Itinerary       1 Oct to 8 Oct 2010

Day One

Flights from London, via Istanbul, to Kayseri, and a short drive to Urgup in Cappadocia. 

For three nights our accommodation will be the Yunak Evleri, a luxury ‘cave’ hotel, in easy range of the spectacular scenery and local sites that we will be visiting in the next few days.

Day Two

A tour of the region, including the citadel at Uchisar for a panoramic view of this extraordinary geological area and visits on foot to some of the rock churches, with their lovely frescoes, in the Goreme valley.

In the afternoon, we visit the troglodyte village of Zelve and the old village of Avanos, renowned for its pottery.

Day Three

Optional early morning balloon ride over the area, weather permitting.

Our tour continues with a walk among the rock formations along the Ihlara canyon and a visit to one the extraordinary underground cities (either Derinkuyu or Kaymakli) excavated and inhabited in the Byzantine period as refuges for whole populations.

Day  Four

We drive west to Konya.

After a stop at the Sultanhani caravanserai en route, we arrive in time for lunch and an afternoon visit to some of the fine 13th century buildings, including the Karatay Medrese (seminary) and the shrine of the poet and philosopher /theologian, the Mevlana (‘Lord’) Jelaladdin Rumi (d 1273), after whom the order of sufi dervishes, the Mevlevi, was established.

One night’s accommodation at the 4* Dundar Hotel.   

Day Five

We drive over the Taurus Mountains down to Antalya, where we have three nights’ accommodation at our special hotel, Tekeli Konaklari.

Day Six

Visits along the Pamphilian coast to the Classical cities of Perge, Aspendos and Side, where there are substantial and interesting remains.

Day Seven

A full day along the Lycian coast to visit the lovely site of Phaselis and the mountain site of Termessos.

Day Eight

Morning flight from Antalya to Istanbul, where we transfer to our return flight to London  

 

Picturesque Cappadocia, Konya, Antalya and more

 

Turkey has a wealth of remains from the Classical Greek and Roman era. Many of the archaeological sites are substantial and all the more impressive because of their spectacular situations.

The country’s Byzantine and Ottoman past is evident everywhere, too, and this tour includes outstanding monuments from these periods.
 
The tour begins in Cappadocia, noted for its wonderfully picturesque landscape of eroded cliffs and valleys; in our two days in the area we shall explore villages hewn into and out of crags and pinnacles, and amazing rock-cut churches and underground cities dating from the Byzantine period.

We then travel to Konya, the home of the Mevlevi order of ‘whirling’ dervishes, where there are some fine Islamic buildings dating from the Seljuk period.

Next we head south to Antalya, on the Mediterranean coast, which will be our base for the rest of the tour. From here we will visit the imposing remains of several Greco-Roman cities, including Perge, Aspendus – which has one of the best preserved & attractively situated theatres from the ancient world – Termessus and Phaselis.

It is possible to extend this tour for an independent exploration of Istanbul, based in the Hotel Avicenna, an attractive restored Ottaman residence in the old Sultan Ahmet area of the city, close to the Blue Mosque and Ayia Sofiya.  Further details of B&B rates at the time of booking from Prestige Holidays.

What To Expect

Accommodation will be in twin bedded rooms in highly recommended hotels of some character, eg: a luxury "Cave" hotel in Cappadocia and a converted Ottoman Pasha's residence in Antalya.  There will  be walking on uneven ground on this tour and participants with a fair deal of fitness will be able to appreciate the fantastic geology, dwellings and churches in the rocky valleys of Cappadocia and the archaeological sites around Antalya.

Books

There are a large number of good books on various aspects of the history and culture of Turkey, covering all periods.  Good standard guidebooks include the Blue Guides and those published in the Cadogan and the Footprint series.  George Bean's Turkey's Southern Shore (Benn) is a more specialist archaeological guide, though sometimes hard to find.

Tour Leader:

John Osborne taught Classics at Marlborough College for over thirty years and also worked for the British Council in Turkey and in Iran.  He has an enthusiasm for Islamic civilisation as well as for Classical Greek and Roman history and archaeology, and has led several very successful tours for The Travellers Club and Prestige. 

To contact us about this Tour telephone 01425 480600 or via email here.

To download or print the Cultural Tours Booking Form click here.