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.