Istanbul - Cappadocia

Day by day

Day 1 - Istanbul - Arrival Day
Upon our arrival at Istanbul International Airport, your guide will meet, assist and transfer you to the hotel. Istanbul was the capital city of Byzantium & Roman Empires and Ottoman State. It is a most fascinating city, which actually crosses two continents Europe and Asia. It is a city of amalgamation of museums, bazaars, minarets, mosques, churches, palaces, and restaurants catering to every one’s taste, customs and fifteen million people. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 2 - Istanbul City Tour
(Breakfast and Lunch included)

Aft After breakfast, we have Istanbul City Tour. Our first visit will be HIPPODROME. Ancient Hippodrome was the scene of chariot races, with the three monuments; the Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine. Than we will visit SULTANAHMET IMPERIAL MOSQUE. Across from Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, it was built in the 16th century by the architect Mehmet, is known as the BLUE MOSQUE because of its magnificent interior decoration of blue Iznik tiles. Our next visit will be HAGIA SOPHIA GRAND MOSQUE. The Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, previously known as the Church of Divine Wisdom, is simply the best of its kind! Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque is the greatest surviving example of Byzantine Architecture. For 1000 years, it was once the largest church in the world, decorated with stunning 6th century golden mosaics. Today it is a mosque. Lunch break at 13:00 pm. After the lunch, TravelShop Group will take you to the ASIL EFENDI which is a unique atmosphere with reasonable prices for your shopping. Here you will find; Exotic Spices and Herbs, Turkish Baklava, Turkish Delights, Turkish Coffee, nuts and fruits, small 

souvenirs such as Ceramic Handicrafts, Evil Eyes totems, all naturel olive oil, soaps and many other goods in Souvenir Shops and stores. After the tour, transfer back to your hotel.

OPTIONAL DINNER CRUISE ON THE BOSPHORUS TOUR: Tonight Between 19:30 to 23:30 we have an optional Entertaining Dinner Cruise program on the Bosphorus, where Europe and Asia are connected. You will spend an unforgettable night on the Bosphorus with dinner, unlimited local alcoholic and non-alcoholic & soft drinks, belly dance show, Turkish Folklore show, DJ Performance and great entertainment on Bosphorus Dinner Cruise. End of the entertainment at about midnight 00:00 am, transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.

Please Note: Please do not forget to carry headscarf with you for the visit of religious places as Blue Mosque & Haghia Sophia Mosque.

Day 3 - Istanbul Bosphorus Cruise and Flight to Capadocia

(Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included)
After breakfast enjoy BOSPORUS BY BOAT; a traditional excursion by boat along the waterway separating Europe and Asia. The shore lined with old wooden villas, palaces of marble, fortresses, and small fishing villages. During the excursion, you will see the magnificent sights of the following attractions from your boat. See Dolmabahce Palace, and further along, the parks and imperial pavilions of Yildiz Palace. On the coastal edge of this park, is Ciragan Palace, 300 meters of its marble facade faces the shore. At Ortakoy a great variety of artists, gather every sunday to display their work along the street. Ortakoy is a symbol of tolerance with a church, a mosque and a synagogue existing side by side for centuries. RUMELI FORTRESS (view from boat), Built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452 prior to the conquest of Istanbul was completed in only four months to control and protect the infamous Bosporus passage. It is one of the most beautiful works of military architecture anywhere in the world. BEYLERBEYI PALACE (view from boat), is the summer residence of Ottoman sultans exists in its original renovated glory featuring original antique furniture and magnificent gardens with the Harem on the Asian side of Istanbul. Lunch break at the Turkish restaurant. After the lunch we will then take you to the GRAND SPICE BAZAAR, which is a unique atmosphere with reasonable prices for your shopping. Here you will find; Exotic Spices and Herbs, Turkish Baklava, Turkish Delights, Turkish Coffee, nuts and fruits, small souvenirs such as Ceramic Handicrafts, Evil Eyes totems, all naturel olive oil, soaps and many other goods in Souvenir Shops and stores. After the tour transfer to Istanbul Airport for domestic flight to Cappadocia. Transfer from airport and check in to your hotel in Cappadocia. Dinner and overnight in Cappadocia.

Please Note: If you wish to join our optional activity of Cappadocia Hor Air Ballooning for tomorrow, please contact with your guide and register because it will take place early the next morning.

