13-Day Grand Turkey Wonders Tours Package

Justinian’s great church was the largest cathedral in the world for almost a thousand years, then an imperial mosque, a museum, and a mosque again. Its dome, minarets and mosaics sit together in one building.

Nearly 1,500 years of history under one dome.

Built between 1609 and 1616, the Blue Mosque is the last great imperial mosque of the classical age. Outside, the old Hippodrome holds monuments from Egypt, Delphi and Byzantium on one stretch of ground.

Monuments from several civilisations on one square.

The Grand Bazaar began as a Byzantine-era trading hall rebuilt by Mehmed the Conqueror and grew into a covered city with thousands of shops, mosques, fountains and cafés.

One of the world’s oldest covered markets.

From the 1460s until the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire was governed from these courtyards. Its pavilions hold the Spoonmaker’s Diamond, imperial robes and relics, and its terraces give the finest views over the Bosphorus.

The command centre of the Ottoman world.

Completed in 1856, Dolmabahçe replaced Topkapı as the imperial residence. Its neoclassical façade faces the Bosphorus, while the interiors mix European and Ottoman taste on a lavish scale.

Where the Ottoman era met modern Europe.

İstiklal Avenue is the cultural spine of modern Istanbul. Embassies, passages, churches and music venues line it, and a vintage tram runs from Taksim Square to Tünel.

The city’s modern face at street level.

Galata was a Genoese colony on the north shore of the Golden Horn, and its tower was the colony’s watchtower and landmark. Today it is the best vantage point for Istanbul’s domes and minarets.

The classic panorama of Istanbul.

Çemberlitaş Hamamı was built in 1584 to a design by Mimar Sinan, the chief architect of the Ottoman Empire. Its domed marble hall and central heated stone have served bathers for over 400 years.

A living piece of Ottoman daily life.

The Kubbeli Lounge keeps the elegance of a historic literary café, with a dome, parquet floors and tall windows. It continues a ritual long favoured by Istanbul’s elite.

A civilised pause at the end of the Istanbul days.

Kaleiçi is Antalya’s walled old town, a maze of restored Ottoman houses, small museums and courtyard restaurants above the old harbour.

Sleep inside Antalya’s historic core.

Perge dates back to the Bronze Age and flourished under Rome. Its long colonnaded avenue, huge stadium and twin-towered gate are among the best preserved in Turkey.

A first look at the classical Mediterranean.

Built under Marcus Aurelius, the theatre’s acoustics are famously excellent. The International Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival has staged performances here since 1994.

The Roman theatre that still performs.

Side was a rich trading port and slave market in antiquity. Today its columns, gates and temples stand beside beaches and the modern resort town.

An ancient harbour beside the sea.

The temple’s standing columns, partly restored, frame the sea and the sky. It is the best-known image of Side, and the romantic legend adds to its charm.

The classic Side sunset.

Ephesus was the Roman capital of Asia Minor and one of the Mediterranean’s great ports. UNESCO listed it in 2015, and it ranks among the best-preserved ancient cities anywhere.

A Roman metropolis you can walk through.

The library was built as a tomb and monument for Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus and once held thousands of scrolls. Its façade was carefully reassembled in the 20th century.

The most photographed monument in Turkey.

A small stone house in pine woods has been honoured since the 19th century, when it was identified from the visions of a German nun. It is a place of calm.

A quiet pilgrimage stop.

Emperor Justinian built the great basilica in the 6th century over the tomb of John. The ruins show its domes, marble columns and baptistery.

A major early-Christian site.