Istanbul & Cappadocia Tours By Bus (6 Days)

TOUR DETAILS OF ISTANBUL & CAPPADOCIA 6 DAYS TOUR:

DAY 1: ARRIVAL to ISTANBUL & TRANSFER TO HOTEL

Upon arrival at Ataturk airport or Sabiha G. Airport in Istanbul and transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.

DAY 2: ISTANBUL TREASURES TOUR (Included meal: Breakfast & Lunch)

08.30: You will be picked up from your hotel for Full day tour of Old City. In this day you will be able to see:

ROMAN HIPPODROME: Center of sport activities and political events of the Eastern Roman Empire.

BLUE MOSQUE: This mosque complex, containing Istanbul's only mosque with six minarets was built by Sedefkar Mehmet Aga for Sultan Ahmed 1st. early 17th century.

HAGIA SOPHIA: Byzantium largest cathedral, converted to mosque 1453 by the Ottoman Empire and today open as a museum to see both religion remains.

GRAND BAZAAR: Famous shopping center worldwide. Shopping possibilities for carpet, jewellery, leather etc.

LITTLE HAGIA SOPHIA MOSQUE: This Byzantine building with a central dome plan was erected in the sixth century by Justinian, likely was a model for Hagia Sophia ("Holy Wisdom"), and is one of the most important early Byzantine buildings in Istanbul.

TOPKAPI PALACE: Built between 1475 and 1478 by Mehmet II, Fatih, the conqueror of Istanbul, served as the residence of the sultan and administrative seat of the Ottoman Empire for 400 years.

After the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel at around 17:30. Overnight in Istanbul

DAY 3: ISTANBUL HIGHLIGHTS TOUR (Included meal: Breakfast & Lunch).

Note: Check out from hotel after breakfast before start to full day tour.

08:30. You will be picked up from your hotel for Full day tour of Two Continents . In this day you will be able to see:

BOSPHORUS BY BOAT: On the waterway separating the two continents, Asia and Europe. Opportunity to take photographs of marble palaces and ancient wooden villas of Ottoman architecture, besides modern residencesand luxurious apartments.

PIYER LOTI HILL: Located in Eyup, district of Fatih on European side of Bosphrous, Istanbul. There is a tea house that has a perfect view of Istanbul from Europe side.

BOSPHORUS BRIDGE: Unique chance to go from one continent (Asia) to another (Europe) in two minutes.

DOLMABACHE PALACE: With more than 340 rooms & 8 Turkish Baths the Imperial Residence of the last 6 Sultans, is sure to fascinate its visitors.

CAMLICA HILL:Camlica Hill is one of the highest hills of the city, located on the Asian side, from where you can have a great panorama over the city and the Bosphorus.

Note: Dolmabahce Palace is closed on Monday and Thursday becouse of this Chora Museum (Church) or Basilica Cistern or Beylerbeyi Palace will be replaced instead of Dolmabahce Palace.

After the tour you will be transferred to hotel at 18:30 to collect your luggage from hotel.

19:00 Pick up from your hotel & transfer to bus station.
20:30 Depart from Istanbul. Bus trip takes around 10 hours. There are two or three breaks on the way for your personal needs.

DAY 4: NORTH CAPPADOCIA TOUR (Included meal: Breakfast).

07:30 Arrive Cappadocia. Met on arrival & transfer to hotel. You will have some time to relax and fresh up.

09:30 You will be picked up from your hotel for Full day tour of North Cappadocia. In this day you will be able to see:

DEVRENT VALLEY: Devrent is situated on the northern slopes of Aktepe, 1km from Pasabaglari (Monks’ Valley) and 5 km from Avanos. The ruins at Devrent are spread over three valleys, which also house several pointed fairy chimneys with large stems.

MONKS VALLEY: The best place to see three-headed fairy chimneys. Pasabag, the Pasha's Vineyard, is surrounded by incredible natural rock formations; a spectacular scene.

AVANOS: A center of terra cotta work of art since 3000 BC, it is a town where you will be invited to visit a traditional pottery workshop, which is possibly set deep into the hillsides. The clay, which comes from the Red River passing through the town, gives life both to the land and to the local economy.

GOREME OPEN AIR MUSEUM: Goreme was an important Christian centre in the early years of the Middle Ages, was a bishopric administered by Mokissos near Aksaray in the 11th and 13th centuries. Despite the vast numer of monasteries, churches and chapels in the vicinity of Göreme, there are not many inscriptions bearing dates. For this reason, these religious buildings are mainly dated according to the iconography or architectural features.

UCHISAR: Uchisar is a troglodyte town situated right in the middle of Cappadocia. It is named after the enormous piece of rock in the center of the town, which was once used as a castle. This extraordinary rock is the highest peak of the area with the view of whole Cappadocia and Erciyes (Argeus) Mountain.

After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel at around 17:30. Overnight in Cappadocia.

DAY 5: SOUTH CAPPADOCIA TOUR (Included meal: Breakfast).

After breakfast & check out the hotel.

09:30 You will be picked up from your hotel for Full day tour of South Cappadocia. In this day you will be able to see:

KIZILCUKUR: is an isolated valley behind Urgup. It has beautiful rock formation with some great hidden rock-carved churches. The most interesting part of this area is the countless tracks connecting the small villages and towns through vineyards and gardens like a spider net. It is always possible to see villagers working in the area and offering grapes, apples or apricots to you.

CAVUSIN: One of the oldest settlements in the area, Cavusin is situated 2km from Goreme, on the Göreme-Avanos road. The Church of St.John the Baptist offers a panoramic view of the village. This church and its paintigs date back to the 5th century, making the oldest church in the region. It had a large courtyard which is unusual for Cappadocia, this has been eroded away however.

HOSPITAL MONASTRY: One of the oldest monastries in Cappadocia.

KAYMAKLI: Kaymakli and Derinkuyu underground cities are the two largest and deepest of the 40 others in Cappadocia. They both have eight floors, although not all are open to the public.

PIGEON HOUSE:Visit the pigeon houses and rock formations.

End of the tour, transfer to bus station.

20:00 Depart from Cappadocia for Istanbul by bus. (Included meals: Breakfast & Lunch) DAY 6 - ARRIVE TO ISTANBUL

07:30 Arrive in Istanbul. Met on arrival & Transfer to airport. End of tour and services. (If you would like, you can extend your trip by adding extra nights in Istanbul, please advise. (Included meals: Breakfast)

Optional add-ons at extra charge: Highly Recommended in Cappadocia: Join hot-air balloon ride; cost per person Eur 110.00 – Enloy whirling dervish show; cost per person EUR 40.00

Please contact us for more information: info@istanbutoursexpert.com