Your Itinerary
Welcome to Istanbul, where your tour of eastern Turkey begins. On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel, where the rest of the day is yours at leisure.
If you are arriving early in the day, you might take a gentle wander through the old city, sit with a tea by the Bosphorus, or simply rest after your flight. Your fellow passengers will be gathering over the coming day, and there is no set activity this evening.
Special Information
Arrival airport transfers are included as part of your package. You will be met upon arrival at the airport and transferred to your hotel.
If Inspiring Vacations has not provided your international airfares, please ensure you provide your flight details via your Traveller Hub portal no later than 90 days prior to travel so that your transfers can be confirmed.
If you are arriving early and have made your own arrangements prior to your tour commencing, airport transfers will not be included. However, if you are purchasing pre-nights accommodation as part of your Inspiring Vacations package, airport transfers will still be provided to the starting hotel.
Day 2 - Istanbul [Plane] Trabzon [Bus] Artvin
This morning after breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Trabzon on the Black Sea coast.
On arrival you will visit the 14th-century Byzantine church of Hagia Sophia, set above the sea, before continuing into Altindere National Park to see the cliffside Sumela Monastery of the Virgin Mary. The walk up to the monastery is on uneven ground and involves steps.
From there the road follows the Black Sea coast towards Hopa, near the Georgian border, before turning inland to Artvin where you will spend the night. Your evening is at leisure.
Inspiring Highlights
Trabzon - Hagia Sophia
Sumela Monastery
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 5 hours.
Your flight documentation will be given to you on tour by your tour guide.
Your included flight allows one checked bag up to 25kg (55 lbs), and one 7kg (15 lbs) carry-on, with options to increase your luggage allowance at the airport if needed.
Day 3 - Artvin [Bus] Erzurum
After breakfast you leave the coast behind and head south towards Erzurum, travelling through the mountain scenery of Artvin, Ishan and the Georgian Valleys.
This is a scenic day on the road, with the landscape opening out as you climb onto the high Anatolian plateau. You will arrive in Erzurum in the evening, with time to settle in before dinner.
Inspiring Highlights
Ishan - Georgian Valleys
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 5 hours.
Day 4 - Erzurum [Bus] Kars
This morning after breakfast you depart Erzurum for Kars, following the Aras River valley and passing the First World War battlefield site of Sarikamis.
On arrival in Kars you will explore the ancient Armenian city of Ani, set above the Arpacay River. Once a major capital, Ani is now a vast field of ruined churches and walls spread across the grassland. There is a fair amount of walking on uneven paths to take it in.
You will return to Kars for the evening at leisure.
Inspiring Highlights
Ani - ancient city and citadel
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours.
After breakfast you travel south towards Dogubayazit, passing the snow-capped outline of Mount Ararat, long tied to the story of Noah's Ark.
Here you will visit the Ishak Pasha Palace, an 18th-century hilltop palace looking out over the plain. From Dogubayazit the road continues to the city of Van, on the shore of Turkey's largest lake, where you will stay for two nights.
Inspiring Highlights
Mount Ararat
Dogubayazit - Ishak Pasha Palace
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 6 hours.
This morning after breakfast you visit the 17th-century fortress at Hosap, a commanding stop on the old Silk Road that once linked Persia with the east.
In the afternoon you travel to the shore of Lake Van and take a boat across to Akdamar Island, home to the 10th-century Church of the Holy Cross. The carved stone reliefs on its outer walls are among the finest of their kind in the region.
You will return to Van for the evening at leisure.
Inspiring Highlights
Hosap Castle
Lake Van - boat to Akdamar Island
Akdamar - Church of the Holy Cross
After breakfast you follow the southern shore of Lake Van to Tatvan. From here you head up to the crater lake of Nemrut, a volcanic caldera holding its own lakes within the rim.
You will also visit the Seljuk monuments at Ahlat, where a large field of carved headstones and tombs marks the area's importance in the Seljuk period. Your evening in Tatvan is at leisure.
Inspiring Highlights
Nemrut Crater Lake
Ahlat - Seljuk monuments
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours.
Day 8 - Tatvan [Bus] Mardin
This morning after breakfast you set out for Mardin, travelling through the Bitlis Gorge and on past the city of Batman.
