TOUR B THE TREASURES OF ANATOLIA
TOUR “B” ISTANBUL/CAPPADOCIA and AEGEAN COAST 7 DAYS, 6 NIGHTS
Arrival in Istanbul, assistance at the airport and transfer to the hotel. Free dinner. Overnight at the hotel.
DAY 2: Istanbul
Breakfast at the hotel. Full day visit of Istanbul Old City by walking with guidance service: Hagia Sophia Museum, Blue Mosque (the dome and the altar cannot be seen due to the renovation) Hippodrome Byzantian, Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace (Salloons of Treasury and the Clothes of Sultans are closed due to the renovation.) and Tombs of Sultans. Free lunch. Return to the hotel. Free dinner. Overnight at the hotel.
DAY 3: Istanbul/Ankara/Cappadocia approx. 300 km
Transfer to the airport for departure to Ankara with the flight TK 2108 at 08:00. Arrival to Ankara airport about 09:20 and transfer to city center in order to attend the tour which will have been already organized. In the morning visit of Museum of Ancient Civilization of Anatolia (Hittite Museum) and Ataturk’s Mauseloum. Lunch at the restaurant. After lunch departure for Cappadocia.. Arrival in the evening, dinner and overnight at the hotel.
DAY 4: Cappadocia approx. 100 km
Breakfast at the hotel. Full day Cappadocia tour; Ozkonak Underground City, Uchisar Castle, Goreme petrified valley with its churches decorated with frescoes and Pasabag Valley (fairy chimneys). Lunch at the restaurant. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
DAY 5: Cappadocia/Konya/Pamukkale approx. 650 km
Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Pamukkale via Konya. Onroute stop for the visit of Sultanhani Caravanserai. Arrival to Konya and visit of Mevlana Mauseloum (Whirling Dervishes). Lunch at the restaurant. In the afternoon continue to Pamukkale. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Pamukkale.
DAY 6: Pamukkale/Ephesus/Izmir approx. 330 km
After breakfast, visit the ancient city of Hierapolis (Necropolis and the Baths) and the famous travertine pools. Departure for the visit of the House of the Madonna. Lunch at the restaurant. Continuation to visit the ruins of Ephesus: the Temple of Hadrian, the library of Celsus, the way of Marble, the Great Theater. Continue to Izmir. Hotel accommodation. Free dinner. Overnight at the hotel.
DAY 7: Breakfast at the hotel. Free time until departure. Transfer to Izmir airport and departure for the destination.
The other flights for the Istanbul / Ankara route could be as follows:
IST-ANKARA TK 2122 ( 07:00 / 08:20 )
SAW-ANKARA TK 7240 ( 07:00 / 08:05 )
SAW-ANKARA TK 7242 ( 08:05 / 09:10 )
SAW-ANKARA PC 2662 ( 07:15 / 08:20 )
Customers who arrive early will wait together with the tour guide for the arrival of the other participants arriving on flight Ist / Ank TK 2108 from 08.00 to 09.20.
Note: ITALIAN SPEAKING LOCAL GUIDE WILL LEAD INCASE THERE WILL BE AT LEAST 8 PARTICIPANTS.
FOR 2 PARTICIPANTS (ITALIAN / ENGLISH OR ITALIAN / SPANISH) THE EXPLANATIONS WIL BE BILINGUAL. IT IS NOTIFIED THAT IN THE SAME VEHICLE THERE MAY BE PASSENGERS OF DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES WITH THEIR OWN GUIDES (EX: SPANISH TOURISTS, SPANISH SPEAKING GUIDE ETC)
– THE NAMES OF CONFIRMED HOTELS CAN BECOME DEFINITE JUST 10 DAYS BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF THE CUSTOMERS.
The names of prospective 4 star hotels:
Istanbul : Golden Age Taksim or Ramada Grand Bazaar o similar
Cappadocia : Perissia or similar
Pamukkale : Hierapark Deluxe or similar
Izmir : Anemon Fuar or Kaya Prestige or similar
Note:Entrance fees are appraised on 15 July 2019 by the Turkish Ministry of Tourism for the period from 16 July 2019 to indefinite time. It is possible thet the prices of the entrance may change during the year; in this case you will be immediately informed about the difference in prices.
Harem, in Topkapi Palace, is not included in the program due to timing. Anyone interested should get in the queue, buy the ticket and enter quickly.
THE DAYS ON WHICH THE MUSEUMS AND IMPORTANT MONUMENTS IN ISTANBUL WILL BE CLOSED IN 2021 ARE AS FOLLOWS:
CLOSED TUESDAY: TOPKAPI PALACE (ALSO CLOSE ON 01 JANUARY AND 01 MAY 2021.)
CLOSED FRIDAY: HAGIA SOPHIA MOSQUE AND SULTANAHMET MOSQUE ARE CLOSED FROM 08:30 TO
DURING FESTIVALS:
GRAND BAZAAR and SPICE BAZAAR WILL BE CLOSED EVEN DURING THE ENTIRE PERIOD OF RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS AS FOLLOWS:
RAMADAN FEAST (13-16 MAY 2021)
FEAST OF DEMOCRACY (15 JULY 2021)
FEAST OF SACRIFICE (20-23 JULY 2021)
REPUBLIC DAY 29/10/2021.
1 * DAY OF RELIGIOUS FEASTS:
ALL MUSEUMS WILL BE CLOSED ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS FROM 9:00 AM TO 1:00 PM.
