Christmas Holiday Package (11 Days)

Turkey Christmas Tours - Christmas Tour Package Turkey (11 Days).

Turkey Christmas Travel - Christmas Travel Package Turkey (11 Days).

Turkey Christmas Holidays - Christmas Holiday Package Turkey (11 Days).

Turkey Christmas Vacations - Christmas Vacation Package Turkey (11 Days).

19 December – Arrival to Istanbul
On arrival at Istanbul Airport please look for your name after clearing customs. Meet your Veni Vidi Travel representative for transfer to your hotel. Rest of day will be free and overnight in hotel category of your choice. Overnight in Istanbul

20 December – Flight to Izmir / Pergamum Tour (B,L,D)
Flight to Izmir. After an hour flight, arrive Izmir, meet your guide at the airport. Depart for Pergamum. Pergamum is a pre-Greek name presumably meaning "height" or "elevation." The earliest city was built atop a cone-shaped Acropolis rising over a thousand feet above the surrounding valley. Pergamum dates back to 1000 BC, perhaps earlier, but there is no written evidence until 399 BC when the city emerged as a power during the struggle for territorial control following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. We will visit the celebrated Roman city of Pergamum, the site of an enormous library built with Roman tiles, visit Asklepion and Acropolis, the place where parchment was invented. We visit the steep Theater, the Sacred Way and other sites. Pergamum's other notable structure is the Serapis Temple (Serapeum) which was later transformed into the Red Basilica complex (or Kızıl Avlu in Turkish), about one kilometer south of the Acropolis. It consists of a main building and two round towers. In the first century AD, the Christian Church at Pergamum inside the main building of the Red Basilica was one of the Seven Churches to which the Book of Revelation was addressed. After the tour, you will be transferred to Kusadasi to your new hotel. Overnight in Kusadasi.

21 December – Ephesus Ancient City Tour (B,L,D)
Today we visit Ancient City of Ephesus, the best preserved and restored ancient city in Turkey! Ephesus is known to be Commercial, the Religious and Social Center of Antiquity. With the mythological stories and spectacular ruins you will feel the life in ancient Ephesus. Visit will include, the Fountains of Trojan, Polio, The Temples of Hadrian and Domition, Private House, the Library of Celsius, Various and Scholastic Baths, Bouloterion and the Great Theatre with capacity of 24.000 spectators and 7 Sleepers Cave. Before lunch, we will take a look to the remains of Artemis Temple is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Even though it is long gone you can still read about the temple in many books, including the Bible. After lunch continue to Temple of Artemis which was the greatest Temple in Asia Minor. It was dedicated to the Great Goddess Artemis Diana. This Temple was the last of the Great Goddess Temples to remain open and was the site of Goddess worship well into the christian era. On castle-capped Ayasoluk Hill in Selcuk, we will visit the ruined Justinian's 6th century Church, or Basilica, of St. John variously associated in the early middle ages with the death or bodily assumption of St. John. Near the basilica is the Isa Bey Mosque appearing like a grounded flying saucer with its typical Selijuk portal and large dome. Overnight in Kusadasi.

22 December – Aphrodisias, Pamukakle Tour / Travel to Antalya (B,L,D)
Check-out and drive to Aphrodisias which has been sacred to the Mother Goddess since 5800 B.C. The city was named Aphrodisias, for Aphrodite, in the second century B.C.E., and it remained a pagan stronghold long after Christianity came to the region. The temple to Aphrodite was built in the first century C.E. and much later, during the Byzantine era, converted to a basilica. The ruins at Aphrodisias have been beautifully preserved and reconstructed; the museum there houses the goddess figure who likely stood in the temple. The we will drive for one hour inland to visit Hierapolis and Pamukkale. We will see the blisteringly white terraced pools of Pamukkale's hot springs, the result of thousands of years of deposits by the calcium rich hot springs, visit the Ancient city of Hierapolis, a World Heritage Site. Swim in the Sacred Pool amongst fallen Roman columns in the Pamukkale Thermal. After the tour, departure to Antalya with intercity day midibus. On your arrival to Antalya bus station, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Antalya

