Package Details

DAY 1: ISTANBUL • IZMIR > EPHESUS After the private early morning transfer to the airport, and your arrival at Izmir airport, your car and tour guide will be ready for you to drive to Ephesus. This Roman capital of Asia Minor tour includes the Odeon, the Marble Street, the Hadrian Temple, the Celcius Library, and the Great Theatre. You may opt for lunch in a local restaurant before paying a pilgrimage visit to the House of Virgin Mary. This Christian and Muslim shrine is located in the vicinity of Ephesus, and it is believed by many that Virgin Mary was taken to this stone house by Saint John and lived there. You will spend the night in Izmir, one of Turkey’s most beautiful cities, reckoned for its unique character. DAY 2: IZMIR > CAPPADOCIA Your private guide and vehicle will be waiting for you for an early morning transfer to Izmir airport. Following the flight to Kapadokya airport, you will travel to the Cappadocia region also by private car. The first stop will be at the Kaymakli Underground City, dating back 3000 B.C., Kaymaklı, which was expanded into an underground city by carving other areas during the Roman and Byzantine periods, was carved into tuff rocks. There are rooms and halls connected by narrow corridors, wine tanks, water cellars, kitchen and food storages, ventilation shafts, water wells, a church, and more, in Kaymakli Underground City. Following lunch, the afternoon’s wonders will then continue with the fantastic panoramic view you will enjoy at the natural citadel of Uçhisar. You will witness the poetry written through the ages on the soft volcanic rock by none other than the elements of nature. The wind and the rain have worked together to create a surreal, almost lunar landscape, a scene of pillars and cones and, of course, the unique fairy chimneys. You will also have the chance to see Pigeon Valley, Avcılar Valley, Zelve Valley, and Avanos - the pottery village. An elegant dinner and a magical night’s rest at your hotel in Cappadocia will help you to absorb the day’s marvels. (Optional tours to a simple wine house or a local folkloric performance after dinner are available). DAY 3: CAPPADOCIA > ISTANBUL Breakfast will be served at the hotel before leaving for the Göreme Valley. Turks have a legend that explains the name’s etymology as: “Gör, Emi (see it, for sure).” This is not without reason, for this is an important site of the region. The valley is home to rock churches and monasteries, back to the 2nd century AD, richly decorated with colorful frescoes. You will also see the Soganli Valley, Cavusin Village, and Paşabag Valley with Fairy Chimneys and the Karanlik Church, which has recently been restored and presented as a treasure to the world. You may opt for lunch in a local restaurant with selections of local wines. You will then be transferred to the Kapadokya airport. After the return flight to Istanbul, there will be another private transfer back to your hotel.