This 17 day tour, starts and ends in Istanbul, Turkey.
Welcome to Istanbul! You will be transferred to your hotel and the remainder of the day is yours free to explore at your own pace.
After breakfast, you enjoy a fully guided tour of the only city to span two continents, visiting the Blue Mosque, St Sophia Museum, Topkapi Palace (including Hagia Irene) and the Hippodrome.
Cruise between two continents on the stretch of water that separates Europe from Asia in the afternoon with an optional 'Half day Bosphorus cruise'.
Today we head to Eceabat, near the Gallipoli battlefields. We will visit the WW1 battlefields of Gallipoli including Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair Memorials, ANZAC Cove, The Nek, Johnston's Jolly, original trenches and tunnels.
The remainder of the evening is free until we head to the Dawn Service site as soon as it is opened to the public.
Awake before sun rise for the ANZAC Day Dawn Service. We become aware of the almost deafening silence as the moving service to commemorate our fallen forefathers on this special day begins. You will then have the chance to attend the Australian or New Zealand Memorial service.
Once the ANZAC services are complete, early this afternoon, we head to Kusadasi stopping briefly to visit ancient Troy and its famed Trojan Horse.
Absorb yourself in history today with a guided tour of Ephesus and a visit to the site of the Temple of Artemis. Feel the mystical atmosphere of the ancient city and theatre before continuing to the former Greek village of Sirince, famous for its fruit wines. Carpet weaving has long traditions in Turkey and at the carpet village we learn how the carpets are made by hand and what determines their value.
This morning we will head to the magnificent white calcium terraces, known as Travertines, in Pamukkale where we also tour the ancient city of Hierapolis. Take a dip, amongst ancient columns, in the hot springs that were used in Roman times for their therapeutic powers.
Depart from Pamukkale towards Aphrodisias the ancient city dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of Beauty, Love and Fertility, also famous for its school of sculpture, we visit the stadium, which is the best preserved in Anatolia, the Temple of Aphrodite, the Tetrapylon, theatre, the Museum. Afterwards we continue on to Marmaris.
We is a free day in Marmaris, you can enjoy the beach or maybe take a day trip to the Greek island of Rhodes.
Today our first stop is the lake side town of Koycegiz, its unique environment is preserved as a nature and wildlife sanctuary. Have a bite to eat at one of the lakeside restaurants or explore the local markets, famous for their local citrus fruit. From here its a short trip to the other side of the lake and the town of Dalyan.
Take an optional boat trip along the Dalyan River, passing the ancient Kaunos tombs that have been carved into the cliff face. The Dalyan Delta is a nature conservation area and a home to protected loggerhead turtle (Caretta Caretta) nesting grounds. And finally there is the Sultaniye mud baths, fun, rejuvenating and surely a great chance for a snapshot.
From here its a short drive to our final stop, the seaside town of Fethiye.
Free day in Fethiye. Wander around town, relax at the famous Oludeniz beach or take an optional trip to Saklikent Gorge.
This morning we head to Kayakoy. The morning light provides excellent photos of this deserted Greek village. Afterwards we drive to the resort town of Antalya. Here we will take a walking tour of the old town area of Antalya known as "Kaleiçi". Amongst other things we'll visit Hadrian's Gate, the Ancient Harbour and Suna-Inan Kiraç Kaleiçi Museum which even has a Greek Orthdox Church in its garden!
Full day tour of the ancient ruins of Perge and Aspendos and Side. In Aspendos, you can see the Roman Theatre built in the 2nd century and seating 15,000 people. Side is one of the best classical sites in Turkey with its Temple of Apollo and ancient ruins.
Today we travel to Konya and upon arrival we will visit the mausoleum of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi with its accompanying Mevlana museum.
Today we travel the ancient Silk Road visiting Sultanhani Caravansary en-route.
In the afternoon, upon arrival at Cappadocia, we will visit Pigeon and Red Valley and then we visit Cavusin village and lastly Avanos town where we will learn about hand-made pottery
Marvel at the lunar landscape of Cappadocia today as we visit the Goreme Valley Open Air Museum and the fairy chimneys, and explore the many levels of an underground city.
Early morning departure to the nation's capital, Ankara, where we visit Anitkabir, mausoleum of the famed Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, before returning to Istanbul.
After breakfast our tour concludes and we say goodbye to our new friends and are transferred to the airport for your onward flight.