Day 1
Arrival & Hotel Check-in
Arrival to İstanbul Airport. Transfer to your Hotel. Check-in at Hotel and rest time. Meeting with the guide at the lobby and information about your tour.
Overnight in Istanbul
Day 2
Istanbul (Walking Tour)
• Blue Mosque
On the first day of our tour, first we will visit Blue Mosque also known as Sultan Ahmet Mosque. The Blue Mosque was built between 1609 and 1616, by the architect Mehmet Ağa, instructed by Sultan Ahmet I.
• Turkish Islamic Art Museum
Second spot is Turkish Islamic Art Museum. You will see rare carpets from the Seljuk Empire, Iranian and Caucasian regions; collections of hand-written calligraphy, imperial edicts, ancient Qurans and other written Works, wide collections of articles made of wood, glass, ceramic and stone by artists from former Islamic regions.
• Topkapı Palace
We will continue our tour with Topkapı Palace, which was the political center of the Ottoman Empire between the 15th and 19th centuries. It was built in between 1466 and 1478 by the Sultan Mehmet II.
• Lunch at a local restaurant
• Grand Bazaar
After the lunch, next stop is Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered bazaars in the world, it is 30,700 square meters with over 60 streets and alleys and 4,000 shops. The original historical core of the bazaar was completed by Fatih Sultan Mehmet.
• Suleymaniye Mosque
Then we will walk to Suleymaniye mosque, or better known as the mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent, was built in the 16th century by the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan for Sultan Suleyman the Magnificient,
• Spice Market
We will complete our day by walking to Spice Market,one of the the excellent examples to traditional Ottoman pattern bazaars where you can find delicious spices and Turkish delight.
Back To our Hotel.
• Overnight in Istanbul
Estimated Time: 6 to 8 hours.
**(Program can be changed depending on the crowdness or other external factors of the area.
Day 3 Istanbul (Walking Tour & Public Transportation)
• Hippodrome
First stop for the 3rd day will be the “Hippodrome of Constantinople” located in Sultanahmed,was a public arena mainly for chariot races. Hippodrome functioned all in Roman (203-330 CE), Byzantine (330-1453 CE), and Ottoman (1453-1922) periods.
• Underground Cistern (Basilica Cistern)
Second stop will be the Basilica Cistern, which is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul. Venture into the underground palace that is filled with ancient wonders such as the Medusa Pillar Bases, and the Hen’s Eye Column, it was built at the same time as Hagia Sofia in 6th Century.
• Hagia Sophia
Last stop before lunch Fifteen hundred years old Hagia Sophia Museum, the Church of Holy Wisdom. It was first built as a Greek Orthodox Patriarchal Basilica, later an imperial mosque and now a museum.
• Lunch at a local restaurant
• Chora Church
After lunch, we will go to The Chora Museum (Turkish Kariye Müzesi, Kariye Camii, or Kariye Kilisesi / the Chora Museum, Mosque or Church) is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of a Byzantine church which is covered with fine mosaics and frescoes.
Back To our Hotel
.
• Overnight in Istanbul
Estimated Time: 6 to 8 hours.
**(Program can be changed depending on the crowdness or other external factors of the area
Day 4 Istanbul Bosphorus Cruise & ANTAKYA (By Plane)
• Bosphorus Boat Tour
First we check out from our hotel. Then we will go to our boat which will take us to an unforgettable cruise on Bosphorus with such an abundance of historical sightseeing spots in Istanbul.
• Lunch at a local restaurant
• Fly to ANTAKYA
Transfer to Airport to fly to ANTAKYA (ancient Antioch)
Transfer to your Hotel and check in and you can enjoy a walk along the old streets.
• Overnight in Antakya
**(Program can be changed depending on the crowdness or other externel factors of the area and the flight time.
Day 5 ANTAKYA
St. Peter Church
On the frist day of Antakya we will visit Church of Saint Peter where The Term “Christianity” First Appeared.
● Lunch at a local restaurant
● Antakya Museum
After lunch our stop is Antakya Arkeology Museum , where we can see Roman mosaics, with exhibits of marble sarcophagi, coins, pots, tools, glassware and statuary
Back to our Hotel.
● Overnight in Antakya
Estimated Time: 6 to 8 hours.
**(Program can be changed depending on the crowdness or other external factors of the area
Day 6: Drive to Gaziantep and Private City Tour
• Arrival to Gaziantep
Checkout from our hotel, and start driving to Gaziantep.
• Old Bazaar
After check in to our hotel we will explore the Old Bazaar of Gaziantep.
• Lunch at a local restaurant
• Gaziantep Arkeoloji Müzesi
After lunch, we will visit Gaziantep Archaeological Museum.
Back to our Hotel
● Overnight in Gaziantep
Estimated Time: 6 to 8 hours.
**(Program can be changed depending on the crowdness or other external factors of the area
Day 7: Gaziantep & Şanlıurfa
• Zeugma Mosaic Museum
After checking out from our hotel, we will visit the largest mosaic museum in Turkey, Zeugma Mosaic Museum.We will explore the collections of Late Antiquity Church Mosaics and Early Chaldean and Christian iconography.
• Drive to Sanliurfa
Check in our Hotel
• Lunch at a local restaurant
• Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum
After lunch first stop Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum where the region’s cultural heritage is displayed across three levels covering a time period that stretches from the Neolithic up to the Ottoman era.
• Pool of sacred fish (Balıklı Göl) & Cave of Abraham
Then we will go to Pool of sacred fish and the cave of Abraham, which is the The Birth Place of Prophet Abraham.
Back to Hotel and relax.
• Overnight in Sanliurfa
Estimated Time: 6 to 8 hours.
**(Program can be changed depending on the crowdness or other external factors of the area
Day 8: Private Gobeklitepe Tour
• Gobeklitepe The Oldest temple of the World
On the last day of our trip we will visit Gobeklitep..a pre-historic site. Gobeklitepe unique in its class is the date it was built, which is roughly twelve thousand years ago, circa 10,000 BC. Gobeklitepe was discovered by a German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt. There are massive carved stones about 11,000 years old, crafted and arranged by prehistoric people who had not yet developed metal tools or even pottery
• Lunch at a local restaurant.
• Klaus Schmidt Memorial House Museum
We will visit the memorial House of German archaeologist Professor Klaus Schmidt. His wife has reopened their house in Urfa after Klaus has passed away to tell the story of Göbeklitepe starting from the first discovery of the place.
Back to our Hotel.
• Overnight in Sanliurfa
Estimated Time: 5 to 8 hours.
**(Program can be changed depending on the crowdness or other external factors of the area
Day 9: Going back to Home
Transfer to Şanlıurfa Airport fly to Istanbul.
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Price Includes
• BB Accommodation at 4 star hotels.
• All private tours
• All private airport transfers
• Private guiding on tours
• Private A/C minivan on tours
• Admission fees to the museums and sights
• Lunches on tours
• Domestic flight tickets ( Istanbul – Antakya) / Şanlıurfa- Istanbul)
• Taxes
Price Excludes
• International flights (China – Istanbul / Istanbul – China)
• Personal expenses
• Dinners
• Alcoholic beverages
• Gratuities for the guide and driver
