Treasures of the Turkish Riviera

Meet us in Istanbul.

Check in to your hotel and be met by the tour leader. If it is too early for check-in luggage can be stored at the hotel while you look around.

The rest of the day is yours to spend at leisure and explore this magnificent, historic city.

Overnight: La Quinta Hotel or similar, Istanbul

Meals included: None

After breakfast this morning, you will be picked up at 08:30 from the hotel for a day tour of old Istanbul city.

You'll visit the Topkapi Palace, the great palace of Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th centuries which houses an exquisite collection of crystal, silver and Chinese porcelain. Here, you'll also find robes worn by the sultans and their families, enshrining relics of the Prophet Mohammed, and famous jewels of the Imperial Treasury and Holy Mantle. Afterwards, you'll see the Sultan Ahmet Imperial Mosque which was built in the 16th century by the architect Mehmet. It's best known as the Blue Mosque because of its magnificent interior decoration of blue Iznik tiles.

Next, you'll see the Ancient Hippodrome which is the scene of a number of chariot races and features three monuments of the Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpent Column and the Column of Constantine. After lunch (not included), you will visit the Spice Bazaar (Egyptian Bazaar) where the air is filled with the enticing aromas of cinnamon, caraway, saffron, mint, thyme and every other conceivable herb and spice.

Please note: Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays. If the tour is affected, it will be replaced with a visit to the Ibrahim Pasha Palace (Turkish Islamic Art Museum).

Overnight: La Quinta Hotel or similar, Istanbul

Meals included: Breakfast

Today, depart for Gallipoli on an approximately 315-kilometre travel day.

When you arrive in Gallipoli, you'll enjoy lunch at leisure (not included) before departing for the historic World War I battlefields. Here you'll see the Gaba Tepe Museum, Ari Burnu Cemetery, Anzac Cove, Beach Cemetery, Shrapnel Valley and Plugge’s Plateau.

After the tour, you'll continue on to your hotel in Canakkale.

Overnight: Troia Tusan Hotel or similar, Canakkale

Meals included: Breakfast; Dinner

Today, you will visit the famous archaeological and mythological site of Troy which was home to the Trojan Horse and Helen of Troy.

After the tour, you'll drive to Pergamon where you'll enjoy lunch at leisure (not included) before departing on a tour of the magnificent acropolis where impressive temples and a library have made it a renowned cultural and political centre. You will also enjoy a stop at a jewellery centre as Pergamon is famous for its jewellery, stones and silver.

In the evening, you'll arrive in Kusadasi for dinner after travelling approximately 400 kilometres today.

Overnight: Ramada Kusadasi Hotel & Spa or similar, Kusadasi

Meals included: Breakfast; Dinner

Today, you'll enjoy a guided tour of Ephesus, which is one of the best-preserved ancient sites in the world.

Visit the Temple of Artemis, Curetes Street, Roman baths, the Library of Celsus, the Grand Theatre and the House of the Virgin Mary. You'll then stop at a carpet-weaving centre that continues to perform one of the oldest arts of Türkiye.

Afterwards, enjoy a tour of the Turkish village of Sirince, a pretty village that dates back to the 19th century with original white-painted houses.

On the way back to the hotel, you'll visit one of the region's famous leather production centres.

Overnight: Ramada Kusadasi Hotel & Spa or similar, Kusadasi

Meals included: Breakfast; Dinner

After breakfast, you'll depart for Fethiye, stopping for a refreshment break along the way before arriving at the Fethiye Harbour. Here you will board the Gulet which is your home for the next 7 nights.

Get to know your crew for the first dinner before setting sail from the picturesque harbour, this is where the Mediterranean meets the Aegean Sea and it's full of delightful little coves.

This evening is your chance to get to know fellow sailors over a few drinks and a sunset onboard before docking in Samanlik Bay.

Overnight: Gulet Grand Acar or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Dinner

Set sail early this morning along the picturesque coast of Fethiye, stopping for lunch in a secluded bay.

Next, you'll head to Butterfly Valley where you will get the chance to visit this amazing bay that hosts 136 different varieties of butterflies.