23 December – Mediterranean Jewels Tour (B,L,D)
Meet and depart with your guide to visit Perge, an important city of ancient Pamphylian, Perge was originally settled by the Hittites around 1500 BC. St. Paul preached some of his first sermons here. The theater stage has finely carved marble reliefs; other carvings from around the city are displayed in the stadium. Amateur archaeologists will want to see the handsome city gate flanked by two lofty towers, a long colonnaded road once paved with mosaics and lined with shops, a large agora, the public baths and a gymnasium.After lunch, proceed to Aspendos one of the best preserved theatres in the world with seating for 15,000. Still used today, the theater galleries, stage decorations and acoustics all testify to the architects success. Nearby stand the remains of a basilica, agora and one of the largest aqueducts in Anatolia. It is commonly believed that Aspendos was founded by colonist from Argos. We with then proceed to Kursunlu Waterfalls for a refreshing break. At the end of the tour the guide will take you back to your hotel, evening at leisure. Overnight in Antalya.

24 December – Flight to Cappadocia (B,L,D)
Check-out and transfer to Antalya Airport for the flight to Kayseri (Cappadocia) via Istanbul. On your arrival to Kayseri Airport, you will be met at the Airport for the transfer to your hotel in Cappadocia. Evening at leisure. Overnight in Cappadocia.

25 December – (Christmas Day Merry Christmas) (B,L,D)
We start our morning with a Hamam, that's the word for the Turkish bath and is surely an unforgettable part of your holiday and the best way to start Christmas day. Receive a pummeling from head to toe, let the expert scrub of all those dead cells, relax and drift away. Late afternoon we start our Christmas celebrations, and yes Santa will visit you at the hotel, the festive atmosphere is in the air. You will definitely have a Christmas night to remember. Enjoy a big Christmas feast of rich Turkish cuisine and party the night away with your new friends with Turkish live music. Overnight in Cappadocia.

26 December – North Cappadocia Tour with Goreme Museum (B,L,D)
Start the second day tour with visit to Devrent Valley, Monk's valley (Pasabagi) where you will find the world known fairy chimneys. Break for lunch in Avanos and then continue on to the Goreme Open-Air Museum where you will visit the numerous rock carved churches and monasteries. Depart for a panaromic view of Esentepe and then on to Uchisar, a natural rock castle. Overnight in Cappadocia.

27 December – South Cappadocia Tour with Ihlara Valley / Flight to Istanbul (B,L)
Another full day tour this time to visit the famous Derinkuyu Underground City. Afterwards a short hike through the green Ihlara Valley along the stream visiting some of the churches along the way. Stop in Belisirma for lunch and then on to Selime for a panoramic view. Stop at the Agzikarahan Caravansarai is included. After the tour, transfer to Kayseri Airport for the flight to Istanbul. On your arrival to Istanbul airport you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.

28 December – Garden of Emperors Tour (B,L)
Your day will commence with a visit to the ancient Byzantine Hippodrome where you will tour the Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine Column, Fountain of Wilhelm II, the elegant Blue Mosque famous with its heavenly six minarets and the Hagia Sophia Museum, built during the reign of Emperor Theodosius and burned down in the fire of Nika Revolt in 532 A.D. Then you will have a visit to the Underground Cistern, which known as the Basilica Cistern during the Roman period, as there was a Stoa Basilica above the pre-existing one at the time. Lunch will be served at Topkapi Palace, in a restaurant with panoramic view of the Bosphorus, Asia & Europe. After lunch you will be guided to visit the residence and administrative center of the Ottoman Sultans. Historical tour of Istanbul will conclude with a visit to the Grand Bazaar, exploring a labyrinth of streets and passages housing more than 4,000 shops. After the tour you will be leaded back to your hotel. Overnight in Istanbul..

29 December – Transfer to Istanbul International Airport (B)
Breakfast, check-out & transfer to Istanbul International Airport as per your onward flight schedule.