From Fairy Chimneys to Corinthian Columns

This tour is about the ancient city of Aphrodite, named after Aphrodisias, the goddess of love and beauty.

Program

8 days and 7 nights with full room and board (three meals per day, from dinner on the first day to lunch on the last day) in 4* and 5* hotels.  Discover in complete serenity the Cappadocia region with its fairy chimneys, troglodyte caves, as well as the famous sites of Aphrodisias, Ephesus, Pamukkale and the ancient town of Sagalassos.

Book an unforgettable hot air balloon ride and fly over the stunning Cappadocia landscapes sculpted by geological erosion. Reservations can be made with your guide for an extra charge.

100% customisable programmes.

 

THREE REASONS FOR CHOOSING AFEL TRAVEL

1. IRREPROACHABLE QUALITY

• Enjoy full board throughout your stay: tour price includes catering from dinner on the first day to lunch on the last day.
• Reap the benefits of small group travel: 18 participants maximum.
• Be accompanied by an experienced bilingual and knowledgeable tour guide. Individual audio-phones for all guided tours will also be provided.
• Delight in the high standards and comfort of the 4* and 5* hotels we have chosen for you.
• Participate in food and wine tastings of local products.

2. ABSOLUTE COMFORT

• Discover Turkey while having fun and relaxing. Our tours are designed to give you just the right amount of time to explore.  Spend 3 nights in Cappadocia, 1 night in Isparta, 1 night in Pamukkale and 2 nights in Kusadasi.
• Airlines : Turkish Airlines, Onur Air, Pegasus Airlines, Sun Express.
• Comfortable, spacious and air-conditioned coaches equipped with Wi-Fi.
• Excellent roadway infrastructure, guaranteeing comfortable travel.

3. UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS

• In addition to the city of Aphrodisias, you will be captivated by the rocky peak of Uçhisar,the churches of Goreme, and the colourful landscapes of Cappadocia with its villages and valleys.
• Spend three days in the heart of Cappadocia for an in-depth visit of the region and stay in a troglodyte hotel carved into the cliff.
• Swim in the thermal water pools at the ancient site of Hierapolis.
• Enjoy a picnic lunch in the enchanting scenery of the Soganli valley.

Itinerary

DAY 1 : Flight to Kayseri

Meeting point at your departure airport. Assistance with check-in and boarding of your flight to Kayseri.  Upon arrival, you will be greeted by your guide, then transfer to your hotel. Welcome Cocktail before heading to your room.

Accommodation and dinner for 3 nights at the Yunak Evleri or similar hotel.

The 12th century Saruhan caravanserai was originally a large inn welcoming travellers and merchants who could leave their goods and belongings in security.

DAY 2 : The Cave Churches of Cappadocia

Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Two whole days devoted to discovering Cappadocia, this fantastic land with its lunar landscapes.  A unique region, where nature created a strange and colourful world of columns, needles and cones shaped by the erosion of volcanic tuff.  Some of these singular shapes are over 30 metres high.

On one of the mornings, you will have the opportunity to take an unforgettable hot air balloon ride (optional, at your own expense).  Not only is the natural scenery remarkable here, but in this phantasmagorical environment, our ancestors used the soft stone to carve houses, stalls, churches, hospitals…

The early Christians painted the walls of their chapels with their own interpretations of the Bible.  These incredibly beautiful frescoes demonstrate the creativity and fervour of their religious beliefs.  In the Goreme Valley open-air museum, discover several cave churches: the church of Saint Barbara, the Snake church, the church of the Sandal, the church of the Buckle, and the church of the Apple.

After lunch, you will explore one of the region’s underground towns, an incredible labyrinth on several levels used during times of invasion for the local people to hide in.  In the afternoon, discover the Avcilar and Kiliçlar valleys, with their ancient troglodyte dwellings and fairy chimneys. Onwards, for a stroll through the charming village of Uçhisar.  Its citadel crowns a rocky peak and offers a superb panoramic view overlooking the entire region and the Pigeon valley.

Turkish carpet making is an ancestral art and one of the country’s main artisanal industries. This art will be explained during a visit to a renowned carpet factory.

End the day on a majestic note and watch the sun set from the terrace in the midst of the vineyards with a majestic view overlooking the valley.

Dinner and night at the hotel.

The Goreme valley, land of the first anchorites.  Cappadocia abounds with rock churches and monasteries.  Rock art culminates in the Byzantine period, with extraordinary polychrome frescoes.

DAY 3 : The Coloured Valleys

Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

In the morning, take a walk off the beaten track in the Soganli Valley along paths lined with apricot and almond trees.  This valley is surrounded by beautifully decorated rock churches as well as unusual dovecotes dug out of the rock.

Stop-off and enjoy a barbecue lunch specially prepared for you by a Cappadocian family.

In the afternoon, at the foot of Mount Melendiz, visit the troglodyte village of Güzelyurt and discover several Greek churches in the shade of jujube and pistachio trees.  Amidst the scenic old stone houses, participate in a wine tasting of some of the delicious local wines.

Return to the hotel.

For centuries, the valleys of Cappadocia were a haven of peace for the early Christians persecuted by the Romans.  Shelters, cavities, villages built in the tuff rock, churches and troglodyte monasteries and underground cities make for a spectacular natural and human heritage.

DAY 4 : Cappadocia – Konya – Sagalassos (510 km – 6 h 20)

Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

In the morning, you will cross the plain of Konya, the breadbasket of Turkey with a stop-off along the Silk Road at the Seljuk Sultanhan caravanserai (13th century).

