Turkey and Israel Travel Tour 436

1. Arrival in Istanbul. || 41.24914042072445, 28.74152190601109

2. Transfer from airport to hotel

3. Hotel check in. || 41.041215559396, 28.9836552101049

4. Free time

5. Night in Istanbul

1. Breakfast at hotel. || 41.041215559396, 28.9836552101049

2. 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM - Istanbul Full Day Tour

This is a fully flexible tour, so please remember to voice your wishes to your guide so they can make your dream come true! There are so many more attractions to see than are listed in the itinerary!

3. Topkapi Palace. || 41.01170972096252, 28.983335981267814

Your private tour will start with a visit to Topkapi Palace-which was the centre of the Ottoman government and the court, the Turks ruled most of Europe and the Middle East from here. Covering the prime property on the peninsula, the court-defined grounds of the Palace express in the architectural sense the Ottoman ideal of the perfect life balanced between its formative components.

4. Hagia Sophia. || 41.00875520682606, 28.98032891719428

You will continue to visit the world-famous Hagia Sophia which is one of the most extraordinary constructions in the history of architecture. The awesome building inspired countless generations with its colossal definition of what the ideal interior space in a domed basilica should be and with its innovations in weight support and construction techniques. We're so excited to be guiding you through the incredible Haghia Sophia! We'll look from the outside only, where you'll get a fascinating explanation of this magnificent monument. Then, at the end of the tour, we'll give you tickets to enter the monument on your own. So, you can explore it at your own pace after the tour!

5. Roman Hippodrome and Blue Mosque. || 41.00567204895619, 28.976607381267552

The next visits will be to the Roman Hippodrome & Blue Mosque- the masterpiece of 17th century Ottoman Architecture, famous for its unique handmade original Iznik Tiles impressing the guests with their rich dominant blue colours and oriental patterns. They have become collectors’ items today, auctioned at celebrated houses like the Sotheby’s.

6. Grand Covered Bazaar. || 41.01082644844058, 28.96807882544628

No bazaar, however, is more dazzling than the Grand Covered Bazaar, built in 1461 and in service ever since. Along with magnificent mosque complexes, the mother of all bazaars was a monument to the ‘Rise of Istanbul’- the great master plan of the Turks for the rejuvenation and reanimation of the old imperial capital. It contains 3,500 shops employing more than 20,000 people all under one roof. Everything imaginable is for sale, gold and silver jewellery, rugs, carpets, antiques, tiles, leather, and souvenirs, but just seeing and experiencing this mother of all bazaars is worth the trip.

7. Free time

8. Night in Istanbul

1. Breakfast at hotel. || 41.041215559396, 28.9836552101049

2. Transfer from hotel to airport

3. Flight from Istanbul to İzmir

4. Arrival in İzmir. || 38.29268625865845, 27.14802454332114

5. Transfer from airport to tour

6. İzmir Full Day Tour

7. House of the Virgin Mary. || 37.913043466526155, 27.33399163744774

The House of the Virgin Mary, a pilgrimage site near Ephesus in the Selçuk district of Izmir, Turkey, is believed to be where the Virgin Mary spent her final years with Saint John.It's considered sacred by Christians and Muslims alike.The house is located on top of Bulbul Mountain.

8. Ephesus. || 37.93564058331164, 27.346012536939547

Ephesus is an ancient city in Turkey’s Central Aegean region, near modern-day Selçuk. Its excavated remains reflect centuries of history, from classical Greece to the Roman Empire – when it was the Mediterranean’s main commercial center – to the spread of Christianity. Paved streets wind past squares, baths and monumental ruins. The Temple of Hadrian was built before 138 A.D. for Emperor Hadrian’s visit.

9. Transfer to airport

10. Flight from İzmir to Istanbul

11. Arrival in Istanbul

12. Transfer to hotel from airport. || 41.04107799372559, 28.983708854283442

13. Free time

14. Night in Istanbul

1. Breakfast at hotel. || 41.041215559396, 28.9836552101049

2. Free day

Spend the day relaxing at the hotel or exploring on your own.

3. Optional Cappadocia Day Tour. || 38.580239428125786, 35.093607680109265

You will be picked up from your hotel in Istanbul and transferred towards the airport to take the flight for Kayseri or Nevsehir. Upon arrival, you will be met and greeted by your local guide. Your opportunity to enjoy a guided full day sightseeing with highlights of Cappadocia. Esentepe Panoramic viewpoint, enjoy the picturesque landscape stretching in front of you while your Guide will give you first briefing about Cappadocia region. Continue to Uchisar Castle, natural rock hill which has been used as a Fortress during Roman periods, cave and pigeon houses carved in and around the hill look most interesting. Uchisar Castle is also an important sight in terms of being the highest point in Cappadocia. Take some pictures at the Pigeon Valley and continue to Goreme Open Air Museum. Once the Monastery settlement of the first Christians in Cappadocia, this spot is where Christianity blossomed and spread out to the World. Some cave Churches which are displaying awesome frescoes can be seen in this Open Air Museum as well as Kitchen and Dining rooms. Lunch will be served at a cozy Cave Restaurant in Avanos (not included). In Avanos -which is a pottery Village since the Hittite periods (2000BC) -, locals are still hanging on to the tradition of their ancestors. You will have the opportunity to learn more about this traditional art which is applied on a kick wheel as the Hittites used to do. After the pottery demonstration at one of the Family run workshops continue to Pashabagi –also called the “Monks Valley”- another monastic settlement where you can find some Churches and Monks Cells. Also Pashabagi is the place where one can see in stages how the Fairy Chimneys have been formed during time. Drive on to Devrent Valley, the imaginary valley, the most surreal looking landscape in the region. Driving back to Urgup stop at the famous “Fairy Chimneys”, the Family of fairies is awaiting you to greet you. Your last stop will be a famous Wine factory to taste this delicious liquid which has been a sacred drink since the Hittite periods. This tour will be an additional $471 per person and include transportation, lunch, a local guide and a guided tour.

