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21 Day

Greece & Turkey Tour

Athens to Istanbul (GRTU.1)

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Itinerary

Day 1: Athens (HD)

Welcome to Athens. You will be met at Athens International airport by your Scenic Tours Representative and transferred to your centrally located hotel. This evening meet your Tour Director and fellow passengers. SCENIC ENRICH Enjoy a festive dinner in a popular Greek restaurant located in the atmospheric Plaka area.

Two Night Special Stay: Athens

Day 2: Athens (FB,HD)

This morning enjoy an Includedguided tour of the Acropolis, whose famous Parthenon dates to the 5th century B.C. Also see amongst other buildings the Propylaea, the majestic gates of the complex. SCENIC ENRICH This afternoon journey to Cape Sounion and visit the Sanctuary of Poseidon, where you will admire stunning views of the Aegean Sea.Later enjoy a fabulous dinner at a seaside restaurant that offers unsurpassed water views.

Day 3: Athens – Olympia (FB,L,D)

Your first stop today will be the city of Mycenae, famous for its remarkable pottery. Continue to Nafplion, a delightful seaside town and first capital of modern Greece. Your journey continues to Olympia, where tonight’s accommodation is set in a prime location.

Overnight Stay: Olympia

Day 4: Olympia – Delphi (FB,D)

Today visit the ruins at Olympia, site of the ancient games from at least 776 B.C. Depart Olympia and cross the Corinthian Gulf either by ferry or over the tallest hanging bridge in the world. SCENIC ENRICH This afternoon visit the picturesque and iconic seaside villages of Galaxidi and Nafpactos and savour a cup of delicious Greek coffee before arriving in Delphi.

Overnight Stay: Delphi

Day 5: Delphi – Kalambaka (FB,D)

After breakfast, visit the ruins of Delphi including the Temple of Apollo. A relaxing drive out of Delphi will take you through the Plain of Thessaly, the breadbasket of Greece. SCENIC ENRICH You’ll call in at Arachova, a traditional mountain town famous for its local produce including “formaela” cheese, a staple diet for the 3,000 townsfolk. Continue on to Kalambaka, situated beneath the majestic limestone pinnacles of Meteora.

Overnight Stay: Kalambaka

Day 6: Kalambaka – Athens (FB,HD)

As early as the 11th century AD hermit monks were known to live in the caves of the limestone pillars. This morning you’ll visit two of the rock monasteries at this UNESCO site. Arrive back in Athens in time to relax before our farewell dinner at a stylish local restaurant, the perfect way to say goodbye to Greece.

Overnight Special Stay: Athens

Day 7: Athens – Istanbul (FB)

After a hearty breakfast at the hotel you will transfer to the airport for your Included flight to Istanbul. Arrive in this exotic city and transfer to the hotel. This evening meet for a welcome drink.

Two Night Special Stay: Istanbul

Day 8: Istanbul (FB,HD)

After breakfast, you’ll embark on an Included tour of this amazing city. Highlights of the day include a visit to the most magnificent example of Byzantium architecture, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque. You’ll have time to wander the evocative Grand Bazaar. This special day concludes with a delicious seafood dinner on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus.

Day 9: Istanbul – Canakkale (FB,L,D)

Today travel to the Gallipoli Peninsula, site of the WWI landings by allied forces including ANZAC troops on the morning of April 25, 1915. Explore the sights and gain an understanding of this unforgettable and sombre location, set amongst steep cliffs, dead-end canyons and barren ridges. A picnic lunch is provided before  time to wander the landmark sites such as ANZAC Cove, the Nek, Lone Pine and Shrapnel Gully.

Overnight Stay: Canakkale

Day 10: Canakkale – Izmir (FB,L,HD)

The day’s sightseeing begins with a fascinating tour of Homer’s Troy, a legendary site of the Trojan Wars and home to a replica of the infamous Trojan Horse. Continue your historic journey in Pergamon for lunch. Visit the magnificent Acropolis, which contains the ruins of Pergamon’s acclaimed 200,000 volume library. Depart for Izmir, where this evening a spectacular dinner has been organised at one of the best seafood restaurants in the city.

Overnight Stay: Izmir

Day 11: Izmir – Kusadasi (FB,D)

A treat awaits as we visit incomparable Ephesus, perhaps the world’s best-preserved ancient city that once housed the Temple of Artemis, completed in 550 B.C and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Here among other amazing sites such as the Library, we will visit the House of Virgin Mary.

