7-Day Gallipoli, Troy, Ephesus, Pamukkale and Cappadocia Tours
Duration: 7 Days/6 Nights
DAY 1
Flight from Istanbul to Çanakkale - Overnight Stay in Çanakkale
21:00 You will be picked up from your hotel and transferred to the airport.
23:20 Flight from Istanbul to Çanakkale
00:10 Upon arrival at Çanakkale Airport, our driver will be waiting for you with a sign bearing your name and will transfer you to your hotel. Overnight stay in Çanakkale.
DAY 2
Gallipoli and Çanakkale Tour - Overnight stay in Çanakkale
(Breakfast and lunch included) At 11:30 in the morning,
you will be picked up from your hotel and visit Gallipoli, where you will see the naval battle that took place in Çanakkale before the army landed. We will then continue to the Kabatepe War Museum, which houses remnants from the war, including original daily summaries and letters.
Afterwards, we will visit Brighton Beach, which was planned as the landing site, and Anzac Cove, where dawn ceremonies are held every Anzac Day. We will also visit the Lone Pine Australian Memorial, Johnston's Jolly, and the Chunk Bair New Zealand Memorial. After visiting Kilitbahir Castle, built by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror to commemorate his successful siege of Istanbul in 1453, our tour will return to our hotel for an overnight stay in Çanakkale.
DAY 3
Çanakkale Troy - Kuşadası - Overnight stay in Kuşadası
Meals included: Breakfast - Lunch
You will be picked up from your hotel at 08:30 in the early morning. We will continue our scenic journey along the Aegean Sea. We will stop to take photos and indulge your taste buds at one of the many roadside stalls run by farmers selling olives, figs, seasonal fruits and pistachios. Then, we will head east towards the first stop of the day.
Places you will see today:
Troy is the ancient settlement mentioned in Homer's Iliad. With a history dating back to 3000 BC, it has been home to nine different cities over thousands of years. As you enter the site, a large wooden Trojan horse will dominate the view. You will definitely want to climb it and take photos! After the tour, lunch will be served, and we will depart from Çanakkale and head towards Kuşadası along the Aegean coast (5 hours). Arrival in Kuşadası, check-in at the hotel - Overnight stay at a 4* hotel in Kuşadası.
DAY 4
Kuşadası - Ephesus and Virgin Mary Tour - Overnight in Kuşadası
Meals Included: Breakfast - Lunch
You will be picked up from your hotel early in the morning at 08:30 and set off for the Ephesus Ancient Tour:
Ephesus is one of the best-preserved cities from the Roman period. During the time when Saint Paul lived in Ephesus in the 60s AD, the city was experiencing the heyday of Rome with a population of around 250,000. Saint Paul, during his time in Ephesus, must have addressed the Ephesians in the large theatre, which today impresses everyone who enters the stands. Ephesus was a large ancient city, and much of it has been preserved for you to see. Like nowhere else, you can walk the streets, stand in the great theatre, wander through the library, look up at the hill where Saint Paul was imprisoned, and feel as if you have travelled back to the time when Saint Paul lived. After staying here, you will read the Book of Ephesians with new eyes.
The House of the Virgin Mary, believed to be where Mary lived with Saint John during the last years of her life. Transfer to your hotel after the tour. Overnight stay at a 4* hotel in Kuşadası.
DAY 5
Pamukkale Hierapolis Tour and Night Bus to Cappadocia
Meals included: Breakfast - Lunch
After checking out of the hotel, you will be picked up from your hotel at 08:00 in the morning and taken to Pamukkale (3 hours), Pamukkale
Full-day tour of the route:
Pamukkale, meaning cotton castle, is the result of limestone formations that have developed over thousands of years. Hot, calcium-rich mineral water flows from the cliffs and, as it cools, deposits calcium to form the formations seen today. Pamukkale is now a World Heritage Site.
Hierapolis was founded in 190 BC as a healing centre utilising the mineral waters of the region. It was one of the most important intellectual, artistic, religious and commercial centres of the Roman Empire. Eventually, it had a large Jewish and Christian community. Breakfast and lunch are provided. After the tour, a night journey to Cappadocia by non-smoking, air-conditioned coach at 9:00 pm or 10:00 pm. (Duration 10 hours) Alternatively, we can arrange a flight instead of the night bus.
DAY 6
Cappadocia Tour (Northern Cappadocia) - Overnight stay in Cappadocia.
Meals included: Breakfast - Lunch.
Transfer to the hotel to rest before arriving in Cappadocia and starting the tour.
You will be picked up from your hotel early in the morning at 09:30 and visit Devrent Valley to see the unique fairy chimneys. Go to Paşabağ (Monks' Valley) to see the most interesting mushroom-shaped peaks. Head to the town of Avanos for lunch. In the afternoon, visit another beautiful open-air museum in Göreme, home to rock churches and Christian settlements dating back hundreds of years. Finally, before returning to your hotel, visit the natural castle in Uçhisar.
This tour was fantastic, every day was amazing and interesting and Mustafa organised everything perfectly and was always available to speak to and also called us at the end of the tour to make sure everything was OK. The accommodation was good and everything worked seamlessly, everyone knew where and when to collect us and it was great not being part of a big group tour, it felt like we were by ourselves making our way around turkey and most of the time we had a private driver. Highly recommended and thank you to Mustafa! :))