The Vineyards of Turkey

Welcome to Istanbul, Turkey!

Arrive at Istanbul Ataturk airport. Meet your escort and transfer to your hotel. Dinner in a traditional Ottoman house with great choices from world-famous Turkish Cuisine accompanied by local wine and deserts as final.

Istanbul - Sightseeing the highlights of the city

After breakfast, visit the Highlights of Istanbul; Justinian built Hagia Sophia Church in the 6th century AD. It became the largest church in the world for many centuries until its conversion into a mosque by the Ottoman. In the church, you can admire the beautiful mosaics of Byzantine art. The Byzantine Hippodrome, where horses and chariots raced once upon a time and ten thousand people cheered for them. The Blue Mosque, famous for its tiles and interior decorations, is the most important in the city. Topkapi Palace was the residence of the Ottoman Sultans for about 400 years. Lunch will be in the Palace, with a unique view over the Bosphorus and delicious Doner Kebab. The Grand Bazaar is for a leisure afternoon with more than 4,000 shops. Dinner in Kumkapi district, famous for its fresh seafood and tens of restaurants full of local people enjoying their fish with mezes. Overnight in Istanbul.

Istanbul - Visit the winery of Doluca and visit small towns.

After breakfast, drive to Mürefte (2.5 hours from Istanbul) to visit the Doluca Winery and taste different brands of wines produced at this facility. The Greeks planted the first wines in Sarkoy Murefte and Hoskoy region in about 500 years BC. The Romans continued, and the Byzantines dramatically improved the wine-making process.

Murefte - the cradle of the wine industry. Today, Sarkoy is one of Turkey's most looked-after wine regions. The Murefte has gone from being the region that produced vast qualities of wines to one that makes significant qualities of high-quality wine. Doluca Winery produces a wide selection of white and red wines such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Moscato, etc. Dinner along the shores of the Bosphorus Strait, viewing this great place at nighttime and overnight in Istanbul. Return to the hotel late in the afternoon.

Ankara - Visit the capital of Turkey

Transfer to the airport for an hour's flight to Ankara. On arrival, visit the Kavaklidere Winery close to the airport. Following a briefing on their products, taste the famous Turkish wine Kalecik Karasi. Then, visit the Anatolian Civilizations Museum in the Old Citadel, one of the best Archaeological museums in Turkey. The housing is an extensive display of ancient settlers in Asia Minor starting from the Stone Age and especially dating back to the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, such as Catalhoyuk and the Hittites. Lunch in a traditional Ottoman house overlooking the city and taste some local food from the Central Anatolian region. Also, see the Mausoleum of Ataturk, where the founder of the Turkish Republic rests in peace. Overnight in Ankara.

Tokat - The former capital of the great Hittite civilization

Early departure for Tokat. En route, stop at Hattusas Bogazkoy), the former capital of the great Hittite civilization. Here you will visit Alacahoyuk and Yazilikaya to view the daily and religious life of the Hittites and admire these great people of faith and war. After lunch, proceed to Tokat and overnight and dine in the hotel.

Cappadocia -Visit the Diren Winery and taste their locally produced wines

On the way to Cappadocia, lunch en route. After a scenic drive, arrives at Nevsehir and check in to your hotel.
In Cappadocia, start to visit the Diren Winery and taste their locally produced wines. Dinner and overnight in Cappadocia.

Cappadocia has excellent food. However, their wine is much more notable. The wine is special for many reasons which are unique to the place. They do not grow the grapes on the post. Because of the cold winters, they have to keep them close to the ground to cover them with debris mounds in winter. Since the plant is close to the ground, there is excessive dehydration of grapes in the summer. Due to dehydration, grapes have a robust taste. The second part that makes the taste different is the fertilizer they use. The pigeon droppings are collected in the whole valley as fertilizers. Due to the high use of natural fertilizers, the wines have a unique mineral lime taste. The wines always are full body and have a long-lasting taste. Thirdly, the taste is related to concrete aging tanks. As we visit Cappadocia, we will be able to see every detail of wine production on site.

