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Arrive Istanbul Ataturk Airport , meet with assistance , transfer to hotel for check in. Pick up : 13:00/13:30 Golden Horn (from the bus), the arm of the Bosphorus and a natural harbour of the historical peninsula separating the old and the new parts of ?stanbul where the first colonies settled during the Byzantines. Theresidential area for Byzantine Jews, Italian traders and other non-muslim minorities. Drive along the traces of history at Balat viewing Metal Church of St. Stephen the Bulgarian, Jewish Hospital (Or-Ahayim), Fener Orthodox Patriarchate and 22 kms long. Byzantine City Walls, the strongest fortification of the middle age. Spice Bazaar (Egyptian Bazaar), mystical smells of different aromas of various spices. Shops selling fruits, vegetables, fish, flowers etc. Bosphorus Cruise, through the waterway separating the two continents, Europe and Asia, with a possibility to take photographs of marble palaces, ancient wooden villas of Ottoman architecture besides modern residentials and luxurious apartments.Rumeli Fortress (from the boat – no interior visit), historical armament built by the Conqueror to control and protect the Bosphorus. A unique example of military architecture. Overnight in Istanbul.
After breakfast , pick up from the hotel at around 8 am for full day sightseeing. Tour of “Sultan Ahmet Center”, the heart of the “Old City” from where the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires were ruled. Hagia Sophia, one of the greatest marvels of architecture, constructed as a basilica in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian. Blue Mosque, facing Hagia Sophia, famous with its blue ?znik tiles and unique with 6 minarets, built in the name of Sultan Ahmet. Hippodrome, center of sportive events (chariot races, athletics) and political activities of the old city. Serpentine Column, Obelisk of Theodosius and German Fountain of Wilhelm II are the monuments decorating the Hippodrome. Grand Covered Bazaar, most attractive shopping center and the biggest “souk” in the world with nearly 4000 shops selling antiques, jewellery, gold, carpets, leatherware and souvenir. (Art demonstration of handmade Turkish carpets upon request). Lunch at a Turkish Restaurant. Topkap? Palace, residence of Ottoman Sultans exhibiting imperial treasury, sacred Islamic relics of Prophet Mohammed, kitchen, Chinese porcelain, weapons, calligraphy section etc. Live guide commentary is not allowed in special sections. (Harem is not included in the program) Rüstem Pa?a Mosque, designed by the court architect Sinan for the Grand Vizier of Süleyman The Magnificent. A typical sample of Islamic architecture amidst the rows of shops near the Spice Bazaar, famed with its exquisite and colorful tiles set in floral and geometric designs.also visioned during the tour GALATA BRIDGE • GOLDEN HORN • LEANDER’ S TOWER. Overnight in Istanbul.
Arrive in Kayseri or Nevsehir Airport and transfer to the hotel Overnight in Cappadocia .
Optional balloon tour. Depart from the hotel at 09.30-10.00 depending on the arrival time of the participants and visit to Devrent Valley to see the unique fairy-chimneys. Drive to Pasabagi (Monk’s Valley) to see the most interesting mushroom-shaped pinnacles. In the afternoon, visit Open Air Museum in Goreme where the remains of rock-cut churches and Christian settlements date back hundreds of years and then to Kaymakli Underground City, the place where early Christians hid from persecutors. Shopping time for the well-known merits of the area before returning to the hotel.
Today’s ride will be fairly long and tiring due to the long distance between Cappadocia and Pamukkale and lack of convenient lodging location. Drive to Konya to visit to the Mausoleum of Mevlana, the world-wide famous mystic figure. Then continue on to Pamukkale and overnight.
Tour the ruins of Hierapolis including the magnificently preserved cemetery “Necropolis”, the Main Street and Gates, the Thermal Baths, the Roman Theatre and the Museum. In the afternoon tour Aphrodisias, the city of Aphrodite; visit the Museum, the Temple of Aphrodite, the Theatre, the Stadium, the Agora, the Hadrian Baths, the Odeon, and the Bishop’s Palace. Proceed to the hotel in Kusadasi for overnight.
Morning tour to Ephesus area with Artemis Temple, Ephesus Antique City (Hillside Houses are excluded; entrance requires additional admission fee), one of the most popular ancient sites of Turkey with many acres of carefully excavated ruins; Virgin Mary’s House, where St. Mary is supposed to spend her last years together with St. John. Selcuk Ephesus Museum. Time for shopping. Overnight in Kusadasi.
