Turkish Escape
8 Days
Tour Description
Turkey is a unique country with a unique identity straddling both Europe and Asia. Your 8-day Turkish Escape starts in Istanbul, a city of great diversity and a combination of tree-lined boulevards, cafés and cosmopolitan restaurants set against a backdrop where little has changed for centuries. During its 3,000 years of turbulent history, it has been home to the Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, Ottomans and the Turks themselves- all leaving their marks. Highlights of your sightseeing are inside visits to the 6th century Hagia Sophia, the largest ever church and for over a thousand years the largest covered space on earth and to the amazing Topiaki Palace which was the seat of the government of one of the greatest Empire of the Medieval age.
Pay tribute to the fallen war heroes at the Anzac cemetery and visit 3 of the most famous ancient sites in the country: Troy, Pergamon and Ephesus. Each very different and distinctive. Troy, the oldest, dating from 3,000BC and made up to 9 separate cities all built over each other; Pergamon an impregnable defensive site with amazing views in all directions which flourished as one of the ancient world’s greatest centres of and healing; Ephesus, the greatest city in the Eastern Mediterranean during Roman times which boasts an extraordinary number of superbly preserved monuments.
Cross from Europe to Asia on board a scenic ferry journey across the Dardanelles Straight and get ready to taste the superb Turkish cuisine, an interesting blend of Mediterranean specialties and flavours.
This is the perfect holiday if you are looking for a genuine and unique blend of diverse cultures, centuries of history and an atmosphere the mysterious East with the familiar West.
Pay tribute to the fallen war heroes at the Anzac cemetery and visit 3 of the most famous ancient sites in the country: Troy, Pergamon and Ephesus. Each very different and distinctive. Troy, the oldest, dating from 3,000BC and made up to 9 separate cities all built over each other; Pergamon an impregnable defensive site with amazing views in all directions which flourished as one of the ancient world’s greatest centres of and healing; Ephesus, the greatest city in the Eastern Mediterranean during Roman times which boasts an extraordinary number of superbly preserved monuments.
Cross from Europe to Asia on board a scenic ferry journey across the Dardanelles Straight and get ready to taste the superb Turkish cuisine, an interesting blend of Mediterranean specialties and flavours.
This is the perfect holiday if you are looking for a genuine and unique blend of diverse cultures, centuries of history and an atmosphere the mysterious East with the familiar West.
Priced From:
$ 1649pp *
Start Location: Istanbul, Turkey
End Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Major Destinations: Pergamum ,Blue Mosque ,Great Mosque,Hagia Sophia,Hierapolis,Lone Pine Memorial
Breakfast Meals Included:
7
Lunch Meals Included:
0
Dinner Meals Included:
5
Itinerary
Day
1
ARRIVE IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY.
Welcome to Istanbul! At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and travelling companions for a welcome dinner at the hotel. (D)
Day
2
ISTANBUL.
A Gateway between Orient and Occident
ISTANBUL Guided sightseeing includes the Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, the Roman Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque and Grand Bazaar. (Globus Local Favourite) Enjoy a traditional Turkish coffee experience at an historical coffee roaster. (B)
TOUR HIGHLIGHT
CULTURE & TRADITIONS Founded by the Greeks as Byzantium more than 2,500 years ago, and finally called Istanbul after the Ottoman conquest in the 15th century, the city on the Bosporus remains one of the most exciting places in the world. Its strategic location as a gateway between Orient and Occident, the Islamic and the Christian worlds, and the Black Sea and the Mediterranean predestined it for a turbulent yet exciting history.
Day
3
ISTANBUL-GALLIPOLI-TROY AREA.
Bravery on the Beach
GALLIPOLI Visit the WWI battlefields on the Gallipoli peninsula, the Anzac Cemetery, the Lone Pine Memorial and Chunuk Bair Memorial sites before crossing the Dardanelless by ferry.
TROY Enjoy a guided visit of the ancient city.
(B,D) 236 mi/ 380 km
TOUR HIGHLIGHT
HISTORY & HERITAGE Visit the moving and inspirational sites, where Allied troops, mainly Australians and New Zealanders, suffered heavy casualties in a disastrous campaign. Pay tribute to the heroes of those tragic months of 1915 at the Anzac Cemetery and the Lone Pine Memorial.
Day
4
TROY AREA-PERGAMUM-KUSADASI.
The Sacred Way
PERGAMUM Guided visit of the Asklepion, a shrine to the Greek God of medicine.
EPHESUS Visit the archaeological museum
(B,D) 267 mi / 430 km
TOUR HIGHLIGHT
HEALING THE BODY & THE SOUL
Nestled between hills, the Asklepion retains a sense of serenity and history. The sick approached the temple via the Sacred Way, a path that started their journey to health determined according to what dreams the patient experienced and which also included theatre shows. All of this was done in the belief that healing was a sacred art and that people's souls needed to be mended as well as their bodies.
Day
5
KUSADASI-EPHESUS-PAMUKKALE.
Ancient Civilisation Preserved
EPHESUS Follow your Guide for a walk through the ancient ruins.
HIERAPOLIS Visit the Greco-Roman thermal resort dating back to 190 BC, and see the “cotton castles” of Pamukkale, the stunning natural wonder comprised of brilliant white terraces and turquoise pools of water. (B,D) 137 mi / 220 km
TOUR HIGHLIGHT
HISTORIC SPOTS Ephesus was one of the most famous cities of the ancient Mediterranean. It was the second biggest city of the Roman Empire and today it is one of the largest Roman archaeological sites in the eastern Mediterranean.
Day
6
PAMUKKALE-BURSA.
In the Shadow of Mount Olympus
BURSA Visit the Great Mosque the historical covered bazaar and the silk market followed by a Kestane Sekeri tasting. (B) 280mi / 450 km
TOUR HIGHLIGHT
ANCIENT TASTES ON THE SILK ROAD Wander through the long winding bazaar in Bursa, Turkey's centuries-old city centre, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the buzzing marketplace. Treat your taste buds to one of the city's famous sweets, the Kestane Sekeri, and find the perfect gift for yourself or a friend, a piece of authentic Bursa-made silk.
Day
7
BURSA-IZNIK-ISTANBUL.
Ancient Walls & Ecumenical Council
IZNIK Guided visit includes the Great Mosque (St. Sophia's Church) and the Archaeological museum
ISTANBUL Farewell dinner at a local restaurant (B,D) 137 mi / 220 km
TOUR HIGHLIGHT
CERAMIC BEYOND TIMES Iznik is a completely "open-air museum" with its rare ancient history and uniqueness. It is also the birthplace of the world famous Iznik tiles - a treasured artform dating back to the Ottoman Empire.
Day
8
ISTANBUL.
Safe travels until we meet again!
Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning. (B)
Dates & prices
Dates
Prices
Status
Departure Date :
2025-03-23
Return Date :
2025-03-30
Triple :
2399 NZD
Twin :
2399 NZD
Sold Out
Departure Date :
2025-03-16
Return Date :
2025-03-23
Triple :
2399 NZD
Twin :
2399 NZD
Sold Out
Departure Date :
2025-03-02
Return Date :
2025-03-09
Triple :
2399 NZD
Twin :
2399 NZD
Sold Out
Departure Date :
2025-02-16
Return Date :
2025-02-23
Triple :
2229 NZD
Twin :
2229 NZD
Sold Out
Departure Date :
2025-01-26
Return Date :
2025-02-02
Triple :
1649 NZD
Twin :
1649 NZD
Sold Out
Departure Date :
2025-01-19
Return Date :
2025-01-26
Triple :
1649 NZD
Twin :
1649 NZD
Sold Out