Cappadocia - Visit Kaymakli underground and rock churches in the Goreme Valley

Today, you’ll explore and enjoy this unique region. Visit Kaymakli or Derinkuyu underground city carved like a maze by early Christians escaping from Roman persecutions. The Goreme Valley is famous for its rock churches with incredible Byzantine frescoes. During lunch, you’ll have great examples of food in this area, specially prepared with lamb, beef, and potatoes. The Pasabag Valley reminds a lunar surface with its panorama and typical formations of "fairy chimneys." Uchisar, a natural citadel in the region, is an excellent opportunity of picturing these unusual formations. Avanos, which has the longest river in Turkey passing from it and thus making this small town an attraction for its pottery and other handicrafts.
At the end of the day, return to your hotel. Dinner and overnight.

Izmir - Taste the wines of Turasan Winery and see the Salt Lake

After breakfast, visit the Turasan Winery, where they produce and store their wines under the ground to get the perfect temperature for the production fazes. They have also won several national and international awards for
their wines. You’ll be briefed and offered to taste Turasan wines. Then visit the Agzikarahan Caravanserai, a sort of motel of our days, built in the 13th century to accommodate caravans traveling along the Silk Route. En route to Ankara, lunch in the restaurant and view the Salt Lake, the second largest lake in Turkey and a significant salt resource for the country. Arrive at Ankara airport to catch a short flight to Izmir. On arrival, you’ll be transferred to your hotel. Dinner and overnight in Izmir.

Izmir - Visit the legendary ancient city of Ephesus

Morning departure to visit legendary Ephesus, one of the largest cities of the ancient world during 2nd c AD. Founded in 4000 B.C., Ephesus is Turkey's most visited archeological site. The first inhabitants built a temple to Artemis, which, after several renovations, became one of the seven wonders of Antiquity. Ephesus, one of the cities of the Ionian Confederation, counted about 100.000 inhabitants agricultural olives, grapes, figs, honey bees, stone carvers, and smiths) who ensured that their town would become an important commercial harbor. As the first town in the world that knew democracy, she was also the first
to offer street lighting. During your visit, you will visit the agora, the Odeon, the Curetes street, the Hadrian temple, more temples and fountains, the library of Celsus, and the amphitheater. In the area of Ephesus, you will find the Artemision, the Shrine of the Virgin Mary, the Saint John Basilica, the museum of Selçuk, and the mosque of Isabey (Selçuk period XIII. century ). For lunch, we will continue to Şirince Village, 4 miles away from Selçuk preserve its residential property remains from the last century. It is a nostalgic village with fruits, wines, traditional delicious meals, authentic structure, and lifestyle. You will drive up on a mountain to Sirince, an authentic old Turkish and Greece village where we will have lunch at an old Turkish home, where you will be offered handmade boreks, mezes wine Dinner, and overnight in Izmir.

Canakkale - Visit a great civilization, Pergamon and the legendary city of Troy

After breakfast, drive to Pergamon to visit a great civilization dating back to the 4th century B.C. The Acropolis has a great view over the valleys, and the temple of Trajan is the most impressive building on top of a very steep theater. The Aesclepion was an important healing center hospital dedicated to Aesclepius, the god of medicine.

Especially mentally ill people tried to get a cure here. At the same time, it became the second most famous hospital after the one on the island of Cos. After lunch, drive to the legendary city of Troy to see the world-famous Trojan Horse. The ruins of the present-day Troy City were discovered and excavated by German Born Californian jeweler Schiliman about a hundred years before. Dinner and overnight in Canakkale.

Istanbul - Visit the Egyptian-Spice Bazaar and boat trip along the Bosphorus

Arrive in Istanbul at around noon. Start  to visit the Egyptian-Spice Bazaar, which was known as a place where shops sold only spices during the Ottoman period. After lunch, take a boat for a cruise along the Bosphorus. The cruise takes you along the Bosphorus, passing the European-style palaces of the Ottomans, Dolmabahce, Beylerbeyi, and a beautiful wooden kiosk from the 19th century.

Gule Gule! (Goodbye)

Breakfast in the morning and transfer to the Istanbul Airport.