Istanbul by Dawn Tour Date: 12 June & 14 June Time: 04.30 pick-up from hotel, tour starts 05.00 Price: 28 EUR The tour will start before the sunrise. Istanbul offers an amazing panaromic view especially through the Bosphours and historical peninsula. Until Istanbul wakes up, a trip on the seven hills of the city by coach is the highlight of the tour. Awesome photographic shots will be captured from Camlica Hill, Historical Peninsula, Bosphorus Bridge, Halic Bridge and Golden Horn. Tour Highlights: Istanbul by seven hills Tour Fee Includes: English-speaking guide, breakfast sandwich and coffee/tea, transfers Half Day Historical Peninsula Tour Date: 11 June & 14 June Time: 09.00 – 13.00 Price: 40 EUR The tour will start with a visit to Hagia Sophia, which is considered one of the eight wonders of the world. It is one of the rare works of this size and age that has survived to our day. The next visit is to the Blue Mosque. This imperial mosque is an example of classical Turkish architecture, and it is the only mosque that was originally built with six minarets. Although it is popularly known as the Blue Mosque, its real name is Sultan Ahmet Mosque. Topkapi Palace is the next stop on the tour. Topkapi is the largest and oldest palace in the world to survive to our day. It commands an impressive view of the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. The palace is a complex surrounded by 5 km of walls and occupies an area of 700,000 sq. m at the tip of the historical peninsula. Tour highlights: Sultan Ahmet Square Blue Mosque Topkapı Palace Hagia Sophia Tour Fee Includes: English-speaking guide, transfers, all museum entrance fees Half Day Bosphorus Tour Date: 13 June Time: 09.30 – 13.30 Price: 50 EUR The tour will start with a visit to the mouth of the Golden Horn, to explore the bustling Egyptian Spice Market of 17th century origin - a colorful bazaar heaped with spices, Turkish sweets, dried foods and much more. Then the beautifully tiled tiny Rustem Pasha Mosque hidden among the narrow cobbled market streets nearby will be visited. Next follows a Bosphorus Cruise Tour up Istanbul's winding straits for a chance to relax and admire the shoreline of beautiful mosques, lavish palaces and decadent villas. Highlights include Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi Palaces, Ottoman summer mansions and Ortakoy mosque, the defensive Rumeli Fortress and Bosphorus Bridge - one of the world's largest suspension bridges, all alongside passing fishing boats and yachts. Tour highlights: Egyptian Spice Market Rustem Pasha Mosque Boat Tour By Boat Tour Fee Includes: English-speaking guide, transfers, all museum entrance fees, boat Tour Half Day Historical Peninsula Tour Date: 11 - 12 June & 14 - 15 June Time: 09.00 – 13.00 Price: 40 EUR The tour will start with a visit to Hagia Sophia, which is considered one of the eight wonders of the world. It is one of the rare works of this size and age that has survived to our day. The next visit is to the Blue Mosque. This imperial mosque is an example of classical Turkish architecture, and it is the only mosque that was originally built with six minarets. Although it is popularly known as the Blue Mosque, its real name is Sultan Ahmet Mosque. Topkapi Palace is the next stop on the tour. Topkapi is the largest and oldest palace in the world to survive to our day. It commands an impressive view of the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. The palace is a complex surrounded by 5 km of walls and occupies an area of 700,000 sq. m at the tip of the historical peninsula. Tour highlights: Sultan Ahmet Square Blue Mosque Topkapı Palace Hagia Sophia Tour Fee Includes: English-speaking guide, transfers, all museum entrance fees Half Day Bosphorus Tour Date: 11 - 14 June Time: 09.30 – 13.30 Price: 50 EUR The tour will start with a visit to the mouth of the Golden Horn, to explore the bustling Egyptian Spice Market of 17th century origin - a colorful bazaar heaped with spices, Turkish sweets, dried foods and much more. Then the beautifully tiled tiny Rustem Pasha Mosque hidden among the narrow cobbled market streets nearby will be visited. Next follows a Bosphorus Cruise Tour up Istanbul's winding straits for a chance to relax and admire the shoreline of beautiful mosques, lavish palaces and decadent villas. Highlights include Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi