Day
1: Leave New York on Turkish Airlines. Day
2: Arrive Istanbul. Transfer to our flight to Ankara, and overnight at the Hotel Gordion. Gather this evening for a welcome dinner party. (D)
Day
4: Cappadocia is a region of natural and man-made wonders. Millions of years ago, a volcano spewed out molten lava and dust. Since then, wind and weather have reshaped the soft rock, leaving cones and "fairy chimneys," and creating one of the most fantastic sights in the world. Here, early Christians carved out churches and monasteries and huge underground cities where they could hide from persecutors. Spend the day exploring the many rock-cut churches and monasteries of this peculiar landscape. UNESCO World Heritage site Goreme has the greatest concentration of accessible rock churches, many in a huge basin bounded by nearly vertical cliffs and opening into a steep-sided green valley. Lovely Zelve is a natural amphitheater at the junction of three valleys the cliff-faces are riddled with openings to houses and churches, many with frescoes still visible. Finally, stop by Avanos where pottery-making has been a tradition for centuries. (B/L/D)
Day
5: Examine stunning caravansaries, or inns for camel caravans, built in the 13th-century by the Seljuk Turks, and explore the 8000-year-old planned city of Çatal Hüyük, undoubtedly the most important Neolithic site in Turkey. The most crowded urban center on earth at that time, it contained mud-brick dwellings built in carefully laid-out plans with room walls elaborately decorated with scenes of hunting and religious ceremonies. Continue to visit Eflatunpinar Hittite rock monument and Esrefogullari mosque overlooking Beysehir Lake before driving on to Konya. Here we will enter the Museum of Mevlana, named for the founder of the Whirling Dervishes. Overnight in Konya in the Hilton Hotel. (B/L/D)
Day
6: A pastoral scene greets us on our drive over the Taurus Mountains. The magnificent ruined city of Sagalossos clings perilously to the southern granite slopes of the Taurus Mountains. Originally inhabited by Pisidians, the pirates of the central Anatolian world, this was the highest city in the Roman Empire. Overnight for two nights in a restored 19th-century Ottoman building protected by 2000 year old Roman walls in the restored ancient port of Antalya. Dinner is on our own this evening. (B/L)
Day
7: Today, visit two spectacular ancient cities. Greek settlers journeyed to Perge following the Trojan War. We will see the remains of a great theater, stadium, huge Hellenistic and Roman gates, and a colonnaded street. Day
8:Explore the remote city of Arykanda set on a pine-forested slope high in the Taurus Mountains. The city controlled ancient trade routes and is truly magnificent. Built of huge stone blocks, many of the
Day
12: Anchor today at Gemile Island, during the Byzantine period an important trading port. The remains of the city completely cover the small island and are visible beneath the water's surface along the shore. As we climb to the summit, we will pass the ruins of churches, small chapels, tombs and sarcophogi, and walk along an immense covered walkway leading to the Byzantine basilica that one dominated the city. (B/L/D)
Day
16: An early morning flight takes us to Istanbul. Experience the glory of UNESCO World Heritage site- filled Istanbul's past during today's exploration of this city that spans both Asia and Europe. Begin with a visit to two jewels of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. Dedicated by Justinian in the 4th-century AD, St. Sophia served as Constantinople's cathedral for nearly a thousand years, and after the Ottoman conquest it ranked first among the imperial mosques of Istanbul.
Day
17: Begin today at Topkapi Palace. In 1468, Mehmet the Conqueror began construction on this royal residence on what was formerly the Byzantine acropolis. Later sultans added to the palace, and Suleyman the Magnificent made Topkapi Seray his permanent home. The estate includes lovely gardens, the council chambers of government, and the harem, where the sultan's family lived.
Day 18: Return to the United States. (B)
STUDY LEADER:
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Elegant
Turkey Tour
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Day 3: Visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, housed within a beautifully restored bazaar; its unique and priceless collection is that of Hittite art. Lunch at Zenger Pasa Restaurant, housed in a century-old Ottoman house tucked within the ancient walls of the citadel overlooking the city. Drive to Cappadocia in the afternoon. Overnight for two nights in the Kelebek Cave Suites, a whimsical hotel that depicts the charm of the area with rooms that have been cut from the living rock. Each of the spacious rooms has been individually and elegantly decorated with Ottoman furniture, antiques and crafts of the region. (B/L/D)
At nearby Aspendos, view the finest theater from Roman times, restored by Ataturk in 1932. Returning to Antalya, view the spectacular artifacts within the Antalya Archaeological Museum. Tonight's dinner is in an elegant outdoor restaurant tucked into the Roman walls with breathtaking views over the old port section of Antalya.
(B/L/D)
monumental buildings still stand and contain still-visible remnants of intricate mosaic floors. Continue to Myra, where Lycians carved a huge necropolis of tombs in the cliff-faces before the time of Christ, and the village of Demre to visit the church dedicated to the 4th-century bishop, who through his good works became known as St. Nicholas – our Santa Claus. This afternoon, board the yacht, our home for the next six nights. (B/L/D)
Day
9: Fishing boats fill the harbor of the picturesque village of Kas. Founded on the ruins of the Lycian city, Antiphellus, today's buildings are scattered among the ancient rock-cut tombs and sarcophagi. There will be time to visit the ancient theater, wander in the sleepy town square, or sit down to tea in one of the shoreside gardens. (B/L/D)
Day 10: This part of the coast, heavily indented and full of isolated caves and islets, has some of Lycia's most rugged scenery. Hundreds of tombs dot the hills and valleys, and castles guard the sea channels. Explore the island of Kekova, a national park, featuring submerged ruins still visible beneath the crystal-clear waters, and the nearby, tiny town of Simena, built on the side of a steep hill crowned by a crusader's castle. The villagers' homes stand on the foundations of the ancient fortress, and as we climb to the summit we will walk among ancient tombs now used as storage and animal shelters.
