24/03/2024
Day 1: Europe- Ankara
Arrival in Ankara. Transfer to your 4*-5* boutique hotel for welcome and welcome drink, followed by dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2: Ankara
After an open buffet breakfast, our guide will take us to visit the Anatolian Civilizations Museum, awarded the World Museum of the Year in 1995. We will see a very interesting cuneiform letter written by a Hittite woman to her husband working abroad, mentioning her mother-in-law.
Continuing our journey, we visit Old Ankara, the castle, Konak Boyacizade, Zenger Pasha Ethnography Museum, and then the Egyptian Bazaar. We have lunch at a traditional kebab restaurant called Hacıbey.
After lunch, we will visit Atatürk's Mausoleum and the nearby museum, which reminds us of the most important moments of Atatürk's life and the founding of the Republic.
Dinner and overnight at a 4* or 5* hotel.
Day 3: Ankara- Hattuşaş - Alacahöyük - Amasya (376 km)
After breakfast, we head to Hattuşaş, one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, known as the capital of the Hittites and the rivals of Ancient Egypt, and even older than that, the capital of Alacahöyük. We will explore the major tourist attractions, including the great temple in Lower City (Temple No. 1) in Aşağı Sevir, the city walls with massive gates (Lion Gate, Poterni Gate, and Yerkapı), the Underground Gate, King Gate, and Pantheon-Yazılıkaya. We will also discuss the world of gods depicted in the rock reliefs of Yazılıkaya cult center.
Later, in Upper City (Yukarı Sevir), we admire the remains of 31 temples.
We then head to Amasya, the birthplace of the famous geographer Strabo (1st century BC) and the place where Turkish princes were raised. We experience the sunset by the Green River and take photos of the beautiful old Ottoman wooden houses of Amasya.
Dinner and overnight at a charming hotel in Amasya.
Day 4: Amasya- Zile - Çekerek- Boğaziliyan - Cappadocia (330 km)
After an open buffet breakfast, we explore Amasya, known as the 'Crown City' and also famous as the city of Ferhat and Şirin. We visit old houses, Hazeranlar Mansion, Ethnography Museum, and the rock-carved royal tombs from the Greek period. We also see Amasya Külliyesi, Burmalı Mosque with Spiral Minaret, II. Bayezit Mosque and its Complex, Gök Medrese, and bridges (Çağlayan, Alcak, Kuş), and Darüşşifa-Bimarhane (psychiatric hospital).
Amasya Museum, one of the most beautiful museums in Turkey, exhibits 27,000 artifacts from eleven different civilizations. We have lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, we pass through Turhal - Zile and visit Zile Castle, where Julius Caesar completed his tenth military campaign with the famous phrase "Veni, Vidi, Vici." Then we proceed to the enchanting landscapes of Cappadocia.
Dinner and overnight at a charming 4* or 5* hotel.
Day 5: Cappadocia
After an open buffet breakfast, we will take a walking tour through several valleys, including Güllüdere, Devrent, and Rose Valleys, and continue to the Monastery of the Virgin Mary.
Later, we explore various ancient crafts, such as carpet weaving, nomadic cultural objects, and an onyx workshop.
For lunch, we enjoy a local delicacy called 'Pottery Kebab' with the beautiful view of the Kızılırmak River.
In the afternoon, we visit Özkonak or Derinkuyu Underground City. Then we head to the old village of Sinassos, now known as Mustafapaşa, witnessing its history known in Greek history books. We continue to Soğanlı, with the view of Mount Erciyes and Mount Hasan always in front of us.
Dinner and overnight at a charming 4* or 5* hotel.
Day 6: Cappadocia - The Holy Land of Christianity According to the Revelation of St. John
Today, we take leisurely walks in several valleys with beautifully eroded tuff formations.
Lunch will be served at a local restaurant or at the hotel.
In the afternoon, we will visit the Open Air Museum of Göreme Valley, surrounded by churches. We can admire the primitive Christian art and Byzantine frescoes in several churches.
In the evening, we will enjoy a delightful dinner accompanied by folkloric dances. Overnight at a charming 4* or 5* hotel.
Day 7: Cappadocia- Kayseri- Ankara (320 km)
After breakfast, we have free time to take a walk in the part of the famous Zelve Valley that belongs to Paşabağ. On the way to Kayseri (ancient Caesarea), we visit a leather goods factory.
We have lunch on the way.
In Kayseri, we will admire the Seljuk Castle, the Archaeology Museum, and the Ulu Mosque-Honata Hatun Mosque and Complex, Gök Medrese, the bridges (Çağlayan, Alcak, Kuş), and Huant Medrese.
We find the Döner Kümbet (1276), a very classical mausoleum of a Seljuk princess, the first Seljuk anatomy school, and the historical Gevher Nesibe Museum of Medicine.
We will also admire the Sahabiye Medrese and walk from the city square to the Covered and Ulu Mosques.
Dinner and overnight in Ankara at a 4* or 5* hotel.
Day 8: Ankara
After an open buffet breakfast, you will have free time to enjoy Ankara until your departure flight. End of a diverse journey.
Taste some baklava on the way and bid farewell to another cultural tour with Ayas Isos Travels.
Included Services:
• Full board from day 1 until dinner on day 7, breakfast on day 8,
• Overnight stays in charming 4*-5* boutique hotels,
• Transportation in Turkey,
• Turkish folklore evening,
• Access to scheduled visits,
• Services of an English or Dutch speaking guide approved by the University.
Services Not Included:
• Flight to/from Europe/Ankara,
• All Lunches
• Entrance fees to the listed places and museums.
• Insurance, airport taxes,
• Drinks at meals and customary tips for the driver and guide (estimated price per person is 3 to 5 euros).
( Departure dates (according to the request of private groups) can be organized.)