OPTIONAL CAPPADOCIA TURKISH NIGHT SHOW: During the evening at 19:30 PM., we have an Optional Tour to enjoy our Turkish Night Shows, which are traditions that have survived from the Ottoman Empire to the present day. You may have great fun in the real caves, with the rich Anatolian food menu, unlimited local alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, belly dance show, Turkish Folklore show, DJ Performance and warm service of Anatolian Hospitality. Overnight in Cappadocia.

Day 4 - Cappadocia Underground City & Goreme Open Air Museum

(Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included)
For our guests who will experience the Hot Air Balloon Tour, we will pick you up from your hotel in the most beautiful and unique area of the world at 05:30 am. in the morning before the sunrise. And we will go to the area where hundreds of Hot Air Balloon will take off through the air. We will watch the sunrise over those splendid fairy chimneys and valleys that impress people with their exquisiteness. After making our flight in about 1 hour, we will celebrate our experience with champagne when we land and collect our flight certificate. Then we will return to our hotel and have our delicious breakfast.
After breakfast at 09:30 depart for Cappadocia Tour. We will drive you to Ozkonak Underground City, one of the best preserved Underground cities in Cappadocia. After Underground City tour, you visit Goreme Open Air Museum, the Heart of Cappadocia. Goreme Open Air Museum is famous for frescoes dating to 10th century describing the life of Jesus Christ and monks. Next stop is Cavusin, which is an abandoned village with old cave Greek houses. After Cavusin you go to the restaurant in Avanos to have lunch. After lunch, you visit a pottery work shop, to see how to make potteries. Then you go to Love Valley. Love Valley Cappadocia is a hidden valley with scenic formations to say the least. Despite the resemblance to man hood, these amazing rock formations are far from man-made.

Next stop is Devrent Valley, which is also called Imagination Valley, where you can see natural rock formations looking like animals. Last stop is Three Beauties, three beautiful fairy chimneys with their hats, which is the symbol of Cappadocia. This tour will end approximately at 18.00 and you will be returned back to your hotel. Overnight.in.Cappadocia.

Day 5 - Cappadocia to Istanbul - End of the Tour
(Breakfast included)
After breakfast you will have free time in Cappadocia. Today we will depart for Kayseri Airport for our domestic flight to Istanbul and then back to home. We hope your tour was a memorable one and we would like to see you in the future in one of our tours again. Have a nice trip back home and thanks for choosing Minerva Travel & Tours  .

Inclusions

5 DAYS TASTE OF TURKEY VACATION PACKAGE WITH GUARANTEED DEPARTURE INCLUDES:

• All airport transfer services mentioned inside the itinerary
• Arrival airport transfer to Kayseri / Nevsehir airport
• 2 nights hotel in Istanbul
• 2 nights hotel in Cappadocia
• 4 open buffet breakfasts
• 3 lunches
• 2 dinners
• Guided Istanbul City Tour
• Guided Istanbul Bosphorus Cruise Tour
• Guided Cappadocia Tour with Underground City and Goreme Open Air Museum
• All entrance fees mentioned in the itinerary
• Transportation in a fully air - conditioned, non - smoking coach
• Professional English - speaking tour guides
• Return airport transfer
• Local taxes

Exclusions

Excludes:

• International flights Starting From L.E 8500 
• Optional Tours
• Insurance: All types
• Turkey entry visa   (Single Entry $ 60 )online Turkey visa under 20 or over 45
• Items of a personal nature such as alcoholic drinks, cold drinks, laundry
• Any others expenses which are not mentioned at the included section
• Domestic flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia
• Domestic flight from Kayseri Airport to Istanbul
•  

Accommodations

El Puente Cave Hotel

• Located within a leisurely stroll of Pancarlik Valley, El Puente Cave Hotel is within a few miles (5 km) of Göreme National Park. This 13-room hotel welcomes guests with free breakfast and conveniences like free in-room WiFi and free self parking.

  Dining

• Free full breakfast is included with your stay and awaits you each morning from 8 AM to 10 AM. Enjoy a bite to eat at the hotel's restaurant, or relax with a drink at the bar/lounge. Order from room service to satisfy your hunger without leaving your room.

  Rooms

• El Puente Cave Hotel's 13 rooms provide free bottled water and wardrobes or closets. 22-inch LCD TVs come with satellite channels, and guests can stay connected with free WiFi. Beds are dressed in premium bedding and bathrooms offer jetted tubs, hair dryers, and free toiletries.

  Property features

• At El Puente Cave Hotel, guests have access to free WiFi in public areas, coffee in a common area, and a terrace. You can take advantage of free parking, along with an airport shuttle for a fee. Front-desk staff can help with tours or tickets, and provide local restaurant recommendations. Additional amenities include laundry facilities and a garden.

