Great Turkey, Rhodes and Crete End Athens (2024)

Day 1

Welcome to Europamundo! Upon arriving at the airport, we will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel. Check the information boards in the hotel reception area for details of the welcome meeting with your guide and fellow travelers.

Day 2

Panoramic tour of the city, we are in a city built on two continents. On our tour we will enter the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent (the largest in Istanbul), we will visit the walls, the golden horn, the fishing district and admire the exterior of Hagia Sophia.At the end of the afternoon, we will provide a transfer to the neighborhood of Taksim, the most commercial and local area of the city. Time for dining in one of its many restaurants, you can also take the old tram that crosses the area or approach the nearby Galata Tower.

Day 3

Early in the morning we will include the entrance and visit to the Topkapi Palace, which was the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire with its magnificent courtyards and pavilions.After that, we will take a boat trip on the Bosporus of about two hours. We will travel on a private boat for Europamundo travelers. The Bosporus is a strait that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara separating Istanbul into two parts: European and Asian. We will enjoy watching the animation of the strait with all its boats, we will pass under the two bridges that connect Europe and Asia and we will admire the palaces of the sultans, the typical wooden houses, the Ottoman villas.We will disembark on the Asian side and we will have time to walk through the neighborhood of Uskudar, with its large mosques, where Yemi Valide, the maiden´s tower and its quiet streets are a stand out. Time for lunch. In the afternoon we continue our route to the Anatolian peninsula. Arrival in ANKARA, dinner included.

Day 4

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Visit of Ankara, beautiful landscapes in Cappadocia, dinner included.After breakfast we include a visit to Ankara, the cosmopolitan capital of Turkey, with more than 5 million inhabitants and a lot of cultural life with its performing arts center, which houses the State Ballet and Opera, the Presidential Symphony Orchestra and many national theater companies. We will visit the impressive Mausoleum of Ataturk, the powerful castle of Ankara, whose first construction was 8 centuries before Christ. We also include the entrance to the Museum of Anatolian civilizations that allows us to understand the different cultures that left their mark on Turkey. At the end of the morning, we will stop at a large shopping mall, with different choices of food in its food court.After lunch we continue to the region of Cappadocia, on route we will stop next to the SALT LAKE, with its incredible landscapes and visit HACIBEKTAS, with the utmost respect to the pilgrims (appropriate clothing and silence suggested during the visit). This sanctuary houses the tomb of Hacibecktas, a Sufi mystic of the thirteenth century. Continuation to NEVSHEIR -dinner included-.

Day 5

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: landscapes of spectacular shapes. Picturesque towns. Dinner included.Full day in the fantastic region of CAPPADOCIA, with its lunar landscapes, its churches and troglodyte villages. We will discover the GOREME Valley with its open air museum and its churches carved into the rocks, entry tickets included. We will visit UCHISAR, a natural fortress. In KAIMACLI we will visit the underground city that could house 30,000 people. Returning to Avanos we stop at PASABAG, the valley of the fairies, we will walk in this spectacular natural area. Free time and dinner included.

Day 6

At the far end of Cappadocia, we will visit the IHLARA Valley; known for the freshness of its waters, its churches and villages excavated in the rock. Then we continue our route, with a stop in an old CARAVANSERAI from the 13th Century before arriving in KONYA where we visit the Mausoleum of Mevlana (Rumi). Here we will learn about the sect of the Dervishes (entrance included). Dinner included. At night, we suggest that you attend the dance performance of the whirling dervishes in the cultural centre.

Day 7

We take a scenic road between the lakes, and get to know EGRIDIR, a beautiful town next to a large lake, with its walls and mosques. There’s time to have lunch. We then continue to PAMUKKALE-Hierapolis, whose calcareous waters have created the Cotton Castle (entrance included). Dinner included.

Day 8

We leave in the direction of EPHESUS, the best preserved ancient city of Asia Minor; 2000 years ago it had a quarter of a million inhabitants. We will discover the house of the Virgin Mary, the Basilica of Saint John and the impressive ruins at Ephesus (entrance included). We then go on to KUSADASI, a popular coastal town with a lot of atmosphere, commercial life and a small castle. Dinner included.

