The Great Escape: and 13–25 April 2019 (12 nights / 13 days)

( – Cappadocia – Athens – Mykonos – Santorini)

Remember the dialogue from the movie Dil Dhadakne Do? ‘Istanbul, is naam me kuch jaadu hai, yahan kuch bhi ho sakta hai!’ Nothing can be more true. Istanbul is truly a magical city. It draws you in with its history, its architecture, its many markets. And the authentic feel of staying inside a cave, albeit with modern facilities, can be experienced in Cappadocia.

The variety of meats and , the theatrics behind whipping up your favourite , the sweetness of , lokum, .... As diverse as its heritage, the food in Turkey is something that you will crave for long after you’ve returned.

Whitewashed walls, colourful doors, purple-swept bushes, cobblestone streets, blue-domes roofs, sparkling indigo waters.... What comes to mind? Correct – Greece! Like Atlas, who carried the entire world on his shoulders, Athens carries a huge responsibility to live up to the expectations of its visitors. And it does not fail. Nor does Santorini with its perfect sunsets or Mykonos with its glamour quotient.

Join us as we explore the underground settlements and caves, swim in balmy seas, experience spectacular sunrises and sunsets, sit under a sky full of stars, sample authentic, scrumptious local fare, and much more.

HIGHLIGHTS  Get transported to the Ottoman glory in Istanbul  Stay in a cave hotel in Cappadocia  Rise above in a hot air balloon over fairy chimneys (optional)  Walk through Greek history in Athens  Watch a magnificent sunset in Oia

Contact us For any booking or queries, reach out to the Wonderful World team Email ID: [email protected] or [email protected]

Itinerary

Day 1 – Saturday, 13th April (includes breakfast and dinner at local restaurant) Istanbul – Arrival

 Arrive at Istanbul airport. Group transfer to the hotel.

(Please check flight timings with us before booking. Private transfer can be arranged at additional cost.)

 Rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight at Richmond Istanbul, Taksim Hotel or similar

Day 2 – Sunday, 14th April (includes breakfast and lunch at local restaurant) Istanbul

 After breakfast at the hotel, meet your guide and enjoy your Istanbul sightseeing tour.  Visit the Hippodrome, the centre of the civil activities back in the Hellenistic and Roman times. Here, chariot and horse races and athletic runs entertained the people of Constantinople.  Blue Mosque, built between 1609 and 1616, has more than 20,000 blue Iznik (Nicaea) tiles and unique 6 minarets, which is the unique feature of this mosque.  Break for lunch.  Continue to Hagia Sophia, the former cathedral of Constantinople, considered as the masterpiece of the early Byzantine architecture, and renowned for its mosaic decoration and architectural style.  Visit the famous Grand Bazaar, the world’s largest and oldest covered market with over 60 streets. Enjoy shopping in this labyrinth of more than 4000 shops. Be sure to bargain!  Proceed to Suleimaniye Mosque, built by the architect Sinan by the order of Suleyman the Magnificent.  Enjoy free time for the rest of the day. Then transfer back to the hotel.

Overnight at Richmond Istanbul, Taksim Hotel or similar

Day 3 – Monday, 15th April (includes breakfast) Istanbul

 Begin the day with a tour of the Dolmabahçe Palace, home to the last Ottoman sultans. Roam the many rooms of the palace (Harem excluded).  Following this we embark on a cruise on the Bosphorus Strait that separates Asia from Europe and connects the Marmara Sea with the Black Sea. You will get the best views of the city and be able to see most of the historical monuments in Istanbul.  Afterwards, visiting the Spice Bazaar.  Enjoy free time for shopping.  You may even choose to visit a traditional Turkish hamam.

Overnight at Richmond Istanbul, Taksim Hotel or similar

Day 4 – Tuesday, 16th April (includes breakfast) Istanbul

 Post breakfast; visit the Topkapi Palace (including the Harem). This was the residence and administrative centre of the Ottoman sultans, and houses souvenirs that are 600 years old.

The grounds of the Topkapi Palace have many courtyards surrounded by old buildings, each housing small museums with exhibits of jewellery, costumes, calligraphy, and various objects that belonged to the imperial treasury of the sultans.

 After this visit the Arasta Bazaar of the Blue Mosque.  Enjoy free time in the historical part of the city.  You may choose to visit the Basilica Cistern (optional), the largest of the many cisterns that lie under the city of Istanbul. Spot the two Medusa head pillars. The Cistern is shown in many Hollywood films, including From Russia with Love and Inferno.