RAMADAN FEAST (13 MAY 2021)
FEAST OF SACRIFICE (20 JULY 2021)
IN ADDITION, TOPKAPI PALACE WILL BE CLOSE DURING THE WHOLE DAY BOTH ON 13 MAY AND 20 JULY 2021.
THEREFORE IT IS POSSIBLE TO SKIP SOME VISITS IN THE PROGRAM IN ORDER NOT TO CHANGE THE PROCESS OF THE PROGRAM.
Due to partial restorations;
In Istanbul:
In Topkapi Palace Museum; The Salloons of Treasury and the Clothes of Sultans will be closed during 2020. Otherwise, all the other sections of the Palace are open for visit.
In Blue Mosque; the dome and the altar of the mosque will be closed during 2020. Otherwise, all the other parts are open for visit.
In the Chora Museum (Kariye Museum); some parts of the inner chapel (the narthex) will be closed during 2020. Otherwise, all the other sections of the Church are open for visits.
THE PROCEDURE OF CANCELLATION AND PENALTIES
There will be no penalty if the cancellation request is received 30 days before arrival.
30% will be charged for the cancellations notified in less than 30 days.
50% will be charged for the cancellations notified in less than 15 days.
75% will be charged for the cancellations notified in less than 7 days.
A refund is not possible for the cancellations notified in less than 6 days from the date of arrival.
COMPLAINTS AND ADJUSTMENTS
Passengers must immediately contact to Fiorino Tour or their guide for the problems so that they can intervene to solve the problem. If passengers do not inform our offices or the tour guide in time, Fiorino Tour cannot be responsible for complaints it receives late. Any requests for refunds must be made at latest 7 days after the end of our services. Complaints must be sent accompanied by all the details and documentation (receipts, vouchers, hotel documents, etc.). Fiorino Tour responds all complaints, refunds, changes after receipt. The response time is 14-21 working days
A Marvel of Nature and a Roman City side by side
Pamukkale appears in almost every list of places to be seen before you die and visited by almost two million tourists each year. Pamukkale is a place where nature assumed the role of artist and created such majestic beauty. The white travertine cascades resembling frozen waterfalls and terraces of shallow pools were created by the waters of thermal springs reacting with the air. Its allure first noticed by the Romans. The magnificent Hierapolis ancient city was established near the travertine by the Romans. Those unique travertine and the ancient ruins were inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Legendary Temples
The Hierapolis city of antiquity has reached our times in a quite well preserved state. The most frequented structure of the antiquity should have been the Roman Baht House, and at present the same building is used as the archeological museum. Many artifacts were unearthed during the excavations carried out in Hierapolis and other nearby sites of antiquity, and some of the statues and other items are on display in the museum. The ancient theater, temples, monumental fountains, necropolis, agora, and gymnasium are quite well preserved to make you feel travelling 2.000 years back in time. You would find the story of Pluto’s Gate (Plutonium) which was believed to be the Gate of Hell during the Roman Era, very fascinating.
The ancient city of Ephesus is Turkey’s most important ancient city, and one of the best preserved and restored. One can still stroll for hours along its streets passing temples, theatres, libraries, houses and statues. It contains such grand public buildings as the impressive Library of Celsus, the theatre, the Temple of Hadrian and the sumptuous Temple of Artemis which is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The ruins also include public toilets and even a brothel dating mostly from the fourth century BC.
Mevlana Museum and Mausoleum in Konya
As the capital of the Seljuk Turks from the 12th to the 13th centuries, Konya ranks as one of the great cultural centers of Türkiye. During that period of cultural, political, and religious growth, the mystic Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi founded a Sufi order known in the West as the Whirling Dervishes.
The striking, green-tiled mausoleum of Mevlana is Konya’s most famous building. Attached to the mausoleum, the former dervish seminary now serves as a museum housing manuscript of Mevlana’s works and various artefacts related to the mysticism of the sect.
Every year during the first half of December, Şeb-i Arus (Wedding Night) Ceremony held in commemoration of Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi, with the controlled, trance-like turning or sema of the white-robed men creating a fascinating performance for the viewer.
Pamukkale
Pamukkale has been a tourist destination for more than 2,000 years. Pamukkale is not only a natural wonder, but also a place where you can travel back in time by visiting the ancient city of Hierapolis. The ruins of the baths, the temples, and the other monuments of this Graeco-Roman spa resort await visitors today. In Hierapolis, healing waters, superstition, and faith all intermingled in rituals that developed in connection to the successive local cults and religions.
House of the Virgin Mary
Ephesus is particularly important for faith tourism as it contains the House of the Virgin Mary. It is believed that the Virgin Mary was taken to this stone house by St John, where she lived until her death at the age of 101. The Church of the Virgin Mary, close to the original harbour of Ephesus, was the setting for the Third Ecumenical Council in 431. Two other religious sites worth visiting are the Basilica of St John, built in the sixth century, and İsa Bey Mosque, which is a sample of Seljuk architecture. Ephesus is not just a touristic site. It is home to the International İzmir Festival utilizing its grand amphitheatre, Celsus Library and the House of the Virgin Mary.
As one of the most important centres of the ancient era that is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015, Ephesus had been inhabited approximately for 9000 years throughout the Hellenistic Era, Roman Period, Byzantine Era, the Period of Principalities and the Ottoman Era. It was a very important port city and centre of culture and commerce. The whole site comprises Çukuriçi Mound, Ayasuluk Hill (Selçuk Fortress, the Basilica of St. John, İsa Bey Bath, İsa Bey Mosque, Temple of Artemis), the House of the Virgin Mary, and of course the ancient city of Ephesus.