Ottoman
Legends : From Istanbul to the Nile
Tour Egypt and Turkey in 14 days
See
the top sites in these two ancient/modern countries
on this locally escorted tour . Start in Cairo every week, year round
.
We have even included all the tips
Compare
with a 15 day edition including a Nile cruise
DAY
1 - Sat. CAIRO
Our staff meets you at the airport and escorts you to your hotel. Vise
fee is included & issued upon arrival. Your passport must be valid
for at least 6 month beyond the date of arrival. Valid only for American,
Canadian, EU , Australian , Mexican & Japanese citizens. Welcome
Fruit basket/Hotel room.
Visa
will be issued upon arrival.
As you exit the gate, you will pass through a door or two , down some
stairs , then walk for 2-5 minutes , until you pass the duty free shops,
at the end of a wide corridor , you will see the security officers. There
you will be met by a local representative, who will be holding a sign with
the name you prefer to use for the sign .
Our local representative will then take your passport to obtain a stamp
from the cashier / bank window and escort you to speak with the passport
officer. He will escort you through another last check on your passport
as you exit the passport control, into customs area, he will assist you
in collecting your luggage and clearing customs . After exiting the terminal,
our local representative will escort you (private vehicle) to the hotel
DAY
2 - Sun . CAIRO (aBL)
We start with the best of Cairo: the Egyptian Museum, Citadel of Saladin
and its Alabaster Mosque. After lunch at El Pacha Restaurant, we walk
the narrow streets of Old Cairo, once a Roman fort, later the Jewish Quarter,
then the Coptic Christian Quarter. We visit the Coptic churches of Abu
Serghius and Al Molaka, the Coptic Museum, and Ben Ezra synagogue.
Finally, we wander through the alleys of Khan el-Khalili bazaar in search
of souvenirs. Evening Sound& Light Show by the Pyramids.
DAY
3 - Mon . CAIRO (aBLD)
In the morning, we visit the majestic pyramids of Giza, the Valley
Temple and the timeless Sphinx. After lunch we drive to Dahshour,
the newly opened pyramid field south of Cairo. We visit several ancient
structures, including the great pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops.
In the evening, we board our first-class sleeper train. Dinner is served
in our private compartments as we speed southward along the banks of the
Nile.
DAY
3 - Tue . CAIRO (aBLD)
DAHSOUR
- HOME HOSTED MEAL
After breakfast, we'll motor to the edge of Cairo, to the mysterious Sphinx
and the Pyramids of Giza.
Those
who are fit and adventurous enough may wish to penetrate into the heart
of the Great Pyramid, to the King's Chamber your ticket is included with
our compliments (or the interior of Kephren Pyramid). Taking a camel ride
(Included) is entirely your own choice!
Continue
to Dahshour, the newly-opened pyramid field south of Cairo. We
visit the great pyramid of Senfru, father of Cheops, and other structure:
The "Discovery" of Dahshour:
For almost half a century, the great field of huge pyramids near the desert
village of Dahshour, 25 miles south of Cairo, has been off limits to the
public. Confined within the perimeter of a military base were many pyramids,
including the great 4500-year-old pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops.
Senfru's pyramid, the largest in Egypt until his son built Giza's Great
Pyramid, is rhomboidal in shape: it tapers more distinctly on its upper
half. All the pyramids were coated in thick plaster at one time. Most
have lost these protective, decorative sheaths, but Senfru's--miraculously--is
still in place.
Lunch is included at a local restaurant or at your hotel.
Dinner is included at a local home:
Meet the locals, you may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with
the host family ( T shirt , small souvenirs of your home town):
This evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . .
. right into the homes of some of the people of Cairo l! You'll be invited
to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties,
you'll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of
life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new
friends, they're sure to have questions about your own background. Once
the ice is broken, you'll enjoy a lively evening, and find that you have
more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, you may enjoy a quiet
evening with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.
DAY
5 - Wed. LUXOR (aBL)
We leave our train for breakfast at your hotel, after which we cross the
Nile to visit the Valley of the Kings , including King Tut's Tomb, and
the Colossi of Memnon.
Return to your hotel for lunch .
In the afternoon we tour the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and visit
the Sacred Lake and red granite quarries with their unfinished obelisk.
As well as the great Luxor temple of Amon Ra .
DAY
6 - Thu. CAIRO (aBD)
Morning visit to the small yet charming Luxor museum. Later in the day
head for the airport for our flight back to Cairo, and our hotel, dinner
is included at the hotel.
DAY
7 - Fri. ISTANBUL (aB)
After breakfast, our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight
to Istanbul . You're met at the airport by our representative, who sees
you to your hotel, and answers any questions you may have about getting
to know the city. As you ride into the great metropolis from the airport,
two thousand years of history are revealed: towering Roman walls, ancient
Byzantine churches, slender minarets framing the bulbous domes of graceful
mosques. These ancient monuments float on the skyline of a bustling modern
metropolis of ten million people.
