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 From Istanbul to the ancient city of Ephesus to the beautiful Turquoise Coast to the mysterious landscape of the Anatolian heartland, we'll explore the best of this fascinating crossroads of civilization. Enjoy stunning city sites, archeological wonders and a 3-night boat ride along the Coast in a classic vessel.
 • Tour Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar in the city known as Istanbul, Constantinople and Byzantium.
• Be dazzled by Istanbul's dizzying nightlife.
• Experience a traditional Turkish bath (hamam)
• Explore Ephesus, one of the largest and best-preserved ancient sites in the world.
• Relax on a comfortable Turkish gulet ( yacht) while we cruise the Turquoise Coast for 3 days and nights.
• Visit the home of the Whirling Dervishes.
• See the otherworldly sandstone formations of Cappadocia
Day 1 - 3 - September 20 -22, 2010
 After arriving in Istanbul and checking into our hotel during the afternoon of Day One, we meet with our tour guide, and take a short walking tour of the area near our hotel. Tonight we'll enjoy a welcome dinner and orientation.
We'll spend the next two days exploring the city, which is dramatically situated upon three waterways: the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara and the Golden Horn. Istanbul's exotic flavor comes alive in its magnificent mosques with their minarets, the bustling bazaars, and along the boulevards and bridges. We'll have ample time to soak in the atmosphere of the city and enjoy its many exciting vistas.
We'll start at Hagia Sophia, known for its magnificent dome, then tour the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, more familiarly known as the Blue Mosque, with its magnificent paneling of over 20,000 blue Iznik tiles.
 After lunch on our first full day in Istanbul we'll wind down with a visit to a traditional Turkish Bath (hamam). There will also be time to shop at the Grand Bazaar, exploring a labyrinth of streets and passages where more than 4000 merchants will vie for our attention.
No stay in Istanbul is complete without an unforgettable boat excursion through the Bosphorus, the winding strait that separates Europe and Asia and connects the Mediterranean and Black Seas. We start our second full day in Istanbul with a boat ride, then after lunch we'll take a leisurely visit to the Topkapi Palace museum, former residence of the Ottoman Sultans. This maze of opulent buildings where the sultans and their courts lived and governed is now a rich and fascinating museum filled with Chinese porcelain and extraordinary jewelry.
Day 4 - September 23, 2010
 This morning we will take a short flight from Istanbul south to Izmir, then drive to the ancient Roman site of Ephesus, one of the largest and best-preserved ancient cities in the world. A walk down the well-preserved wide marble streets lined with columns offers the vision of the ancient Hellenistic and Roman empires, complete with theaters, temples and baths. After lunch we tour the Selcuk Archaeological Museum where many of the artifacts from Ephesus are displayed.
Our hotel for the night is a spacious hotel overlooking the sea in the town of Kusadasi, a short drive from Ephesus
Day 5 - 7 - September 24 - 26, 2010
 This morning we drive from Kusadasi to resort town of Bodrum. The city boasts the medieval Bodrum Castle, built by the Knights of Rhodes, and housing the Museum of Underwater Archaeology. Halicarnassos Mausoleum, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was also in Bodrum.
After lunch we will travel on to Marmaris, where there will be time to explore the city's bazaars or visit the ancient castle just beyond the harbor.
For the next three nights/four days our home will be a charming and comfortable wooden sailing vessel called a gulet, sailing along Turkey's serene Mediterranean coast.  We will dock for daily excursions and relax away our evenings in harbors or quiet coves under the stars. Our itinerary may vary slightly but the following describes a typical gulet cruise along the turquoise waters of the lush green coast.
One day a small riverboat will take us on a side trip up the Dalyan River through a maze of small channels lined with bamboo and cattails. The Dalyan Delta is a conservation area and a refuge for the Caretta Caretta turtles. We will also see the ancient city of Caunos high on the cliff face above the river.
