Two days in Istanbul will take in the sights and sensations of this great world city, the only city in the world built on two continents. The Topkapi Palace, home of the Ottoman Sultans, Haghia Sofia the great Byzantine Cathedral built in the 6th century, for nearly 1000 years the heart of the Orthodox Christian faith and for 450 years one of the city’s great mosques. The Blue Mosque, the exquisite Ottoman creation with its six minarets featuring prominently on Istanbul’s unforgettable horizon and of course, the bustling and beautiful artery of the city; the Bosphorus.
Overnight train to Ankara, the capital of the modern Turkey, in a first class sleeper compartment. Tour of Ankara before continuing, the following day via central Turkey’s Great Salt Lake to Goreme This part of Turkey is famous for its “Fairy Chimneys”; outlandish rock formations that have for thousands of years been used as homes and places of refuge for the people of central Anatolia.
From Goreme we travel to Nemrut to witness the sunset from the top of the mountain amidst the 2000 year old giant standing stones and statues of the funerary monument of King Antiochus.III.
From Goreme we travel to Nemrut to witness the sunset from the top of the mountain amidst the 2000 year old giant standing stones and statues of the funerary monument of King Antiochus.III.
From Nemrut we travel to Gaziantep, capital of Turkey’s pistachio industry and then on to the great Mediterranean port of Mersin. After Mersin, we make the short trip to Tasucu via “Heaven” and “Hell” and the spectacular coastal fortification of Kizkalesi- Maiden’s Castle.
From Tasucu we sail by high speed hydrofoil to Girne in North Cyprus for the last, relaxing leg of your Anatolian and Mediterranean Odyssey. The island of Cyprus at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea has a rich and varied historical and cultural heritage reflecting its unique position as a crossroads for some of the great civilisations of the world. Because of its location in the Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus provided a meeting point and a link with the great cultures of North Africa, the Middle East, Anatolia and Europe. The island can be seen from both Turkey and the Levantine coast and it is this fusion of cultures and influences that makes Cyprus unique today; a mixture of Classical Greek and Roman, Byzantine, Crusader Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Ottoman Turkish and Colonial British.
Cyprus has a wide range of possibilities for the cultural and historical tourist: the fortified Venetian port city of Famagusta on the east coast to the bustling harbour town of Kyrenia, on the northern coast, with its imposing Crusader castle, ancient classical city of Salamis or the architectural gem, Bellapais Abbey. But all of this is the cream on the cake; what brings so many visitors to Cyprus is the hot sunshine and endless beaches washed by warm turquoise waters; a perfect place to relax and unwind at the end of your adventure.
For a detailed itinerary of this unique tour please refer to our downloadable pdf brochure.
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