You will stop at Hasankeyf on the Tigris, an ancient settlement of caves and medieval remains, much of which now sits beside the reservoir formed by the dam. Continuing west, you pause at Midyat to walk through its Silver Bazaar before reaching Mardin, where you visit the Kasimiye Medrese, a historic Islamic college built in honey-coloured stone.
Mardin's old town tumbles down a hillside in tiers, and your evening here is at leisure.
Inspiring Highlights
Hasankeyf - caves and medieval remains
Midyat - Silver Bazaar
Mardin - Kasimiye Medrese
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 6 hours.
Day 9 - Mardin [Bus] Diyarbakir
After breakfast you visit the Deir-al-Zafaran, or Saffron Monastery, for centuries the seat of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate. The monastery stands on much older foundations, and its flat-arched stonework and quiet courtyards reward a slow look.
You then travel northwest to Diyarbakir, where you will see the Ten Arches Bridge spanning the Tigris. Your evening is at leisure.
Inspiring Highlights
Deir-al-Zafaran (Saffron Monastery)
Diyarbakir - Ten Arches Bridge
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours.
Day 10 - Diyarbakir [Bus] Adiyaman
This morning after breakfast you explore Diyarbakir, starting at the Ulu Cami, a large and historic mosque in the heart of the walled city.
You then travel towards Mount Nemrut, crossing the Euphrates by ferry on the way to Narlice village in Nemrut National Park. In the late afternoon you ascend the mountain to the tombs and colossal statues of the Commagene kingdom, climbing to the tumulus of Antiochos to watch the sun set from the summit.
The final stretch up to the summit is a steep walk on a loose stone path, and it can be cold and windy at the top even in summer.
Inspiring Highlights
Diyarbakir - Ulu Cami
Mount Nemrut - Commagene statues and tumulus of Antiochos (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Mount Nemrut - summit sunset
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 5 hours.
Please bring warm layers and sturdy footwear for the climb to the summit of Mount Nemrut. The summit is exposed and can be cold and windy, and the final ascent is on a steep, uneven path.
Day 11 - Adiyaman [Bus] Sanliurfa
After breakfast you travel towards Sanliurfa, stopping at Gobekli Tepe. This is the site of the oldest known monumental religious structures yet found, built some 11,000 to 13,000 years ago, long before pottery, writing or the pyramids.
In the afternoon you continue into Sanliurfa to visit the Pools of Abraham at Balikligol and the cave held by tradition to be the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham. Your evening is at leisure.
Inspiring Highlights
Gobekli Tepe (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Sanliurfa - Pools of Abraham (Balikligol)
Sanliurfa - Cave of the Prophet Abraham
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours.
Day 12 - Sanliurfa [Bus] Gaziantep
This morning after breakfast you walk through Sanliurfa's Ottoman bazaar and visit the Archaeology Museum, which holds finds that tell the long story of the region.
You then travel to Gaziantep to see the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, one of the largest mosaic museums in the world, where the floors of Roman villas recovered from the ancient city of Zeugma are displayed. Your evening is at leisure.
Inspiring Highlights
Sanliurfa - Ottoman Bazaar
Sanliurfa - Archaeology Museum
Gaziantep - Zeugma Mosaic Museum
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours.
Day 13 - Gaziantep [Plane] Istanbul
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Istanbul. The rest of the day is yours at leisure to rest or to see more of the city at your own pace.
With the evening free, you might find a restaurant near your hotel for dinner or take a stroll along the waterfront.
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours.
Your flight documentation will be given to you on tour by your tour guide.
Your included flight allows one checked bag up to 25kg (55 lbs), and one 7kg (15 lbs) carry-on, with options to increase your luggage allowance at the airport if needed.
After breakfast, our tour comes to an end. You'll be transferred to the airport for your onward flight, bidding farewell to the group and the unforgettable experiences shared along the way.
Thank you for travelling with Inspiring Vacations. We hope you had a memorable experience.
Special Information
Departure transfers are included as part of your package. You will be collected from your hotel at the appropriate time and transferred to the airport to meet your flight.
If you choose to extend your stay (e.g., departing after the final tour date) and have booked your additional accommodation independently, this included service will be forfeited and no refund will be issued.
If Inspiring Vacations has not provided your international airfares, please ensure you provide your flight details via your Traveller Hub portal no later than 90 days prior to travel so that your transfers can be confirmed.
