Aspendos is the world's best preserved ancient theatre still used today, with the seating capacity of 15,000.

Cappadocia is located approximately in central Anatolia. The violent eruptions of Erciyes Mountain covered whole area with a thick layer of volcanic ash. During the following ages this hardened formation created a bizarre landscape by the strong influence of the wind and water erosion. Some of these chimney-like rock formations were dug-in as home or sometimes a church by the local people.
 

Tour Itinerary (Sept 7 - Sept 21)

ISTANBUL - CAPPADOCIA - KONYA - ANTALYA - FETHIYE -BODRUM 
EPHESUS - ISTANBUL

Day 1 (Sept 7,8) - ISTANBUL - CAPPADOCIA: Arrive in Istanbul and fly to Cappadocia.

Day 2 (Sept 9)- CAPPADOCIA: Breakfast will be served at the hotel and the full day tour of Cappadocia begins. The natural Citadel of Uchisar will enable you to get a panoramic view of the region. Goreme valley houses the Goreme Open Air Museum, with its churches hewn out of rock and the colorful frescoes which decorate them.(Dinner included)

Day 3 (Sept 10) - CAPPADOCIA - ANTALYA: Departure will be early in the morning from Cappadocia. The next stop will be Antalya, Turkey's principal resort, is an attractive city with shady palm-lined boulevards and a prize-winning marina. Dinner and overnight stay will be at the hotel in Antalya.

Day 4 (Sept 11) - ANTALYA: A relaxed day by the Mediterranian coast. In the morning we will tour the antiquities of the ancient Roman city of Aspendos. Aspendos boasts the world's best preserved ancient theatre still used today, with the seating capacity of 15,000. (Dinner included)

Day 5 (Sept 12) - ANTALYA - FETHIYE: Travel to Fethiye.

Day 6 (Sept 13) - FETHIYE : We will have a boat cruise leaving from Fethiye to 12 Islands. Lunch is served on the boat. With the antic name of Telmessos Fethiye was built in the 5th century BC. Lycian rock tombs spread all over the city.  The most famous rock tomb is the tomb of the King Amyntas lying on the hills overlooking the Fethiye port. (Dinner included)

Day 7 (Sept 14) - FETHIYE - BODRUM: Departure will be in the morning to Bodrum, known in the ancient times as Halicarnassus. It is famous for the medieval castle built by the Knights of Rhodes which has been converted into the Museum of Underwater Archeology, with remains dating as far back as the Bronze Age. (Dinner included)

Day 8 (Sept 15) - BODRUM: We will visit a Turkish village and have lunch there. (Dinner included)

Day 9 (Sept 16) - BODRUM: A free day in Bodrum for sightseeing shopping and going to a Turkish bath. (Dinner included)

Day 10 (Sept 17) - EPHESUS - ISTANBUL: We will depart early in the morning to Ephesus which is the best preserved and the most often visited of all sites in Turkey. The visits will continue with the House of the Virgin Mary. We will have lunch in Selcuk and the drive to Izmir and fly to Istanbul.

Day 11 (Sept 18) - ISTANBUL: After breakfast, a day of discovering Byzantine and Ottoman treasures in Istanbul will begin. We will visit Saint Sophia. This church - turned mosque - turned museum takes your breath away with the sheer architectural size of its interior and magnificent dome. Next we will visit the spectacular 15th century Grand Bazaar, a covered market with 4,000 shops.

Day 12 (Sept 19) - ISTANBUL: Today we will visit the Topkapi Palace (Imperial Residence of Ottoman Sultans between 15th and 19th Centuries, with its priceless world-class collection of jewelry and rare porcelain), Built on one of the seven hills of Istanbul, this huge complex commands views of the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. Following lunch It is free time in Istanbul.

Day 13 (Sept 20) - ISTANBUL: We will visit the Blue Mosque "Sultan Ahmet Mosque", famous for its delicate blue ceramic tiles and it's 6 minarets. After lunch we will enjoy a leisurely Bosphorus boat tour crossing under the Bosphorus Bridges viewing the mosques, palaces, old wooden villas and the beauty of the Asian side.

Day 14 (Sept 21) - ISTANBUL - JFK: Fly back to the USA.

Fethiye with the antic name of Telmessosis is one of the important tourism centers of Turkey which is famous for its works of art belong to Persians, Lycians, Carians and Romans. The most important and famous rock tomb, the tomb of the King Amyntas lying on the hills overlooking the Fethiye port is a must see.



Ephesus proudly houses one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. The precise date of the city's foundation is not known but legend said that the first Efes was founded by Women Warriors of the Amazon in the 14th century BC and later inhabited by lonians in the 11th century BC after the first settlement of the Anatolian's natives, the Lelegians. After 133 BC it became a Roman province and during the reign of Augustus it became the trade center of Asia.