Palaces, Ottoman summer mansions and Ortakoy mosque, the defensive Rumeli Fortress and Bosphorus Bridge - one of the world's largest suspension bridges, all alongside passing fishing boats and yachts. Tour highlights: Egyptian Spice Market Rustem Pasha Mosque Boat Tour By Boat Tour Fee Includes: English-speaking guide, transfers, all museum entrance fees, boat Tour Full Day Princes’ Island Tour Date: 12 - 15 June Time: 09.30 – 15.30 Price: 60 EUR The main destination is Buyukada, the largest of the island chain, but four other islands will be passed on the way. All are famous for their mild climates, beautiful pine woods and beaches and Ottoman houses, and on all of them cars are banned. The preferred means of transportation is the charming horse-drawn carriage known as the phaeton. Lunch will be at one of the many excellent traditional fish-restaurants on the waterfront. Tour highlights: Büyük ada Fish Restaurant with Delicious Turkish Meze’s Tour Fee Includes: English-speaking guide, lunch, transfers Full Day Istanbul Tour
Date: 11 - 14 June
Time: 09.30 – 17.30
Price: 75 EUR
The tour will start with the Hippodrome, shaped like a gigantic "U", which was the place were chariot races used to be held during the Byzantine empire. It was a place for official celebrations and parades, circuses and political meetings. The next visit is to the Blue Mosque, correctly named the Sultan Ahmet Mosque. This imperial mosque is an example of classical Turkish architecture, and it is the only mosque that was originally built with six minarets. After the Blue Mosque, the next stop is Hagia Sophia, which is considered one of the eight wonders of the world. The church (called Ayasofya in Turkish) is erroneously known as Saint Sophia in the west. The next visit is Topkapi Palace which is the largest and oldest palace in the world to survive to this day. Topkapi Palace offers an impressive view of the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. The last visit is to the Grand Covered Bazaar for shopping. The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest covered markets in the world with more than 58 streets and 6,000 shops, well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops. Only on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday: a visit to the Underground Cisterns which are thought to have been built in 532 AD. After the conquest of the city by the Ottoman Turks, it was forgotten and nobody knew that it existed. Re-discovered in 1545, it was used to water the gardens of Topkapi Palace. (Please note that the visit to the Underground Cisterns replaces the visits to Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, and the Grand Bazaar on those days that these sights are closed.)
Tour highlights:
Tour Fee Includes: English-speaking guide, transfers, lunch, all museum entrance fees
Izmir & Ephesus & Virgin Mary House & Sirince Please note that tickets for this tour are no longer available. Day 1: Transfer from hotel to Istanbul Airport for flight to Izmir. Half Day Izmir City Tour (3 hours) starts with a drive to the top of Mount Pagus which rises above the city center. Enjoy the panoramic views of the city and Bay Izmir from the walls of Kadifekale, an ancient fortress built by Alexander the Great. Tour Izmir's museums of Archeology and Ethnography, then visit the city's symbol, its Ottoman Clock Tower. Finally, penetrate its elaborate bazaar which stretches for blocks. Transfer to Kusadasi for dinner and overnight stay at a 5 star resort hotel. Day 2: Drive to Selcuk, and visit the Shrine of Virgin Mary, where she is believed to have spent her last days. Proceed to ancient Ephesus and see the Odeon, the Bouleterion, the fountains, the temples, the brothel, the library, the agoras, the great theater, the roman baths, the gymnasiums and so on. Drive back to Kuşadasi for another overnight stay. Day 3: Early pick-up for flight to Istanbul. Including services: 2 overnights-stay in Kusadasi at first class hotel (5*) Breakfast at hotel Dinner at the hotel in Kusadasi Entry fees to the museums English-speaking guide Local Transportation Services not included: Domestic Airflight Tickets, tips Congrex Travel, Official Agent for Travel to EAACI 2011, offers discounts of up to 20% on Turkish Airlines and other participating Star Alliance flights to Turkey. Contact us on eaaci2011flights@congrex.com to request your flight offer.