Highlights of Turkey

Fly from London to Istanbul. Transfer to the 4-star Hotel Yigitalp, a modern hotel in the old city for a three-night stay.

 Filled with visits to Istanbul’s most iconic sights, a city tour today visits the 6th-century St. Sophia Mosque, a Byzantine church boasting spectacular mosaics; the Ottoman, multi-minareted Blue Mosque, magnificently adorned with Iznik tiles; the Hippodrome, centred by the Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius; and the jewel in the crown of Sultanahmet Square, the lavishly opulent Topkapi Palace, including its gardens, Harem, and famed Imperial Treasury, where the crystal-encrusted dagger of Selim I and the 86 carat ‘Spoonmaker’s Diamond’ are among the precious and priceless 13th-19th century objects.
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An optional full day tour today visits the huge Süleymaniye Mosque, with its monumental arches and 47m-high dome; Turkey’s largest and most grandiose palace, the Dolmabahçe, its 19th-century façade dominating the waterside; and the lively, colourful, and aromatically scented Egyptian (Spice) Bazaar; then embarking on a classic Bosphorus cruise, passing palaces, mosques and villas. Lunch included (pre-bookable).
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Skirting the Sea of Marmara, travel (4 1/2 hrs) to Gallipoli and the sites of the World War I, ANZAC and British landings; then sail across the Dardanelles to Çanakkale’s cobbled lanes and clocktower, and visit the ruins of ancient Troy; its sanctuary and Temple of Athena part of the Greco-Roman city of Ilion, the 13th-century BC siege immortalised in Homer’s ‘Iliad’, (its legend celebrated with a huge wooden horse on Canakkale’s waterfront).  Overnight at the 4-star Akol Hotel in Canakkale.
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Travel to modern Bergama (3 1/2 hrs) to visit the spectacularly sited Acropolis of Pergamon, high on a hill above the town, originally linked by a colonnaded pathway to the Asklepion sanctuary of healing, with ancient tunnels, temples and a theatre sprinkled below. Continue south to the coastal resort of Kusadasi for two nights at the 5-star Korumar Hotel de Luxe.
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Follow in the footsteps of biblical saints on a morning tour of the ancient and atmospheric ruins of Ephesus, where marble-paved streets are lined with myriad Roman monuments, from the theatre to the ‘Terrace’ houses, library, and Baths of Constantine, and the 6th century Basilica of St. John stands over his burial site.
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Travel to Bursa (5 hrs), the city’s mountain backdrop and many parks providing natural beauty, its celebrated artistry and architecture exemplified in the regal grandeur and intricate tilework of the twelve sultans’ tombs, and in the Seljuk style, 20-domed (Great Mosque). We visit both and experience the buzz of the Koza Han (silk bazaar), housed in two floors of typical Ottoman style, surrounding a central courtyard of cafés and stalls. Overnight at the 4-star Gonluferah City Hotel.
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Leave Bursa and cross the Sea of Marmara by ferry, transferring to Istanbul airport for the return flight to London.
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