US citizens need a visa to travel in Turkey. You may obtain this visa upon your arrival at the Istanbul airport.
 The fee is $ 100  in US currency. The visa is valid for three months.

We can arrange individual transfers from the airport to the hotel. Please let us know your arrival information.
Look for a MELITOUR sign at the departure from the customs area at the airport.

If you plan to arrive a few days before the tour to get over jet lag we can reserve a room at Hotel Ayasofya
(Single US$50, Double US$70) We can suggest itineraries for those who want to explore on their own or with a
guide before or after the tour. Simply send us an e-mail with your request.

In case of unexpected delay or change of flight, should there be a problem in meeting the person who should be
 waiting for you at the airport please call Hotel Ayasofya at 0212-51694-46 or take a taxi to Hotel Ayasofya.
 Your taxi fare will be refunded.

Hotel Ayasofya
Kucuk Ayasofya Mahallesi
Demirci Resit Sokak
Sultan Ahmet Meydani Alti

Itinerary

May 12 DAY 1    Wednesday  ISTANBUL
 ISTANBUL Arrival in Istanbul and transfer to
Hotel Ayasofya. The tour members will be given a transfer to the hotel from the airport. Please check the arrival info for the details. Hotel Ayasofya is almost as it was 200 years ago and is situated within walking distance of all the must-see places in Istanbul. The tour starts at 5.00 pm. After a short introduction we will visit the Blue Mosque and have dinner

May 13 DAY 2    Thursday  ISTANBUL
ISTANBUL Some of the sights we will see
include the Cistern, the Turkish Islamic Art Museum, St. Sophia, and Topkapi
Palace. The visit to the Turkish Islamic Museum, especially the ethnographic section, makes a perfect introduction to what we will see in the countryside
Breakfast Lunch Dinner included

May 14 DAY 3    Friday ISTANBUL OVERNIGHT TRAIN
TRAIN Shop at the famous Covered Bazaar. We will
visit the Chora church to see the exquisite Byzantine mosaics from the 12th century. If you are interested in early Christian art and dogma you will be overwhelmed by this museum. After lunch on your own in the 19th century Quarter, We will end the day with a cruise on the Bosphoros aboard our own private boat. The views of the city at dusk with its 600 mosques are unforgettable. Dinner will be at a seafood restaurant much favored by the locals. Train to Ankara. In Turkey, trains are regarded as the most civilized mean of transportation. Your luggage will be with you in your compartments. Unless you chose to be single 2 people to a compartment. The train leaves at 10.30 Pm and arrives Ankara the next morning at 08.00 AM
Breakfast and Dinner included   
   
May 15 DAY 4    Saturday ANKARA OVERNIGHT CAPPADOCIA
UCHISAR CAPPADOCIA
CAPPADOCIA In Ankara, visit the most beautiful museum of Turkey, the Anatolian Civilization Museum. This is a one of a kind museum, displaying 26 different civilizations. All the artifacts of these civilizations that have been excavated from Anatolia are in this museum.
Seeing it will give us a better understanding of the cultural and historic layers of the Anatolian civilization. After lunch we visit the mausoleum of Ataturk, the father of the Turks, then take a bus to Cappadocia over a beautiful country road for a taste of lovely Turkish landscapes and farms.

Overnight at Museum Hotel at heart of Cappadocia. Waking up in the morning
to magnificent sights is one of the unique aspects of this motel Brekfas
Lunch Dinner included

MAY 16 DAY 5   Sunday CAPPADOCIA
CAPPADOCIA Cappadocia is a land where nature and man have competed with each other to create the most unusual and the most beautiful. We will hike to 10th and 11th century churches, monasteries, and houses carved in the rocks, and visit a family living in one of these rock dwellings. ( The description of the hike is below ) The moonlike terrain of Cappadocia with its endless artwork is a photographer's delight.
Since Cappadocia is the carpet center of Turkey, we will schedule a  demonstration at a factory where the art of making carpets by hand and dying
with natural dies is being kept alive. We will see Turkish folk dancing this evening at dinner. Overnight in Cappadocia Brekfas Lunch Dinner included

MAY 17 DAY 6   Monday GUZELYURT
GUZELYURT Avanos will be our next stop. People have been making pottery here since the time of the Hittites (3rd century BC). We will visit a local potter who is keeping this art alive After visiting the underground city of the early Christians.  Home visit  in a village Dinner and overnight in Guzelyurt, in a hotel that was built in 1853 as a Christian girls school. You will be given the option of home stay at this small town HOME STAY OPPORTUNITY Brekfas Lunch Dinner included

