Fully Escorted Group Tour

Tour Istanbul – Cairo – Giza
The Grand Cities of the Pharaohs and Sultans
Fixed Arrival: Istanbul (May 1, 2016)

Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey
Danbury from tr [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons

Fully escorted guided group tour. Deluxe air-conditioned vehicle. A 9-Day Tour of Turkey and Egypt: Istanbul, Ephesus and Kusadasi. Cairo and Giza. If you prefer escorted group and only have a short time this is the perfect getaway for these two gems of the Eastern Mediterranean. Your stay is filled with enough exotic sights, sounds, scenes and scents to make it seem like weeks. Compare with the 11-day private tour version with Alexandria included.

DAY 1 – ISTANBUL- May 1, 2016
Our local representative will meet your flight, or cruise port – arrive on any cruise line (Oceania Cruises, Princess Cruises, Crystal Cruises or other Mediterranean cruises) – and escort you to your hotel.

The representative will answer any questions you may have about getting to know the city. As you ride into the great metropolis from the airport, two thousand years of history are revealed: towering Roman walls, ancient Byzantine churches, slender minarets framing the bulbous domes of graceful mosques. These ancient monuments float on the skyline of a bustling modern metropolis of ten million people. Welcome fruit basket in your room awaits you with our compliments.

DAY 2 – ISTANBUL (B) May 2
The center of ancient Constantinople and Istanbul was on Seraglio Point, framed by the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. We visit the Blue Mosque, built by Sultan Ahmet III to challenge the architectural primacy of neighboring Sancta Sophia. We then walk next door to compare achievements in Justinian’s great Sancta Sophia. Right behind Sancta Sophia is our next stop, sumptuous Topkapi Palace, the sultans seraglio for centuries, filled with breathtaking exhibits of priceless jewels, golden thrones, delicate colored tiles, and lavish court costumes, we finish up in the bustling Grand Bazaar, where you can find jewelry, carpets, goat-hair rugs, hand-painted ceramics, copper and brass in labyrinthine streets holding nearly 4000 shops

DAY 3 – BOSPHORUS Cruise (B) May 3
Istanbul’s history was formed by the Bosphorus, the winding strait that separates Europe and Asia, connecting the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. Now, as in ancient times, it is a maritime vital link between the countries bordering the Black Sea and those in the rest of the world. Today we take a leisurely cruise northward along this historic waterway. Along its shores are ranged palaces great and small-Topkapi, Dolmabahçe, Beylerbeyi, Küçüksu, Hünkar Iskelesi. Four great fortresses rise on the hills, reminding us that to control the Bosphorus was to control the destinies of nations. Our tour today includes: Çamlica Hill lookout, and stupendous Dolmabahçe Palace. Return to your hotel or explore Istanbul further on your own.

Day 4 – Istanbul – Izmir – Kusadasi (B) May 4
Transfer to Istanbul Airport to fly to Izmir (domestic airfare is always included in economy class, tax included), after landing in Izmir, your first stop on this fascinating tour is at the House of the Virgin Mary. Then, you will continue on to visit ancient Ephesus, one of the most magnificent and best-preserved ancient sites in the world.

See the Terrace Houses, the Odeon, the Market Basilica, Curetes Street, Bath, Celsus Library, Marble Street and the Great Theatre with a seating capacity of 25,000 people. See the Terrace Houses, the newly excavated site in Ephesus, excavation site for the ancient homes of richest Ephesians.

In the afternoon, we visit the Ephesus Museum in Selçuk and see the Temple of Artemis, one of the wonders of the ancient world. View Basilica of St John and Isabey Mosque. En-route to Kusadasi enjoy the scenery and the local arts.

Video by Turkey.Home

DAY 5 – Kusadasi (B) May 5
Your day at leisure in this Mediterranean paradise. The city stands on a bay in the Aegean with the peninsula of Guvercin Ada sticking out into the sea at one end, and the mountain of Kaz Dagi behind. Explore the town or take a day gulet cruise, or just simply enjoy the beach, the choice is yours.

DAY 6– ISTANBUL – Cairo (B) May 6
After breakfast at the hotel, head back to Izmir Airport and fly back to Istanbul and connect onward to Cairo, Egypt (air fare is included in our rate in economy class, tax included), our tour escort will be boarding the plane with the group: Izmir/Istanbul/Cairo.

At Cairo Airport: Our local representative will greet you at the airport and whisk you to your hotel.  You may secure your Egyptian visa from the consulate nearest you. Egyptian visa may be issued locally in Cairo (for a limited number of nationalities) no photos required. This is available for a limited number of citizens such as: American, Australian, NZ, EU, Canadian, EU, Singaporean and Japanese citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order, valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo. Hotel:  Ramses Hilton or similar.

DAY 7 – CAIRO (BL) May 7
We plunge into Cairo: the treasure-filled Egyptian Museum, the Citadel of Saladin, perched high above the city, and Mohammed Ali’s Alabaster Mosque. After lunch at Hadaik el-Azhar or Naguib Mahfouz, we explore Old Cairo: first a Roman fort, then the Jewish Quarter, then the Coptic Christian Quarter. We visit the Coptic churches of Abu Serghius and Al Molaka, the Coptic Museum, and Ben Ezra synagogue. Finally, we wander through the alleys of Khan el-Khalili bazaar in search of magic carpets and other traditional souvenirs.

Egyptian Museum.
By Kristoferb (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

DAY 8 – CAIRO- GIZA  (BLD) May 8
Drive to Giza to see the Pyramids, the Sphinx, Cheops Royal Barge Museum and the Valley Temple. If you’re physically fit, you may scramble deep within the Great Pyramid to the king’s chamber. After lunch at a local restaurant, we tour some of Egypt’s most ancient sites: the ruins of Memphis, the step pyramid of Sakkara. Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant. In the evening, we host you on a Nile dinner cruise complete with exotic Egyptian entertainment.

DAY 9 – DEPARTURE (B) May 9
After breakfast, we head back to the airport. Bon Voyage.

Rate includes:

• • All transfer in Turkey and Egypt.
  • Fully guided sightseeing as per itinerary with entrance fees.
  • Meals as listed: B. L. D.: Preset menu continental breakfast, lunch, dinner.
  • Hotel accommodation in the category of your choice, with tax included and service charges, hotels are subject to change even on a last minute basis.
  • Domestic air fare within Turkey in economy class as well as one way air fare Istanbul Cairo, tax included
  • Egyptian Visa will be issued for a limited number of citizens such as: American, Australian, NZ, EU, Canadian, EU Singaporean and Japanese citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo.

Rate doesn’t include:

• International air fare from / to your home country.
• Visa Fee for Turkey: (procure yours online in advance of travel at www.evisa.gov.tr/en/)
• Trip/travel insurance