Turkey Tours or Tours to Turkey

One of things we pride ourselves on is the fact that we have been arranging top quality tailored made tours to Turkey for the past 9 years now. Our Turkey tours are carefully designed for each group. Whether you are planning a trip for your family with kids, or arranging a Turkey trip with your friends, Fairy Chimneys Travel can easily custom design a Turkey Tour for you. 

As an ex Turkey Tour Guide, I am confident to say that Turkey is our backyard, no one in Australia knows Turkey as comprehensive as we do, so when it comes to Turkey Tours, Tours to Turkey, Turkey Tourism, custom made tours, special interest tours, escorted Turkey tours, or simply a 3 day Istanbul Package, we can assist you. 

If you are at the very start of your planning stage and don't know where to start, let me give you some tips and ideas. Internet is the best address for doing your research. You can start searching for some of the key words for travel to Turkey. Examples are:Turkey Travel, Turkey Map, Turkey Tours, Turkey Weather, Turkey Tourist Attractions, Turkey Travel Guide, Turkey Tour Packages, Turkey Tours Australia, Turkey Tours Expert. In addition to these key search words, you can also explore the names of some of the landmarks and famous tourist destinations in Turkey. Here are some examples: Istanbul, Blue Mosque, St Sophia (or Ayasofya), Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, Underground Cistern, Sultanahmet, Bosphorus, Taksim are some of the famous places and visit to these places is a must.

Moving, perhaps in the most common and typical tourist route, you can get to Ankara next. In Ankara, highlights are a handful  other than the city being the Capital City of Turkey. A visit to the Anatolian Civilisations Museum, Ankara Castle and Anitkabir (Ataturk's Mausoleum) is easily covered in one day. If you intend to stay further in Ankara, perhaps you can visit the largest mosque of Turkey, the Kocatepe Camii. While in the area, you might as well visit the Atakule and modern city district.

Some people may want to step a little east of Ankara to Hattusas, Bogazkale area. Hattusas is known as the capital of the Ancient Hittites. You can see some of the oldest and best preserved rock carvings of ancient Hittites here. City Gates and lion head stones are still visible. This part of the trip must be arranged in a 'Private Driver & Guide' arrangement, as the place is a little De Tour on the way to Cappadocia.

Cappadocia Region is my home town. This is where I was born and raised. I lived here until 1996 then left for Australia. If one wonders why the name of this travel agency is called 'Fairy Chimneys Travel', the answer is quite straight forward. Fairy Chimneys are the world famous rock formations in Cappadocia and I wanted to take something from my hometown to Australia and reflect that in my business name. There you go... 

Lets continue on our sample Turkey journey from where we left. Cappadocia, Fairy Chimneys, Goreme, Goreme Open Air Museum, Devrent Valley, Pasabag (or Monks' Valley), Avanos with its famous pottery artisans can all be visited in one day. A second day trip in Cappadocia can include places like, Derinkuyu or Kaymakli underground cities, Ihlara Valley, Selimiye and the Agzikarahan Caravanserai. Getting on a hot air balloon in Cappadocia, is apparently in the lost "Top 100 things you should do before you die" list. If there is one place and one opportunity to get on one, this is the place. Many of my returning customers say that this was the highlight of their trip. Some people may wish to spend a little more time and extend the Cappadocia trip to Southeast Region. Mustafapasa (or Sinasos) is only 10 min drive from Urgup. The town is very different from many other towns of Cappadocia. It is possible to see some beautiful Greek Houses which were actually used as homes by Greeks until 1920's. Some have beautiful wall paintings inside or on their ceilings. Many European and International Investors are now buying some of these old and run down houses. They restore them into livable, luxurious and contemporary homes and even into hotels in some cases. The underground church and the built up church in the town center must be seen one after the other.

The day trip can be extended to the Soganli Village. If you would like to see sample village life and perhaps even visit a family who lives in a cave house, this is the place. A nice walk up to the Fairy Chimney Churches is something else you can do here. It is easy to tell that I come from Cappadocia and I miss the place, isn't it?

