After your arrival in the city that was once Byzantium (and later Constantinople), your English-speaking assistant will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel in one of our private vehicles.  He will help you with the check-in, inform you about all the details of your trip, offer a brief presentation of the city and its day to day life and answer your questions. The rest of the day will be free for you to relax and start enjoying this stunning city.

Alternatively, you can join the Night Cruise on the Bosphorus with Dinner & Show or enjoy an hour's pampering at the Hamam Cimberlitas.

Greca Tip: You can also head to Ortaköy, the area for upmarket chic, where you will find a strip of stands serving kumpir, Turkey's answer to the jacket potato. Pick your spud and toppings and savor the seaside views while you eat on your feet.

After your breakfast, at the agreed time, we will pick you up from your hotel, or the nearest pick-up point, to begin a full-day tour of this magnificent city. It includes an official English-speaking guide, tickets, lunch at a central city restaurant and a visit to the most resplendent monuments that the Ottoman, Byzantine, and Roman empires have handed down to future generations: Hagia Sophia, Constantinople Racecourse, The Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar, which houses more than 4000 stores.

At the end of the visit, you may linger some more in the old city, enjoying the amazing atmosphere, and finally you will make your own way to your hotel.

Greca Tip: Visit Camilca Hill on the Asian side of Istanbul and enjoy a panoramic view of the city, the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus.

In the morning, your English-speaking assistant will pick you up to transfer you to Istanbul airport in order to board your flight to the capital of Turkey, Ankara. In Ankara you will visit the important Museum of Anatolian Civilizations and the Mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk, a national hero and the first president of the Turkish Republic. In the afternoon, you will head towards the magical region of Cappadocia, with its fairytale scenery and fascinating cavern architecture. On the way to your hotel, you will stop at one of the biggest underground cities scattered in the region.  Later on you will check in at your hotel, have dinner and enjoy a good rest.

Greca Tip: Consult with your guide about the possibility of joining in an unforgettable hot air balloon tour in Cappadocia (subject to weather conditions).

After a filling breakfast, you will dedicate the entire day to this wonderful region and the Turkish cities of Kirsehir, Nigde and Kayseri.

You will start at the town of Uçhisar, its troglodyte villages and the Underground City of Kaymakli, one of the largest underground settlements in the region.  You will continue towards the Göreme Valley with its open-air museum, its churches carved into the rock and the beautiful frescoes on their walls. In the afternoon, you will visit the Pasabag Valley, with its amazing landscape of cave dwellings and famous limestone fairy chimneys and Avanos, a potterers' town with its countless pottery factories that date back to the Hittites. In this town an underground city was revealed only recently and consists of three floors, homes, tunnels and places of worship. In the late afternoon you will return to your hotel for dinner and a good rest.

Greca Tip: Remember that, inside the caves, flash photography is not allowed so as not to damage the wall paintings.

Early in the morning, and after a delicious breakfast, you will depart for Pamukkale, meaning 'cotton castle' in Turkish. On your way there you will stop at the Old Palace and Medieval Fort of Caravanserai, built along the trade route that once lead to Persia. Here, in former times, merchants from the east and west used to rest, stock up on supplies and socialize.

Upon your arrival, you will have free time to familiarize yourself with the city and maybe visit Pamukkale's travertine terraces or white calcium cascades formed by the activity of the hot thermal springs in the area. You will enjoy dinner and a good rest at your hotel.

Greca Tip: You may use your free time to take a dip in the thermal pool of your hotel.

After breakfast you will visit Hierapolis, an ancient Hellenistic city declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. You will see the ruins of the Necropolis and the ancient Roman baths as well as the natural park known as "Cotton Castle", which, due to its natural beauty and the properties of its thermal waters, has been attracting visitors since pre-Christian times.

You will have free time for lunch and later you will visit the pilgrimage site of Meryamana, the house of the Virgin Mary, believed to be her last resting place. You will continue to Ephesus, the ancient Roman capital of Asia Minor, where Cleopatra, Marc Anthony and the apostle Saint Paul once roamed its streets. In Ephesus, you will admire the ruins of the Odeon, the Arch of Hercules, the Library of Celsus, the Greco-Roman Theater as well as the Agora and the Basilica of Saint John. In the late afternoon you will be transferred to your hotel, check in, have dinner and rest.

Greca Tip: The word Kusadasi means "Island of the Birds", although nowadays cruise ships dominate the scene!

Early in the morning, after a tasty breakfast, you will head towards Izmir to take the flight back to Istanbul. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel and the rest of the day will be free for you to explore the city at your own pace.

Greca Tip: As a going away gift you can look for hand-painted pottery and carpets made in Izmir or clothing in traditional style.  Don't be afraid to haggle as this is a common practice and vendors will expect you to do so for every item.

After breakfast and at the time agreed, we will transfer you to Istanbul airport to board your flight to Italy and its capital, Rome.

Upon you arrival in the eternal city, one of our representatives will be waiting for you at the airport to welcome you and transfer you comfortably and quickly to the hotel. Arrival at the hotel and accommodation. The rest of the day is free for you to relax and begin enjoying Rome at your own pace.

Greca Tip: Check out the best gastronomic options in Rome with our assistant.

After a refreshing breakfast, you will have free time to explore the Eternal City at your own pace. You can choose from thousands of options: walking, visiting monuments, shopping or tasting the local gastronomy and from a wide selection pasta, vegetable, meat and fish dishes. 

Rome is the geographical heart of the Catholic religion and the city with the highest concentration of historical and architectural assets in the world. In 1980, together with the extraterritorial properties of the Holy See found in the city and the Saint Paul's Outside the Walls, Rome was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Greca Tip: Optionally, you can choose to visit the Colosseum in the morning or in the afternoon. Select it at Step 1 of your reservation. 

In the morning you will enjoy a delicious breakfast and then have the rest of the day free to appreciate and delight in the beauty of this wonderful city.

The essential monuments like the Colosseum, the Forum as well as a walk through the center of the squares dominated by the signature fountains are highly recommended. Later in the evening you will enjoy dinner on your own and have a rejuvenating rest at your hotel.

Greca Tip: For your dinner we recommend that you head to one of the trattorias of the Trastevere neighborhood, where you can enjoy a rich Italian fish dish and a glass of the house white wine.

After enjoying your breakfast, and at the time indicated, you will be transferred to Rome airport to board your flight back home or to your next destination.

After spending a few fantastic days with Greca, we hope to see you again soon to create more wonderful moments that will remain in your memory forever!

Have a nice trip! Or as the locals say: "Buon Viaggio!"

Greca Tip: You can extend your stay in Rome, at Step 1 of your reservation.