Early departure for Bergama and visit to the Asclepion and Acropol with the well preserved remains. In the afternoon continue on to Troy, the place where the legendary Trojan War took place as described in the historical work of Homer of Smyrna. After visiting the site with nine inhabitation levels covering a period of 3000 years, drive to Canakkale for overnight (Due to the limited hotel availability we also keep the right to stay in the surroundings of Canakkale).
After breakfast sail to the other side of Dardanelles by a ferryboat and drive to Istanbul with visit to Gallipoli, historically famous for being the site of many battles – particularly involving the Allied Forces including Australians and New Zealanders during World War I. Arrive in Istanbul late afternoon (Due to the possibility of some participants might have scheduled flights in the evening) and transfer to the hotel or airport (B).
In most cases, you’ll have your initial itinerary within a few days. First we’ll (1) set up a call to get to know you and your family, friends or partner. Next we’ll (2) ask about your interests and how you like to travel, as well as discussing ideas for your chosen destination. From here (3) we’ll curate a tailor-made itinerary and send it over within a few days. You can then fine-tune your trip as much as you like and speak to the other people in your party before confirming.
If your needs are more complex plan,then this process can take a little longer. At the same time if you’re eager to travel ASAP then we can get you from enquiry to flight within a matter of hours.
All of our itineraries are completely tailor-made from scratch. Those on our website are there to provide inspiration, and to give you a taste of what we can do. As soon as we’ve had our initial phone conversation, your Travel Expert will begin to tailor and mould an itinerary around what you want.
All of our trips are private, so you won’t be joining a group (unless of course you’re travelling with one of your own). There’s no maximum group size (within reason), so if you want to go with five friends or 40 family members, we can sort it. We’ve also built strong relationships with a number of top hotels around the world, so if you want a luxury hotel solely for your group, we can arrange a buy-out For group and price incentive travel, kindly reach out to us and we will be able to assist you accordingly.
It’s up to you. We can sort it all out and save you the stress. Should you want to book your own then that’s totally fine too,but please note that booking with directly will always be a added layer of security.
After you’re happy with your final itinerary and booked your trip, we will confirm everything with our local suppliers and start the countdown. We will give you access to your personalised app which contains additional information about your destination and a countdown to your trip. As you get closer to the departure date and have made your final payment, we’ll send through your final travel documents before setting up a pre-departure call to answer any last-minute questions.
We accept all modes of payments by Bank transfer,debit card, credit card or bank transfer to our bank account. We don’t charge any fees to pay by credit card, however your bank may charge individual fees to pay to our UK account, so make sure you check with them how best to transfer the money.
Bespoke travel isn’t cheap – it’s true. But there are some very good reasons for this. Like tailors of haute couture outfits, we hand-make each and every trip we sell based on years of insight, knowledge and experience. Nothing we do is off-the-shelf, meaning we put lots of care into fine-tuning your itinerary to make sure it fits you perfectly. We draw on friendships, agreements, and relationships with local contacts and partners to ensure we can do things
As we often say, no two Holidays box trips are ever the same. Our higher premium reflects all of the added ideas, expertise and energy that goes into your itinerary – as well as our 24/7 support, logistical expertise, insider insight, and all of the management and details. We really love travel, and take huge pride in giving you the best and most seamless experience of your life. In other words: it’s really, really worth it.
We can surely give you a basic split of Flights & land cost,however we are not able to give price breakdowns as we receive contracted rates from our suppliers and these are therefore confidential. However, we will always endeavour to give you the clarity you need so you feel comfortable confirming your trip with us.
Please be aware it’s your responsibility to ensure you’re covered for all possible vaccinations or medications needed for your trip. We pride ourselves on being able to do many things but sadly we are not qualified physicians, so please speak with your doctor to ensure you are up to date on your recommended vaccinations. Often vaccinations need to be given well over a month prior to departure to have reached full efficacy.
We genuinely love other people’s travel photos. Send them to your Travel Expert or, if you’re on social media, upload your photo with the hashtag #holidaysbox and we’ll see it that way.
As per the Indian law,all paymens done by Indian passport holders are subject to 5%TCS payment on the land package amount .This amount will be deposited against your PAN number and you can claim it back while filing your Income tax returns.