Afterwards, you'll cruise to the warm turquoise waters of Oludeniz (the Blue Lagoon) which is flanked by sheer mountains. Spend the night anchored near St Nicholas Island where you can explore the ruins of a Byzantine settlement before another social dinner on deck.

Overnight: Gulet Grand Acar or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

Depart at sunrise for Yesilkoy, where'll enjoy breakfast and a swim in the quiet bay surrounded by olive groves.

Afterwards, cruise on to Kas which is the pearl of the Mediterranean where you'll spend the next few hours wandering tiny little streets and markets to shop for local hand-made trinkets, beautiful ceramics and jewellery.

Later in the day, you'll depart for the idyllic Limanagzi Bay for a well-earned swim and dinner.

Overnight: Gulet Grand Acar or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

This morning you'll set sail for Cayagzi, Demre, where you will have the option to transfer by car to Myra and St Nicholas Church (please inform your captain if you would like to visit there, transfers are not included).

After lunch, you'll visit the city of Simena which is a traditional fishing village with no car access. Here you can see the impressive castle overlooking the bay and the natural amphitheatre of Ucagiz Bay with its Lycian tomb which is a perfect view point to catch a fiery sunset.

Overnight: Gulet Grand Acar or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

Enjoy a relaxed day today as the boat moves at a slow pace along the Mediterranean coast.

You'll then visit Kekova which is home to the sunken city. Afterwards, the boat will settle in the wide Tersane Bay where you will see the ruins of a Byzantine church and a Roman dockyard on the beach. From here, the journey will take you towards Gokkaya where you will spend the remainder of the evening.

Overnight: Gulet Grand Acar or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

After breakfast, you'll cruise to Firnaz Bay for a swim before heading to Kalkan, a picturesque little town of unspoilt beauty where you can explore cobblestone streets. In the afternoon, enjoy swimming in the crystal clear waters and indulge in dinner in Yesilkoy.

Overnight: Gulet Grand Acar or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

After an early start, you'll moor in Camli Burun which is a sheltered bay surrounded by pine-clad ridges.

Enjoy breakfast before sailing to Boncuklu Bay for more leisure time of sunbathing and swimming.

Tonight, you will port back to Fethiye to discover the long history of this important hub.

Overnight: Gulet Grand Acar or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

After breakfast, disembark your Gulet cruise and make your way to your hotel. Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

Overnight: Alesta Yacht Hotel or similar, Fethiye

Meals included: Breakfast

This morning, depart to Dalaman Airport for your internal flight to Istanbul.

Upon arrival, be transferred to your hotel and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

Overnight: La Quinta Hotel or similar, Istanbul

Meals included: Breakfast

Today, check out of the hotel and make your own onward travel arrangements.

This morning, at the appropriate time, check out of the hotel and make your own onward travel arrangements from Istanbul, Türkiye.

Meals included: Breakfast

Meet us in Istanbul.

Check in to your hotel and be met by the tour leader. If it is too early for check-in luggage can be stored at the hotel while you look around.

The rest of the day is yours to spend at leisure and explore this magnificent, historic city.

Overnight: La Quinta Hotel or similar, Istanbul

Meals included: None

After breakfast this morning, you will be picked up at 08:30 from the hotel for a day tour of old Istanbul city.

You'll visit the Topkapi Palace, the great palace of Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th centuries which houses an exquisite collection of crystal, silver and Chinese porcelain. Here, you'll also find robes worn by the sultans and their families, enshrining relics of the Prophet Mohammed, and famous jewels of the Imperial Treasury and Holy Mantle. Afterwards, you'll see the Sultan Ahmet Imperial Mosque which was built in the 16th century by the architect Mehmet. It's best known as the Blue Mosque because of its magnificent interior decoration of blue Iznik tiles.

Next, you'll see the Ancient Hippodrome which is the scene of a number of chariot races and features three monuments of the Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpent Column and the Column of Constantine. After lunch (not included), you will visit the Spice Bazaar (Egyptian Bazaar) where the air is filled with the enticing aromas of cinnamon, caraway, saffron, mint, thyme and every other conceivable herb and spice.

