Complete Turkey: nine days with Ankara, Özkonak and Bursa

Overview

Route: Istanbul›Ankara›Cappadocia›Pamukkale›Ephesus›İzmir›Bursa

• Physical level: Moderate
• Languages of the guided visits: Spanish, English

Highlights

• Three full days in Istanbul, taking in Balat, the Bosphorus, Çamlıca and a whole day in Sultanahmet.
• The three major Istanbul tickets included: Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
• Atatürk Mausoleum in Ankara, with the ticket included, on the way to Cappadocia.
• Özkonak Underground City, quieter than the larger ones, with its round stone doors.
• Hierapolis and the Pamukkale travertines, with the night in a thermal hotel.
• Ephesus in full, from the Temple of Hadrian to the Great Theatre, and the House of the Virgin Mary.
• Bursa, the first Ottoman capital, with the Ulu Cami and its historic bazaar before returning to Istanbul.

What is included and what is not

Day by day itinerary

1. Day 1

   Arrival in Istanbul and Balat

   Meet and greet at the airport — Istanbul (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW), depending on the flight — and straight on to Balat, in the district of Fatih: the neighbourhood of coloured houses on the slope running down to the Golden Horn. It is a short stop on foot, meant to let the group get its bearings in the city before reaching the hotel; the streets are steep and cobbled, so comfortable shoes are worth having from the outset. Then the transfer to the hotel and check-in; rooms are available from the hotel check-in time. At the end of the afternoon the guide takes the group on an orientation walk around the area: where the tram or metro stop is, where to change money, where to eat nearby and what time the group leaves the next morning. It is a short walk that saves questions for the rest of the tour. Dinner is not included on this day.

   Visits

   Balat district

   Overnight in

   Istanbul

2. Day 2

   Bosphorus, Çamlıca and modern Istanbul

   Breakfast and boarding for the Bosphorus cruise. From the water you see the wooden Ottoman mansions and the palaces of Dolmabahçe, Çırağan and Beylerbeyi, the fortress of Rumeli Hisarı and the suspension bridges joining the two continents; it is a shared boat and the route may vary with the state of the sea. We then drive up Çamlıca hill, on the Asian side, the highest viewpoint over the city and the strait, where the geography of Istanbul becomes clear at a glance. Free time for lunch, which is not included. In the afternoon, twentieth-century Istanbul: Taksim Square, İstiklal Avenue walked as far as the Galata Tower area — seen from outside, as going up the tower is not part of the programme — and the flower and fish markets at the end of the avenue. The afternoon is covered on foot along a pedestrian avenue that is busy at any hour, so the group walks together and a meeting point is agreed before setting off. Return to the hotel in the afternoon; dinner is not included on this day.

   Visits

   Bosphorus cruise, Çamlıca hill, Taksim Square, İstiklal Avenue, Galata Tower (outside)

   Meals

   Breakfast

   Overnight in

   Istanbul

3. Day 3

   Sultanahmet in depth

   A full day on the historic peninsula, with the three main tickets included. We start at Topkapı Palace, the sultans residence for four centuries: its successive courtyards, the kitchens, the Council chamber and the treasury, where the Spoonmaker Diamond is displayed. We continue to Hagia Sophia, which had the largest dome in the Christian world for almost nine hundred years and is now a working mosque, with a separate route for foreign visitors through the upper galleries. We then walk the Roman Hippodrome, with its obelisk and serpent column, to the Blue Mosque, which keeps more than twenty thousand İznik tiles. The day ends in the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar, one after the other. It is the day with the most walking on the tour and all of it is on foot over uneven stone, with short slopes. Lunch is not included and there is free time to sort it out locally; dinner is not included on this day either.

   Visits

   Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia, Roman Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar

   Meals

   Breakfast

   Overnight in

   Istanbul

   Notes for the day: Tickets included on this day: Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.

4. Day 4

   Istanbul, Ankara and Cappadocia

   The longest leg of the tour: some 750 kilometres and around nine hours with stops. An early start from Istanbul, the crossing into Asia and the climb through the Bolu mountains, the wooded barrier that separates the Sea of Marmara from the plateau. At midday we reach Ankara to visit Atatürk Mausoleum, the Anıtkabir, with its esplanade, its changing of the guard and the museum devoted to the founder of the Republic; the ticket is included. A stop for lunch, which is not included, and on towards the south-east. Before entering Cappadocia we stop beside the Salt Lake, Tuz Gölü, a shallow lake that in summer leaves a white crust you can walk on in the marked areas. Arrival in Cappadocia in the late afternoon, transfer to the hotel and dinner included. It is a coach day with one large visit in the middle, and it is worth explaining it that way to passengers: an early start, but Ankara without adding a night.

   Visits

   Bolu mountains, Anıtkabir (Atatürk Mausoleum), Salt Lake

   Meals

   Breakfast, dinner

   Overnight in

   Cappadocia

   Notes for the day: Road: about 750 km, approx. 9 h with stops. Early departure.

