Italy, Greece and Turkey - 21 day tour
Departs on Sundays
Skip the line admissions, small groups, good guides...

Program:

- Sunday - Day 1 - Arrival in Rome
BENVENUTO! Welcome to Italy!
We will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. After a short briefing
about your tour, you will have the afternoon free to rest and explore Rome on your own. Overnight in Rome - 


- Monday - Day 2 - Rome - (B)


In the morning, you will be picked up at your hotel for your comprehensive tour to visit the Vatican and its museums, as well as the Sistine Chapel the home of Michelangelo's the Last Judgment.

After that, we will continue on to visit St. Peters Square and Basilica, and will also visit the Coliseum and the Roman Forum.
Overnight in Rome -

- Tuesday - Day 3 – Rome – (B)
Breakfast at the hotel – Enjoy the day at leisure.
Optional half day walking tour to public markets and cooking lesson – more info >>>>>
Optional full day tour to Pompeii >>>>
Overnight in Rome.

- Wednesday - Day 4 - Rome to Florence - (B)
In the morning, depart from Rome on a scenic drive to Florence, on the way we will stop and visit Assisi and Siena
Assisi has had a rich tradition of art through the centuries and is now home to a number of well known artistic works
As well as walking and exploring, you will visit the The Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi (of St Francis).
Siena The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site.
Siena is famous for its cuisine, art, museums, medieval city scape and the Palio, a horse race held twice a year.
Departure for our final destination, upon arrival you will check in and spend the night in Florence.

- Thursday - Day 5 - Florence - (B)
After breakfast we will be spending most of the day exploring Florence and surroundings
Florence is famous for its history. A centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time, Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called the Athens of the Middle Age.
] It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. Due to Florence's artistic and architectural heritage, it has been ranked by Forbes as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and the city is noted for its history, culture, Renaissance art and architecture and monuments.[8] The city also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace, amongst others, and still exerts an influence in the fields of art, culture and politics.
See the Leaning Tower of Pisa : is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa, known worldwide for its unintended tilt to one side.
Overnight in Florence.

- Friday - Day 6 - Florence to Venice - (B)
In the morning, depart from Rome on a fast train to Venice. upon arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
After check in you will have free time to refresh and rest then in the afternoon we will take you on a short introductory
walking tour of the city.

Walk from Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square) to the Rialto Bridge, before you take to the waterways of the majestic city, during
your walk your guide will inform you about all the sites you see and give you a good introductory to this magical city.
We will end the tour with a 35 minute Gondola ride.
Then you will spend the leisurely evening. Overnight in Venice.

- Saturday - Day 7 - Venice - (B)
Day at leisure --- Overnight in Venice.

Venice : is a city in northeastern Italy sited on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges.
It is located in the marshy Venetian Lagoon which stretches along the shoreline, between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers. Venice is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. The city in its entirety is listed as a World Heritage Site, along with its lagoon.
Overnight in Venice.

- Sunday - Day 8 - Venice to Athens - (B)
In the morning you will depart from Venice on a flight to Athens
Upon arrival in Athens airport, meet our representative for your transfer to your hotel,
Leisurely afternoon at your own pace. Overnight stay in Athens

- Monday - Day 9 - Athens to Mykonos - (b)
After breakfast around 8:30 AM, we will meet you at your hotel for your guided tour of Athens.
You will explore Temple of Olympian Zeus, Panathinaiko Stadium (where the first Olympic Games took place in 1896). After that, we will drive by the Prime's Minister's residence, the Royal Palace, (guarded by colorful Evzones), Zappion (Conference and Exhibition Hall), National Garden, Hadrian's Arc, St. Paul's Church, Parliament, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Schlieman's House (Numismatic Museum), Catholic Cathedral, Academy, University, National Library, Old Parliament, Constitution Square, and the impressive Russian Orthodox Church.
At the ACROPOLIS, you will visit Propylaea, Temple of Athena Nike, Parthenon, Erechtheion and the Museum of the Acropolis.
In the early afternoon,
you will be transferred to the ferry port, and put on a fast ferry to Mykonos.
After arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel, and will have the rest of the day free to relax and explore the island on your own. Overnight in Mykonos Island.

- Tuesday - Day 10 - Free day in Mykonos Island - (B)
Breakfast provided in the hotel. Then, it ís a free day for you to relax and explore.
Optional tour to Delos.
Overnight in Mykonos.

- Wednesday - Day 11 - Mykonos to Santorini - (B)
After breakfast you will depart from Mykonos Island on a 2 hour 30 minute ferry to Santorini. Upon arrival you will be met at the ferry port and transferred to your hotel. After check in you will have a free day to relax and explore Santorini.

- Thursday - Day 12 - Santorini Island - (B)
After breakfast, we will take you on a tour of Santorini. You will visit the Island and go on a boat trip to view the caldera, visit hot springs, view the ruins of Thirrassia, and afterwards, you will be taken back to your hotel. Overnight in Santorini

* Santorini is one of those iconic places that will be permanently etched in your mind. Everywhere you turn is a photo opportunity. Essentially, the island is what remains of an enormous volcanic eruption, which destroyed the earliest settlements on what was formerly a single island. The aftermath of the explosion created what you see today, a caldera. All of the whitewashed, charming houses cling to the high cliffs of the rim, while the deep blue Aegean Sea wraps around the geological masterpiece, hundreds of feet below. Its spectacular physical beauty, along with its lively nightlife, has made this island a perennial tourist favorite.
Overnight in Santorini.