MAY 18 DAY 7   Tuesday KONYA
KONYA Breakfast at a village house Visit a church which is now a mosque built in 385 AD The oldest monastery of Christiandom We then depart for Konya, stopping en route at a 12th century Caravanserai. Konya is the first capital of the Selcuks, the oldest Turkish Empire in Anatolia. It is also known for being the homeland of Rumi, a 13th century poet-philosopher and one of the earliest humanists. The ambiance of the city has not changed much for the past 800 years. Overnight at a hotel in the center of Konya. Breakfast  Lunch Dinner included

MAY 19 DAY 8    Wednesday ANTALYA
We will learn about the father of Sufism in Konya Rumi and his philosophy will be the topic of our morning lecture.  You will be able to see how the flora changes as we drive over the grand Taurus Mountains down to Antalya. Poised between jagged mountains and the shimmering Mediterranean, Antalya is the chief city on Turkey's central Mediterranean coast. In this beautiful coastal city we will stay at a restored 200-year-old stone house renovated as a pension.  5 hour bus ride to Antalya will be the most scenic ride of our tour  Breakfast  Lunch included 

MAY 20 DAY 9    Thursday     ANTALYA
Weather permitting, we will take a five-hour cruise on the Mediterranean to the ancient site of Phaselis, located on a peninsula with ancient harbors on either side. This will be the first Roman site that we visit on this trip. The ancient stones are scattered among the reed pine trees, which grow right out from the waters of the Mediterranean in an incomparably romantic setting. Tonight there is an option of going to a Turkish bath (included in tour). Overnight in Antalya Brekfast  Lunch  included

MAY 21 DAY 10    Friday     PAMUKKALE
Pamukkale Today we visit Pamukkale (ancient Heirapolis), the most unusual natural phenomenon of Turkey. The Turkish name  literally "cotton castle" - refers to the extraordinary surface of the snow-white cliffs, shaped over millennia by the accumulation of calcium deposited by mineral springs. Visit the hot springs and swim in a spa amid Roman columns. Though under protection, these white cliffs of calcium deposits are being destroyed dramatically. We will meet with a representative of the local association that is working on the preservation of these cliffs. We will have dinner and overnight in a local pension in the village center where you can continue to swim in the curative waters of this five-thousand-year-old health center Brekfast Lunch Dinner included 

May 22  DAY 11    Saturday KUSADASI
Selcuk (Ephesus)  Drive through a meandering valley visit the temple of Appollo ,the oracle center and Visit Miletus the last stop of St Paul in him home country Enjoy the pleasure of hiking in an ancient city. Overnight at Selcuk  Brekfast Lunch Dinner included 
 

May 22  DAY 11    Saturday KUSADASI
Selcuk (Ephesus) This will be our big day in Ephesus, the best-preserved classical city on the eastern Mediterranean and among the best places in the world to get a feel for what life was like in Roman times. Certainly, the climax of the trip will be at the city of Ephesus, sitting in the theater visualizing 35,000 Ephesians following the silversmith Demetrius shouting "...great is Artemis of Ephesians..." in reaction to St. Paul's preaching "there should be no man-made gods." Overnight in Selcuk

May 24  DAY 13    Monday  END OF THE TOUR
The trip ends after breakfast, but you may extend your stay on your own if you wish. There are many options available, such as a yacht tour on the Turkish Riviera at very reasonable rates or the Greek island of Samos (only a one-hour boat ride away). Otherwise, you may return directly to Istanbul by bus or air for more sightseeing before your departure. You may also return to Istanbul via a 3-day bus ride visiting other sites in western Anatolia, such as Pergamum and Troy. 
Transfer to the airport  .

IF YOU WANT  SEE OUR AFTER THE TOUR OPTIONS PLEASE CHECK OUR TOUR HAND BOOK

• YACHTING with a GULLET BOAT
  

The tour size
Maximum 20 people

Tour Price
US$  2.150.-
Single room supplement US$ 180.-

THE PRICE INCLUDES
* 12 nights hotel, double occupancy
* Train ride
* Private boat in Istanbul
* Private boat in Antalya
* Breakfast, lunch and dinner each day  except 2 dinners in Antalya and 1 lunch in Istanbul
* All entrance fees
* Tips at the hotels and the restaurants
* All transportation
* Tip for the guide
* Tip for the driver
*Water with the meals
 
NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE
* Flights to and from Turkey
* Beverages and drinks
* Cancellation insurance

 Hotel Chart