TOUR IN TURKEY

TOUR IN TURKEY

Day 1 | October 5th, 2026: Bologna / Istanbul (Dinner included)

Private bus transfer to Bologna Airport. Boarding operations and departure at 10:25 AM on a direct scheduled Turkish Airlines flight. Arrival in Istanbul at 2:10 PM, meet and greet with our guide, and transfer by private bus for a guided tour of this unique city split across two continents, with the Bosphorus Strait separating its European and Asian sides. Its rich history—originally the Greek city of Byzantium, then Constantinople as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, and finally the capital of the Ottoman Empire—has left extraordinary landmarks, making it a UNESCO World Heritage site.

We will see Taksim, the main square, where Istiklal Street begins. This is the city's most popular avenue, bustling with shops, restaurants, cafes, and street performances. We will enjoy a walk through the Pera district to photograph the Church of St. Mary Draperis, the Cathedral of St. Anthony of Padua, the Galata Tower, the Fish Market, and the Flower Passage (Çiçek Pasajı), a historic covered arcade. Transfer to the hotel and room check-in. Dinner and overnight stay.

Day 2 | October 6th, 2026: Istanbul (Full Board)

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for the historic center, located on the ancient peninsula. Visit to the Hippodrome, the heart of Byzantine public life and chariot races, featuring the Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column, the Column of Constantine, and the remains of the curved Sphendone wall. Next, we visit the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, widely known as the Blue Mosque for its exquisite 17th-century tiles and one of the most beautiful and largest mosques in Istanbul. We will then explore Hagia Sophia, a masterpiece of Byzantine architecture, and the Basilica Cistern, built under the reign of Justinian I in 532, during the peak of the Eastern Roman Empire. Lunch at a local restaurant.In the afternoon, we visit the ancient Byzantine-era neighborhoods of Balat and Fener, the scenic backdrop for numerous hit TV series and home to the majestic Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Eastern Orthodox equivalent of St. Peter's in Rome. We will then visit the Suleymaniye Mosque, dedicated to one of the greatest Ottoman Sultans, Suleiman the Magnificent, and built by the famous imperial architect Mimar Sinan. We conclude the afternoon at the Grand Bazaar, a shopping haven and the largest covered market in the world, renowned since 1461 for its jewelry, ceramics, spices, and carpets. Dinner at the hotel and overnight stay.

Day 3 | October 7th, 2026: Istanbul (Full Board)

After breakfast, visit to Topkapi Palace, which bears witness to the magnificence of the Ottoman Empire. This grand complex of courtyards, pavilions, mosques, fountains, and gardens covers an area of 70,000 square meters and houses the fabulous Imperial Treasury. Admission is included to the Harem—the 400-room residence of the Sultan, his family, and concubines—and to Hagia Irene, the oldest Byzantine church in the city, which was never converted into a mosque and served as an arsenal before becoming Turkey's first museum. Guests will have the opportunity to join an optional Bosphorus cruise (available at an extra charge) to admire both the Asian and European shores of the city.Lunch at a restaurant by the Galata Bridge, where you can watch the ferries sail by while local fishermen sell their fresh catch to the restaurants. In the afternoon, we visit the Rustem Pasha Mosque, built in 1560 by Sinan for Rustem Pasha (the son-in-law of Suleiman the Magnificent). It showcases masterful Ottoman architecture and tilework, and its foundations were laid by order of the Venetian-born Queen Mother, Sofia Bellucci Baffo. We will then explore the Spice Market, also known as the Egyptian Bazaar, which acts as an extension of the Grand Bazaar, featuring stalls filled with spices, coffee, sweets, and dried fruits. Finally, we visit Dolmabahçe Palace and its Harem section, the first European-style palace built in Istanbul, which served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1922. Dinner at the hotel and overnight stay.

Day 4 | October 8th, 2026: Istanbul / Cappadocia (Full Board)

Breakfast. Transfer to the airport for an 8:30 AM scheduled flight to Cappadocia. Arrival and visit to one of the region's ancient underground cities (Özkonak, Saratlı, or Mazı). The Phrygians are believed to be the first to carve these dwellings into the soft volcanic rock between the 8th and 7th centuries BC to hide from attacks and persecutions, providing refuge well into the 20th century. Lunch at a local restaurant.In the afternoon, we visit Çavuşin, an extraordinary troglodyte village abandoned and perched on a cliffside, featuring a steep, labyrinthine complex of rock-cut houses. Near the top of the cliff stands the Church of St. John the Baptist, one of the oldest churches in Cappadocia. We continue to Mustafapaşa, formerly known as Sinasos ("City of the Sun"), an ancient Greek village rich in history and culture, featuring magnificent mosques, madrasahs, churches, monasteries, and stone houses. Today it has about 1,300 inhabitants; it was once inhabited by Orthodox Greeks and is characterized by rock-hewn buildings that testify to its prosperous Hellenic past, complete with beautiful colonnades, carved doors, and painted decorations.We conclude the day with a stop at Chez Galip, a fascinating venue that is much more than a simple museum of hand-painted ceramics. Renowned for their beauty and quality, this stop offers the chance to meet Galip, a truly unique character, and try your hand at pottery making under his eccentric guidance—an experience that goes deep into the heart of local artistic tradition. Transfer to the hotel, check-in, dinner, and overnight stay.

