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istanbul with cappadoccia
(Istanbul and Cappadoccia)
Day 1 Istanbul: Arrival in Istanbul, meet and greet Concept Voyages representative and transfer to hotel. Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul, by any name the city is as glorious. After a short rest departure for Bosphorus Cruise and Egyptian Bazaar tour. Enjoy the Bosphorus Cruise, through the waterway separating the two continents, Europe and Asia, with a possibility to take photographs of marble palaces, ancient wooden villas of Ottoman architecture besides modern residentials and luxurious apartments. This is a relaxing way to take in some major landmarks including the magnificent Dolmabahce Palace, the Bosphorus Suspension Bridge and the imposing waterfront villas of Istanbul. We end the tour with a visit to the Rumeli Fortress. Built by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452 prior to the conquest of Istanbul, it is an impressive work of ancient military architecture. Overnight stay at hotel.
Day 2 Istanbul: After breakfast, proceed for the full day city tour including Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace and St. Sophia. This guided walking tour of old Istanbul. Stating with Haghia Sophia, the most influential church of Byzantium. Originally built by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century, it still stands today as one of the world's greatest architectural marvels. Next visit the Blue Mosque, another of the world's most important religious buildings. Built in the 16th century the mosque is unique for it's 6 minarets and it's celestial interior decorated with the famous blue Iznik tiles. We then visit the Hippodrome, scene of chariot races. Although little remains of the great stadium which, in its hey day, is thought to have held 100.000 people, the Obelisk of Theodosius, the Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine are the highlights. Towards the end of your tour visit the Grand Bazaar, a mind-boggling labyrinth of 4000 tiny shops selling jewellery, antiques, carpets,
leatherwear and souvenirs. Lunch included in the tour. Drop back after the hotel after the tour. Overnight stay at hotel.
Day 3 Istanbul: After breakfast, free at leisure for exploring Istanbul on your own. Overnight stay at hotel.
Day 4 Istanbul-Cappadoccia: After breakfast transfer to airport to board the Kayseri flight.
Meet and greet on arrival by concept voyages representative and transfer to Cappadoccia
for check-in the hotel. For centuries, inhabitants of the Cappadoccia region of central Turkey carved their homes out of the volcanic rock that forms the landscape, in some places building entire beehive towns out of hillsides. You can experience staying at a cave hotel for extra charge. In some villages in Cappadoce, galleries and underground caves can be found. They form an underground network where inhabitants could find refuge. The aim of such constructions was to protect men in times of conflict or raids made by Persians or Arabs. Afternoon free at leisure. Dinner and overnight stay at hotel.
Day 5 Cappadoccia: Breakfast at hotel. Proceed for full day guided sightseeing in the one of the unique places in the world. Churches and monasteries excavated into the walls of the Goreme Hills. Some well-preserved frescoes from ~1000 years ago. It's the most popular tourist site so it gets really crowded along the day. Devrent Valley offer a bizarre, chimney-like, rock formations. Cavusin is situated 2 km from Goreme, on the Goreme - Avanos road. The Church of St. John the Baptist offers a panoramic view of the village. This church and its paintings date back to the 5th century, making it the oldest church in the region. It had a large courtyard, which is unusual for
Cappadoccia. The ancient name of the town of Avanos, which lies 18km to the northeast of Nevsehir, was Vanessa. The main economic activity in the town is pottery, a craft dating back to the Hittite period. The red clay, which is worked by local craftsmen, comes from the residue in the Kizilirmak river. Visit Devrent Valley, Monks Valley, Avanos, Goreme, Uchisar, Kizilcukur, Cavusin, Guvercinlik and one of the underground cities, Kaymakli or Derinkuyu divided into 2 days with lunch. Dinner and overnight stay at hotel.
Day 6 Cappadoccia: Breakfast at hotel. Proceed for full day guided sightseeing in the one of the unique places in the world. There are multiple underground cities in Cappadoccia. Essentially these are multiple-story complexes that were dug deep into the earth. In some of them you end up more than 10 meters underground by following narrow staircases and low tunnels. Uchisar is situated at the highest point in the region, on the Nevsehir-Goreme road, just 7 km from Nevsehir. It is not known when Uchisar was first inhabited , however, in style, it resembles Ortahisar and the Selime Kalesi (castle) in the Ihlara Region. Derinkuyu is probably the most impressive one. Complete the rest of the sightseeing in
Cappadoccia. Lunch included during tour. Derinkuyu is situated 29km from Nevsehir, on the road to Nigde. The settlement is approximately 85m deep. It contains all the usual rooms found in an underground settlement (stables, cellars, refectories, churches, wineries etc.). Apart from these, a large room with a barrel vaulted ceiling on the second floor was a missionary school, the rooms to the left being study rooms. From the 3rd and 4th floors onwards the descent is by way of vertical staircases which lead to the cruciform plan church on the lowest floor. The 55m deep ventilation shaft was also used as a well. Not every floor was provided with a well, however, some wells were not connected with the surface in order to protect the dwellers from poisoning during raids. Derinkuyu Underground settlement was opened to visitors in 1965. Dinner and overnight stay at hotel.
Day 7 Cappadoccia-Istanbul: After breakfast, checkout and transfer to Cappadoccia airport for boarding flight home.
End of Tour!
tour inclusions & pricing
Tour Booking Code: CVITR-04
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