Istanbul 3 Nights & Kusadasi 2 Nights Group Tour – 5 Nights 6 Days with Domestic Flight

Highlights of the Istanbul 3 Nights & Kusadasi 2 Nights Group Tour – 5 Nights 6 Days with Domestic Flight

Istanbul and the ancient Aegean in one 5-night group tour: the Byzantine and Ottoman monuments of the city on the Bosphorus, followed by Kusadasi, the seaside gateway to Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary and Pamukkale. An evening domestic flight to Izmir after your Bosphorus cruise is already included. You stay in hand-picked hotels of your chosen category, are met at every airport and join small group excursions led by a professional English-speaking guide.

The historic peninsula of Sultanahmet is the heart of old Constantinople: Hagia Sophia, built by Emperor Justinian in 537 and for almost a thousand years the largest church in the world, the Blue Mosque with more than 20,000 hand-painted İznik tiles, the Hippodrome with its Egyptian obelisk and Topkapı Palace, from where the Ottoman sultans ruled an empire on three continents. The Grand Bazaar, with some 4,000 shops under its vaulted roofs, is one of the oldest covered markets in the world.

Dolmabahçe Palace, with its crystal staircase and the largest Bohemian chandelier in the world, was the last residence of the Ottoman sultans and the place where Atatürk died. Along the Golden Horn you visit the Eyüp Sultan Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam, ride the cable car up to the Pierre Loti café for the famous view over the inlet and walk through the colourful houses and old churches of Balat.

Ephesus was the capital of Roman Asia and one of the largest cities of the ancient world. Its marble Curetes Street leads past the Temple of Hadrian and the terraced houses of the wealthy to the two-storey façade of the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre, which seated 25,000 people. Nearby stand the House of the Virgin Mary, a place of pilgrimage for Christians and Muslims alike, and the lonely column of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

A cruise on the Bosphorus is the best way to understand Istanbul: the strait between Europe and Asia is lined with Ottoman palaces such as Dolmabahçe and Beylerbeyi, the baroque Ortaköy Mosque, the Rumeli Fortress built by Mehmed the Conqueror and elegant wooden waterside mansions called yalı. Before the boat trip you visit the Spice Bazaar, built in 1664 and still full of spices, teas and Turkish delight.

Choose your hotel category for both regions – 3★: Ilkbal Deluxe Hotel Istanbul and Club Hotel Lion; 4★: Antik Hotel Istanbul and Kuşadası Derici Otel; 5★: Eresin Hotels Topkapi and Elite World Kusadasi. All prices are per person in a double room for the whole package and change with the travel season; the domestic flight from Istanbul to Izmir, all airport transfers, guided excursions, lunches on full-day tours and entrance fees are included. An evening Bosphorus dinner cruise with show can be added as an option.