Itinerary:
Day 1 - Arrival in Istanbul
HOS GELDINIZ! Welcome to Turkey!
We will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. After a short briefing about your tour, you will have the afternoon free to rest and/or explore Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul
Day 2 - Istanbul - (B/L)
After breakfast, around 8:30 AM, we will meet you at your hotel for a full-day tour of Istanbul.
Sites you will see:
* Blue Mosque/Sultanahmet Mosque (Camii) built during the reign of Sultan Ahmet I during 1609-1616. It is the only mosque in Turkey with six minarets. Due to its magnificent hand-dyed blue, green and white Iznik tiles it has been named the "Blue Mosque" by Europeans. The central dome is 43 m in height and is 33.4 m in diameter; it also boasts 260 windows.
* Hagia Sophia/Aya Sofya is a truly awe-inspiring, 1,400-year-old Byzantine cathedral which houses mosaics, relics and iron work. Hagia Sophia was, for nearly a thousand years, the largest enclosed space in the world, and is still seen as one of history's most important architectural monuments. It is one of Turkey's most popular attractions, drawn by the sheer spectacle of its size, architecture, mosaics and art. Built during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the 6th century AD.
* Hippodrome: the backdrop of chariot races and the center of Byzantine civic life. Of the ornaments which once decorated it, only three remain: The Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column, and the Column of Constantine.
The Obelisk is in the Egyptian style and was erected in 1547 BC and stood 60m tall. The German Fountain is also within the hippodrome area, constructed in Germany to mark German Emperor Wilhelm II's second visit to Istanbul; it was imported and officially opened on January 1 1901. The fountain's three domes are decorated with gold mosaics.
* Topkapi Palace was the imperial residence and administrative heart of the massive Ottoman Empire, beginnng with Fatih Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, in 1453, until 1856. It was converted to a museum in 1924. Parts of the palace such as the Harem, Baghdad Pavilion, Revan Pavilion, Sofa Pavilion, and the Audience Chamber distinguish themselves with their architectural assets. The museum also has collections from the Imperial Treasury, as well as Chinese porcelain, weapons, calligraphy, etc. The Treasury also houses the Topkapi Dagger, the 86-carat "Spoon Maker's Diamond", and the jewel-encrusted bones of St. John the Baptist.
* Grand Bazaar (Kapali çarsi - covered bazaar) is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 4,000 shops which attract between 250,000 and half a million visitors daily.
The bazaar began construction in 1455 and opened in 1461. It is well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops. Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by type of good: leather coats, gold jewelry and the like. Overnight in Istanbul
Day 3 - Istanbul - (B)
After breakfast around 8:30 AM, we will meet you at your hotel and continue on the full day tour of Istanbul.
* The Spice Bazaar/Egyptian Bazaar (Misir Carsisi) transports you back to the Silk Road days with its mystical aromas of various spices. Here, you'll also find other shops selling fruits, vegetables, teas, flowers, fish, and Turkish Delight (lokum).
* Bosphorus Cruise takes you though the waterway separating the two continents, Europe and Asia, and no trip to Istanbul is complete without a boat trip here! Along its shores, you can take photographs of marble palaces and antique wooden Ottoman-era villas that sit beside luxurious modern residences.You will also see Dolmabahce Palace,
Beylerbeyi Palace, and Ortakoy Mosque.
After our tour, you will have the option of going back to the Grand Bazaar for more shopping. Overnight in Istanbul
Day 4 - Istanbul to Athens - (B)
After breakfast, we will provide a transfer to the Istanbul airport for your 1-hour flight to Athens.
KALOS ORISATE! Welcome to Greece! We will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. After a short briefing about your tour, you will have the afternoon free to rest and explore Athens on your own. Overnight in Athens
Day 5 - Athens - (B)
After breakfast around 8:30 AM, we will meet you at your hotel for your guided tour of Athens.
You will explore Temple of Olympian Zeus, Panathinaiko Stadium (where the first Olympic Games took place in 1896). After that, we will drive by the Prime's Minister's residence, the Royal Palace, (guarded by colorful Evzones), Zappion (Conference and Exhibition Hall), National Garden, Hadrian's Arc, St. Paul's Church, Parliament, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Schlieman's House (Numismatic Museum), Catholic Cathedral, Academy, University, National Library, Old Parliament, Constitution Square, and the impressive Russian Orthodox Church.
