Jewels of Aegean Turkey & Greece Tour

On day two, start your day with a visit to the famous Hagia Sophia basilica, followed by a tour of the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. Explore the ancient Hippodrome and the Grand Bazaar before enjoying lunch. After lunch, visit Topkapi Palace, the center of the Ottoman Empire. Return to the hotel for overnight in Istanbul.

Start the day with a visit to the Dolmabahce Palace, followed by a trip over the Intercontinental Bosphorus Bridge to Camlica Hill. Afterward, tour the Golden Horn and see the 21km long City Walls of Istanbul. Enjoy the beautiful view from the cable car as you climb the hill to the café named after the famous French writer Pierre Loti. Then, take a cruise along the Bosphorus and enjoy lunch on the boat. Return to the hotel for overnight in Istanbul.

After breakfast, transfer to Istanbul Airport for the early morning flight to Kayseri. Upon arrival, transfer to Cappadocia and start your day with a gentle hike through orchards and unusual volcanic rock formations. Visit the old Christian Village of Cavusin, followed by lunch break and an excursion to Pigeon Valley. Continue on to the Goreme Open-Air Museum and Uchisar for a panoramic view of the landscape. Overnight in Cappadocia.

On Day 5, you can take an optional Hot Air Balloon Tour for a unique view of Cappadocia. After the tour, return to the hotel for breakfast. Then, proceed to Rose Valley to see the first inhabited rock-cut houses, and visit the Church of St. John the Baptist for a panoramic view of the village. After lunch, visit Kaymakli Underground City, the widest underground city in Cappadocia, and Ortahisar with its Castle of Ortahisar. Overnight stay in Göreme.

Transfer from Cappadocia hotel to the airport, and fly to Antalya. Half-day tour of Antalya, including historical sites such as Hadrianus Gate, Clock Tower, Palm Street, Old Town, and Republican Square. Transfer back to the hotel for an overnight stay.

On this day, we embark on our Southern Turkey tour, following the Mediterranean coastline. We visit Perge, the ancient city that was once the capital of Pamphyia, known for its Artemis temple, and the home of Greek mathematician Apollonius. We also visit Aspendos, which has the best-preserved theater with seating for about 7,000 people. After lunch, we visit the Manavgat Waterfalls before heading to Side, a pretty resort town with ancient ruins, beaches, and souvenir shops. Here, we explore the ancient city’s magnificent theater built on colonnaded arches, the largest in the area. We end the day with a transfer back to the hotel for an overnight stay in Antalya.

We check out of the hotel and continue our Turkey travel along the Turquoise Coast to Demre, where we visit the tomb of Saint Nicholas, the original Santa Claus, and the Myra ruins to view the Lycian rock-cut tombs. After lunch, we proceed to Kekova, an island with clear sea waters and the partly sunken ruins of an ancient town destroyed by an earthquake during the 2nd century. We take a glass-bottom boat tour to view these ruins and also visit Kalekoy, an old fishing village with charming buildings, ancient, and medieval structures, including a castle. We end the day with a drive along the coast to the small town of Kas for an overnight stay.

This is a free day for leisure or a self-guided tour of the town. Kas is a quaint little town with a beautiful coastline, beaches, and pleasant cafes and bars along its flowered narrow streets. It’s also a great place for diving, with a diving school and equipment for rent and sale. Visitors can expect to see a beautiful array of fish and other sea creatures, including octopus and possibly dolphins, as well as the wrecks of some ancient ships. We have an overnight stay in Kas.

After checking out of the hotel, visitors have a free day to either spend the day in Kas or visit the resort city of Fethiye located only one hour away. We have a transfer and an overnight stay in Fethiye.

This is a free day for leisure, including an optional excursion to do a full-day private boat ride around the gorgeous blue waters of Fethiye. The cruise departs from Oludeniz Beach or the ‘Blue Lagoon’ and includes swimming in the beautiful Blue Cave, a trip to Butterfly Valley, a canyon that offers breathtaking views of the area, and exploring medieval and historical ruins on the island of St. Nicholas. Visitors can also swim in the turquoise waters of the island. The day ends with a cruise back to Oludeniz Beach and a transfer back to the hotel for an overnight stay in Fethiye.

We drive on a scenic road to Dalyan, from where we take a local boat through the lake to the Iztuzu Beach Iztuzu Beach or ‘Turtle Beach,’ where we visit one of the last breeding grounds of the endangered loggerhead sea turtles. We also explore the ancient site of Lycia, renowned for its impressive rock-cut tombs carved into the cliffs. Next, we continue to the ancient city of Caunos to witness more stunning Lycian ruins in the form of rock tombs sculpted in the style of small Ionic temples. Later, we enjoy the world-famous mud baths before we drive to Kusadasi where we spend the night.

Today we visit the Ancient City of Ephesus, one of the best-preserved Greco-Roman cities in the world. Located in modern-day Turkey, it was an important center of trade and culture in the ancient world, with a history dating back to the 10th century BC. We will visit the Ephesus Open Air Museum, the House of the Virgin Mary, and the remains of the Artemis Temple. End of the tour, return to the hotel for an overnight in Kusadasi.

Today is a free day to relax and explore Kusadasi, a lively seaside resort known for its sandy beaches, shopping, and panoramic views. After checking out of the hotel, head to the Kusadasi Port for a 50-minute ferry ride to Samos, Greece. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel for an overnight stay in Samos.

Start the day with a transfer to Samos Port to catch the ferry for Mykonos via Paros. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel for an overnight stay in Mykonos.

Enjoy a free day at leisure to explore the picturesque island of Mykonos with its charming villages, white-washed houses, and turquoise waters. Spend the night in Mykonos.

Today we take a high-speed morning ferry to Santorini. Upon arrival to Santorini at noon, you’ll be transferred to your hotel in Fira on the cliffs where you enjoy the beautiful view of Caldera. Overnight in Santorini.

After breakfast, enjoy a free morning. In the afternoon, embark on a catamaran cruise to explore Santorini’s volcanic beauty. Visit Red and White beaches for swimming and snorkeling, and relax in the volcanic hot springs. Enjoy a Greek barbecue with unlimited drinks. Conclude with a stunning sunset view from below Oia, followed by a transfer back to your hotel. Overnight in Santorini.

After a day at leisure in Santorini, we take day flight to Athens where you spend the night.

Explore Athens, one of the oldest cities in history and one of the most cosmopolitan cities today. Start the tour in the city center with a walk around Syntagma Square, the largest square in Athens, where you will see the neoclassical building that houses the Parliament of Greece and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, guarded by the Evzones. Next, visit the National Gardens, the former Royal Gardens, completed in 1840. Then, head to the Presidential Residence, the official residence of the Greek President, before visiting the Panathenaic Stadium, where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896. Continue to the Zappeion Hall, a beautiful neoclassical mansion completed in 1874, before ending the day in Plaka, the “Neighborhood of the Gods,” with its proximity to the Acropolis and many archaeological sites, including the Parthenon, Erechtheion, Propylaia, and Nike Temple. Spend the night in Athens.

After checking out of our hotel, we have a transfer available to Athens Airport for our return flight.