DAY
8 - Sat. ISTANBUL, BELLE EPOQUE (BL)
"Imperial Constantinople in the Belle Epoque"
(late 19th century), the exotic romance of the "Paris of the East:"
Morning walking tour : We start with our guide in Karaköy where the
foreign bankers and shipping companies had their headquarters, then take
the Tünel up to istiklal Caddesi; stop in the whirling dervish tekke,
and walk past the various old embassy buildings (now consulates), and
point out the architecture.
Stop for tea (included) at the famous Pera Palace Hotel.
Walk at least as far as Galatasaray Square, and have lunch in
the Çicek Pasaji (Flower Passage); then walk up to Taksim Square and
be picked up for the afternoon tour.
In the afternoon the tour visit Yildiz Palace Park and the Ihlamur
Kasri, a mini-palace south of Yildiz, and finish up with a visit to the
Military History Museum in Harbiye in time to hear the "Mehter,"
or Ottoman military band (mid-afternoon).
DAY
9 - Sun, ANKARA / CAPPADOCIA (BLD)
Morning flight to Ankara. Air fare is included in economy class , tax
included . Visit the Museum of Ancient Anatolian Civilization. & Ataturk
mausoleum continue to Sultanhani the Seljuk Turkish caravanserai before
making the drive to biblical Cappadocia and our Hotel.
Day
10 - Mon. CAPPADOCIA (BLD)
We explore the "moonscape" of Cappadocia, visiting the painted
churches in the Göreme and Zelve Valleys, the rockhewn dwellings in Ortahisar,
the pottery-making center of Avanos, and the incredible underground city
of Kaymakl (or Derinkuyu).
Day
11 - Tue. IZMIR, EPHESUS (BL)
Fly to Izmir, upon arrival we proceed to time capsule & the gem
of ancient cities of the Greco Roman world: Ephesus, the capital of Roman
Asia Minor, we spend most of the day in Ephesus & a tour the Basilica
of St. John, said to mark his tomb. Then drive to Izmir for the night.
Kaya Prestige Hotel or similar.
DAY
12 - Wed. ISTANBUL (B)
Fly back to Istanbul & our hotel, one last chance for shopping spree
in the legendary covered Bazaar. Istanbul is all yours, any way you like
it. Grab your Lonely Planet guidebook and stroll along the restored 19th-century
thoroughfare of Istiklal Caddesi, once known as the Grand Rue, DE Péra.
Search for spices and folk remedies in the Egyptian Bazaar. Admire the
medieval mosaics in the city's many Byzantine churches. Shop in the chic
boutiques around Taksim Square. Climb the Galata Tower, built by the Genoese
six centuries ago, for a panoramic view of Old Istanbul.
DAY
13 - Thu. ISTANBUL (BL)
The center of ancient Constantinople and Istanbul was on Seraglio Point,
framed by the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. We visit
the Blue Mosque, built by Sultan Ahmet III to challenge the architectural
primacy of neighboring Sancta Sophia. We then walk next door to compare
achievements in Justinian's great Sancta Sophia. Right behind Sancta Sophia
is our next stop, sumptuous Topkapi Palace, the sultans' seraglio for
centuries, filled with breathtaking exhibits of priceless jewels, golden
thrones, delicate colored tiles, and lavish court costumes. We finish
up in the bustling Grand Bazaar, where you can find jewelry, carpets,
goat-hair rugs, hand-painted ceramics, copper and brass in labyrinthine
streets holding nearly 4000 shops.
DAY
14 - Fri. Departure (B)
Our representative escorts you to the airport for your homeward flight.
Rates
per person in US$:
| |
Deluxe
|
First
Class |
Tourist
Class |
| Triple
|
$
3760 |
$
3379 |
$
3170 |
| Double
|
$
3892 |
$
3419 |
$
3199 |
| Single
|
$
5069 |
$
4660 |
$
4239 |
Christmas,
New Year's & Easter weeks : %15 supplement will apply .
INCLUSIONS:
- Airfare
CAIRO/ISTANBUL in economy class , including tax
- Sleeper
train and domestic airfare within Turkey & Egypt as per itinerary
, domestic air is in economy class , tax included .
- Meals,
as listed: B = Continental breakfast, L/D = Preset men lunch/dinner.
* Guided sightseeing, all transfers in Turkey & Egypt, as per itinerary,
including all entrance fees.
- Hotel
accommodations, including tax and service charges.
- Locally
hosted guide will escort the group at all times during sightseeing.
- Visa
fee for Egypt. Visa issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport. Valid only
for EU , American, Japanese, Australian & NZ passports. Passports
must be valid for at least 6 month beyond date of arrival.
- Tips
to drivers, guides, porters etc.
Not
included:
- Visa
fee for Turkey ( Please contact the Turkish Consulate , or pay the
$ 20 for Americans or for Canadians it's $45 in cash upon arrival)
.
-
Travel Insurance
Children
rate : 10 years or younger, sharing with parents in same room : 10%
discount
|
