16 Days Turkey Tour with Konya, Cappadocia and Gallipoli

Hippodrome and ObelisksFollow the line of the former chariot arena through today’s public square. The obelisks and other surviving monuments help your guide explain how this open space served the city.

Blue MosqueVisit the prayer hall beneath its domes and look at the tilework that gives the mosque its familiar name. Modest clothing and shoe removal are required, and visits follow the prayer schedule.

Hagia SophiaInside Hagia Sophia, the great dome and layers of religious decoration reflect its long use as a church and mosque. Your guide explains the building’s history during the included visit.

Lunch in the Old CityTake a restaurant break between the historic visits. The meal is included in the tour, while drinks are paid separately.

Topkapi Palace and the HaremWalk through the palace courtyards and the Harem’s enclosed rooms to see the different parts of Ottoman court life. Both the palace and Harem visit are included.

Shopping opportunityThe itinerary includes a stop to look at local goods alongside the monument visits. Browsing is optional, and any purchases are at your own expense.

Grand BazaarExplore the covered lanes and shopfronts of Istanbul’s historic market. When the bazaar is closed on Sunday, the tour visits another shopping location instead.

Golden HornSee the inlet that curves between the historic peninsula and the opposite shore. From the boat, the waterfront and the city rising behind it form a different view of central Istanbul.

Lunch on the boatYour included meal is served during the afternoon sailing. Drinks are extra, so order and pay for those separately.

Bosphorus StraitTravel along the water between Istanbul’s European and Asian shores. Waterfront buildings, passing ferries and the long sweep of the strait are the focus of this part of the cruise.

Devrent ValleyLook for familiar outlines in the naturally eroded rocks, including the valley’s camel-shaped formation. The stop allows time to study the shapes and take photographs from the paths.

Pasabag Open Air MuseumWalk among tall rock pillars with dark caps and carved chambers. Their different profiles show how erosion produced some of Cappadocia’s most recognisable fairy chimneys.

Goreme Panoramic ViewPause above Goreme for an open view across its rock formations and settlement. The perspective connects the nearby valleys with the landscape you have been travelling through.

Lunch on the Red TourStop at a local restaurant during the circuit. Lunch is included; drinks are an additional purchase.

Avanos Pottery WorkshopWatch clay take shape on a potter’s wheel in Avanos. The demonstration introduces the local pottery tradition, with time to look at the finished pieces.

Zelve Open Air MuseumFollow the paths through a former rock-cut settlement, where doors and rooms open into the valley walls. The surviving homes and places of worship show how the cliffs were used for daily life.

Uchisar Castle (exterior view)See the large rock citadel from the outside and its position above the surrounding settlement. Entry into the castle and a climb to its summit are not part of this stop.

Rose ValleyThe valley’s pale ridges include bands of pink that become clearer as the light changes. Stop to look across the folds in the rock and the paths running between them.

Underground CityDescend into a network of carved rooms and linking passages. Your guide explains the storage spaces, ventilation and defensive features; some corridors require bending and include steps.

Pigeon ValleyLook for the small openings cut into the valley walls as pigeon houses. They are part of the area’s farming history as well as a distinctive feature of the rocky slopes.

Lunch on the Yellow TourA local restaurant stop breaks up the valley visits. Your lunch is included, with drinks charged separately.

Gulludere ValleyAn optional walk of up to two hours follows paths through the valley scenery. You can wait with the vehicle instead if you prefer to skip the walk.

Cavusin VillageSee the old rock-cut dwellings above the village and the contrast with the settlement below. The stop brings the day’s landscape back to the people who lived within it.

Ihlara ValleyFollow a section of the river canyon, where vegetation lines the water beneath high rock walls. Reaching the valley paths involves steps, followed by walking along the river.

Derinkuyu or Kaymakli Underground CityVisit one of these underground settlements on the Green Tour. The carved chambers and passageways reveal how a community could use the space beneath the surface.

Belisirma VillageThe village sits beside the river within the Ihlara landscape. Its waterside setting gives a closer view of everyday settlement in the canyon.

Lunch during the Green TourTake the included restaurant lunch during the day’s longer circuit. Drinks are extra.

EsentepeStop for a wide view of the eroded Cappadocia landscape. The open viewpoint offers a chance to pick out the ridges and valleys beyond the road.

YaprakhisarLook across the unusual rock formations around this village stop. The weathered cones and cliff faces add another landscape to the Green Tour’s canyon and underground visits.

Pigeon ValleyReturn to the pigeon-house landscape from the Green Tour route. This stop gives time to observe the carved openings and the broader valley setting from the viewpoint.

Duden WaterfallWalk through the green surroundings of the waterfall and look at the cascade from the visitor paths. The spray can leave nearby surfaces damp, so take care underfoot.

Karpuzkaldiran WaterfallAt the coastal viewpoint, see the water drop over Antalya’s cliffs into the Mediterranean. This is the seaward waterfall, distinct from the inland Duden stop.