At the ACROPOLIS, you will visit Propylaea, Temple of Athena Nike, Parthenon, Erechtheion and the Museum of the Acropolis.
In the early afternoon, we will provide a transfer to your hotel, or we can also drop you off at the Plaka so you can wander and explore.
Overnight in Athens
Day 6 - Athens - (B/L)
After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel and will continue on the full day guided tour of some of Greece's most famous sites.
On the way we will pass by Olympic Stadium, built in 2004. We then continue on to Thebes, Levadia and Arachova for Delphi.We'll also see Castalia Spring, visit at the archaeological site the Temple of Apollo, famed for its oracle as well as its museum, which include the bronze charioteer sculpture, the Naxian Sphinx and the Statue of Antinuos.
After lunch, we'll return to Athens via the picturesque mountain village of Arachova, built on the south slopes of Mt. Parnassus. This village is well-known for its intricate hand-woven carpets, rugs and quilts, as well as for its wines and cheeses.
After the tour you will be transferred back to your hotel. Overnight in Athens
Day 7 - Athens to Cairo - (B)
After breakfast, we will provide a transfer to Athens International Airport for your 2-hour flight to Cairo.
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MARHABAN! Welcome to Egypt!
We'll meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. After a short briefing about your tour, you will have the rest of the afternoon free to explore Cairo on your own. Overnight in Cairo
Day 8 – Exploring Cairo - (B)
Sites you will see today:
* Great Pyramids of Cheops, Chephren & Mycerinus: The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in Giza's Necropolis, and is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that has survived substantially intact. It is believed that the pyramid was built as a tomb for 4th dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu (Greek: Cheops) and was constructed over a 20-year period and concluded around 2560 BC.
* The Great Sphinx is a zoomorphic mythological figure which is depicted as a recumbent lion with a human head. It has its origins in sculpted figures dating back to the Old Kingdom, to which the ancient Greeks applied their own name for a male monster: the "strangler", a figure from Greek mythology.
* The Valley Temple was built during the reign of Pharaoh Chefren and features core masonry of limestone and granite.
After the tour's conclusion, we will bring you back to your hotel and you'll have the evening free. Overnight in Cairo
Day 9 – Cairo – (B)
After breakfast, we will meet you in the lobby of your hotel and being your full-day guided tour.
* Egyptian Museum : the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, in Cairo, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum, is home to an extensive collection of priceless Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display, with the remainder in storerooms.
The museum's Royal Mummy Room, containing 27 royal mummies from pharaonic times, was closed on the orders of President Anwar Sadat in 1981. It was reopened, with a slightly curtailed display of New Kingdom kings and queens in 1985. Today, there are about 9 mummies on display - one recent acquisition being the newly-discovered mummy of Queen Hatshepsut.
After visiting the museum, you will be taken to Old Cairo and given plenty of free time to explore this colorful and bustling area.
* Old Cairo contains the ruins of capital cities before Cairo, such as Fustat. It also encompasses Coptic-era Cairo and its many old churches, as well as ruins of Roman fortifications.
After the tour's conclusion, we will take you back to your hotel. You will have the rest of the evening at your leisure. Overnight in Cairo
Day 10 – Cairo to Home – (B)
MA AS SALAAMA! Goodbye! It's time to go home. We will transfer you to the airport and wish you well, and look forward to seeing you on a future trip. We hope our paths cross again!
Prices are starting from 1385 Euros per person in a double, contact us to get a price quote for your dates
Includes:
* Flight tickets from Istanbul to Athens
* Flight tickets from Athens to Cairo
* All hotels
* All land transfers with comfortable vehicles
* All of the meals mentioned in the itinerary (B-breakfast, L-lunch & D-dinner)
* Professional, English-speaking tour guides
* Admission to ancient sites
* All taxes and service charges
Excludes:
* Drinks with meals
* Optional tours, such as the Pyramid Light & Sound Show
* Tips
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CUSTOMIZE IT!
Wny not add a couple more days in Turkey and/or Egypt to your itinerary, such as Ephesus and Cappadocia in Turkey and
Luxor, the Valley of the Kings and Aswan in Egypt?
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