5. Day 5

   Cappadocia

   Before dawn, anyone who wishes can fly over the valleys by balloon: it is an optional activity, not part of the programme, and depends each morning on clearance for wind and visibility. After breakfast, a full day in the region. We start at Özkonak Underground City, quieter than the larger ones and with its round stone doors still in place; the ticket is included and the passages are low, so they can be skipped if they are uncomfortable. We continue to the Göreme Open-Air Museum, the group of chapels and refectories cut into the rock with tenth-century frescoes, also with the ticket included. Free time for lunch, which is not included. In the afternoon, the viewpoints over the Avcılar and Güvercinlik valleys, with their fairy chimneys, and the cave village of Uçhisar, the highest point in the district, with the castle ticket included. The day closes at a carpet and jewellery workshop, an explanatory visit with entirely voluntary buying. Dinner at the hotel.

   Visits

   Özkonak Underground City, Göreme Open-Air Museum, Avcılar and Güvercinlik valleys, Uçhisar

   Meals

   Breakfast, dinner

   Overnight in

   Cappadocia

   Optional activities

   • Hot-air balloon flight at sunrise
   • Folk show in a cave venue
6. Day 6

   Cappadocia, caravanserai and Pamukkale

   Departure westwards to cross Central Anatolia: some 650 kilometres and around eight hours of travel. In the middle of the morning we stop at a Silk Road caravanserai, one of those fortified inns the Seljuks built a camel day apart, with its courtyard and its raised mosque in the centre. The rest of the leg is covered with comfort stops en route and a stop for lunch, which is not included; the landscape shifts from steppe to the valleys of Denizli. In the afternoon we reach Pamukkale: first Hierapolis, the Roman spa city with its necropolis and its theatre, and then the white terraces of the Cotton Castle, walked barefoot along the marked areas on an uneven and slippery surface. The site ticket is included. Dinner at the hotel in Pamukkale, all of them thermal establishments, so a swimming costume is worth keeping to hand on this leg. It is a coach day with both visits at the end, and it is best presented to the passenger that way.

   Visits

   Silk Road caravanserai, Hierapolis, Pamukkale and the Cotton Castle

   Meals

   Breakfast, dinner

   Overnight in

   Pamukkale

   Notes for the day: Road: about 650 km, approx. 8 h.

7. Day 7

   Pamukkale, Ephesus and Aliağa

   A short leg, some 260 kilometres and around three and a half hours, to Selçuk for the visit to Ephesus. We walk the site: the Temple of Hadrian and its reliefs, the Roman baths, the Library of Celsus with its two-storey facade, the Odeon, where the city council met, and the Great Theatre, the largest building on the site. The paving is original marble, uneven and unshaded, and the route runs gently downhill. Free time for lunch, which is not included. We then drive up to the House of the Virgin Mary, on the mountainside above the site, a place of worship where silence is requested and the visit is short. The tickets for Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary are included. Before reaching the hotel we stop at a regional leather goods gallery, an explanatory visit with entirely voluntary buying. Night on the coast, in İzmir (Aliağa), with dinner included at the hotel.

   Visits

   Ephesus (Temple of Hadrian, Roman baths, Library of Celsus, Odeon, Great Theatre), House of the Virgin Mary

   Meals

   Breakfast, dinner

   Overnight in

   İzmir (Aliağa)

   Notes for the day: Road: about 260 km, approx. 3 h 30.

8. Day 8

   Aliağa, Bursa and Istanbul

   An early start, following the coast north and then climbing to Bursa: some 480 kilometres and around six hours with stops. Bursa was the first Ottoman capital and its old centre shows it: we visit the Ulu Cami, the Great Mosque, with its twenty-domed prayer hall and the ablution fountain under the central skylight, within the historic ensemble of the city inscribed on the World Heritage list; the ticket is included. There is free time in the historic bazaar next to the mosque, and for lunch, which is not included. We then continue towards Istanbul, crossing the Gulf of İzmit on the Osmangazi suspension bridge, the short cut that saves the land detour and keeps the Sea of Marmara in view. Arrival in Istanbul in the late afternoon, in the inbound traffic, and transfer to the hotel. Dinner is not included on this day and the rest of the evening is free, with no scheduled visits.

   Visits

   Bursa: Ulu Cami and the historic bazaar; Osmangazi bridge

   Meals

   Breakfast

   Overnight in

   Istanbul

   Notes for the day: Road: about 480 km, approx. 6 h.

9. Day 9

   Departure

   Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the airport at the time stated in the tour documentation, calculated on the international flight time and the expected traffic. If the flight leaves very early, the hotel prepares a breakfast box instead of the service in the dining room. Our services end with the transfer. Because the tour closes in Istanbul and not at a provincial airport, this last day does not force an early-morning domestic flight: the departure is adjusted to each passenger flight. If the international flight is at night, the room is released at the hotel check-out time, luggage can be left at reception and the transfer is scheduled for the afternoon. To extend the stay, extra nights can be added in Istanbul, in the same planned hotels, or a full-day excursion to the Asian side or to old and modern Europe. All of this is set out in the quotation.

