A Grand Turkish Adventure

Cleaved by the Bosphorus Strait and straddling two continents – Europe and Asia – Istanbul is a paradox. Historic yet modern, it is packed with extraordinary landmarks including the sixth-century Hagia Sophia mosque with its remarkable vaulted ceilings, and the Basilica Cistern, a subterranean structure built in 532. Explore the Dolmabahce Palace, the city’s finest example of the Ottoman New Baroque style, and the elegant boutiques and espresso bars of the Nisantasi district. Visit Suleymaniye Mosque and the Grand Covered Bazaar, built in 1461, which contains 3,500 shops set amid beautifully painted arches and columns.

Cross the Dardanelles, one of the world’s narrowest straits, by car ferry and travel onwards to the ancient ruins of Troy where excavations began in the late 1800s. The legend of the Trojan War has fuelled the imagination of generations. Drive across the fabled “rolling plains of Troy” and spend the night in a wonderful village named Yesilyurt on the slopes of Mount Ida. 

Izmir is the ideal base for visits to Ephesus, the best-preserved classical city in the Eastern Mediterranean. Dating back to 6000 BCE, it was the largest urban settlement in the region and an important seaport. Enjoy special access to the Terrace House excavations where beautiful mosaic floors and frescoed walls have been unearthed, followed by visits to the museum and the Temple of Artemis.  

Millennia-long volcanic activity followed by a process of erosion and contraction of the resulting ash into a soft, porous rock called “tuff” have created one of the planet’s most bizarre terrains. In Cappadocia, the valleys of tuff filled with “fairy chimneys” are home to cave dwellings, monasteries and chapels sculpted from the rock. During your visit, explore the rock-carved churches of Goreme, now an open-air museum.