Absolute Turkey: Winter

Arrive at any time. There are no activities planned until our evening welcome meeting. After the meeting, opt to join your CEO and fellow travellers for dinner. Get the most out of your time in Istanbul by pre-booking the following activity to experience before your tour starts: Istanbul Walking Tour and Bosphorus Cruise. If you do, we recommend booking accommodation for an extra night pre-tour. And don’t worry if you can’t decide now. This activity is available for pre-booking any time before your tour starts, while any of the optional activities listed can be booked independently upon arrival in Istanbul.

Included Experiences

• Meet Your CEO and Group: Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.

Optional Experiences

• Istanbul Walking Tour and Bosphorus Cruise: Go even deeper into Istanbul, discovering diverse and lesser-visited districts with your CEO, and some of the best photography spots in the city! Today we will walk along the ancient Constantinople city walls; see Tekfur Palace(the Blaherne Palace) which has got thick walls adjacent to the landwalls ; stroll through the photogenic Fener (Greek) and Balat (Jewish) districts, known for their colourful wooden houses; enjoy lunch together; and cruise the Bosphorus Strait for stunning views of Ottoman palaces and the city skyline. Please note: this is a full day (6+ hours) day excursion. Lunch is included. Your CEO will collect you from the hotel lobby at 9am. Please bring sunscreen, a water bottle, and modest clothing/coverings for shoulders and upper legs for visiting religious sites. There will be a welcome note at the reception with more details from your CEO, so please check on arrival.

Explore Experiences

Enjoy an orientation walk around Istanbul before moving on to the small, but vibrant city of Bolu.

Included Experiences

• Istanbul Orientation Walk: Enjoy an orientation walk of Istanbul. Each walk varies, allowing your CEO to show off their favourite spots around the city. Pass by city highlights such as the Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia (also known as the Aya Sofya), and the Blue Mosque. Walks may also include the atmospheric Spice Bazaar or breathtaking Grand Bazaar.

Visit Anitkabir before driving to the Cappadocia region. Enjoy a home-cooked dinner with a local family. Transfer to the town of Göreme, the base for exploring Cappadocia. With two and a half days free to explore, there will be plenty of time to tour the area by bike, visit neighbouring villages, trek regional valleys or try a hot air balloon ride. During one of the evenings here, travel to a nearby village and enjoy dinner with a local family.

The local dinner may take place on any night in Göreme based on the family's availability.

Included Experiences

• Anitkabir Visit: Visit the monumental tomb of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the republic of Turkey. Learn about his significance to gain more insight into your Turkish exploration.
• Dinner with Local Family: Enjoy seasonal homemade dishes, and talk with friendly hosts about life in rural Cappadocia.

Enjoy an included visit to the Göreme Open Air Museum before free time to explore this unique region. Enjoy a guided walk through the valley with a visit to an underground city. Outdoor enthusiast? Hire a bike to get around on two wheels or join your CEO on an optional trekking tour through one of the beautiful valleys of the region. If you want to go further afield, take a local bus to explore nearby villages.

Want to do more with your tour? Book the Cappadocia Balloon Ride or Whirling Dervishes upon arrival by arranging it with your CEO. If you book the Cappadocia hot air balloon ride, you will be flying on Day 4 or 5 (weather permitting).

Included Experiences

• Göreme Open Air Museum Guided Tour: Be inspired by the natural beauty of the historic Göreme Open Air Museum, a complex of medieval painted cave churches carved out by Orthodox monks. Tour the more than 10 caves on site, and enjoy the color and vibrancy of many of the churches that are up to 1,000 years old.
• Free Time: Free time to explore the region any way you like.
• Underground City Visit: Visit one of the underground cities (there are approximately 30 in the region) that were famously used as hiding places for Christians escaping the persecution of the Roman Empire between the fifth and tenth centuries. See how people transferred their surface lives to this underground world – there are cellars, rooms for food storage, kitchens, churches, stables, wine and oil presses, and shafts for ventilation.

Optional Experiences

• Whirling Dervishes: Witness this spellbinding dance-like worship, practiced by followers of the Mevlevilik Sufi order.
• Hot Air Balloon Ride: Cappadocia is captivating from the ground, but that’s just the half of it. See the seemingly hand-painted landscapes of Cappadocia as they deserve to be seen, from the air aboard a hot air balloon. Get up early and enjoy a simple breakfast before climbing in the basket and taking to the skies in one of the most favoured places in the world to experience a hot air balloon ride.

Explore Experiences

Visit Konya and continue to Beyşehir. Visit the Esrefoglu mosque, one of the unique mosques in the country.

Wander the cobbled streets of the old harbour. Arrive at Antalya around lunchtime. With a free afternoon, wander the charming cobbled hillside streets of the district of Kaleici, a great place to stop and have a drink with amazing views of the marina below. For a break from the hustle and bustle, head for the greenery and teashops at one of Antalya's beautiful parks or relax with a traditional Turkish hammam scrub.

Included Experiences

• Free Time: Spend free time exploring the city of Antalya. Take advantage of its parks and beaches or duck into a museum or two.

Optional Experiences

• Antalya Hammam: Visit a hammam, a great way to get squeaky clean and soothe sore muscles in a traditional Turkish bathhouse. Begin in a warm room to relax your body, then move into the hot marble steam chamber for a full-body scrub and foam massage. Rinse and relax!

Enjoy more time in Antalya to explore.

Included Experiences

• Free Time: Head out and see the sights.