4. Night in Istanbul

1. Breakfast at hotel. || 41.041215559396, 28.9836552101049

2. Transfer from hotel to airport. || 41.24788203903454, 28.739376138903214

3. Flight from Istanbul to Tel-Aviv. || 32.00051471290618, 34.87059876736514

4. Arrival in Tel-Aviv

5. Transfer from airport to hotel

6. Hotel check in. || 31.788811701206217, 35.22716813852075

7. Free time

8. Night in Jerusalem

1. Breakfast at hotel. || 31.788811701206217, 35.22716813852075

2. 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM - Jerusalem Full Day Tour

3. Via Dolorosa. || 31.78026648039285, 35.232113902949095 

The Via Dolorosa is a processional route in the Old City of Jerusalem. It represents the path that Jesus would have taken, forced by the Roman soldiers, on the way to his crucifixion.

4. Getsemani. || 31.779483061537725, 35.23963525691998

Gethsemane is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem where, according to the four Gospels of the New Testament, Jesus Christ underwent the agony in the garden and was arrested before his crucifixion. It is a place of great resonance in Christianity.

5. Kidron Valley. || 31.77815300130803, 35.23885987635737 

Kidron Valley is the modern name of the valley originating slightly northeast of the Old City of Jerusalem, which then separates the Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives, and ending at the Dead Sea.

6. Old Town Jerusalem. || 31.778641565133174, 35.23224192793414 

Surrounded by ancient walls, the Old City is home to holy sites such as the Western Wall, Dome of the Rock Islamic shrine, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which dates to the 4th century. Shops and markets selling prayer shawls, rosaries, and ceramics fill busy alleys, while food stalls serve falafel, pita, and fresh-squeezed juice. In a medieval citadel, the Tower of David museum chronicles the city’s history.

7. Zion Gate. || 31.77297878956779, 35.229750818291826 

Zion Gate, also known in Arabic as Bab Harat al-Yahud or Bab an-Nabi Dawud, is one of the seven historic Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem

8. Western Wall. || 31.776832182142048, 35.234518383639156

The Western Wall, known in the West as the Wailing Wall, and in Islam as the Buraq Wall, is a portion of ancient limestone wall in the Old City of Jerusalem that forms part of the larger retaining wall of the hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount.

9. Christian Quarter. || 31.779874412845352, 35.228274522933226

The ancient Christian Quarter centers on the 4th-century Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where millions of pilgrims visit holy sites such as the traditional site of Jesus Christ's crucifixion and his tomb. Historic Damascus Gate is within leafy Mish'ol HaPninim Garden, not far from the famous Via Dolorosa processional route. Antique shops, cafes and restaurants cluster around the storied Muristan market complex.

10. Calvary Hill. || 31.778610283556482, 35.23038402871071 

Calvary or Golgotha was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, Jesus was crucified. Since at least the early medieval period, it has been a destination for pilgrimage

11. The Holy Sepulchre. || 31.77864544262527, 35.22959483178471 

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, or Church of the Resurrection, is a church in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It is considered to be the holiest site for Christians in the world, as it has been the most important pilgrimage site for Christianity since the 4th century.

12. Mount Zion. || 31.771942714206098, 35.22884859908668 

Mount Zion is a hill in Jerusalem, located just outside the walls of the Old City. The term Mount Zion has been used in the Hebrew Bible first for the City of David and later for the Temple Mount, but its meaning has shifted and it is now used as the name of ancient Jerusalem's Western Hill.

13. Free time

14. Night in Jerusalem

1. Breakfast at hotel. || 31.788811701206217, 35.22716813852075

2. Half Day Bethlehem Tour

Spend the day discovering Bethlehem

3. Visit the Nativity Church. || 31.70451331304596, 35.207587804796255 

The Church of the Nativity, or Basilica of the Nativity, is a basilica located in Bethlehem in the State of Palestine, in the West Bank. The grotto holds a prominent religious significance to Christians of various denominations as the birthplace of Jesus.

4. Free time

5. Night in Jerusalem

1. Breakfast at hotel. || 31.788811701206217, 35.22716813852075

2. Free day

Spend the day relaxing at the hotel or exploring on your own.

3. Night in Jerusalem

1. Early hotel departure. || 31.788811701206217, 35.22716813852075

2. Transfer from hotel to airport

3. Flight check in. || 32.00066028907449, 34.870641682707976

4. Departure from Istanbul