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Istanbul: The Former capital of three successive empires, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman. Istanbul today honors and preserves the legeacy of the past while looking forward to a modern Future. Istanbul of the day conforms the definition of a great city, not only with her population and the area she covers but also with the variety of cultures and ways of living. This cultural structure which enables a good number of elements that contradict with each other and yet exist together even one in another, is the produce of an accumulation of about one thousand years.

Monuments: Due to her geographical location, Istanbul has always been a settlement area from prehistorical times to present days. The city bears the characteristic of being capital city of two Great Empires like Byzantium and Ottoman. Therefore, she is one of the few cities which hold diverse cultures rich from the standpoint of historical values.

Shopping: Istanbul is also important as a shopping center for foreign tourists. In this relation, historical and economic values of the Grand Bazaar is significant. On daily basis, approximately 7,000 tourists visit this market which has a surface area of 47,600 sq., 61 streets and about 3,600 shops and also a touristic coffee-house. Istanbul is highly suitable for the development of "Cultural Tourism".

If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul.

- Alphonse De Lamartine

Abant: Surrounded by dense pine forests, the fresh water lake is 1.325 meters above sea level. It has an area of 125 hectares and is fed by underwater sources. Abant is a perfect place for those who want to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and the stress of the daily grind.

The countryside is pleasantly different in very season. In autumn a forest of reds, yellows and greens combine with the rich hues of soil from the brushstrokes of a painter. In winter the landscape is tucked beneath a pure white blanket. Flora and fauna go wild in the Abant springtime offering an endless treasure for photographers.

The lake in summer has rich plant life with wild fruit trees, flowers, mushrooms all around, and water lilies covering the surface.

Cappadocia: Cappadocia is a spectacular area in central Turkey, dotted with fantasy pyramids, pitted with troglodyte dwellings and heir to centuries of human wrangling over territory, trade and souls. In ancient Persian it was called Katpatuka, or ‘Land of the Beautiful Horses’ but you do not have to be a geologist or history buff to be blown away by the landscape.

Bursa: was the first capital (late 1200s-early 1300s) of the Ottoman Empire. The two founding sultans, Orhan and Osman, are buried here, and this is where the empire's great architectural style was first developed.

The city clings to the slopes of Uludag, the Bithynian Mount Olympus, and thus gets its nickname Green Bursa from the surrounding forests. Now a large, bustling city, Bursa is a Major Thermal Spa destination with most hotels having its own Spas. A point to note that we have included a Spa Entry at your hotel so you need’nt need to look far for any of the exotic Turkish Hamams.

Hamam Baths: The tradition of the Turkish bath extends far back, to a time before Turks had reached Anatolia. When the Turks arrived in Anatolia, they brought with them one bathing tradition, and were confronted with another, that of Romans and Byzantines, with certain local variants. The traditions merged, and with the addition of the Muslim concern for cleanliness and its concomitant respect for the uses of water, there arose an entirely new concept, that of the Turkish Bath. In time it became an institution, with its system of ineradicable customs. Healthful steam baths have been popular in Turkey for thousands of years, many of them surviving from Hellenic and Roman times.

The Turkish Bath had three rooms: the grand, steamy hot room (caldarium) for steam-soaking and massage; the warm room (tepidarium) for washing with soap and water; and the cool room for resting or napping (perhaps in a private cubicle) after the bath with a cup of Turkish Coffee or a glass of tea.

Hamams were social centers, and the only baths in Turkey until the mid-20th century when western-style tub-bath-and-shower plumbing began to be accepted.

Today modern Turks may shower in the morning before going to the office, but many still reserve time for a weekly steam-and-scrub at a hamam, a good drying-off with Turkish Towels, followed by an hour's relaxation, tea, and conversation with friends--one of life's small but significant pleasures.

Antalya: The region, bathed in sunshine for 300 days of year, is a paradise for swimming, sports activities, wind surfing, water skiing, sailing, mountain climbing and spelunking. Awaiting your discovery are important historical sites set in a landscape of pine forests, Olive, Citrus groves, Palms, avocado and Banana Plantations.

The Turkish Riviera is the tourism capital of Turkey. Its full range of accommodation, from tourist class to deluxe hotels, and the hospitable people of Antalya will make your holiday comfortable and enjoyable.

Surrounded by amazing scenery of sharp contrasts, Antalya, Turkey’s Principal holiday resort, is an attractive city with shady Palm – Lined boulevards and a prize –winning marina. In the Picturesque old quarter Kaleici, narrow, winding streets and old wooden houses about the ancient walls.

Fethiye: Fethiye rests on a broad Mediterranean bay boasting some of Turkey's best beaches and yachting. Plenty of hotels provide a place to stay.

The wide swath of Çalis Beach, several kilometers long, is only 5 km (3 miles) northeast of Fethiye. Oludeniz, perhaps Turkey's most beautifully-situated beach, is 8.5 km (5.3 miles) south of Fethiye, over the hills. Both beaches have their own selections of hotels and restaurants.

Besides the beach, visitors like the day-long 12-Island yacht cruise of the bay, especially the stop at Gemile Island, covered in unrestored Byzantine ruins. Boats depart every day in the warm months from Fethiye's busy yacht harbor.

Fethiye is the starting point of the Lycian Way, a 500-km (311-mile) footpath through the rugged mountains of the Tekke Peninsula to Antalya. Not far from Oludeniz along the Lycian Way is Tohum Eco- Center, a good spot for a meditation retreat.