Overnight at Richmond Istanbul, Taksim Hotel or similar

Day 5 – Wednesday, 17th April (includes breakfast) Istanbul – Kayseri – Cappadocia

 After breakfast, we make our way to Sabiha Gökçen Airport for our flight to Kayseri.

(Cost of this flight is not included – we will book this at actual cost, which works out cheaper.)

 Upon arrival, drive to Cappadocia and check-in to a cave hotel.  Enjoy a full-day group tour in Cappadocia.  Visit the Göreme Open Air Museum, a natural citadel carved in rocks.  Then drive to Camel Rock Valley to see the troglodyte dwellings where people lived until the mid-20th century.  Visit the Red Valley.

Overnight at Kale Konak Cave Hotel or similar

Day 6 – Thursday, 18th April (includes breakfast and lunch at local restaurant) Cappadocia

 Begin the day early for a Hot Air Balloon ride (optional). See the caves and valleys from up in the air, and catch a magical sunrise over the rocky landscape.  Return to the hotel for breakfast.  Post breakfast; visit Çavuşin, an old Greek village, known for its Christian houses and churches.  Then visit the Ortahisar Castle.  In the afternoon visit Kaymakli Underground City where early Christians lived in fear and faith.  Drive back via the panoramic Pigeon Valley where pigeons contributed to the lives of locals with their manure to fertilize the wine yards.  Later hike through the valley and explore the famous rock-cut churches.  Continue the tour with a visit to the Devrent Valley, famous for its fairy chimneys.  Thereafter visit Pasabag (Monk’s Valley) with multiple stems and caps, peculiar to this area.  Drive to Mustafapasha village for a local lunch and drive to Avanos, the village known for its pottery. The red clay which the local craftsmen use comes from the Kizilirmak River, the longest river of Turkey.  In the evening we will visit a dervish house for a whirling dervish’s performance.

Overnight at Kale Konak Cave Hotel or similar

Day 7 – Friday, 19th April (includes breakfast) Cappadocia – Kayseri – Istanbul – Athens

 Post breakfast, transfer to Kayseri airport for your flight to Istanbul. (Cost of this flight is not included – we will book this at actual cost, which works out cheaper.)  Then board the flight to Athens.  Arrive at Athens International Airport. Group transfer to the hotel. (Please check flight timings with us before booking. Private transfer can be arranged at additional cost.)

Overnight at Philippos Hotel or similar

Day 8 – Saturday, 20th April (includes breakfast) Athens

 Today we go on a full-day tour of Athens.

We begin with the Acropolis site, the ancient citadel on top of a hill, Greek antiquity at its best. We walk to the site with our guide, as it isn’t very far from our hotel. Once done, we go by the minibus to our next destination – the Panathenaic Stadium, the stadium which hosted the first Olympic Games of the Modern Era in 1896. (Visit to the Museum with Torches not included.) We then get a drop near Syntagma Square and we walk outside the Parliament to see the change of guards. Proceed to walk outside the Academy, the Old University, and the National Library.

 Break for lunch.  Proceed by minibus to Acropolis Museum, and walk back to the hotel from there.  Evening at leisure.

Overnight at Philippos Hotel or similar

Day 9 – Sunday, 21st April (includes breakfast) Athens

 After breakfast, head out for a half-day walking tour in Athens.  We meet our guide at the hotel and proceed to Omonia Square.

Omonia Square is lined with buildings of importance from the 19th and 20th centuries. Noisy and busy most of the times, Athinas Street is connected mainly to the food trade. You will see the neoclassical mansions of the Town Hall, the Varvakeios Municipal Market (where meat, fish, and vegetables are sold; closed on Sundays), and the spacious Kotzia Square. Continue on the pedestrian zone of Aiolou Street and see two marvelous churches – Panagia Chrysospiliotissa and Agia Irini, the first Cathedral of Athens. Walk to Monastiraki Square, the historic square that is now fully renovated with multicoloured mosaic and surrounded by sites such as Tzistarakismoque, Roman Agora, and Hadrian’s Library.

 Stop for lunch on the way.  Walk up Adrianou Street, lined with many souvenir shops, up to the 12th century Metropolis Athens Cathedral.  Walk through Plaka’s main shopping street, view the oldest house of Athens of the Benizelos family, and the Lysicrates monument, right before reaching Dionysiou Areopagitou Street where the tour ends.  The hotel is a short distance from here and we will walk back.