- Friday - Day 13 - Santorini Island - (B)
After breakfast, you will have a free day to relax and explore Santorini on your own. Many take this opportunity to relax and tan on one of Santoriniís famous beaches, such as Red Beach, or return for more sightseeing in Oia.
Overnight in Santorini.

- Saturday - Day 14 – Departure from Santorini to Athens then to Istanbul - (b)
Per your flight departure time,  we will provide a transfer to Santorini Airport for your flight to Athens then onto Istanbul.
HOS GELDINIZ! Welcome to Turkey! We will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. After a short briefing about your tour, you will have the afternoon free to rest and explore Istanbul on your own.
Overnight in Istanbul.

- Sunday - Day 15 - Istanbul - (B/L)
After breakfast we will continue on the full day tour, including Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome, and Topkapi Palace.
we will then continue our exploration of Istanbul, including the Spice Bazaar and a cruise on the Bosphorus, which takes you though the waterway separating the two continents, Europe and Asia. Along its shores, you will enjoy many photographic opportunities: the marble palaces and antique wooden Ottoman-era villas that sit beside luxurious modern residences. You will also see Dolmabahce Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, and Ortakoy Mosque from the sea.
Overnight in Istanbul.

- Monday - Day 16 - Istanbul to Kusadasi - (B/L/D)
Short domestic flight to Izmir, whereupon you'll then be transferred to Ephesus for your comprehensive full-day tour of some of Turkey's most impressive Roman and Biblical sites. Ephesus is one of the best-preserved classical cities, inhabited in different eras by Greeks, Macedonians, Romans and Turks, as well as St. Paul. Nearby is the famous Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, as well as the House of The Virgin Mary.
Overnight in Kusadasi.

- Tuesday - Day 17 - Kusadasi - Pamukkale - Kusadasi - (B/L/D)
After breakfast, we will depart from Kusadasi to Pamukkale and Hierapolis. Our drive will take us through a rich agricultural area, teeming with cotton fields and fruit orchards. We'll walk through Pamukkale ("cotton castle" in Turkish), a magical area of thermal hot springs and snow-white limestone formations created over thousands of years.
After the tour we will return to Kusadasi where we will spend the night.

- Wednesday - Day 18 - Kusadasi to Cappadocia - (B)
In the morning we will provide a transfer to Izmir airport then you will depart from Izmir on a flight to Cappadocia.
Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel then have a
free time to explore Cappadocia on your own for photography, note taking, and enjoyment.
Overnight stay in our deluxe cave hotel in Urgup, Cappadocia.

- Thursday - Day 19 - Cappadocia - (B/L)
We'll have a full day tour of Cappadocia which has around 36 underground cities, dating back 4000 years to the time of the Hittites. We will walk through the Underground City of Derinkuyu, where ancient people fled for their lives escaping the Arab invaders. We'll wander through the oasis-like Ihlara Gorge, here in the middle of the Anatolian plain, see ancient monasteries (complete with pigeon holes they used to send messages), and stroll through traditional Anatolian villages.
You'll get time to stroll in a village such as this and see the average Turkish villager at work...or play.
Overnight in Urgup, Cappadocia.

- Friday - Day 20 – Cappadocia to Istanbul - (B/L)
This day will continue our exploration of the amazing sites of Cappadocia. (optional hot air ballooning tour) including the World Heritage Site of Goreme Open-Air Museum, cut from rock Byzantine churches and monasteries with11th and 12th century frescoes on the cave walls; the famous Fairy Chimneys, shaped over millions of years by volcanic eruptions, some 40 meters in height; the Devrent (or "pink valley"), and natural rock fortress of Uchisar Castle, inhabited during both the Byzantine and Ottoman times.

Along the way, we'll have the chance to visit local crafts people and learn how they make dolls and create traditional pottery.
Flight back to Istanbul and overnight stay.

- Saturday - Day 21 - Istanbul to Home - (B)
Gule, Gule! It is time to head for home. We will transfer you to the airport and wish you well, asking that you keep Turkey in your heart. We truly hope that our paths will cross again.

Price includes
* All hotels (Superior Class centrally located hotels)
* All land transfers in comfortable vehicles
* Flight tickets from Venice to Athens
* Ferry tickets from Athens to Mykonos
* Ferry tickets from Mykonos to Athens
* Flight tickets from Santorini to Athens
* flight tickets from Athens to Istanbul
* Flight tickets from Istanbul to Izmir
* flight tickets from Cappadocia to Istanbul
* All meals mentioned in the itinerary (B-breakfast, L-lunch & D-dinner)
* All of the tours that are mentioned in the itinerary
* Professional, English-speaking tour guides
* All taxes and service charges

Excludes
* International flight tickets to Rome
* International flight tickets from Athens to your next destination