Turkish Delight (8 days)

An 8-Day Private Tour of Turkey
A Mediterranean Escapade to Istanbul, Izmir, Kusadasi
Prienne, Miletus, Didyma and Bodrum
Arrive Any Day — Choose Your Date

Relax by the beach in Bodrum, Turkey
Relax by the beach in Bodrum, Turkey photo by enisu|Bigstock.com

Sample the sights and pleasures of Turkey. We combine the highlights of classic Anatolia with an all-inclusive stay at one of the most lovely beach resorts in Mediterranean Bodrum. It’s just the right blend of the best of Turkey — with all the details seen to by us. Book now! Take off is soon.

DAY 1 – ISTANBUL
Tour starts daily in Istanbul.You choose your own arrival date.

Discover the surprises and marvels of Istanbul at any time of the year. Arrive on your own schedule, not somebody else’s, and be assured that our representative will be on hand to meet you at the airport. He’ll see you to your accommodations in an air-conditioned vehicle with a chauffeur. You’ll also enjoy the services of a private vehicle throughout your stay. Once you’re checked in, take a break and rest up from your travel while you enjoy Turkish delights and other sweets with our compliments. And then… Istanbul awaits! We have much planned for tomorrow, but you’ll probably want to stroll the lively streets where the East and all the modernity of the West meet and harmonize. Browse a market, or shop a fashionable boutique; look in on men smoking water pipes from across the way in a chic café; watch a young woman in traditional garb in animated conversation with her friend in tight jeans. Enjoy the aroma of Turkish coffee and fish grilled fresh from the Bosphorus, and sample modern Turkish cuisine. The contrasts never cease, and neither will your enjoyment of Istanbul life.

Smooth Tricks of a Turkish Ice Cream Parlor. Video by Tom Henry.

This tour starts daily in Istanbul, yet please keep in mind that we keep the right to substitute some site based on the following: Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesday. Ayasofia is closed on Monday. Kariye Museum is closed on Wednesdays. The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays.

DAY 2 – ISTANBUL: Tours are always on a private basis (BL)
We dive right into this fascinating city with visits to its top sights: Topkapi, the palace of the Sultans for centuries; Hagia Sophia, the greatest church in Christendom for a thousand years; the Blue Mosque, with its exquisite blue tiles; the Byzantine Hippodrome, scene of chariot races and gladiator combat; and the eerie Sunken Palace cistern beneath it. Complimentary entrance tickets to the Harem’s Quarter in Topkape Palace in Istanbul. Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant.

DAY 3 – ISTANBUL, IZMIR, KUSADASI (BL)
From your convenient lodgings it’s just a short hop back to the airport to catch the morning flight south to Izmir, on the Mediterranean coast. It will still be early when you arrive and meet up with your driver for the next few days of exploring this region, in many ways the cradle of European civilization. We’ll visit the house where the Virgin Mary spent her latter years, and the ancient city of Ephesus, with its perfect Greek and Roman architecture still intact. At the Basilica of St. John, we’ll see the reputed tomb of the Apostle, and gaze down upon the remains of the Temple of Artemis, a vista little changed since Biblical times. We’ll conclude with a visit to the Isa Bey Mosque, a delicate masterpiece of Turkish architecture from the fourteenth century.

Lunch included at a local restaurant. We tour the centuries old Izmir Jewish neighborhoods: Tour of Beth Israel & Signora Synagogues, lively and colorful Havra & Dario Moreno Streets. Before we head for Kusadasi and Kismet Hotel.

DAY 4 – KUSADASI, PRIENNE, MILETUS, DIDYMA, BODRUM (BD)
Meet your driver in the morning, and set out for Bodrum, through the fertile, rolling countryside of southern Turkey. If you wish, you may stop along the way and hike up to the ancient city of Prienne; and at the Greek ruins ruins of Miletus and the temple at Didyma for an unguided look, before you continue to your destination, the Hotel Marmara or Baia at Bodrum.

DAYS 5- 7 -BODRUM (BLD)
Luxuriating on the Mediterranean coast at the Hotel Baia (all meals while at the Baia Hotel in Bodrum) in Bodrum (or similar). Nestled along the sheltered blue waters of the bay, it’s a tranquil oasis where you can participate in the full range of included activities, or simply relax away from it all. Swim at indoor and outdoor pools, or at the beach. Use any of the sporting equipment, including canoes, wind surfers, and pedal boats. The Baia also has tennis and basketball courts, and a range of organized activities every day, including beach games, and music and entertainment in the evening. Best of all, everything is included at no extra charge, including all meals in the main restaurant, soft drinks and domestic alcoholic beverages, and even snacks at the pool bar, beach, and lobby bar.

Video by AntalyaHotels

DAYS 6 -BODRUM (BLD)
The Hotel Baia (all meals while at the Baia Hotel in Bodrum) in Bodrum (or similar). Best of all, at the Hotel Baia everything is included at no extra charge including all meals in the main restaurant, soft drinks and domestic alcoholic beverages, and even snacks at the pool bar, beach, and lobby bar. Day on own.

DAYS 7 -BODRUM (BLD)
One more day in this Turkish Paradise. Luxuriating on the Mediterranean coast at the Hotel Baia (all meals while at the Baia Hotel in Bodrum) in Bodrum (or similar). Nestled along the sheltered blue waters of the bay, it’s a tranquil oasis where you can participate in the full range of included activities, or simply relax away from it all. Swim at indoor and outdoor pools, or at the beach. Use any of the sporting equipment, including canoes, wind surfers, and pedal boats. The Baia also has tennis and basketball courts, and a range of organized activities every day, including beach games, and music and entertainment in the evening. Best of all, everything is included at no extra charge, including all meals in the main restaurant, soft drinks and domestic alcoholic beverages, and even snacks at the pool bar, beach, and lobby bar.

DAY 8 -BODRUM, ISTANBUL (B)
We’ll arrange to escort you from the hotel to Bodrum’s airport, where you’ll catch your flight for Istanbul. Depending on your onward arrangements and preferences, you may choose a 5 a.m. or 8:55 a.m. departure for the one-hour flight. Once in Istanbul, continue your homebound journey; or, if you choose, we’ll be pleased to arrange further travel in Turkey.

You have the choice of staying in 5 stars hotels such as Conrad Istanbul Hotel, Hilton Istanbul, Marmara Istanbul or similar, or an Ottoman Mansion style boutique hotels such as: Arena Hotel, Blue House, Sultanahmet Sarayi or similar in Istanbul

YOUR TOUR INCLUDES

• Hotel accommodation based on superior 4 & five stars, including all taxes.
• Continental or buffet breakfast daily, plus set-menu lunch (L), dinner (D) as shown.
• Domestic flight in economy class, tax included, as per itinerary, tickets, issued & delivered in Turkey.
• Private guided sightseeing, including all admissions fees, all as per itinerary
• All transfers in Turkey on a private basis

Suggested Deluxe Hotels: or similar

• Istanbul: Boutique Style Ottoman Mansion Hotels or if you wish: Blue House. Ersin Crown Hotel Istanbul or similar. Istanbul Hilton, Istanbul Hyatt, Istanbul Intercontinental.
• Kusadasi: Kismet or Korumar
• Bodrum:
  The Marmara Bodrum Hotel
  Baia Bodrum Hotel
  Kempinki Barbaros Hotel – Barbaros Bay

Rate doesn’t include:

• International air fare.
• Beverages
• Visa Fee: (procure yours online in advance of travel at www.evisa.gov.tr/en/)
• Travel insurance
• Tips to porters, drivers, guides etc.

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