Two Night Stay: Kusadasi

Day 12: Kusadasi – Samos – Kusadasi (FB,L,D)

SCENIC ENRICH Today briefly leave Turkey behind and journey to the Greek island of Samos. Your local guide will show you around Samos town before you learn about the local industries of ceramics and ouzo. Head into the fertile hills, covered with vineyards to visit one of the many beautiful ancient monasteries on the island, Agia Triada. Arrive in Pythagorion, birthplace of the mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras which also boasts the largest manmade marina in the Mediterranean. Lunch is followed by our ferry ride back to Turkey.

Day 13: Kusadasi – Pamukkale (FB,L,D)

Following breakfast,  travel to Aphrodisias. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, before continuing to remarkable Pamukkale (Hierapolis). Tonight, watch the sunset over the white cliffs for a truly unique and memorable sight.

Overnight Stay: Pamukkale

Day 14: Pamukkale – Antalya (FB,L,HD)

Enjoy the thermal waters at the hotel before you depart for Antalya, Turkey’s principal holiday resort which is situated on a cliff over the Mediterranean and surrounded by mountains. You’ll get a chance to visit the large archaeological museum rich in Classical, Roman, Byzantine and Seljuk artefacts, which includes ‘God Gallery’. Your Included dinner tonight is at an exquisite restaurant in the centre of town.

Two Night Stay: Antalya

Day 15: Antalya (FB,HD)

The region around Antalya abounds with astonishing natural beauty and awesome historical treasures. First visit Perge with an Acropolis dating back to the Stone Age. Nearby, Aspendos is famous for its exceptionally preserved theatre built in 155 A.D. Continue to Side, overflowing with archaeological wonders and surrounded on both sides by the deep, blue water of the Mediterranean before returning to Antalya. Tonight an exclusive dinner has been planned at the renowned Club Arma, located near the old town.

Day 16: Antalya – Cappadocia (FB,D)

This morning drive to Konya, a traditional caravan stop and home of the Whirling Dervishes, a mystical Sufi Muslim group. Visit the Mevlana Museum, former monastery of the Dervishes which contains the tomb of the groups 13th century spiritual leader, and the Karatay Medrese, a Seljuk school constructed in 1251. Enjoy some leisure time before you head off to Cappadocia.

Three Night Special Stay: Cappadocia

Day 17: Cappadocia (FB,D)

Visit the main sights of this amazing location, including the surreal moon-landscape of Göreme with its rock chapels carved by early Christians in hiding. Next is the Byzantine monastic complex of Zelve which reached its zenith in the 9th and 13th centuries and the towering peak of Uchisar Castle, a sublime rock formation riddled with a network of tunnels and caves.

Day 18: Cappadocia (FB,HL,D)

Today explore the incredible underground cities of Cappadocia, of which there are estimated to be over 200. Visit picturesque Sinassos, which is surrounded by fruit orchards and vineyards and was a Greek settlement until 1923 when a population exchange between Turkey and Greece took place. Enjoy a traditional lunch at the Old Greek House Restaurant. SCENIC ENRICH  Be entertained by a Whirling Dervish performance in a 13th century Caravan Inn, where you will be entranced by the intricate dancing and music that is as old as the building you are seated in.

Day 19: Cappadocia – Ankara (FB,HL)

This morning visit Agzikarahan, site of a well preserved Seljuk caravanserai, where for hundreds of years camel caravans traversing ancient trade routes would stop overnight. En-route to Ankara, view the famous Salt Lake of the fabled Silk Road as you drive through the Anatolian countryside. At Ankara, visit the Hittite Museum and Anit Kabir and the mausoleum of Ataturk. A unique luncheon venue awaits in an ancient castle of this historic city. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Overnight Stay: Ankara

Day 20: Ankara – Istanbul (FB,HD)

After breakfast cross from Asia into Europe and return to Istanbul. Choose from the following Included SCENIC FREE CHOICE tours: (1) a traditional Turkish cooking class where you’ll learn the art of making delicious plates of meze, after which you get to eat them, of course; or (2) an insightful tour of Istanbul’s glorious Byzantine past including visits to the Chora museum with its fine mosaics and frescoes and Zeyek Mosque, second only in size to Hagia Sophia as a Byzantium monument; or (3) a visit to an Ottoman Yali, the fashionable summer palaces of the wealthy built mainly in the latter half of the 17th century during the Empire’s glory days. Meet the current residents who’ll chat with you about the building’s history whilst you enjoy homemade refreshments. Tonight, a special treat awaits you as you enjoy your farewell dinner at the stunning Hamdi Restaurant, where outstanding views over the Golden Horn are accompanied by the call to prayer echoing from numerous surrounding mosques.

Overnight Special Stay: Istanbul

Day 21: Istanbul (FB)

After breakfast, transfer* to Istanbul airport for your onward or homebound flight.

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Departure Dates: