Hi I’m Mike Corcoran the founder of Aperture Journeys.
I hope you enjoy reading about this tour and decide to join us. Last year we spent several weeks in Turkey (my former home) on a road trip. We visited/vetted a great number of hotels and sites to bring you the best tour. Turkey is a wonderful place to visit. It’s people are some of the most hospitable you will ever meet!
If you have any questions please give me a call +1 813 501 6111.
Highlights
Istanbul Sultanahment Tour -Topakpi Palace, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome, Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine Column. Spice Bazaar, Rustem Pasa Mosque, Grand Bazaar.
Istanbul Bosphorus Cruise Champagne Lunch
Welcome Dinner in Istanbul
Happy Hours (4 min.) at a local lounge or restaurant
Visit Izmir Old Town
Urla Region Winery Visit
Full Day Tour Ephesus Ancient City + Sirince Village
Tour Pergamum Ancient City
Cappadocia Pigeon Valley, Kaymakli Underground City, Ortahisar Castle, Mustafapasa Greek village, Devrent and Monk’s Valley & Village of Avanos
Istanbul Bosphorus Farewell Dinner Cruise
Our journey begins in the ancient city of Constantinople, today it is known as Istanbul, a bustling city with many faces and home to more than 17 million people. For over 1500 years, Istanbul was the capital of East Roman (Byzantine) and Ottoman Empires. Your travel journal will become filled with notes about the many ancient and historical sites we will visit on this tour. If you love food, then you will surely enjoy the cuisine Turkey has to offer. From savory to sweet it is over the top, delicious.
After a few days getting to know Istanbul and it’s culture we travel to the Aegean coast to Izmir and experience what life is like in this region. Here we will explore a local winery and eat at some of the best restaurants frequented by locals. The Aegean region offers two amazing ancient cities we will visit, Pergamum & Ephesus, where you can walk the same streets as the Apostle Paul did.
Having a memory full of ancient history we fly to Cappadocia with its unique terrain & underground cities where we will enjoy a slightly different lifestyle and explore beautiful valleys, take unforgettable photos and explore the area sites for the next couple of days.
Our final day in Istanbul will have you exploring the amazing Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered bazaars in the world, where you can literally shop till you drop! There are 61 streets inside and over 4000 shops. You’ll also have a chance to get your last favorite Turkish treat or meal. We come together for our farewell dinner and reminisce about our good times over the last 12 days.
Get ready for a stimulating city. The hustle & bustle of Istanbul will amaze you, it’s Turkey’s most populous city. Its a beautiful city with the Bosphorus River passing right through it creating a sort of split personality with European and Asian sides to the city.
You will be met at Istanbul Airport arrivals hall and via private transfer we travel to our hotel in the heart of Istanbul.
Meals: Per Arrival Time
Our day begins with a visit to Topkapi Palace, with royal treasury and elegant four courts. After lunch, proceed to the Hagia Sophia, a great Byzantine architectural masterpiece, whose interior is resplendent with golden mosaics. Then admire the delicate design and Iznik tiles of the Blue Mosque. Explore the ancient Roman Hippodrome with Egyptian Obelisk and Serpentine Column. After our tour you can take some free time to explore the shops and sites in the area around your hotel. Tonight we celebrate the start of our journey together and dive into the many flavors of Turkish Cuisine with a Welcome Dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
There so many spices you’ve never heard of, so toady at the Spice market you can sample these aromas from around the world. You might want to get some for your pantry. We stroll the streets surrounding the market, visiting an Old Baklava shop and the Rüstem Paşa Mosque with its unique tile work.
After we have arranged a private Motor Yacht Cruise w Champagne lunch while we relax and enjoy cruising on the Bosphorus River for the afternoon. Feeling relaxed from your cruise we go for a stroll in the Beyoglu area taking in a glass of your favorite adult beverage at one historic cafes. During our walk we visit the fish market area. Maybe you will try one of the traditional fast foods of Istanbul, could it be a Tantuni or a wet burger? My favorite is the wet burger, one is never enough! Free time before dinner, or if you want to head out an explore, let’s go. We can join for a happy hour at one of the roof top or street side cafes.
