Istanbul and Ephesus

Welcome.Transfer to the hotel and free time. In the afternoon you will receive information for the start of your circuit through the information posters located at the hotel reception.

Panoramic tour of the city. On our tour we will enter the Suleyman the Magnificent Mosque (the largest in Istanbul), we will see the walls, the golden horn, the fishing quarter and we will admire the exterior of Hagia Sophia. After the visit we will include the entrance and visit to the Topkapi Palace, which was the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire with its magnificent courtyards and pavilions. Free afternoon. We are in a city built on two continents. 

At the end of the afternoon we will provide a transfer to the Taksim neighborhood, the most commercial and lively area local of the city. Time to dine in one of its many restaurants, you can also take the old tram that crosses the area or go to the nearby Galata Tower.

Today we include a boat ride on the Bosphorus of about two hours. The Bosphorus is a strait that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, separating Istanbul into two parts: the European and the Asian. We will enjoy watching the animation of the strait with all its ships, we will pass under the two bridges that connect Europe and Asia and we will admire the palaces of the sultans, the typical wooden houses, the Ottoman villas. Return to the center of Istanbul. Free time.

We left Istanbul early. We travel through the interior of Anatolia. At lunch time we arrive at EPHESUS, the best preserved ancient city in Asia Minor; 2000 years ago it had a quarter of a million inhabitants. We get to know the Basilica of Saint John, then the house of the Virgin Mary and the archaeological site (entrance included). Continuation later towards KUSADASI, a popular coastal city with a small castle and a lot of atmosphere and commercial life. Dinner and accommodation.

Note: in high season, from June to September (both included), accommodation may be given in a nearby town.

We will leave for the third largest city in Türkiye: IZMIR. With our guide we make a brief visit to this city, considered the most westernized and modern in the country. Later we traveled through the interior of Türkiye again. Stop en route for lunch before arriving at BURSA, Turkey's fourth city, its historic center has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, with its traditional shopping districts, mosques, religious schools, baths public… the Green Mosque stands out. Arrival in ISTANBUL at the end of the day.