SAFRANBOLU, CAPPADOCIA, KEKOVA, PAMUKKALE, KUSADASI, SAMOS TOUR FROM ISTANBUL

TOUR ITINERARY

DAY 1 : ISTANBUL-SAFRANBOLU

DAY 2 : SAFRANBOLU-CAPPADOCIA

06:00 Arrival in Safranbolu. Free time in Safranbolu.
There are no regular guided tours in Safranbolu, but the town itself is like a museum anywhere and around the town reflects the living history of Ottoman period small cities. You can wander in narrow streets, do nature walking, souvenir shopping, sit it mystic traditional cafeterias, eat best samples of Ottoman dishes in fairly cheap restaurants.
01:00 am Overnight bus to Cappadocia via Ankara, including transfers to bus stations.

A typical Safranbolu street	Old Safranbolu house	An Ottoman style restaurant

SAFRANBOLU: Safranbolu is a town boasting a glorious collection of old Ottoman houses, with a rich collection of pieces of art which represent traditional Turkish life and culture. Its rich history and success in preserving it earned the town an inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Best known for its old Turkish houses, the town is attracting more attention especially as these 19th century homes are gradually disappearing from other areas of Turkey. Visitors enjoying walking along the old narrow cobbled streets, and seeing some of the traditional crafts and trades that are still practiced today. It is also known as the Capital City of Preservation, acknowledging its ability to hold onto not only pieces of art, but also the atmosphere.
 

DAY 3 : CAPPADOCIA

Your bus will arrive to Cappadocia next day early in the morning at around 06:00 am.
You will be transferred to your hotel. After you settle up at your hotel and rest a little you will be picked up from your hotel for the below tour:
Full day Northern Cappadocia tour including transfers, guide and entrance fee. This tour will cover the most famous parts of the region such as Goreme Open Air Museum, Zelve, Urgup and Dervent Valley.
Lunch will be served during the tour in a nice Turkish Restaurant.
Transfer back to hotel.
Dinner at your hotel included.
Hotel accommodation in Cappadocia. Private rooms with air condition and bath/WC. Possible hotels are Dedeli Cave or Hisarevi hotels in Urgup. If they are not available similar quality and location hotels will be reserved.

Amazing rock formations

Cappadocia is Turkey’s most visited area on account of its history because of its singularity and the strangeness of its lunar landscape. It is considered to be one of the wonders of the world and for centuries it has sheltered churches, frescoes, mosaics and paintings of Byzantine art.

The history of Cappadocia begins with the eruption of two volcanoes Lava covered the entire region changing the landscape. In the course of millennia rain and wind eroded the tufa creating unusual valleys, fissures, canyons and bizarrely shaped cones.  Dwellings were excavated inside the rocks and after the first Christians arrived churches and monasteries were also built. Numerous hermits and ascetics lived in the forgotten valleys. Under the rule of the Byzantines, Cappadocia became a bulwark against attacks by the Arabs, and entire underground cities were built.

 

DAY 4 :CAPPADOCIA-ANTALYA

One day is never enough to see the wonders of the vast Cappadocia region. You have so many things more to see on your second day that will keep your eyes wide open with amazement.

The second day's itinerary will be like this:

Breakfast at your hotel included
Full day Southern Cappadocia Tour including transfers, entrance fees, guide
This tour will cover Underground city of Derinkuyu or Kaymakli, wonderful Ihlara Valley as well as a caravanserai of Seljuk period, which is the great Turkish Empire before Ottomans.
Lunch included in a typical Turkish Restaurant during the day tour.
Transfer back to hotel.
Overnight bus to Antalya at 19:30 o'clock.
 

DAY 5 :ANTALYA-OLYMPOS

07 : 00 Arrival in Antalya. Transfer to Olympos
08 : 00 Arrival in Olympos and check-in to tree-house hotel in Olympos village and camping area
09 : 30 Tour of ancient sunken city of Kekova Island and Simena
17 : 00 End of the tour, back to the hotel for dinner and overnight

Tree Houses in Olympos village	Boats at Olympos bay	Simena across Kekova Island

Olympos: Olympos is a village at the south coast of Turkey, 90 km southwest of Antalya city near the Town of Kemer. The city was founded in the Hellenistic period, sharing its name with nearby Mount Olympos. Its coins date back to the 2nd century BC. The city became one of the six leading cities of the Lycian federation. Near Olympos, located in the neighboring village of Cirali, the eternal flames called the Chimaera may be seen issuing from the ground. The fuel source for the flames is natural gas, largely methane, seeping through cracks in the earth. The surrounding area offers best conditions for Trekking, Mountain biking, Canyoning, Rock climbing, Sea kayaking.