Lunch in AntalyaStop for the included lunch between the city visits. Drinks and personal purchases are paid separately.

Kaleici Old TownExplore the streets of Antalya’s old quarter, where historic houses line the lanes leading towards the harbour. Your guide connects the surviving architecture with the city’s past.

Panoramic Boat TourSee Antalya’s harbour and cliff-lined shore from the water. The boat trip is included as part of the city tour.

Perge Ancient CityWalk past the remains of streets, gates and public buildings that once served a substantial ancient city. Your guide uses the surviving layout to explain how people moved through Perge.

Aspendos Ancient TheatreLook across the curved rows of seating towards the theatre’s imposing stage building. The scale and preserved architecture make its original purpose immediately clear.

Lunch on the coastal circuitPause at a restaurant during the day’s route. The lunch is included; order drinks separately if wanted.

Side Ancient CitySee ancient remains among the streets and waterfront of modern Side. The visit follows the peninsula’s layers of history towards its seaside monuments.

Manavgat WaterfallThe river spills across a low, broad ledge here. Viewing areas beside the water make this a short scenic stop after the archaeological visits.

Pamukkale TravertinesSee the white mineral shelves formed by the spring water. Walk barefoot on the designated visitor section, keeping to the permitted route across the terraces.

Hierapolis Ancient CityExplore the ancient settlement above the thermal springs. The surviving streets and public remains show how the town developed around the water that also formed the terraces.

Lunch during the Pamukkale visitTake a restaurant break before the onward journey. Lunch is included, while drinks are extra.

Cleopatra Antique PoolThe pool is open, with warm water surrounding ancient stonework. Looking at it is free; swimming is optional and requires an extra payment at the pool.

Ephesus Ancient CityFollow the stone streets through the remains of a major ancient port. The library facade, theatre and civic buildings provide the setting for your guide’s account of life in the city.

House of the Virgin MaryVisit the small sanctuary on the wooded hill above Ephesus. Its quiet setting and religious significance make it a different stop from the ruins below.

Lunch on the Ephesus tourYour restaurant lunch is included before the last part of the itinerary. Drinks are paid separately.

Temple of ArtemisAt the temple site, the remaining fragments suggest only a little of the sanctuary’s former scale. Your guide explains why the temple became one of the ancient Seven Wonders.

Troy Ancient CityWalk through the excavated settlement and see how successive buildings occupy the same mound. The guide separates the archaeological evidence from the stories that made Troy famous.

Trojan Horse movie replicaSee the large wooden horse used in the film Troy, now displayed on the Canakkale waterfront. This stop is separate from the archaeological site south of the city.

Sacrificial AltarsLook at the surviving altar remains within the ancient site. They introduce the religious use of this part of Troy alongside the houses and defences.

3,700-Year-Old City WallsStudy the substantial surviving masonry around the settlement. The walls help show the effort invested in protecting Troy and controlling access through its gates.

Houses of Troy ISee the remains associated with the earliest settlement phase visited on the tour. Their modest scale provides a useful contrast with the walls and public spaces of later periods.

Agora of TroyThe open civic area adds a view of public life to the site’s fortifications and residential remains. Your guide explains its place within the later ancient city.

Beach CemeteryPause at the cemetery beside the Gallipoli shore. The position close to the water recalls the beach as a place of landing, supply and evacuation during the campaign.

ANZAC CoveLook from the narrow shoreline towards the steep ground above it. That relationship between beach and ridge helps explain the difficulties of the 1915 landings.

Lunch during the combined tourThe full-day itinerary includes a restaurant lunch between visits. Drinks are the only part of the meal charged separately.

Ari Burnu CemeteryVisit the graves near the headland beside ANZAC Cove. The cemetery occupies ground closely connected with the first morning of the landings.

ANZAC Commemorative SiteAt North Beach, view the commemorative area beneath the surrounding ridges. The site’s setting and interpretation introduce the wider landscape of the campaign.

Respect to Mehmetcik MonumentThe monument depicts a Turkish soldier carrying a wounded opposing soldier. It gives the visit a moment to consider acts of humanity within the fighting.

Lone Pine Australian MemorialVisit the cemetery and memorial on the ridge associated with the fighting at Lone Pine. The names and markers commemorate Australian losses in the campaign.

Johnston’s JollySee the ground where the opposing positions lay close together along the ridge. Surviving traces of the trench landscape help make the confined front line understandable.

Turkish 57th Infantry Regiment CemeteryStop at the memorial cemetery honouring the regiment involved in the Turkish defence. Your guide explains its role in the events of the first landing day.

The NekLook across the narrow ridge that became the setting for a costly assault. The limited space between the slopes is central to understanding what happened here.

Chunuk Bair New Zealand MemorialFinish the battlefield visits at the memorial on the high ridge. The view over the surrounding ground helps explain why control of this height mattered during the August fighting.