We'll spend a night in the harbor of the village of Ekincik, then spend a day cruising among the bays and pristine Gocek Islands of Fethiye Gulf before our last night on board
 Day 8 - September 27, 2010
On our last day we will cruise to the village of Oludeniz, then disembark in Fethiye, one of the best sailing harbors of the Mediterranean. We will then drive along the coast to Kalkan, one of the most beautiful locations along Turkey's Lycian Coast. We'll have dinner at a local restaurant overlooking the bay, and spend the night in a seaside boutique hotel.
Day 9 - September 28, 2010
Today we drive along the coast toward Antalya. Our first stop will be the ancient city of Perge, which was founded after the Trojan wars, and was first mentioned in 334 BC when Alexander the Great passed through. Later Perge is where the apostle Paul and Barnabus began their first mission in Anatolia. Renowned for its schools of sculpture during the Roman period, Perge was also important because of its strategic location on the Pamphylian plain, linked to the Kestas River by road but far enough from the sea to be safe from pirates.
Further along, the ancient Pamphylian city of Aspendos is noted for its Roman and Byzantine ruins, and in particular a well-preserved Roman theater. A wide range of coinage from the 5th century BC onward attests to the city's wealth, which was based on trade in salt, oil and wool. Aspendos was occupied by Alexander the Great in 333 BC and later passed from Pergamene to Roman rule in 133 BC.
We'll have dinner and spend tonight in Antalya, founded by Attalus II, King of Pergamum, as a port city in the 2nd century BC.
Day 10 - 11 - September 29 - 30, 2010
 After breakfast we drive north over the impressive Taurus Mountains to Konya, home of the Whirling Dervishes. The Sufi Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi, founder of this unique Islamic group and a great Turkish poet and mystic, is buried here and consequently Konya has become a holy place of pilgrimage. We will visit Mevlana Museum to see the cells of the dervishes, fine drawings by famous calligraphy artists, and the tombs of the Sufi and other male dignitaries.
From Konya we continue across the central Anatolian plain to Cappadocia, where we'll check into our hotel and have an orientation of the area. Over centuries, soft volcanic rock has been sculpted by wind, rain, and erosion into magnificent columns and fantastical shapes, creating one of the most interesting landscapes in the world.
 During our stay in the Cappadocia region we'll visit the open-air museum of Göreme whose steep cliffs hide many tiny churches dating from the 9th century when Christians fled here to escape persecution. We'll visit a 180 foot-high fortress carved out of a natural hill dominating the area, for a breathtaking view of the surrounding Cappadocia formations. From there we can descend on an hour-long drive to the remarkable underground city of Kaymakli. In the 2nd century AD, as armies swept across Asia Minor, the residents of Cappadocia created uniquely defensible communities by digging approximately eight stories down into the volcanic tufa stone. This unusual subterranean development is nearly as eerie as the above ground formations we have seen.
Time permitting, we'll stop for a wine tasting and learn more about what makes this region ideal for vineyards.
Day 12 - 13 - October 1 -2, 2010
From Cappadocia, we'll fly back to Istanbul for one last visit to the city. Flight times permitting, you'll have time to explore the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest covered markets in the world, before our farewell dinner.
After breakfast, we will provide transfers to Istanbul Airport for flights home.
• All transportation within Turkey, including flight from Istanbul to Izmir and from Cappadocia to Istanbul;
• Airport departure taxes for group flights;
• Transfers from Istanbul Airport to hotel on arrival, and from our hotel to Istanbul Airport at the end of the trip;
• Hotel rooms and cabin on boat, with private bath;
• All breakfasts, 9 lunches and 8 dinners;
• Entrance fees to included sites, as well as to a Turkish bath in Istanbul;
• Porterage, and meal gratuities.
• Airfare between home and Istanbul;
• Airport departure taxes for international flights (if any);
• Turkish visa obtained upon arrival (cost has recently been US$20 payable in cash upon arrival at Istanbul);
• Gratuity for guides and hotel staff;
• Personal items including: alcoholic beverages, snacks, laundry, and telephone calls.
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