Turkish Secrets

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Contrast of the Anatolian region between the coast and the high mountains . Dinner included. We leave Antalya for ASPENDOS, we visit the Roman theatre which many believe to be the best preserved in the world. After this in SIDE we can admire the Greek temple of Apollo by the sea. Time to stroll around the port and through its streets full of life. Amidst impressive countryside we cross the Taurus Mountains, their peaks of over 3,500 metres in height are snow- covered for a large part of the year. A stop in KARAMAN where we visit TARTAN EVI, an ancient Ottoman mansion. Continuation to the region of Cappadocia. NIGDE, dinner and accommodation. Note: Sometimes the Tartan Evi may be closed, in which case the visit would be replaced by another to a mansion of similar characteristics in Cappadocia.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: landscapes with spectacular shapes. Picturesque towns. Dinner included. A full day in the fantastic region of CAPPADOCIA, with its lunar landscapes, its churches and troglodyte villages. We start by visiting GUMUSLER, an incredible seventh century underground monastery with maybe the best Byzantine frescoes in Turkey. In KAYMAKLI we will see theunderground city that could house 30,000 people. We will visit the natural fortress of UCHISAR.After lunch, we will see the GOREME Valley with its open-air museum and its churches dug out of the rocks, entrance included. Hotel in AVANOS. Dinner included.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Turkey´s interior whose landscape changes as we get closer to the Black Sea.Traditional Turkish tea. Dinner included.We have a fantastic day in the heart of Anatolia. With the utmost respect to the pilgrims (suitable clothes, silence recommended in the sanctuaries), we visit HACIBECKTAS, the sanctuary guards the tomb of Hacibecktas, a Sufi mystic of the 13th Century. After that, we continue to ANKARA, where we leave a free time to walk around and have lunch in the thriving center of the city. We continue towards the north of Turkey. The landscapes become greener. SAFRANBOLU; arrival in this wonderful little city which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was an important stopping point on the caravan routes. In the couryard of a magnificent old Caravanserail we will include a traditional Turkish tea. Dinner and accommodation.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: A green and rainy Turkey. Eydinpinar waterfalls.Today, the leg of our trip follows the Black Sea and its verdant landscapes. In GOKGOL MAGARASI we provide entry tickets to this magnificent cave with its underground river and its multiple colours. InEREGLI, next to the Black Sea, we set aside time to have lunch. We also include a visit to its impressive Cehennemagzi Magarasi caves and tombs that are overflowing with mythology. On our way back to Istanbul, we stop to relax at EYDINPINAR, with a walk between its green paths to the waterfalls! Arrival in ISTANBUL at the end of the day.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Sighseeing tour. Cable car to Pierre Loti viewpoint. Topkapi Palace .Night transfer to Taksim.A sightseeing tour of the city. We find ourselves in a city built in two continents. On our tour, we will include a cable car ride up to the Pierre Loti viewpoint and we will lenter the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent (the largest in Istanbul). We will see the walls, the Golden Horn, the fishing district, and we will admire the exterior of Hagia Sofia. After the visit, we will offer tickets and a visit to the Top Kapi Palace, which was the administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire, with its magnificent courtyards and its pavilions. At the end of the afternoon we will provide a transfer to the Taksim neighbourhood, the most commercialised and lively area of the city. There will be time to dine in one of its many restaurants, and you can also take the old tram that crosses the area or go to see the nearby Galata Tower.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Boat trip on the Bosphorus.Today we include a boat trip on the Bosphorus that will last about two hours. We will undertake the trip on a boat exclusively for Europamundo travellers. The Bosphorus is a strait that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of ??Marmara, which separates Istanbul into two parts: the European part and the Asian one. We will enjoy seeing the liveliness of the strait with its multitude of boats. We will pass under the two bridges that unite Europe and Asia and we will admire the palaces of the sultans, the typical wooden houses and the Ottoman villas. Free time.

After breakfast, end of our services.