Yachting Turkey II

Updated on 2014-01-28

Daily Program

Day 01 - ARRIVAL IN ISTANBUL

Arriving at Istanbul Airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 02 - FULL DAY ISTANBUL

After breakfast meet your guide at lobby of your hotel and start your day Hippodrome Square,once the sporting and social centre of Constantinople. Visit Blue Mosque known for its Turquoise colored tiles made of quartz minerals. Continue to explore home of the Ottoman Sultans; Topkapi Palace! Tour Harem and Treasury. Next will be Basilica of Saint Sophia built by Justinian the Great during 6th century. In the afternoon, narrow alleys will then get you to the bustling atmosphere of the Spice Market, dating back to the 17th century, but still the most popular bazaar visited by locals to shop for fresh ingredients to spice up the dishes prepared in the kitchens of Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 03 - FULL DAY ISTANBUL

You will meet your guide in the morning to experience how it feels to change continents within only minutes when you take the public ferry to cross to a central neighborhood on the Asian side bustling with activity and crowds, Uskudar for a private water marbling (Ebru) workshop at the Ebristan Arts Center of Hikmet Barutcugil, one of the rarely found true masters of this art. Your day will continue with a short ride to one of the oldest settlements of Istanbul and now a busy neighborhood on the Asian shoreline of the Bosphorus,Kadikoy. You will walk through the narrow pedestrian streets of Kadikoy to enjoy the open markets for fresh vegetables, fruits and seafood and purchase some of the ingredients you will need for the following cooking class at a local Turkish home. Your local host will welcome you at her house and share her wisdom and skill in preparing traditional dishes with you in an interactive environment which will engage you in the experience as well. After you enjoy your lunch composed of the dishes that you too will have contributed to, you will lead your way back to the European side of the city, driving over the Bosphorus Bridge. Later in the afternoon, you will find yourself drifting through one of the earliest shopping malls ever built in history, Grand Bazaar which maintains its charm and volume of business to the modern day with its indoor and outdoor sections. Istanbul has been the center of commerce and trade between the Orient and the Occident even before the arrival of Ottomans. Nuru Osmaniye District (Glamour of the Ottomans) was where the Genoese and Venetian merchants had their ware houses to store their inventory of brass, copper, rugs and tiles before they were loaded on the ships to sail to Venice and Genoa. Your guide will escort you back to your hotel at the end of your sightseeing. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 04 – ISTANBUL / CAPPADOCIA

Morning flight to Kayseri. Upon arrival, tour Kaymakli Underground City, a subterranean settlement composed of troglodytic cave dwellings, where early Christians lived protecting themselves from invaders. Afterwards, you will visit Monastic Center of Goreme serving as an open-air museum. You will then appreciate the breathtaking scenery of the Pigeon Valley. While you continue to Ortahisar where you can have photography opportunities of gorgeous valleys, you will stop at the Three Beauties, the conic rock formations that locals have created many legends about and enjoy taking pictures of the fairy chimneys and valleys with rustic colors. You will walk through the valleys of Zelve that was a town composed of hundreds of rock-carved houses occupied until 1942. Touring Pasabag Valley, you will adore the view of the tower-shaped hermitages that look as if they have been sculptured by contemporary artists! Overnight in Cappadocia.

Day 05 – CAPPADOCIA

Your expedition will start with driving through the inspiring valleys and towns of Cappadocia that will captivate you with their beauty, you will reach Sinassos to visit its well preserved houses and rock-carved Byzantine churches. Today, you will be enjoying your lunch at a local home where you will be hosted by a local familyliving in Cappadocia. Another major site of interest on your route is Avanos, the famous town of Cappadocia that was established by the Hittites on the riverbanks of Halys River. Overnight in Cappadocia.

Day 06 – CAPPADOCIA 

After your delicious breakfast, you will meet your guide to drive to Ihlara Valley. What makes the valley unique is the ancient history of its inhabitants. The whole canyon is honeycombed with rock-cut underground dwellings and churches from the Byzantine period. Afterwards, you will move on to Soganli Village to see one of the early centers of monastic life and the most authentic dwellings that reflect the exclusivity of the region’s natural character. At the end of your tour, you will be transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Cappadocia.

Day 07 - CAPPADOCIA / ANKARA / ANTALYA

This morning you will be leaving Cappadocia headed for Capita Turkey Ankara.    Driving through the vast wheat fields of Central Anatolia, you will feel the openness of steppes of Asia that Silk Road traders had to cover to bring their goods from the Orient to the Occident. Arriving in Ankara, you will start exploring the capital city of Turkey visiting Mausoleum of Ataturk, the founder of Republic of Turkey. Ataturk is more than a political leader; as well as being the first President of the Turkish Republic, he was given the titles of head-commander and head-teacher by his nation. Leaving the Mausoleum, you will enjoy your Turkish lunch served at the Edessa Kebab House, known for its eggplant kebab and delicious dessert, kunefe. Continue on to Anatolian Civilizations Museum where you will have the chance to discover the archeological findings that belong to Hittites, Urartians, Phrygians and many other civilizations which had left traces in the cradle of civilizations, Anatolia. The museum is hosted in an ancient Ottoman mall dating back to 15^th century, making its visitors totally submit to its sublime beauty. After breathing in Ankara and its treasures of archaeology, you will be transferred to Ankara Airport for your short domestic flight to Antalya. Upon arrival you will be transferred to your hotel in Antalya for dinner and accommodation. 

Day 07 - ANTALYA / FETHIYE

Antalya was founded by King of Pergamon, Attalos II, as an important port controlling southern borders of its kingdom. Maintaining its value through the history, today’s Antalya is a very popular resort town well known by European travelers. This morning you will be starting your day visiting ancient city of Perge that is known for its well preserved stadium and Roman Baths. Perge has Biblical value as it was visited by St.Paul during his first missionary journey. Continue your morning touring the Archaeological Museum of Antalya, where works of art unearthed from Perge are on display. Having gone through an extensive renovation, the Antalya Archaeological Museum will impress you with its wide collection of examples of Roman sculptures among which there is a Roman relief returned by Getty Museum after getting smuggled from out of Turkey. You will enjoy your lunch at 7 Mehmet Kebab, famous Turkish Restaurant tasting delicious appetizers. In the afternoon you will leave for Fethiye from where you will board your private yacht to sail through gorgeous coves of Southwest Turkey. Dinner and overnight in your private yacht.

Day 08 - 09 - 10

Overnight aboard your gullet.

Day 11 - MARMARIS / ISTANBUL

Meeting your guide at the port of Marmaris, you will be transferred to Dalaman Airport for your domestic flight to Istanbul. Arrive in Istanbul, you will be transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 12 – DEPARTURE FOR HOME

In the morning, you will be transferred from your hotel to Istanbul International Airport for your flight back home.

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