TURKEY HOLY WEEK

Meet at Mexico City airport to board the flight to Istanbul. Overnight on board.

Arrival at Istanbul airport. Reception at Exit Gate 8 and transfer to the hotel (most hotels allow check-in only after 2:00 PM). Accommodation.

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit the Egyptian Bazaar (Spice Market), then enjoy a Bosphorus cruise, admiring Istanbul’s forests, palaces, and wooden mansions along the shores. Lunch included. Afternoon visit to Sultanahmet district: Roman Hippodrome Square, the Blue Mosque (unique with six minarets), and the magnificent Hagia Sophia (entrance included). Return to the hotel. Accommodation.

Breakfast. Visit the Süleymaniye Mosque, considered the most perfect Ottoman architectural mosque. Free time at the Grand Bazaar (closed Sundays and holidays), then depart by coach to Bursa to see the Great Mosque and Silk Bazaar. Continue to Canakkale. Dinner and accommodation.

Breakfast. Visit the ruins of Troy and the Troy Museum (entrance included), famous from Homer’s Iliad. Continue to Pergamon to see the Asclepion, the first hospital of Asia Minor. Arrival in Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city. Dinner and accommodation.

Breakfast. Depart for Ephesus (entrance included), the Roman capital of Asia Minor. Visit archaeological remains such as the Temple of Hadrian, Library of Celsus, Odeon, Agora, and the Grand Theater. Visit the House of the Virgin Mary (entrance included). Continue to Pamukkale (entrance included), a natural wonder of white cascades and thermal pools. Visit Hierapolis ancient city. Dinner and accommodation.

Breakfast. Depart for Cappadocia, stopping at a medieval caravanserai on the Silk Road. Visit Mazi or Serhatli underground city. Dinner and accommodation. (Optional hot air balloon ride at sunrise in Pamukkale.)

Breakfast. Explore Cappadocia’s unique landscapes: Avcilar Valley, Güvercinlik and Dervent valleys, and Love Valley. Visit a rock-cut church with ancient frescoes and a carpet factory demonstration. Dinner and accommodation. (Optional balloon ride and folkloric dance show in a cave with unlimited regional drinks.)

Breakfast. Visit Uchisar Valley and a jewelry shop showcasing Turkish art. Continue to Ankara, stopping at Salt Lake. Dinner and accommodation.

Breakfast. Visit Ataturk’s Mausoleum and the Republic Museum. Continue to Istanbul. Accommodation.

Breakfast and transfer to the airport for the flight back to Mexico City.