After breakfast, visit the Suleymaniye Mosque (the culmination of Ottoman architecture), as well as the Rustem Pasa Mosque with its beautiful Iznik (Nicea) tiles and the Spice Market with its exotic aromas. After lunch, visit treasure-filled Topkapi Palace (residence of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th century) with its terraces overlooking the Marmara Sea, the Bosphorus, and the Golden Horn. End the day at the historic Grand Bazaar. Dinner is on your own. Overnight at hotel.

In the morning, visit the Blue Mosque, recognizable by its six minarets. Built between 1609 and 1616 for Sultan Ahmet I, the interior is decorated with some 21,000 blue Iznik tiles. Visit the Hippodrome, where political, cultural, and athletic activities took place during Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman times. Visit the imposing Hagia Sophia, which marked the apogee of Byzantine Emperor Justinian's reign. Thereafter there is the possibility of an optional Cruise on the Bosporus, separating Asia from Europe and connecting the Marmara Sea to the Black Sea. Relish the best views of the city and its historic monuments. Discover beautiful marble palaces (Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi), wooden Ottoman villas (yalis), and medieval fortresses. Lunch at a seafood restaurant along the Bosphorus. In the afternoon, drive to Bolu. Dinner and overnight.

In the early morning, drive to Ankara, the nation’s capital since 1923. Explore The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations with its rich collection from the Hittite, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman periods. Visit the Mausoleum of Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey. After lunch, continue to Cappadocia. Dinner and overnight.

Take a full day to discover Cappadocia. Visit the Goreme Valley, an open-air museum with rockhewn churches (7th-13th centuries) adorned with biblical frescoes. At a handicraft center, learn about the arts of rural Turkey and watch a demonstration on hand-made rugs. Tour an Underground City. Marvel at the cavedwellings and fairy chimneys of the Avcilar Valley and the Kiliclar Valley. Take photos at the best vista points en route to the hotel. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

After breakfast, drive to Konya. En route, stop at the Sultanhani Caravanserai, Anatolia’s largest staging post for merchants during the Seljuk period in the 13th century. In Konya, visit the Museum of Mevlana honoring the famous mystic poet and founder of the Sufi Order of the Whirling Dervishes. After lunch, continue to Antalya. Dinner and overnight.

Visit two magnificent sites: Aspendos, a treasure with the world’s best-preserved Roman Theater, and Perge, a spectacular Greco-Roman city. On the return to Antalya, discover the tradition of jewelry-making by visiting one of the largest jewelers of Turkey. Later in the afternoon, visit Old Antalya - Kaleici and stroll through the picturesque streets of the old port. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

Leaving Antalya, travel over the Taurus Mountains to the Greco-Roman city of Sagalassos, a recently excavated archeological gem. After lunch, drive to Pamukkale. Dinner and overnight.

In the morning, admire the unreal landscape at the "Cotton Castle" of Pamukkale with its white terraces of limestone deposited by thermal waters through the ages. See the ancient spa, Hierapolis, still used today. Discover the necropolis, one of the largest cemeteries from antiquity to the present. After lunch, drive to Aphrodisias, the ancient site dedicated to the goddess of beauty, love, and fertility. Appreciate Anatolia’s best-preserved stadium. At this site which drew artisans to its school of sculpture, enjoy the Temple of Aphrodite, the Tetrapylon, and the Theater. Continue to Selcuk. Dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, visit Ephesus; discover one of the world’s best places to visualize an ancient Roman city. View the remains of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. After lunch, drive to one of the most popular markets in the region: the Market of Tire. Return to Selcuk. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

In the morning, travel to the capital of the Kingdom of Lydia, Sardis. In this Pactolus Valley city famous for inventing coinage and its wealthy King Croesus, visit the Bath - Gymnasium Complex, the marble-paved Synagogue (3rd c. AD), and the Temple of Artemis. Proceed to Pergamum, capital of the Attalid dynasty. After lunch, explore this ancient city where parchment was invented. Ride a cable car to the upper city to take in the ruins of the Acropolis: agoras, temples, palaces, library (200,000 volumes), and the foundation of the Zeus Altar (now in Berlin). Gaze in awe at the spectacular panorama from the impressive theatre built into the steep hillside. In the lower city, visit the Asclepion, a sanctuary and healing center dedicated to the god of healing, Asclepius. Continue to Kucukkuyu. Dinner and overnight.

In the morning, depart for Assos to see the Temple of Athena overlooking the sea from the highest spot on the acropolis. Explore the site of the ancient city of Troy, whose 3,400 year history spans nine superimposed settlements (Troy I to Troy IX). Deepen your understanding of Homer's epic poem, The Iliad, which immortalized King Priam's glorious city through the stories of Helen, Menelaus, Paris, Agamemnon, Achilles, and Hector. Pose at a reconstruction of the legendary Trojan Wooden Horse at the entrance to the site. Continue to Çanakkale. Dinner and overnight.

In the morning, cross the Strait of the Dardanelles by ferry to Gallipoli, where the dramatic battles of WWI took place. Ponder the battlefields at the Gallipoli Historical National Park. Continue to Istanbul. Lunch en route. In the evening, enjoy a goodbye drink at the hotel bar. Dinner including wine. Overnight.