Please note: Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays. If the tour is affected, it will be replaced with a visit to the Ibrahim Pasha Palace (Turkish Islamic Art Museum).

Overnight: La Quinta Hotel or similar, Istanbul

Meals included: Breakfast

Today, depart for Gallipoli on an approximately 315-kilometre travel day.

When you arrive in Gallipoli, you'll enjoy lunch at leisure (not included) before departing for the historic World War I battlefields. Here you'll see the Gaba Tepe Museum, Ari Burnu Cemetery, Anzac Cove, Beach Cemetery, Shrapnel Valley and Plugge’s Plateau.

After the tour, you'll continue on to your hotel in Canakkale.

Overnight: Troia Tusan Hotel or similar, Canakkale

Meals included: Breakfast; Dinner

Today, you will visit the famous archaeological and mythological site of Troy which was home to the Trojan Horse and Helen of Troy.

After the tour, you'll drive to Pergamon where you'll enjoy lunch at leisure (not included) before departing on a tour of the magnificent acropolis where impressive temples and a library have made it a renowned cultural and political centre. You will also enjoy a stop at a jewellery centre as Pergamon is famous for its jewellery, stones and silver.

In the evening, you'll arrive in Kusadasi for dinner after travelling approximately 400 kilometres today.

Overnight: Ramada Kusadasi Hotel & Spa or similar, Kusadasi

Meals included: Breakfast; Dinner

Today, you'll enjoy a guided tour of Ephesus, which is one of the best-preserved ancient sites in the world.

Visit the Temple of Artemis, Curetes Street, Roman baths, the Library of Celsus, the Grand Theatre and the House of the Virgin Mary. You'll then stop at a carpet-weaving centre that continues to perform one of the oldest arts of Türkiye.

Afterwards, enjoy a tour of the Turkish village of Sirince, a pretty village that dates back to the 19th century with original white-painted houses.

On the way back to the hotel, you'll visit one of the region's famous leather production centres.

Overnight: Ramada Kusadasi Hotel & Spa or similar, Kusadasi

Meals included: Breakfast; Dinner

After breakfast, you'll depart for Fethiye, stopping for a refreshment break along the way before arriving at the Fethiye Harbour. Here you will board the Gulet which is your home for the next 7 nights.

Get to know your crew for the first dinner before setting sail from the picturesque harbour, this is where the Mediterranean meets the Aegean Sea and it's full of delightful little coves.

This evening is your chance to get to know fellow sailors over a few drinks and a sunset onboard before docking in Samanlik Bay.

Overnight: Gulet Grand Acar or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Dinner

Set sail early this morning along the picturesque coast of Fethiye, stopping for lunch in a secluded bay.

Next, you'll head to Butterfly Valley where you will get the chance to visit this amazing bay that hosts 136 different varieties of butterflies.

Afterwards, you'll cruise to the warm turquoise waters of Oludeniz (the Blue Lagoon) which is flanked by sheer mountains. Spend the night anchored near St Nicholas Island where you can explore the ruins of a Byzantine settlement before another social dinner on deck.

Overnight: Gulet Grand Acar or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

Depart at sunrise for Yesilkoy, where'll enjoy breakfast and a swim in the quiet bay surrounded by olive groves.

Afterwards, cruise on to Kas which is the pearl of the Mediterranean where you'll spend the next few hours wandering tiny little streets and markets to shop for local hand-made trinkets, beautiful ceramics and jewellery.

Later in the day, you'll depart for the idyllic Limanagzi Bay for a well-earned swim and dinner.

Overnight: Gulet Grand Acar or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

This morning you'll set sail for Cayagzi, Demre, where you will have the option to transfer by car to Myra and St Nicholas Church (please inform your captain if you would like to visit there, transfers are not included).

After lunch, you'll visit the city of Simena which is a traditional fishing village with no car access. Here you can see the impressive castle overlooking the bay and the natural amphitheatre of Ucagiz Bay with its Lycian tomb which is a perfect view point to catch a fiery sunset.

Overnight: Gulet Grand Acar or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

Enjoy a relaxed day today as the boat moves at a slow pace along the Mediterranean coast.