(B/L/D)
Day
11: From the charming fishing village of Kalkan, travel by minibus to two important cities of the Lycian federation. In Xanthos, an UNESCO World Heritage site, view the fine theater, dominated by carved tombs. After the 4th century BC, nearby Patara was the capital of the Lycian Federation and its port; today the harbor has completely silted in and over the centuries magnificent buildings have been covered by the blowing sand. Turkish archaeologists have been excavating here for the past several years and they are restoring the city to its former grandeur. Excavations so far show that the city was much more important than originally thought. The archaeologists have found a colonnaded street which is wider than the one at Ephesus, 
four Roman bath complexes, five Byzantine churches, and incised stones with inscriptions telling distances to other Lycian cities - a map created in stone. (B/L/D)
Day 13: Fethiye, a modern town built over ancient Telmessos, has the best harbor in Lycia. Towering over the city are temple tombs cut from the living rock over 2,000 years ago. We will anchor in the port to allow free time to walk to the tombs, and to stroll through the small shops along the edge of the shore. The huge Bay of Fethiye is filled with pine-covered beaches and secret anchorages, and we will find our own lovely inlet to spend the night. (B/L/D)
Day 14: Leave our yacht this morning in Gocek and drive north to whitewashed and flower-decked Bodrum, one of the loveliest towns on the western coast of Turkey. Dominating the harbor is the Castle of St. Peter, begun in 1402 by the Knights Hospitallers of St. John as a hospital for pilgrims to Jerusalem. We will enter the fortress, now the Bodrum Underwater Archaeological Museum. It houses a wide range of fascinating underwater findings, many brought to modern day viewers from thousands of years ago and displayed throughout the Castle in a myriad of atmospheric halls and galleries. Overnight in the Hotel Karia Princess.
(B/L/D)
Day
15: Depart early this morning for Ephesus, the best preserved of Turkey's ancient cities, and spend the afternoon onsite. Dedicated to the virgin goddess of the chase, the city's Temple of Diana (Artemis) is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Visit the Seljuk Museum of Archaeology, containing exquisite pieces from the nearby excavations, and the Church of Saint John, where the disciple spoke. Overnight tonight at the Hotel Kismet in Kusadaci. (B/L/D)
Opposite the great square in front of St. Sophia stands the Mosque of Sultan Ahmet I, known to foreigners as the Blue Mosque. Then walk through the Hippodrome, the scene of Byzantine chariot races and athletic events. Lunch will be in a tiny restaurant housed within an Ottoman house, with sensational views of the Blue Mosque. The rest of the day is free to explore the Grand Bazaar, an immense covered market where hundreds of shops feature such Turkish crafts as hand-knotted carpets and nomadic kilims, hand-beaten copper and brass furnishings, and exquisite gold and antique silver jewelry. Tonight's dinner will be in Kumkapi, a delightful neighborhood where seafood restaurants abound and musicians entertain with lively music. Overnight for the next two nights at the Hotel Arena, a restored Ottoman mansion that is now a delightful hotel. (B/L/D)
Then it's on to the Church of Saint Saviour in Chora Monastery, or Kariye Museum, built between the 11th- and 14th-centuries. The mosaics and frescoes inside are masterpieces of "the Renaissance" of Byzantine art. Continue to Suleymaniye, the mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent that dominates the skyline of the old city. This magnificent edifice is considered the finest creation of Sinan, the greatest of the Ottoman architects. Dine on classical Ottoman cuisine for lunch, in a restaurant housed within a 16th-century soup kitchen built by Sultan Suleyman. Late this afternoon, board a private yacht for a leisurely cruise up the Bosphorus, the sinuous strait separating Europe from Asia. Our route takes us past lovely wooden villas, elegant marble palaces, Ottoman turbes (tombs), and Rumeli Hisari, the medieval castle built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452. This fortress, along with its counterpart on the Asian side, blocked Constantinople's access to the Black Sea and signaled the end of the Byzantine Empire. Leave the yacht to dine in one of Istanbul's fine restaurants overlooking the waterway.
(B/L/D)
NOTE ABOUT ITINERARY CHANGES: Changes in our itinerary, accommodations, and transportation schedules may occur. A good book to read as well as a flexible attitude and a sense of humor are essential. 
LIFE ABOARD THE GULETS: Your wooden motorsailer, known as a gulet, was built in Turkey based on designs of vessels that have sailed here for centuries. Even though it is quite large, about 85 feet in length, it draws only a few feet of water, thus enabling it to anchor each night in secluded coves close to the shore. While onboard, all meals will be prepared by your own excellent chef, and will feature the delightful tastes of the simple Turkish countryside cuisine: fresh fish, lamb, eggplant, seasonal fruits, yogurt, honey and olives. The double-occupancy cabins are finished in varnished pine and each is fitted with beds, a small wardrobe and a private bathroom. These accommodations are simple but quite comfortable. Water visibility can be as much as 50 feet, the temperature will be inviting and refreshing swims will be a constant temptation. Every day will present a new discovery!