Wait we still have dinner! We will find a local favorite restaurant and satisfy our appetites.
You deserve some rest so you are good for tomorrow!
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We say good bye to Istanbul and board our morning flight to the Aegean Coastal Region and the city of Izmir. Our first stop is a winery in the Urla region. Urla Vineyard Route offers delicious, high-quality, award-winning wines made of grapes with a 6,000-year-old history After enjoying the local wines and countryside we head back to Izmir for a tour of the city and stroll through the Kemeraltı Çarşısı, İzmir’s historical market that is still one of the liveliest parts of the city.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we tour the ancient city of Pergamum once a center of arts & culture. It was “the most illustrious city in Asia Minor” and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Pergamum was one of the oldest healing centres of the ancient world, and led the way for modern medicine today. Classical splendour was so reflected in the city’s architecture, art, medicine, culture, and education. Pergamenese Paper, known as parchment was invented here. After our tour you can enjoy free time in Izmir.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Our journey takes us on a tour of ancient Ephesus which was an important port city settled continuously since the Neolithic period and became the Roman capital of Asia Minor. Ephesus played a vital role in the spread of Christianity, Ephesus was once home to two great Councils of the early Church and is one of the Seven Churches of Revelation. The city was visited by St. Paul on his missionary journeys. Ephesus offers you a sophisticated journey in the footsteps of Early Christianity. A few miles from Ephesus is the small village of Şirince which is a picturesque village with traditional houses, and mansions, with panoramic views over vineyards and olive orchards. You can sample the many fruit wines and sherbets made from local flowers and shop for handicrafts from the local merchants.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we travel to the Airport in Izmir and fly via domestic airline to the heartland of Turkey, Cappadocia. The terrain here consists of high plateau over 1000m (3200 ft). Uniquely shaped volcanic Rock towers and formation fill the landscape here, its like nothing you’ve ever seen. Three are underground cities to explore, cave dwellings, beautiful valleys and landscapes are all around you. Cappadocia is a Ballooning paradise. If you rise early in the morning you will witness all the balloons lifting off all around the landscape, it’s a beautiful sight to see and photograph!
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Wake up early if you fancy a coffee in the high desert fresh air of this region. You might even get a chance to watch all the balloons taking off in the early morning. It is a very beautiful and unique terrain with it’s chimney rock formations. Today we visit Pigeon Valley – a deep valley carved from the soft volcanic terrain over the years. Kaymakli Underground City is one of the major underground cities with 8 floors and over 100 tunnels. It was once inhabited by Christians who sought protection here from invading peoples. Ortahisar Castle and Mustafapasa Greek Village contains many unique churches & Chapels. It has varied architecture styles, Seljuk & Ottoman, from various groups over the centuries. Tonight I take you to one of my favorite restaurants for dinner in Goreme!
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we visit Devrent & Monk’s valley. These valleys are filled with unique “fairy chimney” like volcanic rock formations, unlike anything you have seen before. There are walking paths winding through the formations and it’s a great opportunity to get beautiful photographs. After you will learn how carpets are made here and see the works of local pottery artisans in Avanos village. We finish the day with a visit to the open air museum and Uchisar Castle. This evening we visit an old stone arches home & restaurant where we will have a cooking lesson & dinner and learn how to cook some of the regional Turkish dishes.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Our journey today takes us to the Red valley where we will stroll through the beautiful formations taking our final photographs before heading to the airport for our flight to Istanbul. Free time as available on arrival to Istanbul.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
One more day to finish your shopping at one of the shopping meccas of the world, the Grand Bazaar. Every great ancient city has its famous Market/Bazaar and Istanbul does not disappoint. The Grand Bazaar is one of the Oldest and largest covered markets in the world, with 61 streets inside and over 4,000 shops! We take some time to experience some Istanbul”s most popular “fast” foods, perhaps a wet burger, Tantuni, Stuffed Mussels, Baklava, Lokum, Lahmacun, and many others. Free time. Tonight we share the memories we made together and our last dinner together with a special Bosphorus Cruise farewell dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we say farewell to Turkey and take away many memories and experiences.