Ramada Hotel & Suites by Wyndham Istanbul Merter

Only 8 km from Ataturk Airport, Ramada Hotel & Suites Istanbul Merter offers free Wi-Fi and free private parking on site. The spacious Oksijen Spa & Wellness Center features a sauna, steam room and Turkish bath. There is also an indoor pool and a fitness center, where you can Relaxing after a busy day.

Rooms at Ramada Hotel & Suites Istanbul Merter feature an LCD TV and a minibar. All rooms have a private bathroom with shower, while some suites have a bathtub.

Allegro Restaurant serves Turkish and international cuisine. You can start your day with a rich open buffet breakfast. During the day, you can enjoy drinks or snacks from the café and bar.

Ramada Hotel & Suites is located in Merter, home of the textile industry. Merter Textil Merkezi Tram Stop is just 150 meters from the hotel, while the historic Sultanahmet district and CNR Expo Center is 8 km from the property.

The hotel is only 80 meters from Kale Shopping Center and only a 2-minute drive from Marmara Forum Mall, while Istanbul Airport is 53 km from the property

Cancellation Policy

Minerva Travel   TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
For our valued guests, we would like to give you with detailed information on the appropriate payment terms, cancellation & return conditions, our guarantee department dates and how you can make your own special departs, our hotel options, our guide options, optional activities and many more.

PAYMENT METHOD:

We want to announce a special payment facility for our Turkey Road Trip, which we have prepared in our guarantee departure tour concept for our esteemed guests.

With these Turkey Road Trip package prices, our valuable guests may make reservations by making a small prepayment of %25   

Pay your second installment before 8 Week, and pay another %25 .

Your remaining %50 balance is required to be paid before 4 weeks of the tour Departure date (Partially Refundable) only.

TOUR PAYMENT AND CANCELLATION POLICY:

As a company, we are always honored to protect the benefits of our business partners and guests, and to always provide the best price, the best package and convenience in cancellation conditions for them.

Below cancellation policy is only for land services and we will follow the cancellation policy of airline companies for domestic flighst.

• If you cancel your booking before 8 week of the event, payment will be fully refunded,

If the reservation is canceled 4 weeks prior to the tour, %50 payment will be refunded

• If you cancel less than 10 days before the tour start there will not be any refund.

Additional Info

  PS: If This hotel list not available at the time of your booking then we will arrange smilar other hotel for your group. If you prefer a Different category hotel, there might be an additional cost .

GUARANTEED DEPARTURE TOUR DATES AND DEPARTURES:
Please check this tour is avalible in 14 different Departure dates as mentioned below.

DISCOUNTS FOR CHILDREN:

OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES IN THE TOUR PROGRAM:

With the knowledge of nearly 35 years of Travel we have prepared our optional tours in our specified tour program, by choosing the most beautiful and most important activity in each region, for our valuable guests, with the most affordable prices. You do not have to attend all of the optional tours specified in the schedule.

In order for us to serve you better, it is obligatory to attend, the optional tours specified only with the Minerva Travel Agent  and cannot be taken from any other companies.

If you wish, you may buy our optional tours from our discounted prices on our website. 

PROFESSIONAL TOUR GUIDES:

For these programs, we produce an outstanding, experienced, knowledgeable professional guide who speaks English very well. However, if you have special groups of at least 25 people other than our specified groups, we can provide you with guides in other languages. You have to take a private tour for a private guide and state your choice in advance.

DOMESTIC FLIGHTS:
These flights have a limitation of 15 kg of luggage with 8 kg of in-cabin weight depending on the Airlines. Please abide by these in-flight regulations. 

 COACH TRANSFER & TRANSPORTATION:
All of the buses we use are luxury air conditioned buses. Most of them have TV, freezer available and our luxury Mercedes Sprinter has internet and mini bar. All of the buses used intercity are very clean, comfortable and safe. You will witness a lot of interesting and beautiful views during the journey. For long bus journeys, we give a small break every 2-5 hours to relax.

MEALS:Dinners usually served in the hotels on half board category. Lunches will be served in restaurants on the destination route.  Meals are mostly served as Set Menu or Open Buffet Style. If you have meal preferences or special diet requirements, please inform us beforehand for necessary arrangements during your tour confirmation.    

MUSEUM:On our Tour Routes, we include all the “must see” museums and sight-seeing venues in our itinenary. This service is included within the Tour price. Some museums have different operation days and times but we will have similar sites to fill in for them. 

