Cox & Kings Europe 2013 Brochure - Travel Club Elite

turkey tour
DisCovErY tour
ANCIENT WONDERS
OF SOUTHERN TURKEY
Escorted Group tour or Private Journey • 10 Days / 9 Nights from £1,495
Cappadocia
Gaziantep
Diyarbakir
Urfa
TURKEY
Mardin
THE COX & KINGS DIFFERENCE
Stay in hotels bursting with character
Discover Cappadocia’s fairy chimneys & Göbekli tepe, the world’s oldest temple
Sunset drinks party at Mount Nemrut
travelling through ancient Mesopotamia, this
tour incorporates turkey’s finest natural,
historic and religious monuments. the towns
and villages of the region trace the history
of the country from its Assyrian, roman,
Byzantine and ottoman pasts to the modern
day. You will see the natural splendour of
Cappadocia, the imposing royal stone heads
at Mount Nemrut, the birthplace of st Paul
and the architectural beauty of Mardin.
THE JOURNEY
Day 1 – to Cappadocia: Fly from either
London Heathrow, Birmingham or Manchester
to Kayseri, via Istanbul, with Turkish Airlines.
Stay at the Dedeman Hotel for 2 nights. (D)
Day 2 – Cappadocia: Full-day tour of the
region, visiting the Unesco world heritage
sites of Goreme National Park, with its cave
churches, and Kaymakli, the underground city
used as a refuge for early Christian settlers.
The spectacular landscape, with its fabled ‘fairy
chimneys’ and rock formations, is renowned for
its dramatic beauty. (B, D)
Day 3 – to Adana: Drive to Adana, visiting the
10th-century Eskigumus monastery to see its
frescoes and underground caves. A stop will
also be made in the city of Tarsus, the scene
of one of the first meetings between Mark
Anthony and Cleopatra, and the birthplace of
St Paul the Apostle. Visit the ruins of St Paul’s
family house and its holy well. Stay 1 night at
the Adana Hotel HiltonSA. (B)
Day 4 – to Gaziantep: Morning visits to the
second-century Roman bridge and the six
minaret Sabanci Central mosque, one of
the largest in Turkey. Drive from Adana to
Gaziantep and visit the archaeological museum,
which houses the world’s largest collection
of Roman mosaics, the Emine Gogus cuisine
museum and fortress. Stay overnight at the
Dedeman Hotel. (B, D)
Day 5 – to sanliurfa: Drive from Gaziantep to
Sanliurfa, via Halfeti, best known for its blackcoloured
roses. Stay 2 nights at the Manici
Hotel. (B, D)
Cappadocia
Day 6 – Harran & Göbekli tepe: Formerly
a large city on the eastern trade routes,
Harran is now celebrated for its conical
houses that resemble beehives and which
are still inhabited. It was also the scene of the
battle of Carrhae, between the Roman and
Parthian empires. Continue to the excavations
at Göbekli Tepe, which is reputed to be the
world’s oldest temple whose origins are more
than 12,000 years old. Return to Sanilurfa and
visit the Pool of Abraham with its holy fish,
the tomb of his birth, which is a holy site for
Christians and Muslims, and the castle and
mosque complex. (B)
Day 7 – to Mount Nemrut: Drive from
Sanilurfa to Mount Nemrut, via the Ataturk
dam, a wonder of modern engineering. Late
afternoon visit to the colossal statue heads
of King Antiochus and the Greek gods at
Mount Nemrut and see the sun set over
Mesopotamia while enjoying a glass of the local
wine (weather and local conditions permitting).
Stay overnight at the Zeus Hotel in Kahta for 1
night. (B, D)
Day 8 – to Mardin: Morning drive to Mardin,
via Diyarbakir. Situated close to the Tigris river,
Diyarbakir is the largest city in south-east
Turkey. View the second longest city walls in
the world, the Keldani church and the Grand
Mosque. Continue to Mardin and stay 2 nights
at the Artuklu Kervansarayi Hotel. (B, D)
Day 9 – Mardin: Morning tour of the city,
including the Sabanci Museum, the monastery
and the city museum. Afternoon tour to
Hasankefy, an endangered cave town. (B)
Day 10 – to London: Morning at leisure.
Afternoon transfer to the airport for the flight
to either London Heathrow, Birmingham or
Manchester, via Istanbul, with Turkish Airlines, (B)
PRE-TOURS &
EXTENSIONS
Ankara + tour
12 Days / 11 Nights from £2,105
the capital of turkey, Ankara has a wealth
of historical attractions and contains the
country’s best museum, the Museum of
Anatolian Civilizations.
Day 1 – to Ankara: Morning flight to Ankara,
via Istanbul. Transfer to the Radisson Blu Hotel
for 2 nights. (B)
Day 2 – Ankara: Full-day tour, including the
Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, the citadel
and the tomb of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. (B)
Day 3 – to Cappadocia: Morning at leisure.
Afternoon drive to Cappadocia. This evening,
the remainder of the group will arrive. (B, D)
Cappadocia + tour
12 Days / 11 Nights from £1,675
this extension allows further time in the
Cappadocia region.
Day 1 – to Cappadocia: Morning flight to
Kayseri, via Istanbul. Transfer to the Dedeman
Hotel for 2 nights. (B, D)
Day 2 – Cappadocia: Day at leisure or optional
excursions. (B, D)
Day 3 – Cappadocia: Day at leisure or optional
excursions. This evening, the remainder of the
group will arrive. (B, D)