7 Days Accessible Turkey: Istanbul, Antalya, Perge & Aspendos Private Tour

Your guide welcomes you at Istanbul International Airport, helps with your luggage and takes you by adapted vehicle to a fully accessible 5-star hotel on Taksim Square. The rest of the day is free to settle in and rest after your journey. Istanbul is a city that spans two continents and was the capital of the Byzantine, Roman and Ottoman worlds, so its skyline of minarets, domes, bazaars and palaces tells the story you will explore over the next two days. Overnight in Istanbul.

After breakfast the city tour begins at the Hippodrome, the former Roman chariot-racing arena, where the Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius, the Walled Obelisk and the bronze Serpentine Column still stand. Next comes Hagia Sophia, completed in the sixth century under Emperor Justinian and long the largest church in the world, famous for its golden mosaics; wheelchair ramps are available. You then visit the Blue Mosque, built between 1609 and 1616 by the architect Sedefkar Mehmed Agha and named for its blue Iznik tiles. Wheelchair users enter by the ramp on the northwest side and transfer to a chair provided by the staff because of the old hand-woven carpet. Lunch is taken at a restaurant beside the mosque at about 13:00. The afternoon is spent at Topkapi Palace, the residence of the Ottoman sultans, where treasures, porcelain and armor are on show and some sections have threshold-free entrances. Bring a scarf for the religious sites. Overnight in Istanbul.

Today is devoted to the Golden Horn area and the Rahmi Koc Museum, one of Istanbul's most popular museums of transport and industry. Inside you will see railway vehicles, including a sultan's royal carriage and an old Kadikoy-Moda tram, together with a 14th-century celestial globe and a 19th-century transit telescope. Aviation and naval displays include a glider model of the Wright brothers, a Douglas DC-3, an F-104S Starfighter, a submarine and many classic cars. Lunch is included during the day, and the program is suitable for wheelchair users, guests who are hearing impaired, people with Down syndrome, dialysis patients and older travelers. In the afternoon you are transferred back to your hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.

After breakfast you are transferred to the airport for the domestic flight to Antalya. On arrival your guide meets you and drives you to a fully accessible 5-star hotel in the city. The remainder of the day is free to relax in this lively Mediterranean town, which is framed by sandy beaches, high mountains and waterfalls. Dinner is served at the hotel, and the unhurried schedule gives everyone time to recover after the flight and prepare for the sightseeing ahead. Overnight in Antalya.

Following breakfast you drive to Kaleici, the historic heart of Antalya, shaped in turn by Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans. You see Ottoman-era stone and timber houses, remnants of the Roman walls, Hadrian's Gate, raised to honor the emperor's visit in 130 AD, and the Broken Minaret of the Korkut Mosque, a former Roman temple. Hidirlik Tower, a landmark beside Karaalioglu Park, completes the walk. After a lunch break you continue to the Duden Waterfalls, where streams from the Taurus Mountains tumble toward the sea. You then return to the hotel and have the evening free, with dinner there. The day suits wheelchair users, visually or hearing impaired guests, people with Down syndrome, dialysis patients and older travelers. Overnight in Antalya.

This full day is given to two great ancient sites near Antalya. At Perge, a city with Hittite roots that grew into one of Anatolia's best organized Roman towns, you see the baths, the acropolis and the agora that served as the city square. The site has ramps at the entrance, and a toilet suited to wheelchairs is available. Perge also matters to Christians, since St. Paul came here. After a lunch break you continue to Aspendos and its Greco-Roman theater, regarded as the best preserved Roman theater in the Mediterranean world. The program is suitable for wheelchair users, visually or hearing impaired guests, people with Down syndrome, dialysis patients and older travelers. Dinner is at the hotel, and you spend the night in Antalya.

After a final breakfast the tour ends. Your guide arranges the transfer to the airport so that you can take your onward flight home, and we hope the journey leaves you with warm memories of Turkey's accessible side. Please remember that museum entrances ask for ID or a parking permit showing the disability status, and that the program was built with wheelchair users in mind, so travelers with other needs should ask us in advance.