Overnight at Philippos Hotel or similar

Day 10 – Monday, 22nd April (includes breakfast) Athens – Mykonos

 Today we head over to Mykonos. Nicknamed the ‘Island of the Winds’ and the ‘glamour island’, Mykonos is known for its vibrant nightlife.  Post breakfast, transfer to Piraeus port to board the ferry to Mykonos.  Upon arrival at Mykonos, transfer to the hotel.  Spend the rest of the day at leisure on the island. Keep the cameras ready as you walk past the many whitewashed houses with colourful doors and windows, swept by bougainvillea bushes in glorious bloom. You can visit the church of Panayia Paraportiani, the Town Hall, and the castle situated above the harbour, and the archaeological, folklore, and maritime museums. Wander around the colourful shopping streets of the Hóra and the glamorous Matoyánni Street, lined with branded stores and charming cafés and restaurants.

Overnight at Porto Mykonos Hotel or similar

Day 11 – Tuesday, 23rd April (includes breakfast) Mykonos – Santorini

 Today we will visit Santorini. With its rugged landscape, Santorini owes allegiance to a rather violent volcanic eruption that took place many moons ago. The city evokes images of whitewashed, cubist houses clinging precariously to cliffs, overlooking the bluest sparkling indigo waters of the Aegean. And the sunsets can make even the most stone-hearted emotional!  Transfer to Mykonos port to board the ferry to Santorini.  Upon arrival at Santorini, transfer to the hotel.  At convenient time we will proceed to the picture-perfect village of Oia to view a magnificent sunset.  Enjoy a relaxed dinner here.  Transfer back to Santorini.

Overnight at Theoxenia Hotel or similar

Day 12 – Wednesday, 24th April (includes breakfast) Santorini

 The day is at leisure for you to explore Santorini.

Overnight at Theoxenia Hotel or similar

Day 13 – Thursday, 25th April (includes breakfast) Santorini – Departure

 Post breakfast, transfer to Santorini airport for your flight to Athens.  And from Athens we fly back to our respective destinations. (Please check flight timings with us before booking.)

Cost  EUR 1,995 per head on a twin-sharing basis  Single Supplement – on request

Given the highly volatile exchange rate in the current market scenario, we have quoted the tour cost in Euro.

We will convert based on actual rate 75 days before departure. This way we can pass on any exchange rate advantage to you in case the rate drops.

Notes  We need minimum 7 confirmations to do this tour.  Baggage allowance per vehicle is one normal size piece of luggage per passenger in the luggage compartment. Inside the passenger’s cabin only one small purse is allowed, to be kept on the lap.  There are occasions where the entrance of the hotels/sites is not accessible to the vehicles. Where these restrictions apply, drivers will drop and collect the clients from the nearest accessible point and clients will need to walk between vehicle and hotel/site.  Boat trips are operated weather permitting.  Some visits during the programme may involve a lot of walking on inclines and uneven surfaces and have limited access for people with movement problems.  Schedule is subject to change due to weather conditions, emergencies, or other unforeseen interruptions.

Inclusions  Accommodation on a twin-sharing basis. Some hotels in Greece may not have twin beds; guests will be accommodated on double beds in such cases.  All land transfers as mentioned in the itinerary  Ferry transfers as mentioned in the itinerary  Meals as mentioned in the itinerary  Tours as mentioned in the itinerary  All museum and site entrances in Turkey as mentioned in the itinerary  Services of an English-speaking guide throughout the tour  Services of a trip lead from Wonderful World throughout the trip

Exclusions  GST at 5%  International flights from your destination to Istanbul, from Istanbul to Athens, and from Athens to your destination  Domestic flights from Istanbul to Cappadocia and Cappadocia to Istanbul  Travel insurance  Visa fee (both Turkey and Greece)  Overnight city tax – about Euro 1.50 per head per night – which is mandatory all across Europe and has to be paid directly at the hotel  Hot air balloon ride in Turkey  Entrance fees to sites mentioned in the itinerary in Greece, payable on the spot by the clients  Tips for driver and guide  Any beverages, alcoholic or non-alcoholic  Any personal expenses, such as laundry, phone calls, portage, etc.  Any other item not mentioned in Inclusions above  Any cost arising out of unforeseen circumstances like ill‐health, land blocks, bad weather, etc.

Payment Plan  Please pay INR 20,000 as booking deposit to reserve your spot  Balance payment due 15th January 2019

Cancellation Policy  Upto 120 days before departure – full refund  Between 120 days and 90 days – booking deposit is non-refundable  Between 90 days and 60 days – 50% cancellation charges  Between 60 days and 30 days – 90% cancellation charges  No refund thereafter for any cancellation or no-show