   Meals

   Breakfast

Expected hotels

Hotels as listed or similar; the final confirmation is given in the quotation.

Operational notes

• This is a scheduled tour operated with shared services: the coach, the licensed guide and the visits are shared with other passengers who have booked the same programme, whether through your agency or another. What is not shared is the room, or the arrival and departure transfers in Istanbul, which are handled with an assistant. Coach seats are not numbered and daily rotation is recommended.
• Timings are the group timings. Each morning departure time is set by the day operation and announced the evening before; on a scheduled tour one passenger delay affects the whole coach, so keeping to the timetable is part of the tour conditions.
• On scheduled programmes the order of the visits may be adjusted according to local operating conditions, while keeping the content and the level of the services booked. In Istanbul, some legs may be covered on foot or by public transport depending on the traffic.
• In high season some legs may be shared with other Spanish-speaking groups. The guide remains a licensed, Spanish-speaking guide on every scheduled visit.
• The tour is run entirely overland, with no domestic flights. There are long transfer days with early starts and comfort stops en route; the mileage and approximate time are stated on each day of the itinerary.
• The tour has three long road days: Istanbul to Ankara and Cappadocia, some 750 kilometres; Cappadocia to Pamukkale, some 650; and Aliağa to Bursa and Istanbul, some 480. All three start early and include comfort stops en route.
• The Bosphorus cruise operates on a shared scheduled boat. The route or the vessel may change because of weather and, exceptionally, the service can be suspended in rough seas.
• Hagia Sophia is a working mosque. Foreign visitors follow a separate tourist route through the upper galleries, while the ground floor is reserved for prayer. That route closes during the five daily prayers and, at Friday midday, for a longer period. The visiting arrangement and opening hours depend on current regulations and may change without notice; if access is restricted on the date of the visit, the monument is explained from outside.
• Mosques require shoes to be removed and shoulders and knees covered; women are required to cover their hair. Bringing your own scarf is advisable, although the busiest mosques usually lend one at the entrance.
• Working mosques close to visitors during the five daily prayers and, in particular, around the Friday midday prayer. When a visit coincides, the commentary is given outside or the day is reordered.
• Museums and archaeological sites may have a weekly closing day and different summer and winter opening hours. The final itinerary is adjusted to the opening calendar in force on the travel dates.
• During the religious holidays (Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı, whose dates move with the lunar calendar) museum and shop hours change, monuments are busier, and domestic flights and roads fill up.
• The Cappadocia balloon flight is an optional activity and is not part of the programme. Flights are confirmed before dawn and are cancelled by the operator for wind or visibility, so booking it for the first available sunrise is advisable. If it is cancelled for safety reasons, the amount is refunded in full.
• The Turkish night show in a cave venue is an optional activity and is not part of the programme. It is booked with the reservation or locally through our own team, and its cost is stated in the quotation.
• The Pamukkale travertines are walked barefoot along the marked areas. The surface is uneven and slippery, and there is no shade along the route.
• Ephesus is walked on original marble paving, uneven and unshaded; the Cappadocia valleys on dirt paths. Moderate walking level and closed shoes throughout the tour.
• Between June and September the midday heat is intense at open-air sites. Visits are concentrated early and late in the day, and water, a hat and sun protection are advisable.
• The programme includes explanatory stops at craft workshops (carpets, leather or ceramics), which are standard on this kind of tour. The visit is informative and any purchase is entirely voluntary.
• The hotels listed on this page are the ones planned. If they are not available on the travel dates, they are replaced by another establishment of similar or higher category in the same town, with prior notice to the agency.
• Triple rooms generally consist of two standard beds plus an extra bed, and are subject to availability. Most hotels in Turkey do not accept four people in a standard room.
• A valid passport, the visa or electronic authorisation and compliance with entry requirements are the traveller responsibility. They depend on nationality and should be checked well in advance.

Best time to travel

Recommended months: April, May, June, September, October

Gallery

Frequently asked questions

Booking conditions

Deposit

30% of the total when the booking is confirmed. For bookings made 30 days or less before departure, the full amount at confirmation.

Balance

The remaining 70%, no later than 31 days before departure.

Payment methods

Bank transfer or credit card. Card payments carry a 3% surcharge; charges applied by the issuing bank are borne by the client.

Cancellations

More than 90 days before departure: handling fee only, plus penalties on services already issued · 89–61 days: 25% · 60–31 days: 50% · 30 days or less and no-show: 100%. Reductions in places follow the same scale. Refunds within 10–14 business days of written cancellation.

Read the full booking conditions

Credentials

Legal name

Colorido Tours Turkey Turizm Ticaret Ltd. Şti.

TÜRSAB licence

A-12116

Office

Istanbul

Operating scope

Turkey only. Egypt, Jordan and the Greek islands only as extensions of a Turkey itinerary.

Guides

Licensed guides in Spanish and English

24/7 emergency line during the trip

+90 544 533 53 55

Who handles your request

Your request is handled by our reservations team, and the same person follows the file from quotation through to operation on the ground.

How to verify us

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