Check Out of Hotel + Baggage storage if needed
Free Time depending on your flight departure time
Airport Transfer Service
We are passionate about travel and believe a meaningful life must include rich memories, and travel to new places while experiencing different cultures and people is key in achieving this. We are firm believers in the idea that great things happen when we step outside our comfort zone. In 30 years of traveling and a long list of great experiences and memories I can honestly say this is true.
When developing our tours we spend alot of time with “boots on the ground” at the locations. We are vetting our suppliers, evaluating risk, looking for new and interesting places to see, building experiences that will make great memories. We look back on 30 years of world travel and understand what makes a great travel experience. We are a small business and are doing what we love and want to share the experience with others. Our groups are small 6- 10 persons which makes for a better touring experience.
Our philosophy on hotels is to book 4 & 5 star hotels and when possible choose hotels that are centrally located to allow a short walk to tourist ares with shopping and restaurants. This way you can enjoy your free time easily. There are times when 4 or 5 star is not available so we have to choose wisely in this case.
We love to try the local cuisine, wines and liqueurs that is why most of your meals are included. We think it is great to explore local restaurants and order from the menu and try to do this as much as possible. We do not prefer to have “Half Board” meals at the hotel, however at times it makes sense, but we try our best to kept HB meals to a minimum.
This tour visits Turkey. In order to enter, U.S. and Canadian citizens need
If you are not a U.S. or Canadian citizen, you must contact each country’s consulate for your specific entry requirements.
For the most up-to-date entry requirements for these destinations visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/COVID-19-Country-Specific-Information.html
Our groups are small so we use smaller coaches usually about 15 pax capacity. They are able to travel down narrow roads providing better access.
Due to their size there are no toilets onboard these types of coaches however we make regular stops to ensure your comfort along the way . Often, we’ll break up a long transfer with an included walking tour in a location of interest en route to our destination, so you’ll have ample time to stretch your legs as well.
Occasionally we travel on private boats or ferry boats to reach our destination. These can vary in size from 20 passenger private vessels to large ferry boats capable of hundreds of passengers.
When available in the city we may from time to time use public Subways, Trams, Trains or trolleys to get around the city.
You will need physical stamina to participate unassisted in touring activities for 6 to 8 hours with walking distances of 3 to 5 miles. Up to 15000 steps or more. Of course we will take frequents breaks to enjoy the food and drink.
You will walk for at least 2 hours daily and up to 5 hrs on terrain of various types like cobble stone streets, uneven surfaces, forest/lake trails and at times some steep inclines.
You will need physical ability to handle your luggage getting into your hotel room, entering and exiting boats and boarding aircraft using stairs when a jetway in not available, which is common in these countries.
You must be able to comfortably handle all your luggage by yourself at all times. Therefore, we strongly urge you to limit your luggage to one piece of luggage(of a size you can comfortably handle), a hand carry bag and a personal item. Luggage the size of airline carry-on dimensions is strongly suggested as there may be times requiring you to carry your bag up stairs onto airplanes, etc. Your luggage will need to fit in a taxi for short transfers.
Yes! As of this writing, Istanbul International Airport is a major air transport hub and easily accessible.
Photo & Video instruction is short lessons provided by us to you throughout the tour to help you improve your photography and videography skills. They may include lessons on Composition, Lighting, or posing for example.
Yes! We carefully plan our tours to assure that the pace isn’t too busy or too idle. You’ll have free time to shop or to simply relax in the lovely surroundings. Remember to leave space in your suitcase. If you want to bring back some wine remember to bring one of those plastic wine travel pouches.