SHOPPING:
Turkey is a great destination for shopping opportunities especially Trukish rugs/carpets, jewelry, leather, textile, ceramics and many other hand made artifacts. During the tours, we recommend some of the reliable and reasonable shopping venues to be visited. Our shopping stops are consisted of trustworthy, guaranteed vendors. Our guide will direct you to such stores during the tours. You may get informed by our guide in regards to shopping mattters while on the tour. Some of our shopping venues may apply group discount that you may want to take advantage of.

TIPPING:
It is not a  -must- to tip on our tours. However, if you are satisfied with the services provided by driver and the guide, you may consider tipping them accordingly as 2 EUROS for the guide and 1 EUROS for the driver per person per day. It is customary in Tourism industry in line with customer expectations and we inform our personnel to provide the best of our services whether or not tip is given.

AIRPORT TRANSFER SERVICES:
We provide your airport transfers for arrival and returns, our airport officer will be present to Welcome you after you pass the customs, luggage claim and greet you with a name board outside the EXIT GATE 13 for both international and domestic flights. 

SEASONS OF TURKEY:

• Winter Season: Between the months of December, January, February as the weather is around 10 degrees celsius
• Spring: Between the months of March, April and May as the weather is around 22 degrees celsius
• Summer: June, July and August are summer time with approx 30 degrees celsius.
• Autumn: September through November is considered to be autumn month with a National average of 20 degrees celsius.

• Have your attire accordingly and dress with proper clothing as per the guidance above.

THINGS TO BE CARED FOR AND BROUGHT ON YOU

Turkey is a very modern Islamic country. You may just have fun and go around as in any European country when you are in Turkey. Only a few things to pay attention for such as entering into a Mosque with an alcoholic beverage in hand. Women should be carefully head-covered when in a holy environment. Rest is pretty much the same as in any western city. Bars, cafes and restaurants are open until late nights and People get entertained safely.  We suggest for you have the items listed below.

• Travel Insurance that covers Health as well. Globally recognized credit cards
• Cash needed for small purchases where cards are not accepted. It is best to use an official Exchange office for Turkish currency transactions.
• Clothing in line with seasonal standarts as indicated above.
• Camera
• Universal adaptor and charger equipments for electronical devices.
• Comfortable trekking shoes for walking around as the tours most likely to have walking distances
• International Telephone Communication checked
• Have a copy of your flight ticket with you
• a.personal.identification.on.you.at.all.times

THINGS TO BE CHECKED PRIOR THE TOUR;

Please check the information below before your departure

• International Flight Tickets
• Negative PCR Test
• Vaccination Certificate
• Tour itinenary
• Confirmation received from us to include Hotel reservations etc.
• Domestic Flight Tickets if any (Please check your title/name spelling printed correctly)
• Passport Validation Terms
• Visa if needed (check before your trip for the dates on your visa )
• If visa needed, please ask us for invitation letter to ease the visa application process
• Flight details for on time Airport transfer services
• Observe the luggage limitation by Airlines for domestic flights ifa ny
• Obtain emergency contact details from our office

If you have any further information that is not listed above please contact us by the details below:

Please email us at info@minerva-travel.com 

Know Before You Book

TURKEY VISA FOR EGYPTIANS: REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

To be eligible for the e-Visa, Egyptians must meet Turkey visa requirements. Egyptian travelers need the following to start their application:

Egyptian applicants are required to fill out an online Turkey visa application only for (under 20 or over 45)  form providing basic personal information and passport details. Copies of the required documents are uploaded digitally, and paper documents are not required to be submitted in person at the Turkish Embassy in Egypt.

• REQUEST TURKEY E-VISA FOR EGYPTIANS

  Applying for a Turkey tourist visa from Egypt for Egyptians is fast and convenient . Egyptian nationals are first required to complete the online application form, providing basic information including:

  • Full name, gender, date of birth and country of citizenship
  • Egyptian passport details: number, issue, expiry date
  • Email address and other contact details
  • Arrival date in Turkey

  TURKEY ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR EGYPTIANS

  Citizens of Egypt need these three documents to enter Turkey legally:

  • Passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of arrival
  • A valid Turkish visa for Egyptians
  • Schengen, UK, US or Ireland visa or valid residence permit (unless under 20 or over 45)

  These two documents will be checked at the border . A Turkish visa does not guarantee entry into the country, the final decision rests with the border authorities.

  All visitors are advised to check Turkish entry restrictions for travel in 2022.