Day 5 | October 9th, 2026: Cappadocia (Full Board)

Optional: Opportunity to take part in a hot air balloon ride at sunrise to admire Cappadocia's unique landscape from above (optional, at an extra charge, subject to availability and weather conditions).After breakfast, visit to the Devrent Valley (or Avcılar Valley), where wind and water erosion have shaped the rock into incredible peaks and obelisks, followed by the Göreme Open-Air Museum, famous for its fairy chimneys. This incredible landscape is the result of a volcanic eruption about 60,000 years ago, which covered the area in soft tufa rock that atmospheric elements have sculpted over millennia.We will stop at a local carpet cooperative to discover the traditional weaving process. Lunch at a restaurant. In the afternoon, we view the spectacular Uçhisar Citadel from the outside, carved into a massive tufa rock cone. We continue to the Güvercinlik Valley (Pigeon Valley), one of the most picturesque in the region, Love Valley, where striking mushroom-shaped rock formations rise amidst vineyards, and the Rose Valley, famous for its hundreds of pink-hued rock formations and cave churches. Finally, we stop at a precious stone, gold, and silver artisan workshop. Return to the hotel, dinner, and overnight stay. An optional traditional folklore evening with a belly dancer performance is available at an extra charge.

Day 6 | October 10th, 2026: Cappadocia / Konya / Pamukkale (629 km) (Full Board)

Optional: Opportunity to participate in a Jeep Safari excursion (optional, at an extra charge), one of the best ways to enjoy Cappadocia's unique landscapes, valleys, and rolling hills, with scenic stops to photograph the hot air balloons.Breakfast and departure for Pamukkale, stopping along the way at the Sultanhani Caravanserai (or Ağzıkarahan or Alayhan), now a museum. Built in 1229 to host caravans traveling along the Silk Road, it is one of the largest and best-preserved examples of Seljuk architecture. Lunch at a restaurant.Arrival in Konya, a city deeply tied to Mevlana, the founder of the Whirling Dervishes movement. A contemporary of St. Francis of Assisi, this Muslim mystic famously had the words "Come, whoever you are" inscribed above the mosque. We will visit his beautiful Mausoleum, now a museum, which is a true work of art and a major pilgrimage site filled with religious devotion. Arrival in Pamukkale and room check-in. Guests can enjoy the hotel's thermal pool. Dinner and overnight stay. An optional Whirling Dervishes performance is available at an extra charge.

Day 7 | October 11th, 2026: Pamukkale / Izmir (275 km) (Full Board)

Breakfast. In the morning, we visit ancient Hierapolis, founded by the Greeks between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC on the hills of Pamukkale as a thermal healing center. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, it stands as a testament to an era when Greeks, Romans, Jews, pagans, and Christians peacefully frequented the hot springs together. Visitors can admire extensive ruins, including the ancient theater and the vast necropolis. Successive earthquakes led to the city's destruction, and it was permanently abandoned in 1334.We will then explore Pamukkale itself, with its natural terraces formed by millennia of flowing, calcium-rich waters. Time seems to stand still here, and the cascading white terraces look like a giant petrified fountain, perfectly matching its name, which translates to "Cotton Castle." Lunch at a local restaurant.In the afternoon, we depart for Ephesus to visit the most important city of Roman Asia Minor and one of Turkey's most famous archaeological sites, featuring the Temple of Hadrian, the Library of Celsus, the Great Theater, and the Ephesus Experience Museum. We will make a brief stop at a traditional leather goods workshop before continuing to Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city, widely considered one of its most beautiful after Istanbul. Transfer to the hotel, room check-in, dinner, and overnight stay.

Day 8 | October 12th, 2026: Izmir / Bologna

Breakfast. Transfer to the airport for a 1:00 PM scheduled flight to Istanbul. Arrival at 2:25 PM, aircraft change, and departure for Bologna at 4:25 PM, arriving at 6:00 PM. End of our services.

N.B.: The itinerary may be subject to change for technical reasons or due to site management. The optional hot air balloon and jeep safari excursions are not part of the tour; they are activities organized by third parties, and Omnia Incentive House accepts no liability for them.

INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPATION FEES (INTERNAL FLIGHT & ENTRANCE FEES INCLUDED)

CRAL Member Fee: €1,580.00
Non-Member/Associate Fee: €1,720.00 + €10 Fitel membership card
SINGLE ROOM SUPPLEMENT: €350* (limited availability)

THE FEES INCLUDE:
Round-trip transfer by private bus to/from Bologna Airport.
Tour leader accompanying the group throughout, including her single room board and lodging.
Scheduled Turkish Airlines flights: Bologna – Istanbul (outbound) and Izmir – Istanbul – Bologna (return).
Scheduled internal flight: Istanbul – Cappadocia.
Airport taxes (currently €217.90, subject to potential changes).
Transfers to/from airports in Turkey by private bus with a dedicated guide.
Accommodation for 7 nights in 4*/5* hotels.
Local tourist/city taxes.
Full board meals from dinner on the first evening to breakfast on the final day (including 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, and 7 dinners).
Hotel and restaurant gratuities/service charges.
Grand Tourism (G.T.) coach service at the group's disposal for the duration of the tour, including driver’s board and lodging.
Professional tour guide accompanying the group from arrival to departure, including his/her board, lodging, and internal flights.
Entrance fees to sites and museums for a total value of €215.
Audio headsets for the entire tour.
Basic medical and luggage insurance with medical expense coverage up to €100,000.

THE FEES DO NOT INCLUDE:
Trip cancellation insurance, potential adjustments to taxes and entrance fees, drinks at meals, driver and guide tips of €25 per person, personal extras, additional entrance fees not specified in the itinerary, and anything not expressly mentioned under "The fees include".

N.B.: In the event of a cancellation, the insurance claim must be opened within a maximum of 3 days from the occurrence of the event. If the cancellation occurs very close to the departure date, the claim must be opened no later than the day of departure. For pre-existing and/or chronic medical conditions, please contact the Agency for alternative insurance options.

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS:
A valid passport or Electronic Identity Card (EIC) in perfect condition, valid for international travel with at least 5 months of residual validity. In any case, traveling with a passport is highly recommended to avoid any potential issues.