Lets move on the journey around Turkey. Next place after Cappadocia is usually Konya and Mevlana Museum before reaching Antalya. Antalya is a big city, but if you must choose to stay here, the location is the old city around the harbour which is known as Kaleici. There are some beautifully restored old Ottoman Houses converted into nice and quality B&B's. Around Antalya, Aspendos, Side, Perge can be visited on a day's trip.

You then travel along the coast westwards to Kas. On the way, you will see the remains and ruins of the ancient Lycia. The famous Lycian Walk is a walk up on the mountains and National Park of Olympos. Kas is a small, cosy and lovely fishing village. Day trips on a boat (gulet) can be arranged to Kekova Island, which is known as the sunken city in Turkey.

Dalyan and Gocek are after Kas on the way north toward the Aegean Waters. The most beautiful lagoons, bays and sailing waters are here. You can consider to build in a 3 day Gulet Cruise into your Turkey Itinerary. These are readily available from Fethiye Harbour. 12 Islands Boat Tour is the most famous, which can be done on a daily trip or extended over 3 days. For the sailors and boat lovers, Marmaris or Bodrum are filled with modern and traditional yachts. Usually cabin charter gulet cruising is available on a 7 day/night basis. These are extremely affordable. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and cabin with bed linen and towels on a 3 star rating is as little as around $600 per person for the whole week. That's right, it is $600 for the week and you get 3 meals each day.

Pamukkale can be combined with Aphrodisias on a day trip or stay overnight in Pamukkale. If you didn't want to travel inland to Pamukkale, then the journey from the coast can continue to Selcuk, Kusadasi region. If you are traveling in a private tour arrangement, Didyma, Miletus and Priene can be visited before reaching Selcuk or Kusadasi. My favourite spot for accommodation is the small village of Sirince. There is quality B&B facilities here. Visit to Ephesus (or Efes in Turkish) can take a good 3 hours. Some people may wish to combine a day visit consisting of Ephesus, House of Virgin Mary, St John's Basilica and the Selcuk Museum.

After this region, the route naturally follows you to Pergamum (Pergamon in some cases) then to Assos. I would chose Assos for overnight. This is a very peaceful and quiet place in the mountains. There are also ancient ruins to see in Assos. While in Pergamum, you must visit the Acropolis and the Aesclepion. This is an important and most significant spot for those who are in the medical fields. Aesclepion is known as the first medical centre of human history.

Troy is next on the route. There are many mixed feedback about Troy. The name is far bigger than what you would see there. For some people, Troy is just a fake wooden horse and some rubble. It all depends how you see it. To me Troy is a must see and it must be visited by the company of a really good and knowledgeable tour guide. The place will only come to life by your imagination all complimented by the story you hear from your tour guide. Canakkale is usually the preferred spot for overnight stay. 

If Gallipoli and the Battlefields of ANZACS is on your wish list, you will need to cross the Dardanelles by ferry. Gallipoli is becoming more and more famous each year, both from the Turkish and Australian side. There are many companies who organise Anzac Day Tours, or more commonly known as Anzac Dawn Service programs to Gallipoli. There are also many preparations for 2015 Anzac Dawn Service. We are currently taking expressions of interest for a cruise in 2015. The trip from Gallipoli can bring you back to Istanbul where you can spend a few more days to explore this amazing city.

If Gallipoli is not an interest, then the suggested route is from Canakkale to Bursa by the south coast of Marmara Sea. You can see the Green Mosque, Green Complex and Kozahan in Bursa. After Bursa, you can visit Iznik (Nicea in the Bible) and ferry from Yalova to Istanbul.

This is a route many first time visitors to Turkey take around 2.5 to 3 weeks. If you would like to discuss options of travel modes in Turkey, please do not hesitate to send us an email or call us on 1300 766 595.

Other than custom made Turkey Tours, we also have small group, special interest tours. Some of them are: Turkey Walk Tour, Turkey Cook's Tour and Turkey Arts Tour.

Thank you for your time reading through my notes, I will be back writing more stories with insider details and trips to Turkey.

Have a great day.

Marcus Falay
Turkey Travel Expert and founder of 
Fairy Chimneys Travel