a. Camel Rock), a pottery workshop in the small town of Avanos, the Goreme Open Air Museum, Love Valley and Uchisar Castle. Lunch is included on today’s tour. The day ends with a traditional Turkish bathhouse (a.k.a. hammam). There we are bathed and massaged and sip on tea.
Day 3: A Folkloric Night Show, a Rock-Cut Monastery & an Underground City
We go on another excursion today. The destinations for today are a viewpoint called Esentepe, the underground city of Derinkuyu, Selime Monastery, a viewpoint overlooking Ihlara Valley, a hike inside Ihlara Valley, Pigeon Valley and a gemstone (a.k.a. onyx) workshop. Lunch is included on today’s tour. In the evening, we go to a night show. There we listen to traditional music while watching locals wearing folkloric attire do a great deal of choreography.
Day 4: Having a Traditional Dinner Inside a Native’s Home & the Castle & Beaches of Kusadası
We relocate from Goreme to Kuşadası via a flight through Izmir. We are provided with a guided tour in Kuşadası, covering sites like the city walls and castle. We also have time to go swimming. In the evening, we are taken to a native Turk’s home. There we watch how traditional food is prepared as well as have dinner. The combination of tasty cuisine, rich culture and good company creates an unforgettable experience.
Day 5: An Ancient City, Bathing in Hot Springs & Travertine Limestone
Still based in Kusadası, it’s almost time to visit the world-renowned archaeological site that is Ephesus. First, however, we head to a Catholic shrine named the House of Virgin Mary. It is believed that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken to this stone house by Saint John and lived there for the remainder of her earthly life. Moving onto Ephesus, it is one of the largest Roman archaeological sites in the eastern Mediterranean. The visible ruins still give some idea of the city’s original splendor and the names associated with the ruins are evocative of its former life. Following our tour there is lunch, which is included on today's tour.
Next is a Greek temple dedicated to an ancient and local form of the goddess Artemis. This temple was completely rebuilt twice, once after a devastating flood and three hundred years later after an act of arson. In Artemis Temple’s final form, it was considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Next is a visit to the ruined Basilica of Saint John. It stands over the believed burial site of John the Apostle. Lastly is Isa Bey Mosque. It is one of the oldest and most impressive works of architectural art in the region.
Day 6: Bathing in Natural Pools & the Travertine Limestone Formations of Pamukkale
We make another daytrip today. We are taken to the village of Pamukkale. There we first have a guided tour of the ancient Greek city of Hierapolis. Next is lunch, which is included on today’s tour. Next is a visit to nearby Pamukkale, a natural site which shares the same name as the village. Pamukkale consists of hot springs and travertine limestone. It is one of the country’s most photographed locations. Lastly is swimming in nearby natural pools called Cleopatra Pools. People have bathed in these pools for thousands of years.
Day 7: The Maze-Like Streets of Turkey's Best Known Beach Town
After relocating from Kusadasi to Bodrum, we have a guided tour around the harbor and through the maze-like streets. The traditional houses are characterized by their prismatic shapes, simplistic designs and locally sourced building materials like stone, wood, clay and cane. The highlights for today are the castle and going swimming.
Day 8: Postcard-Perfect Oludeniz Lagoon, a River Cruise, a Therapeutic Mud Bath & Tombs Carved into the Mountainside
Although we are relocating from Bodrum to the resort town of Fethiye, an important stop is made en route, specifically to the village of Dalyan. There we take a river cruise, passing by the mountain-carved Lycian tombs and heading to a therapeutic mud pool. After bathing in the mud clay, we visit the Tomb of Amyntas, near Fethiye. Like the Lycian tombs in Dalyan, Amyntas is carved into the mountainside. After checking it out, we are taken to a viewpoint overlooking the postcard-perfect Oludeniz Lagoon. We are then taken to the lagoon itself. Oludeniz has a sandy bay, on a blue lagoon. The seawater is famous for its shades of turquoise and aquamarine. We go swimming and then head back to Fethiye, where we are based for the remainder of our tour in Turkey.
Day 9: An All-Day Boat Cruise Around the Turkish Riviera
We go on a daytrip today. We are taken back to Oludeniz Lagoon. There we take an all-day boat tour. The destinations are the Blue Cave, a butterfly valley, Saint Nicholas Island, a cold-water spring, Camel Beach (home to a rock which resembles a camel) and an aquarium. Lunch is included on today’s tour, around 1:00pm.
Not included in the tour but highly popular nonetheless is paragliding over Oludeniz Lagoon. It is done from Mount Babadag, which is a 1-hour drive away from the lagoon. If you are interested in paragliding, please let us know. It would be done in the morning before taking the boat tour. You would be picked up from your hotel a bit earlier today, at 8:00am instead.
Day 10: Our Tour Ends This Morning
Transportation will be arranged for you to reach the airport in Dalaman.