Arrival at Konya, a religious city and former Seljuk capital of the Sultanate of Rum.  Visit the Mevlana Museum, dedicated to the famous poet and mystic who, in the 13th century, founded the Sufi order of the whirling dervishes.

After lunch, discover Beysehir, a town situated on the banks of Lake Akşehir, Turkey’s largest freshwater reserve. Visit the Esrefogul Mosque (13th century) a remarkable example of Seljuk art, with a forest of interior cedar wood columns, earthenware and mosaics.

Photo stop-off at Eflatunpinar to admire its monumental Hittite fountain decorated with bas-reliefs.

Arrival at Isparta, world famous for its precious natural rose oil.

Accommodation and dinner at the Ramada by Wyndham Isparta  or similar hotel.

Rumi’s tomb, says Mevlana.  Founder of the Sufi Brotherhood of the whirling dervishes who professed a mystique centred on love and tolerance without distinction of religion, sex and culture.

DAY 5 : Sagalassos – Pamukkale (190 km – 2 h 45)

Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

In the morning, visit the ancient town of Sagalassos.  Located on a rocky outcrop, this ancient Pisidian city was inhabited during the Hellenistic and then Roman period.

After lunch, en-route for Pamukkale, a natural site, unique in the world.

On the way, you will stop on the shore of Lake Salada, whose sandy white beaches and lagoon like blue waters are reminiscent of Mauritius.

Once at Pamukkale, your breath will be taken away by the beauty of this natural site.

Upon arrival at your hotel, enjoy a taste of what awaits you the next day and take time to relax at the swimming pools, thermal water baths and spa.

And, why not treat yourself to a relaxing massage? (optional, at your own expense).

Accommodation and dinner at the Doga Thermal 5* or similar hotel.

Due to its mineral composition and its tectonic geology, Lake Salada is unique in its kind and resembles the Jezero crater on Mars.

DAY 6 : Pamukkale – Kusadasi (190 km – 2 h 30)

Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

In the morning, discover Pamukkale:  from the top of a 200 m high cliff overlooking the plain, hot springs bearing deposits of calcite created an unreal landscape of petrified waterfalls and stepped basins.  This unique site in the world was named Pamukkale or «cotton castle».

The city of Hierapiolis, an exceptional Greco-Roman spa complex, was built on this extraordinary natural site.  The remains of the Martyrium of Saint Philip, discovered only in 2011, can also be seen and affirms the extraordinary influence of the Christian community from the first century.

En-route to Aphrodisias. Perched on a plateau 600 metres above sea level, the ancient city of Aphrodisias is one of Turkey’s most beautiful archaeological sites.  The majority of the remains date from the Roman period (2nd century), with its famous monuments: the odeon, the stadium, the theatre, the double agora and the temple of Aphrodite.

The stadium, 60 metres wide and 262 long, is the largest colosseum in Turkey.  It could accommodate up to 25,000 spectators.  Aphrodisias owes its success to Tetrapylon, considered as the most beautiful monument in the whole city.

A lovely drive through rural western Turkey to Selçuk, crossing the rich alluvial plain of Menderes irrigated by the Meandros river (the Meandros river god) with its long winding course disappearing into the distance.  The road bordering the river is lined with trees and plantations including plane trees, reeds, fig, olive, pomegranate, orange and lemon and strawberry fields.

Accommodation and dinner for 2 nights at the Ramada by Wyndham 4* Kusadasi or similar hotel.

Cleopatra’s pool, a thermal water pool still in use containing 37°C sparkling hot water.  It has recognised therapeutic virtues.  An unforgettable swim amidst authentic ancient columns!

DAY 7 : Ephesus

Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

After breakfast, visit Ephesus, one of the most beautiful ancient cities and remarkable for its architecture.  Among its gems are the Library of Celsus, the theatre and the remains of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

At the peak of the 3rd century BC, Ephesus was an important port and a major administrative centre with a population of 200,000 inhabitants. Ephesus played a significant role in the spread of Christianity in large partly due to Paul’s lengthy stays in the area as of the year 52.

Then on to the House of the Virgin Mary which is believed to be the last home of the mother of Jesus.  It is an important place of pilgrimage, both for Christians and for Muslims.

After lunch, departure for the Isa Bey Mosque and the Greco-Turkish village of Sirince, surrounded by a sea of olive trees.

And to end the day, a fashion show of leather designer clothes will be presented specially for you.

Dinner and night at the hotel.

The Library of Celsus, dating from the 2nd century, is a treasure and a reference for the whole country, it housed nearly twelve thousand scrolls.

DAY 8 : Return flight home

Breakfast and transfer to Izmir airport according to your flight schedule.

Assistance with check-in and departure to your destination.

The ordering of meze in a restaurant is often a shared ritual. A moment of tacit agreement where each party expresses their desire  for what will be served at the table.

 

The price includes

✈ International round trip flights.

o Meeting upon your arrival.

o Transfers airport/hotel/airport.

o Assistance from your experienced bilingual guide during the tour.

o Double room accommodation in the assigned hotels or ones of similar standing, hotel luggage porters.

o Full board from dinner on the first day to lunch on the last day.

o Transportation in comfortable vehicles adapted to the size of the group, a window per person.

o Visits and entrance fees to sites and museums mentioned in the programme.

24/7 assistance from our agency.

The price does not include

X Single room supplements.

X Drinks and personal expenses, tips for the guide and the driver.

X No insurance is included (Afel Travel recommends you purchase travel insurance).