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Friday-Day 1: Arrival In Istanbul
Wellcome to the only city in the world that lies
on two continents, namely Asia and Europe.
Istanbul is exotic, Istanbul is layers of
history. You are met at the airport and
transferred to the hotel, to a former Palace to
sleep where the Sultans slept.
Hotel: Ciragan Palace or Swissotel
Saturday-Day 2: Istanbul
Today you will start discovering this amazing
city. You will start from the Old City. Visit
TOPKAPI PALACE, residence of the Ottoman Sultans
for centuries, see the HAREM and TREASURY. Lunch
at the Konyali Restaurant in Topkapi Palace
overlooking the Bosphorus and the Marmara Sea.
Then visit the BLUE MOSQUE, unique with six
minarets, the Roman HIPPODROME SQUARE, the
UNDERGROUND CISTERN BASILICA from Byzantine
period and the ST.SOPHIA CHURCH which is
considered one of the world’s greatest
architectural marvels.
Highlight of the day: “1001Ottoman Nights”
Special Welcome Dinner at Zeyrekhane. Zeyrekhane
is closed for the night for our guests for the
Programme 1001 Nights” featuring: Mehter Band,
Traditionally Dressed “Serbetciler”, Turkish
Music, Folklore, Belly Dance and Traditional
Turkish Cuisine.
Hotel: Ciragan Palace or Swissotel
Sunday-Day 3: Istanbul
Highlight of the Day:Bosphorus Cruise between
Palaces with Sultan Kayýklari:Ottoman Sultans
used to travel between their palaces on the
Bosphorus by these boats. “Kayýk” means boat n
Turkish. You will embark on the same boat and
take the same route between the palaces of the
Ottoman Sultans on the Bosphorus.
09:30-Entrance to the Dolmabahce Palace. Tour of
the palace.
11:00-Embarkation the Sultan Kayýk
11:20-Arrival to Beylerbeyi Palace
12:15-Departure by Sultan Kayýk
12:35-Arrival to Topkapi Palace
Lunch at Storks Restaurant overlooking to the
Golden Horn
Highlight of the Day:Hammam:Cagaloglu Hamami
will be closed for our guests so that they will
experience a real Hammam day as in the old days,
with food, belly dance and foam bath and massage.
In the old days it was a full day treat.
Highlight of the Day: Whirling Dervishes
at Galata Mevlevihanesi- Special, whirling
prayer by the Dervishes at their original
sanctuary, Galata Mevlevihanesi dating back to
1491. The Dervishes still live in the cells in
the Mevlevihane and tame their souls by
meditation, prayer and their simplifed way of
life.
Hotel: Ciragan Palace or Swissotel
Monday-Day 4: Istanbul
Museum day in Istanbul: We will drive to Sariyer
to visit the “Atli Kösk”, a private museum owned
by Sabanci Family, one of the richest and well-known
families in Turkey. We will see the many
paintings from 19th century, daily life
instruments from Ottoman period and other
private collections of the Sabanci Family. Then
we will continue to see the Sadberk Hanim Museum,
a private museum of Koc Family again in Sariyer.
Lunch at a local restaurant in Sariyer. Return
to Golden Horn area to visit the Rahmi Koc
Museum, the only science museum in Istanbul,
which features the special collection Mr Koc,
items collected over the years. Continue to
Istanbul Airport for late afternoon flight to
Izmir. Transfer to your hotel in Izmir for
dinner and overnight.
Hotel: Hilton
Tuesday-Day 5 : Izmir - Selcuk - Sirince
Morning tour in Izmir, ancient Smyrna and
today’s the third largest city of Turkey. Visit
the Dareo Moreno Street and the Old Elevator
overlooking the Izmir Bay. Continue to Kusadasi
to visit the former Greek village of Sirince.
Lunch at a local restaurant at this lovely
village that seems to pop out of history. See
the authentic Turkish houses from the Ottoman
period and local women on the streets selling
herbs and hand-produced local wine.
Highlight of the day: Wittness the birth of a
hand-woven Turkish Carpet: Carpet is a
traditional household item in a Turkish house.
Every Turkish house one or several in each room,
it is the traditional floor covering. Can be
compared to tatami. A Turkish house is not a
house or is not consired decorated without a
carpet. One can understand the importance of
carpet to a Turkish person upon seeing a Turkish
house. The real carpet is the one not made in a
factory but the one that is hand-woven, others
are not considered carpets by old Turkish people.
Visit a Carpet Coop. where you will witness the
birth of a famous hand-woven Turkish carpet. You
will see the dyeing process, where natural dyes
are extracted from natural herbs, how silk used
in silk carpets processed into the silk we know
from the cocoons, how this marvellous piece of
art woven at hand by local women
Hotel: Fantasia-Korumar
Wednesday-Day 6 Ephesus - Kusadasi
Visit the House of the Virgin Mary wher she is
believed to have spent her last days and the
famous ancient city of Ephesus which is the most
complete archaeological site in all the
Mediterranean. See the Odeon, Temple of Hadrian,
Celsius Library, Marble Road, Great Theater and
more.
Highlight of the day: Special admission
from the Director of the Ephesus Museum to the
“Roman Villas on the Slope”-closed to public
section of the site where the excavation and
restoration still continues by Austrian team.
Lunch at a local restaurant in Selcuk. After
lunch visit a Ceramic Atelier. The color used in
the Hand Made Turkish Ceramics, especially the
coral red, include complex mixtures and are very
difficult to obtain and apply. These colors,
which are obtained according to the traditional
methods, reflect the shades of semi-precious
stones such as malachite, coral, lapis lazuli
and protect their luminosity for centuries.
Highlight of the day: Special Cocktail
and Gala Dinner at “Celcius Library at Ephesus”-The
Library will be closed for our guests for this
occasion.
The world famous Celcius Library will be closed
for our guests to sign the ending of this
unforgettable trip. After the cocktail, we will
have dinner at this unique location
Hotel: Fantasia-Korumar
Thursday-Day 7: Selcuk – Fly Back Home via
Istanbul or Cappadocia extension
After breakfast, visit the Isa Bey Mosque and
the site of the Temple of Artemis which is one
of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Early
afternoon flight to Istanbul to connect your
international flight back home.
BASE COST FOR PROGRAM:
Including:
• Accomodation at: Swissotel in Istanbul, Hilton
in Izmir, Korumar in Kusadasi
• Japanese Speaking government licensed
professional tour guide throughout the program
• Private A/C notorcoach throughout the program
• All entrances to the sites and museums
• All lunches
• Tips at the hotes and restaurants
Excluding:
• Domestic flights
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