| Tour Name : HISTORICAL & BIBLICAL TURKEY (Superior hotels) |
Duration
: 17
Days |
| Destination
: Ankara - Cappadocia - Konya - Antalya - Kalkan - Pamukkale - Kusadasi - Canakkale |
| Price
: 1,518.-
€
(per person) |
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| Day
1 : Day 1. Friday: Arrive in Ankara
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1 Information : Meeting at Ankara Airport and transfer to the Ankara Hilton Hotel for overnight. Dinner included.
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2 : Day 2. Saturday: Ankara - Cappadocia
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2 Information : Morning sightseeing of Ankara, visiting the Anatolian civilizations Museum, the Citadel and the Mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk before proceeding to Cappadocia. Visit the Seljuk Caravansaray Agzikarahan on the ancient Silk Road. Continue to Cappadocia for overnight in Ataman Hotel. Breakfast & dinner included.
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3 : Day 3. Sunday: Cappadocia
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3 Information : Full day tour of Cappadocia, including the natural citadel of Uchisar, the pottery town of Avanos, Goreme open-air museum with its wonderful frescoed chapels, and the underground city of Kaymakli with 7 levels built underground where early Christians sought refuge during times of persecution. Breakfast & dinner included. |
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4 : Day 4. Monday: Cappadocia - Konya
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4 Information : Proceed to Konya, the Biblical Iconium, the city of Whirling Dervishes. En route visit the 13th century caravanseray of Sultanhan. Konya was the capital of the Selcuk Turks in the 13th century. This city which hosts the Mevlana Museum is also known for its theological school of Whirling Dervishes. Visit the monastic complex of Mevlana before checking in to the Rixos Hotel for overnight. Breakfast & dinner included. |
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5 : Day 5. Tuesday: Konya - Antalya
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5 Information : Drive southwards through the panoramic Taurus Mountains via Lake Egridir to Antalya, arriving in the afternoon. Overnight in Sheraton Antalya Hotel. Breakfast & dinner included. |
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6 : Day 6. Wednesday: Antalya
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6 Information : Tour the environs of Antalya beginning with Perge where you will visit the ruins of the enormous theatre, stadium and impressive Helenistic and Roman gates. Continue to Aspendos where the best-preserved Roman theatre is located and then to Side which is a small village filled with classical ruins. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Antalya. Breakfast & dinner included.
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7 : Day 7. Thursday: Antalya
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7 Information : Day at leisure in Antalya. Take time to explore the charming old city around the old harbour. Breakfast & dinner included.
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8 : Day 8. Friday: Antalya - Kalkan
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8 Information : After breakfast, drive along the westward-bound Mediterranean coastal road with its wonderful panoramic views. Drive past Kemer to Phaselis which, in antiquity was the greatest city in eastern Lycia. According to tradition, Phaselis was founded in 690 BC by settlers from Rhodes. It soon became a member of the Lycian League but in 333 BC its citizens had the good sense to surrender their city to Alexander the Great, greeting him at the gate with a golden crown. Further along the coast you will reach the picturesque site of Olympus which in antiquity was the other important city on the eastern shore of Lycia. Before arriving in Kalkan, stop at Myra, famed as the episcopal seat of St. Nicholas, patron saint of pawn-brokers and sailors and known to children as Father Christmas. There is a disused church dedicated to the saint. Nicholas suffered martyrdom here in 655 and his grave soon became a famous place of pilgrimage, but in 1072 his bones were stolen by merchants from Bari where they rest today. . Dinner and overnight at Club Xanthos in Kalkan. Breakfast & dinner included. |
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9 : Day 9. Saturday: Kalkan - Pamukkale
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9 Information : Early departure for Pamukkale, an amazing natural phenomenon, located on a plateau rising 100 metres above the surrounding plain and faced by a dazzling array of chalk-white stalactites made from mineral waters that have cascaded over the surface for centuries and form countless small pools on the terraces thus formed. Dinner and overnight in the Colossae Thermal Resort in Pamukkale. Breakfast & dinner included. |
