Itinerary
- Day 1
Istanbul
A driver meets you at the airport and takes you to your hotel in Istanbul. After you check in, the rest of the day is yours to wander around and get a feel for this city that stretches across two continents. It's a good time to walk through neighborhoods, grab dinner somewhere local, and adjust to the new timezone without any scheduled activities.
Optional Activities
- Istanbul Classics full day tour (9am-4pm) - St Sophia Museum, Byzantine Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar
- Bosphorus Cruise - 1 hour afternoon cruise
- Traditional Turkish Folklore Evening - dinner, entertainment with belly dancers and folk dancers
- Bosphorus by Night - 8pm pickup, dinner cruise
- Istanbul Two Continents Tour - Spice Bazaar, Bosphorus Cruise, Rumeli Fortress, Dolmabahce Palace, Bosphorus Bridge, Camlica Hill
- Topkapi Palace Harem visit
- Bosphorus by public ferry - self-arranged day trip
- Prince's Islands by public ferry - self-arranged day trip
Landmarks Blue Mosque St Sophia Museum Topkapi Palace - Day 2
Istanbul
Following breakfast, a guide takes you through Istanbul's old city starting with the Blue Mosque and moving into St Sophia Museum. You'll also spend time at Topkapi Palace, where you can see the Harem and Hagia Irene. In the afternoon, there's an option to take a Bosphorus cruise if you want to see the waterway separating Europe from Asia.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Guided tour of Istanbul Old City
- Visit Blue Mosque
- Visit St Sophia Museum
- Visit Topkapi Palace including Hagia Irene and the Harem
- Visit Hippodrome
Optional Activities
- Half day Bosphorus cruise in the afternoon
Landmarks Blue Mosque St Sophia Museum Topkapi Palace Hagia Irene Hippodrome - Day 3
Gallipoli
Today focuses on Gallipoli, one of Turkey's most emotionally significant World War 1 sites. You'll walk through Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair Memorials, see ANZAC Cove and Johnston's Jolly, and explore the original trenches and tunnels. The Nek is also part of the route, giving you a sense of the landscape that defined this historical chapter.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided tour of Gallipoli WW1 Battlefields
- Visit Lone Pine Memorial
- Visit Chunuk Bair Memorial
- Visit ANZAC Cove
- Visit Johnston's Jolly
- Explore original trenches and tunnels
- Visit the Nek
Landmarks Lone Pine Memorial Chunuk Bair Memorial ANZAC Cove Johnston's Jolly The Nek - Day 4
Troy - Behramkale - Kusadasi
Leaving Canakkale behind, you head to Troy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with its own museum featuring award-winning collections. After that, the route takes you to Behramkale village where traditional stone houses line narrow streets and you can stop for Turkish tea or coffee. Later in the day, you'll drive south toward Kusadasi.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided tour of Troy ancient city
- Visit Troy Museum
- Explore Behramkale village
Optional Activities
- Turkish tea or coffee at local café in Behramkale
Landmarks Troy Troy Museum Behramkale - Day 5
Ephesus
A guided tour walks you through ancient Ephesus, including the Temple of Artemis site and the ancient theatre where thousands once gathered. At the Ephesus Archaeology Museum, you'll see impressive regional artifacts up close. You'll also visit a carpet village to learn how Turkish craftspeople hand-weave carpets and what factors determine their value.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided tour of Ephesus
- Visit Temple of Artemis site
- Visit ancient theatre
- Visit Ephesus Archaeology Museum
- Visit carpet village and learn about hand-weaving
Landmarks Ephesus Temple of Artemis Ephesus Archaeology Museum - Day 6
Kusadasi to Samos to Mykonos
You board a ferry that leaves Turkey and heads to Samos. Depending on the ferry schedule, you might go straight to Mykonos or spend the day on Samos exploring its green landscape and local spots before taking a later ferry onward.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Explore Samos (depending on ferry schedule)
Landmarks Samos - Day 7
Mykonos
Mykonos gives you complete freedom today. You can spend hours on the beach, walk through town checking out shops and restaurants, or visit one of the smaller villages nearby. There's also an optional day trip to Delos, an ancient Greek island that functions as an open-air museum with ruins scattered across the landscape.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Spend day on the beach
- Stroll around Mykonos town
- Visit small villages
- Optional day trip to Delos island - ancient Greek site and open-air museum
Landmarks Delos - Day 8
Mykonos to Santorini
An early morning swim in the sea helps you feel refreshed and awake. After that, you'll stroll through Mykonos Town, taking in the white-washed buildings and narrow alleyways on foot. By afternoon, you board a ferry heading to Santorini and settle in for the journey to the next island.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Early morning swim
- Explore white-washed alleyways of Mykonos Town
Landmarks Mykonos Town - Day 9
Santorini
Your schedule is open in Santorini. An optional boat trip takes you into the world's biggest volcanic crater above sea level where you can visit the active volcano, swim in warm thermal waters, and soak in a therapeutic mud bath if that appeals to you.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Optional boat trip in world's biggest volcanic crater above sea level
- Visit active volcano
- Swim in warm thermal waters
- Therapeutic mud bath
Landmarks Santorini Volcano - Day 10
Santorini to Athens
The morning is yours to relax on Santorini's black sand beaches and soak up the sun. Later in the afternoon, you board a ferry heading back to the mainland and Athens, arriving with time to settle into your hotel before evening.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Relax on black sand beaches
Landmarks Black sand beaches of Santorini - Day 11
Athens
A half-day guided tour covers Athens' old city starting at Panathenaic Stadium, where the first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896. From there, you head to the Acropolis and see the Propylaia entrance, Temple of Nike, Erechtheion, and the Parthenon. The tour also includes Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Half day guided tour of Athens Old City
- Visit Panathenaic Stadium
- Visit Acropolis
- Visit Propylaia
- Visit Temple of Nike
- Visit Erechtheion
- Visit Parthenon
- Visit Acropolis Museum
- View Temple of Olympian Zeus
- View Hadrian's Arch
Landmarks Panathenaic Stadium Acropolis Parthenon Propylaia Temple of Nike Erechtheion Acropolis Museum Temple of Olympian Zeus Hadrian's Arch - Day 12
Athens to Airport
After breakfast, you say goodbye to your tour group and a driver takes you to the airport for your flight home. It's time to head out with plenty of memories from two weeks traveling through Turkey and Greece.
- Meals
- Breakfast