Kekova: Kekova, is a small island near Kas district of Antalya province which faces the villages of Kaleköy (ancient Simena) and Ucagiz (ancient Teimioussa). On its northern side there are the ruins of an ancient town partly sunken under the sea probably after destroyed by an earthquake during the second century A.D. Kaleköy or is a popular Lycian site, situated upon one of the most attractive spots of the Turkish coast. There are pensions and fish restaurants which serve daily fish and Mediterranean style Turkish cuisine dishes. Access to village is possible only by sea (by yacht and by motorboats from Kas). It is an enjoyable place to visit for its great beauty and charm.
 

DAY 6 :DRIVE TO PAMUKKALE

After breakfast
Drive to Pamukkale whenever ready.
Hotel accommodation in Pamukkale (possibility Koray Hotel or Kocak hotels)
 

DAY 7 :PAMUKKALE-KUSADASI

Breakfast at hotel included
08:30-17:30 Pamukkale & Hierapolis tour including transfers, entrance fees, guide
Lunch during the tour is included.
(Visiting the amazing white colored travertines, hot spring pools and water terraces have been created by nature in millions of years on the mountain slopes of Pamukkale and the ancient city of Hierapolis which has the biggest ancient Necropolis of Turkey with 1200 gravestones)
17:30 Drive to Kusadasi
19:30 Arrive in Kusadasi.
Hotel accommodation in Kusadasi. Private rooms with air condition and bath/WC. Possible hotels are Atinc Hotel or Polat Beach Hotel in Kusadasi. If they are not available similar quality and location hotels will be reserved. Hotel Upgrade is possible upon request.

Bathing in pools is no more allowed

Pamukkale (Hierapolis)
Pamukkale is one of the most enchanting and remarkable sights in the whole of Turkey with the great dazzling white plateau, almost 400 feet high, rising in a curtain of stalagmites and shallow pools, giving one into another on hundreds of different levels, and ancient city of Hierapolis located on this plateau. The great baths were constructed in the second century and are so well-preserved that they now serve as a museum. The impressive and recently restored theatre, the Martyrium of St. Philip the Apostle of the 5th century – a colonnaded street erected by Domitian, a monumental gate of the same period, another bath stretching on for over a Mile, the necropolis with a fascinating variety of tombs and sarcophagus are the famous monuments of this antique city.

 

DAY 8:KUSADASI

After breakfast free day in Kusadasi.
Hotel accommodation in Kusadasi.

KUSADASI:

Many cruising ships traveling around the Aegean Islands stop here, especially because of its close proximity (20km) to Seljuk. Kusadasi is a good base to explore this and other ancient cities like Priene and Didyma. Although there is little of historical interest in Kusadasi itself, the town is popular predominantly because of its many hotels, restaurants, souvenir and carpet shops, and lively nightlife.

The Kale district has some old traditional houses and narrow streets, and gives some indication of what the town used to be like. The most famous beach is Kadinlar Plaji, 2.5km south of the town, dominated by huge hotels and can get very crowded in summer. There are several small beaches further south, and closer to town is Yilanci Burnu, the peninsular.


 

DAY 9 :SAMOS or ISTANBUL

After breakfast transfer to the port.
09:00 Ferry to Greek Island, Samos / or overnight bus to Istanbul.

SAMOS ISLAND:
Samos is an island of the eastern Aegean Sea. It is only 1500 meters far from the coasts of western Turkey, where ancient Ionia culture bloomed. combines extraordinary nature with culture which hasn't had any significant changes through centuries , along with a really long history and old traditions of the island and its sights.

In classical antiquity the island was a centre of Ionian culture and luxury, renown for its Samos wines and its red pottery (called Samian ware by the Romans). Its most famous building, was the Ionic order archaic Temple of goddess Hera - the Heraion.

Samos economy depends mainly on the tourist industry and wine industry. Samos wines have won prestigious international awards.
 

PRICE, PAYMENT AND RESERVATION

PAYMENT AND RESERVATION

Payment and reservation: We will request 30% of the total tour price for guaranteed reservations. We will send you a detailed reservation contract by e-mail after all details are confirmed mutually.

For payments we accept Maestro, Visa and Master credit cards besides bank transfers. We also accept American express, but in that case we will have to reflect the 7% commission to you, which we have to pay ourselves.

Although not recommended to avoid last minute inconveniences, it is also possible to make an open-end reservation without sending your card information and making an advance payment if you are able to make the payment minimum 2 days before the date of departure in Istanbul

Travel Resources
Travel Directories
Travel Agency Links

Hotel Accommodation
Turkey Resources
Travel Guides
Travel Links