Day 9

We leave for one of the natural wonders of Turkey, Lake BAFA. We continue to BODRUM, a very beautiful fortified city of Greek origin. You can visit its castle, stroll through its streets full of life and tourism or go around its sports marina. After lunch, we go on our way to MARMARIS, another very beautiful coastal tourist enclave with its castle, its marina and its fountains. Dinner and accommodation.

Day 10

We will embark towards Greece in the early morning. Express ferry, the journey will last about an hour. Immigration checks. Arrival in Rhodes. City tour of this incredible walled city and the old quarter, which bears the imprints of the different cultures that shaped it (Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Knights of Saint John, Ottoman, Italian). Free time during the afternoon.- IMPORTANT NOTICE: The timetable for the ferry between Rhodes and Marmaris is frequently modified and doesn’t operate every day (except in the Summer months), this part of the trip’s itinerary may have to be modified accordingly.

Day 11

We include an excursion to explore the island of Rhodes, we travel to FILERIMOS, at the top of the hill, among magnificent landscapes you can visit its small monastery. After that we travel to LINDOS, its medieval fortress and Greek Acropolis dominate the sea, you can walk through the white streets of the center, rest on its beaches or climb (on a donkey, if you wish) to the Acropolis. After lunch time we return to Rhodes. Free time in the afternoon. In the evening we will have a transfer to the airport. We take a flight to the island of CRETE, arrival on the island and transfer to the hotel in HERAKLION.Note: Direct flight schedules between Rhodes and Crete are limited and a matter of change; Sometimes the flight may be carried out on Friday morning or with a stopover in Athens.

Day 12

In the morning we travel along the coast towards the west of the island. RETHYMNO, beautiful coastal city of Venetian origin, dominated by its medieval castle. CHANIA, captivating city with impressive fortress and stately mansions; contested among Romans, Byzantines, Venetians, Genoese, Turks, Egyptians and Greeks throughout its history. Return to HERAKLION at the end of the day.

Day 13

Today we include an excursion (admission and guided tour included) to the PALACE OF KNOSSOS, which will allow us to learn about the Minoan culture that gave rise to the Greek culture four thousand years ago. After the visit we cross the high mountains in the center of the island, we travel to the southern area, next to the Libyan Sea we visit AGIA GALINI, a picturesque town with labyrinthine streets, a fishing port and popular taverns. Time to have lunch and, if you’d like to, swim in the sea. Return to the capital of Crete.Note: From November to April we will make a stop in the picturesque town of Matala instead of Agia Galini due to the end of the summer season and the general closure of businesses in this town.

Day 14

We will leave along the coast towards the east of the island. We visit the small town of Kritsa, PANAGIA KERA, a 13th century church with some of the best frescoes in Crete, admission included. After that AGIOS NIKOLAOS, arrival at this picturesque town with its natural port. Time for a walk and lunch. The next stop we will make is ELOUNDA, a place that was a city-state and today a beautiful tourist enclave. From here we include a boat ride and admission to the island-citadel of SPINALONGA, an ancient Venetian fortress that was later a leprosarium for a long time. Return by boat and continuation to HERAKLION, accommodation.

Day 15

Early morning we have a transfer to the port. We take a fast ferry to the island of SANTORINI, arriving between 09:00 and 10:00 hrs. - by bus, among beautiful landscapes we go to OIA, without a doubt the most spectacular town on the island: white streets full of life, immense views over cliffs, castle remains and windmills. Time to walk and have lunch. After that we will visit FIRA, the capital of the island. Those, who would like to, can go down by cable car or donkey to the port, where the cruise ships arrive. We continue later to the ferry port to take a fast ferry, departing around 15:30 hrs. Arrival in ATHENS at midnight.Very important note: From November to mid-April WE WILL NOT VISIT THE ISLAND OF SANTORINI, since the fast ferry from Heraklion to Santorini does not operate. During this period we will travel by plane from Heraklion to Athens.

Day 16

In the morning, sightseeing tour of ATHENS; we will get to know the modern city, the Panathinaikos Stadium, and the Royal Palace. Free time afterwards.

Day 17

After breakfast, end of our services.