Please note: A visa is required for U.S. and Canadian passport holders to enter Turkey. 

Discover Turkey’s connection to the sea on this comprehensive tour. Your vacation begins in the heart of Istanbul, among the magnificent palaces and mosques of the Ottomans. Then you’ll experience the beauty of both the Turkish Riviera and famous inland sights, including the mythic city of Troy, the Temple of Artemis, the Greco-Roman ruins at Miletus and Didyma and the otherworldly hot springs of Pamukkale.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 - Overnight Flight

Your trip begins with a regularly scheduled overnight flight to Istanbul aboard an internationally recognized airline.

Day 2 - Istanbul

Welcome to Istanbul, crossroads of East and West as well as the world’s only city that spans two continents. A Go Ahead representative greets you at the airport after you clear customs and then escorts you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax or begin acquainting yourself with Istanbul. At an included Welcome Dinner this evening, meet your fellow travelers.
Included meals: breakfast (in flight), dinner

Day 3 - Istanbul

Your Tour Director acquaints your with Istanbul on this morning’s sightseeing tour. You’ll visit the city’s Hippodrome, the breathtaking Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia. About 1,000 years older than St. Peter’s in Rome, this awe-inspiring building was the pride of Christendom until the city fell to the Turks in 1453. This evening is free to enjoy at leisure. Tonight, opt to join our Whirling Dervishes: Sufi Mystics excursion.
Included meals: breakfast
Included entrances: Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia

$35 USD

Whirling Dervishes: Sufi Mystics The Whirling Dervishes are devoted adherents of Sufism, a mystical interpretation of Islam. For centuries, they've been known for their sema, the spinning dance that inspired their colorful nickname. The sema is full of symbolism, and you'll gain an appreciation for this distinctive communion with the divine at tonight's performance.

Day 4 - Canakkale

This morning, make your way along the Aegean coast to Canakkale, a town coveted in centuries past for its strategic location at the entrance to the Dardanelles. Dinner is included this evening.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner

Day 5 - Kusadasi

Today begins with a guided sightseeing tour of Troy, the legendary city at the heart of Homer’s Iliad. Next, continue to Pergamon. A stronghold of the Greek Attalid dynasty, this was once one of the world’s most magnificent cities. Here, you’ll visit the Acropolis before continuing on to Kusadasi for an included dinner this evening.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner

Day 6 - Kusadasi

Today’s excursion introduces you to one of the Mediterranean region’s best-preserved classical cities, Ephesus, once a sacred center for the cult of Artemis. Your guided tour highlights the city’s major landmarks: the elaborate Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian and the Great Theatre, which is still in use today. Leaving Ephesus, you’ll then travel to the house where the Virgin Mary is said to have spent her final days. Afterwards, join a special optional excursion to the town of Sirince for a firsthand look at rural village life in Turkey. Dinner is included tonight.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Included entrances: Ephesus ruins, House of the Virgin Mary

$25 USD

Village of Sirince The peaceful village of Sirince lies in the hills outside of Ephesus. Known for its homemade wines, olive oils and needlecrafts, Sirince offers a taste of rural life far removed from the bustle of Turkey’s cities. On a walking tour led by your Tour Director, stroll past some of the country’s best-preserved 19th-century architecture and enjoy panoramic views of peach orchards and olive groves.

Day 7 - Pamukkale

Travel to the ruins of Priene, which was once an important harbor. Priene is also home to a ruined Temple of Athena. Continue on to the ruins of the Temple of Apollo at Didyma, one of the Hellenic world’s most important oracles. Arrive later in Pamukkale, where dinner is included tonight.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner

Day 8 - Pamukkale

On this morning’s guided tour, discover why Pamukkale was a popular spa town during Roman times on a visit to the city’s famous travertines—petrified waterfalls of white stone pocked by natural basins filled with warm mineral water. Afterwards, journey to the well-preserved ruins of Hierapolis nearby. Hierapolis was established as a thermal spa at the end of the 2nd century B.C., and the ruins of baths, temples and other Greek monuments can be seen at the site. Enjoy a free afternoon to soak in the Pamukkale hot springs or join an optional excursion to Aphrodisias. Dinner is included tonight.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner

$25 USD

Aphrodisias Visit Aphrodisias and marvel at the excavated ruins that bear testimony to an age-old artists' colony. In the late first century B.C., the Roman Empire granted autonomy to the city that honored Aphrodite, goddess of love. Aphrodisias' ancient sculptors created works of stunning beauty out of the glowing marble they found in the nearby mountains, and many of these treasures can still be seen today.

Day 9 - Istanbul

Today, fly to Istanbul. This afternoon, join an optional excursion to Bosphorus, also known as the Istanbul Strait. This boundary between European Turkey and Asian Turkey connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. This evening, reflect on your journey at an included Farewell Dinner.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner

$55 USD

Bosphorus Straits Cruise Journey through the Bosphorus Straits on this cruise. You'll see decadent Ottoman palaces and imposing medieval castles as you journey through this narrow waterway, which separates Europe from Asia. On your way you'll stop for a visit to a local spice market. Lunch is included. Please note: This excursion is weather dependent.

Day 10 - Istanbul

If you are not staying for our tour extension in Istanbul, a Go Ahead representative escorts you to the airport early this morning for your return flight home.
Included meals: breakfast
(In case of early morning departures, breakfast may not be provided.)