Most people come to Fethiye by bus or car. The nearest airport is 50 km (31 miles) west at Dalaman.
From mid-June through August there is direct ferry service between Fethiye and the island of Rhodes, Greece.

Mt. Nemrut: Nemrut Dagi (Mount Nimrod) is one of Turkey's most astounding sights: an artifical mountaintop framed by two great temples littered with colossal statues
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Lost to memory for 2000 years, the mountaintop was rediscovered by a geologist in 1881.On it are two hierothesiums, open-air shrines to the gods, with huge limestone statues of Apollo, Fortuna, Zeus, Heracles, and Antiochus I Epiphanes, King of Commagene.

His kingdom was no more than a minor buffer state between the Roman and Persian empires, but Antiochus believed he was definitely big-league stuff, so he had his own huge statue seated with "his equals," the gods.

Between the hierothesiums is the artificial mountain peak of crushed stone, beneath which may be the actual tomb of Antiochus. We don't know, and we may never know.

You can ascend Mt. Nemrut (2150 meters, 7054 feet) from the south using either Kahta or Adiyaman as your base; or from the north using Malatya. Both have advantages and disadvantages.
Do it in July or August, or at least between late May and mid-October, or you might be blocked by snow (see Tom's Turkish Almanac for details).

The roads up the opposite sides of the mountain do not meet at the top, so you cannot (yet) drive right over from north to south or vice-versa.

Bring warm clothes!--at least a warm sweater and windbreaker--because the wind can be stiff and very cold at the summit, even in August.

Ephesus: Ephesus is the best-preserved Roman city in the Mediterranean region, and Turkey's top sight after Istanbul
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If you want to visit a place where you can really get a feel for what life was like 2000 years ago during the glory-days of Greece and Rome, Ephesus is the place. In terms of ruins, it's better than Rome itself.

St Paul's New Testament Letter to the Ephesians was written to the citizens of Ephesus. The Virgin Mary is believed to have spent her last days on earth here. St John is believed to have written his Gospel here, and to have been buried in the St. John Basilica.

Bodrum:
Bodrum or ancient Halicarnassus is situated on a peninsula facing the island of Kos, and is the hometown of Herodotus, known to some as the "Father of History" but to other as the "Father of Lies" because of his fanciful travel accounts. Another label for him might be the "Father of Quotations," due to the plethora of pithy observations of area frequented by recent travel writers.

Bodrum is home to the best night life in Turkey. The parties go on for all night

Bodrum is the most visited of all destinations in Turkey

Cannakale (Troy): Located on the southern shore of the Dardanelles, Cannakale was the major strong-point in the defense of the Dardanelles strait from the time of the Trojans through World War I.

Today Cannakale is a pleasant town with adequate hotels to serve travelers using the Dardanelles Car ferries.

For most of the last 3000 years, people assumed that Homer's Iliad was fiction, and that Troy never existed.

Then in 1863 a British expatriate named Frank Calvert discovered ancient ruins at a place in western Turkey called Hisarlik, and was convinced they were Troy.

Heinrich Schliemann showed up in 1868, provided money for more digging, and took credit for discovering Troy.
Troy is impressive for its great age (the oldest ruins date from 3000 BC) and beautiful situation.

Edirne: was the second capital of the Ottoman Empire (after Bursa, before Istanbul).

Spend the morning seeing the fine mosques in representing the great ages of Ottoman Architecture
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Wander through Edirne's old Roman district admiring the picturesque wooden Edirnekâri (Ottoman Victorian) houses.

Walk down to the Meriç (Maritza) River to see the graceful Ottoman bridges.

Edirne also serves as a point of transfers for travelers who shall be going onwards to Greece.

Konya: is the city of Whirling Dervishes, and has been for 800 years.
Located about three hours' drive south of Ankara, it's an extremely old city, its roots going back to Hittite times. Today it is the most religiously conservative city in Turkey—and proud of it.

Konya was the capital of the Seljuk Turkish Sultanate of Rome which flourished in Anatolia from 1071 to 1275. Seljuk Architecture is outstanding, and numerous great Seljuk buildings—mosques and theological seminaries mostly—are Konya's pride and joy.

During Seljuk times, Konya was the home of Jelaleddin Rumi (1207-1273), known to his followers as Mevlana (Sufiism), a Muslim poet and mystic and one of the great spiritual thinkers and teachers of all time.

If you come in early to mid-December you can witness the Mevlevi sema, or worship ceremony, in which the Mevlevi dervishes whirl for a quarter of an hour at a time in their quest for mystical union with the Divine. (Dervishes also whirl in Istanbul at the Galata Mevlevihanesi and at Sirkeci Station.)

Otherwise, Konya is an interesting place any time of year, with its historic buildings and savory baked mutton Konya kebap, though it can be difficult to get a beer or a glass of wine with dinner

About 45 km (28 miles) southeast of Konya lies Çatalhöyük, the famous Neolithic archeological site excavated by James Melaart in the 1950s, and currently under further investigation

Pammukale: Today after Breakfast Transfer to Pammukale “Cotton Castle”. Upon arriving closer to the mountain you will see that the entire mountain side is covered in Calcuim Carbonate deposit. Today the city is a bustling tourist centre.

Hierapolis as it was once known was an ancient Hospital city founded by Alexander the Great on his way to the Indian Plateau. You will notice the number of tombs close by the ancient healing areas since the sulphur in the water is known for it shealing properties.