Explore the Wonders of Turkey
For 30s - 40s -50s & Active 60 Year Olds
June 15 - June 24 2012
$2,150*

Start with our Greece Island Hopping Trip and have the perfect beginning to a perfect vacation!
   
Ancient Ancient ruins, bustling bazaars, beautiful mosques, breathtaking scenery and more await you on this fabulous guided through thru Western Turkey. With highlights such as Istanbul and Cappadocia this is a perfect singles trip for history buffs, shoppers or anyone who loves to travel. Visit the only country located in both Europe and Asia.
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Explore The Wonders of Turkey Singles Tour Itinerary

Day 1, Friday - Depart Home

Your vacation begins when you board your overnight flight to Istanbul. Plan your flight to arrive on Friday. Arrive early and take advantage of our hotel's great location

Day 2, Saturday - Arrive Istanbul, Turkey

Welcome to Turkey! Our journey begins in Istanbul, the only city in the world situated on two continents. Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul - its three names span more than 2600 years, nearly 1600 of them as the capital of two of the greatest empires the world has known, Byzantine and Ottoman.

Upon arrival at the airport, take the shuttle to our hotel. Take a stroll or relax before meeting your guide tonight at 7:00pm for a meet and greet and optional dinner.

Day 3, Sunday - Istanbul Day Tour

Our day begins with the Topkapi Palace, the main residence of the Ottoman Sultans, with its jeweled treasury and elegant courts. After a lunch break, we visit the main sights around Sultanahmet Square, including the famous Hagia Sophia, once the largest church in the world and decorated with 6th century golden mosaics. Next we visit the Blue Mosque, designed with 6 minarets and a blue tiled interior. Walk through the site of the ancient Hippodrome, once the sporting ground of chariots and political riots, and see the Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine Column and Fountain of Wilhelm II. Finally, free time to haggle with the local merchants in the Grand Bazaar with its 3500 shops.

Enjoy our Welcome Dinner at a local Turkish restaurant

Day 4, Monday -  Istanbul / Ankara / Cappadocia

After breakfast we transfer to the airport for our flight to Ankara. Upon arrival we will transfer to Cappadocia.

Sites we will see today include the world heritage site of Goreme Open-Air Museum, a cluster of rock cut Byzantine churches, chapels and monasteries which include some wonderful 11th and 12th century frescoes on the cave walls. The Fairy Chimneys, formed during volcanic eruptions in the region. Reaching at times 40 meters in height, they are conical in shape and have a "hat" top to them.
Uchisar Castle, also called a fortress, is actually a formation of two gigantic rocks surrounded by smaller rocks that together form a natural fortress with towers. These formations were inhabited during both the Byzantine and Ottoman times. We can climb and explore the different caves and rooms throughout the fortress, experiencing first-hand what it must have been like to hide in these fortified rocks, waiting for the ancient enemy to pass by or give up.

Day 5, Tuesday -  Cappadocia to Antalya

After breakfast we depart Cappadocia and take a scenic drive to Antalya, on the way we visit the Underground cities & Konya.

*Underground City of Derinkuyu--Gradually stroll your way down into the depths of the earth in this ancient underground city that has 18-20 floors as deep as 40 meters below the ground. Don’t worry, you will only go down to the 8th floor. Cappadocia has around 36 underground cities. Archeologists date these back to the time of the Hittites which lived 4000 years ago.

Our tour includes a visit to Catal Huyuk, one of the world's first towns, built about 6,500 BC and had a population of about 6,000. Stop at the Ince Minare Medrese (Seminary of the Slender Minaret) an impressive Seljuk Turkish architectural masterpiece. Visit the Selcuk’s Caravansary, a safe place for travelers to rest as well as a marketplace on the fabled Silk Route. Visit the Museum of Mevlana, also known as the Green Mausoleum or Green Dome, the original lodge of the Mevlevi Whirling Dervishes.

Later in the day we drive to Antalya and check in to our hotel. Antalya is Turkey's main vacation resort in the Mediterranean region, formerly known as ancient Pamphylia Antalya is an attractive city with shady palm-lined boulevards and a prize-winning marina on the Mediterranean. In the picturesque old quarter, Kaleici, you can walk narrow winding streets and see old wooden houses abut the ancient city walls

Day 6, Wednesday -  Antalya / Perge / Kas

After breakfast visit Antalya Archaeology Museum, one of Turkey's largest museums, including 13 exhibition halls and an open air gallery.

Then it is on to the Greek and Roman ruins of Perge, located 9 miles east of Antalya. Perge boasts extensively early Hellenistic ruins including a well preserved Stadium, and Aspendos, the best preserved Roman theatre in the world, built in the 2nd century AD.

Drive to Kas and visit Church of St. Nicholas, the birthplace of Father Christmas. Then visit the Lycian tombs in Myra, an old Roman city where tombs were carved out of the rocks in the shape of houses.
Dinner and overnight at hotel in Kas.

Day 7, Thursday -  Kas/Kekova

After breakfast we take a short cruise by glass bottom boat to the ruins at Kekova, the Sunken City in Kekova Bay. The Sunken City refers to a residential area that eventually became submerged in the sea as a result of a string of devastating earthquakes during the 2nd Century.

The Glass-bottom boat allows us to see fleeting details of buried artifacts, but the most impressive relics are the city walls and private homes visible just beneath the waterline. Swimming and snorkeling are prohibited here to preserve the location against random disappearances of archaeological findings, but there will be time for swimming and snorkeling during the day.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Kas.

Day 8, Friday -  Pamukkale

After breakfast depart for Pamukkale, Turkey's foremost mineral-bath spa. Hot calcium-laden waters spring from the earth and cascade over a cliff, as the waters cool they form dramatic travertines of hard, brilliantly white calcium that form pools.

Our first stop is the ancient city of Hierapolis, whose name means "sacred city," and believed by the ancients to have been founded by the god Apollo. Today, Hierapolis is a World Heritage Site with interesting Classical ruins, a thermal Sacred Pool in which you can swim with ancient artifacts, a view of the spectacular white terraces of Pamukkale, and a good museum.

Then we check in to one of the Thermal Hotels in Pamukkale. Have dinner, go for a swim, have a mud bath...

Day 9, Saturday - Ephesus/Istanbul 

Today we drive to the ancient city of Ephesus, the best preserved classical city of the Eastern Mediterranean.  Once an ancient Greek city, it was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League and it was for many years the second largest city of the Roman Empire; ranking behind Rome. Ephesus had a population of more than 250,000 in the 1st century BC, which also made it the second largest city in the world.

The city was famed for the Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  Impressive structures we will see include the Library of Celsus, Temple of Hadrian, Theatre and Odeon. We also visit the House of the Virgin Mary.

We take a night flight to Istanbul, check into our hotel and then relax over our farewell dinner. 

Day 10, Sunday - Depart Istanbul

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight home. Say goodbye to all your new friends as it is the end of another great singles vacation.

Explore The Wonders of Turkey   June 15 - June 24, 2012 $2,150* Tour Includes * Air Flights within Turkey * 8 Nights Lodging * 8 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 4 Dinners * All Tours and Admissions stated in itinerary * Airport / Hotel transfers on tour dates only * Air-conditioned private transportation * English Speaking Guide/Host * All Taxes and Surcharges Not included * International air flights * Tips ($100 - collected first day of trip) *The price per person is for a double room - "land only" package. Free roommate matching is available, if you wish to room solo the cost is an additional $750.

Deposit - $400 Balance Due May 1, 2012