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10 : Day 10. Sunday: Pamukkale - Kusadasi
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10 Information : After breakfast, visit the ancient Hierapolis which is traditionally associated with St. Philip, where his Martyrium has been found and was listed by St. Paul as the centre of Epaphras' work. Papias, a discipline of St. John and author of "The Saying Jesus" also lived here. Later on, continue to Laodicea (one of the Seven Churches mentioned in the Revelation of St. John), the city's origin dates back to around the 3rd century BC. Possibly, the "Luke Warm" springs of Hierapolis that flowed through the city were used as a backdrop in the Book of Revelations reference to this community. Continue to Philadelphia in Alasehir - "the City of Brotherly Love" which will always be remembered as the church that kept the faith - to visit the scanty remains of the Cathedral. Drive to Sardis, capital of the ancient Lydia where the largest Roman Synagogue ever discovered is visited. See the Temple of Cybele and Diana, which later became a church, the Golden River Pactalos and the Royal road. Late afternoon check in to the Korumar Hotel in Kusadasi. Breakfast & dinner included. |
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11 : Day 11. Monday: Kusadasi (Ephesus)
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11 Information : This morning, a short drive takes us to Ephesus (Rev. 1:11) the jewel of the Seven Churches and one of the most impressive archaeological sites in the world. See the Odeon, the marble street where Paul held daily discussions, the Library of Celcus, the Temple of Hadrian and the great theatre where Paul caused a riot. Also visit what’s left of the Temple of Diana. Finally, we’ll visit the House of the Virgin Mary where the Apostle John cared for the mother of Jesus. Return to your hotel in Kusadasi for dinner and overnight. Breakfast & dinner included. |
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12 : Day 12. Tuesday: Kusadasi
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12 Information : Day at leisure. An optional excursion to the Greek island of Samos is available. Breakfast & dinner included. |
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13 : Day 13. Wednesday: Kusadasi - Canakkale
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13 Information : Today's journey takes us northwards through Izmir where we visit the Church of St. Polycarp, the oldest church in ancient Smyrna. Continue on to Thyatira, one of the Seven churches where St. Paul may have visited in his missionary journeys. Onward to Bergama, the ancient city of Pergamos. Here we’ll visit the majestic Acropolis, the Asclepeion and Health Centre and the incredible natural amphitheater. Next visit the site of Troy and see the ruins of this ancient city so familiar to us through the account of the Trojan Wars captured in Homer's Iliad. Inhabited for over 3,000 years, the area reveals relics of its glorious history. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Kolin in Canakkale. Breakfast & dinner included. |
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14 : Day 14. Thursday: Canakkale - Istanbul
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14 Information : Cross the Dardanelles by ferry and visit Galipoli Memorial and see the beaches, trenches and tunnels where one of history's most bloody battles took place. Drive northwards up the Thracian Peninsula to Istanbul enjoying the scenic countryside along the way. Overnight in Divan Hotel. Breakfast & dinner included. |
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15 : Day 15. Friday: Istanbul
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15 Information : Full day city sightseeing of Istanbul. Visits to the Topkapi Palace, St. Sophia, the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, and the Grand Bazaar. Return to your hotel. Breakfast & lunch included.
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16 : Day 16. Saturday: Istanbul
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16 Information : Morning cruise up the Bosphorus where the scenic beauty is the perfect complement to the splendour of ancient fortresses, grand mansions and Ottoman palaces. Disembark and drive back to the city to visit the Kariye Museum with its magnificent Byzantine mosaics and frescoes depicting the life of Jesus and Mary, and then explore the Egyptian Spice Market before returning to your hotel. Breakfast & lunch included.
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17 : Day 17. Sunday: Departure.
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17 Information : After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your return flight home. Breakfast included. |
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