You'll then visit Kekova which is home to the sunken city. Afterwards, the boat will settle in the wide Tersane Bay where you will see the ruins of a Byzantine church and a Roman dockyard on the beach.

From here, the journey will take you towards Gokkaya where you will spend the remainder of the evening.

Overnight: Gulet Grand Acar or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

After breakfast, you'll cruise to Firnaz Bay for a swim before heading to Kalkan, a picturesque little town of unspoilt beauty where you can explore cobblestone streets. In the afternoon, enjoy swimming in the crystal clear waters and indulge in dinner in Yesilkoy.

Overnight: Gulet Grand Acar or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

After an early start, you'll moor in Camli Burun which is a sheltered bay surrounded by pine-clad ridges. Enjoy breakfast before sailing to Boncuklu Bay for more leisure time of sunbathing and swimming.

Tonight, you will port back to Fethiye to discover the long history of this important hub.

Overnight: Gulet Grand Acar or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

After breakfast, disembark your Gulet cruise and make your way to your hotel.

Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

Overnight: Alesta Yacht Hotel or similar, Fethiye

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast, you'll travel to Konya, stopping for coffee and a break on an approximately 690-kilometre day.

Upon arrival, you'll visit the imposing, green-tiled Mausoleum of Mevlana which is the resting place of the mystic founder of the Sufi sect, 'The Whirling Dervishes’.

Afterwards, your journey continues to the magnificent historical region of Cappadocia where you will check-in to the hotel and enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure.

Overnight: El Puente Cave Hotel or similar, Cappadocia

Meals included: Breakfast

Today, enjoy a full day at leisure to explore this unique magical city. Cappadocia is known for its unique geological formations including surreal landscapes of cone-shaped rock formations, underground cities and ancient cave dwellings.

Cappadocia has been inhabited for thousands of years and has a rich history that spans various civilizations.

Overnight: El Puente Cave Hotel or similar, Cappadocia

Meals included: Breakfast

Following breakfast, drive to the Ozkonak underground city which is one of Cappadocia’s best preserved underground cities.

Afterwards, you'll visit Uchisar Castle, the highest point of Cappadocia. Next, stop by the Goreme Open Air Museum which is famous for frescoes describing the life of Jesus Christ and monks that date back to the 10th century. Head to a pottery workshop to see how the locals make pottery before continuing to Pasabagi to see the unique natural formation of the three-headed fairy chimneys.

Your next stop is Devrent Valley, also called Imagination Valley, where you can see natural rock formations before enjoying time shopping at a handicraft centre. The last stop is the Three Beauties which are three fairy chimneys with their hats, thought to be the symbol of Cappadocia.

Optional Activity: Hot Air Ballooning in Cappadocia
Early this morning, why not take the opportunity to join an amazing optional experience? Take a hot air balloon over the spectacular landscape of Cappadocia. Book on tour, not included.
Please note: As you can appreciate, Hot Air Ballooning is a highly sought after bucket list adventure and is dependent on good weather conditions. As a result, prices can fluctuate quite dramatically and we recommend researching before you travel so that you can manage your travel budget. If you wish to embark on the balloon journey then please inform the tour leader the day prior.

Overnight: El Puente Cave Hotel or similar, Cappadocia

Meals included: Breakfast

Enjoy the morning at leisure or take the opportunity to take part in an optional tour. At the appropriate time, transfer to Kayseri Airport for the domestic flight to Istanbul. Upon arrival, be transferred to your accommodation to enjoy your final evening at leisure.

Optional Tour: Early Morning Jeep Safari
Starting at 06:00 you'll drive to Cappadocia Valley to explore the scenery while all the balloons are up in the air, following their path by land through the Fairy Chimneys. Please see Important Information for current pricing.

You will be back at the hotel just in time to prepare for your return flight to Istanbul.

Overnight: La Quinta Hotel or similar, Istanbul

Meals included: Breakfast

Today, check out of the hotel and make your own onward travel arrangements.

This morning, at the appropriate time, check out of the hotel and make your own onward travel arrangements from Istanbul, Türkiye.

Meals included: Breakfast