Optional Experiences

• Antalya Archaeological Museum Visit: Take in some culture at the Antalya Museum, home to 13 exhibition galleries. See a wide range of exhibits, including great reconstructions of life under the Ottoman Empire.

Guided walk of Pamukkale and the ancient city of Hierapolis. Passing through fruit orchards on the way to Pamukkale. In the afternoon, visit the famous white cliffs of Pamukkale and the ancient site of Hierapolis, built on top of the white "castle". This UNESCO World Heritage Site is evidence that the hot springs of Pamukkale were used as a spa since the second century BC.

Included Experiences

• Hierapolis and Pamukkale Visit: Tour the white cliffs of Pamukkale to learn about this World Heritage-listed site and natural wonder. Made up of 17 hot water springs, the cliffs are formed when the calcium carbonate hardens with time. Explore the ancient site of Hierapolis built on top of the white "castle." See the large, ancient baths within the city (thought to be evidence that the hot springs of Pamukkale were used as a spa since second century BC).

Visit the ruins of the ancient Roman town of Ephesus. Travel to the town of Selçuk. In the afternoon, visit the ruins of the ancient Roman town of Ephesus.

Included Experiences

• Ephesus Visit: Tour the ruins of ancient Ephesus to get a feeling of what life must have been like during Roman times. Take in its massive, well-preserved theatre, which dominates the view down Harbour Street. See the two-story library, whose façade has been carefully reconstructed from all original pieces. Built in AD 125, it once held nearly 12,000 scrolls.

Explore Experiences

Free time to walk up to the remains of St John's Basilica, visit the mosque of Isa Bey or just wander the streets and cafés of this vibrant Turkish town. Enjoy a cooking class in the afternoon. Opt to walk to the remains of St John's Basilica, visit the Mosque of Isa Bey or wander the streets of this vibrant Turkish town. Or catch a local “dolmus” bus to the picturesque village of Şirince (8 km) to sample some local wine or shop for crafts. For dedicated sunseekers, the beach at Pamucaki is also within reach. Late in the afternoon, meet up with the group and walk to a local cooking class. Our host will demonstrate some Turkish dishes for everyone to enjoy at the end of the class.

Included Experiences

• Free Time: Get out and explore.
• Cooking Class: Visit a local restaurant for a cooking class. Watch a demonstration and learn about regional ingredients and dishes. Enjoy the meal at the end of the class!

Optional Experiences

• Saint John's Basilica Visit: View St John's Basilica, once a grand basilica in Ephesus. Constructed by Justinian I in the 6th century, it was built in where John the Apostle is said to be buried.
• Mosque of Isa Bey Visit: Visit the centuries-old Isa Bey Mosque on the outskirts of Selçuk to see one of the oldest and most impressive works of art remaining in this region.

Travel to the market town of Bergama, and explore the Acropolis of ancient Pergamon.

Visit the G-supported handicraft workshop in Ayvalik, before enjoying free time in the surrounding area. Visit the ancient city of Troy en route to Çanakkale. çöp(m)adam began as an experimental project in Western Turkey, meant to address lack of employment opportunities for women alongside the importance of recycling/re-using. The co-op aims to use waste in a creative, aesthetic, and unique way, all while providing work for women from impoverished communities. When G Adventures travellers visit the workshop, they can purchase souvenirs and handicrafts that directly support the women that made them. After a visit to this project, continue exploring the seaside town of Ayvalık. Afterwards, enjoy a visit to the world-famous city of Troy. Continue to the harbour town of Çanakkale, a busy port with a thriving student population.

Included Experiences

• Çöp(m)adam Visit: Visit the G-supported çöp(m)adam handicraft cooperation. All products are made out of recycled goods and by making a purchase it will directly support the local women who work in the workshop and over time has contributed to over 500 women who have been part of the project.
• Troy Visit: See historic Troy, made famous by Homer’s “Iliad,” (and more recently by Orlando Bloom and Brad Pitt). Tour the city that, for centuries, was regarded as just a myth, until its ruins were found in in the mid-19th century. Imagine what a great city this must have been, while taking a tour of the remains. Don't miss the chance to have a photo taken with the Trojan horse.

Guided tour of Gallipoli, including ANZAC Cove, the war cemeteries, and Lone Pine. Make an early morning visit to Gallipoli, where thousands gave their lives during WWI in the battle of the same name. Take in the sights and learn the sombre story. Continue on to İstanbul for the opportunity to finish up your sightseeing or get in some last minute shopping.

Included Experiences

• Ferry: Once in the Gallipoli peninsula, transfer by bus to the Gallipoli battlefields (20 mins).
• Gallipoli Battlefields Guided Tour: Visit this moving and beautiful site, a great complement to any trip to Turkey, even for those not familiar with the Battle of Gallipoli. Tour the grounds to see ANZAC Cove, the war cemeteries, and Lone Pine. Learn how the Turks fought off the numerically superior, but badly commanded, Allied forces who were forced to withdraw nine months later; this battle holds special significance for Australians and New Zealanders, as both nations lost many soldiers.

Depart at any time. Your tour might be finished, but the adventure’s far from over. Pre-book the following activity to experience after your tour ends: Istanbul Walking Tour and Bosphorus Cruise. If you do, we recommend booking accommodation for an extra night in Istanbul. And don’t worry if you can’t decide now. This activity is available for pre-booking any time before your tour starts, or it can be booked upon arrival in Istanbul.