Thrace Extension

Turkey

Explore European Turkey in the Thrace region, a fascinating and little seen region

3 days Ask us for pricing This is the price per person for a private tour (based on 2 people travelling) excluding international flights. Contact us for pricing for other group sizes including individuals.
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Intro, Dates & Prices

Intro

Covering only three percent of Turkey (the other ninety seven percent being Anatolia), Thrace - in effect the European part of Turkey - is most often simply overlooked by visitors. Which is a shame as it has much to offer.

Visit the coastal village of Kıyıköy and take a relaxing walk around the Longoz Lakes in the İğneada Floodplain Forests National Park. Discover the 180 million year old Dupnisa Cave. Later explore Edirne, a former capital city of the Ottoman Empire and the home of the fascinating Grand Synagogue, the Selimiye mosque, Sinan's masterpiece and the unique medical museum.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

  • The Dupnisa Cave, dating back 180 million years
  • Edirne, the old capital city of the Ottoman Empire
  • UNESCO World Heritage Selimiye Mosque

Places Visited

Kiyikoy - Longoz Lakes - Edirne - Istanbul

What's Included

Arrival & departure transfers
Ground transport with driver
Domestic flights (if relevant - refer to itinerary)
Accommodation
Meals (refer to itinerary for meal plan)
English-speaking guides
Entrance fees to sites & parks

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Itinerary
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Overview Itinerary Detailed Itinerary
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Day 1 : Kiyikoy - Igneada

Starting in Istanbul drive west to visit the village of Kiyikoy​. Take a leisurely walk around the picturesque village and stop for lunch. Then continue on to Igneada, where you will visit the Longoz lakes and relax. Overnight in Igneada.

Meal plan: n/a

Formerly named Midye, ​Kıyıköy is a village in northwestern Turkey, situated on the coast of the Black Sea with a small beach. The area is surrounded by dense forests of mostly oak trees, and fishing and forestry are the main sources of income in addition to tourism in the summer.

Situated in the İğneada Floodplain Forests National Park, close to the Bulgarian border, the Longoz Lakes are a part of the rare ecosystem which also consists of marshland, swamp, and coastal sand dunes. There are five lakes: Lake Erikli, which is a lagoon that gets separated from the sea in the summer due to drought; Lake Mert, formed by the ​Çavuşdere creek at its mouth; the small Lake Saka, situated between the floodplain and dunes; and Lake Hamam and Lake Pedina.
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Day 2 : Edirne

After breakfast drive out to visit the Dupnisa Caves, then later continue on to Edirne. Here you can visit the ruins of the old Ottoman Palace and the Selimiye Mosque. Overnight in Edirne.

Meal plan: n/a

The Dupnisa Cave is actually three interconnected caves on two separate floors, deep in the forest along the Strandzha mountain range. They were opened to tourists in 2005. It dates back to around 180 million years ago and the total length is 3,200m. On the upper level there are two caves: Kuru, meaning dry, and ​Kız, meaning Maiden; and on the lower level is the Sulu cave, which translates to wet. The caves are varied in their geology and are extremely rich in terms of stalactites, stalagmites, and stalagnates.

Selimiye Mosque, also known as Selimiye Camii, was built by architect Mimar Sinan between 1569 and 1575. The Ottoman imperial mosque dominates the skyline of the city and is considered as one of the highest achievements in Islamic architecture, built at the heights of Ottoman military and cultural power. The wealth of the empire is evident in the magnificent exterior, with the second highest minarets in the world, whilst the interior reflects a traditionally humble Islamic style. The mosque was given UNESCO world heritage status in 2011. 

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Day 3 : Edirne

Spend the day exploring the city, from the river to the old railway station. Visit the Grand Synagogue, grand bazaar, the monument of Lozan, and the Museum of Health. Then return to Istanbul for overnight.

Overnight in Novotel Bosphorus Hotel, Istanbul

Meal plan: n/a

The city of Edirne, formerly known as Adrianople, lies in northwestern Turkey, close to the Greek and Bulgarian border. It was briefly called Hadrianopolis in 125AD by the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Contantinople became the empire's new capital. The region has been the site for many historic battles, giving rise to Edirne's claim to being the most frequently contested spot on the globe. Some of the most iconic sights in the city include Selimiye Mosque and Meric Bridge. 

Built after all 13 of Edirne's synagogues were burned to the ground in the great fire of 1905, the Grand Synagogue is modeled after the largest synagogue in Vienna. It was designed by the French architect France ​Depré in the style of Moorish Revival. In 1997 the synagogue's roof and one of its walls collapsed, after the building had ceased operation in 1983. Restoration began in 2008 was a slow progress until it finally reopened in 2015. The synagogue is not open for visitors and can only be admired from the outside.

The Medical Museum, also known as Sağlık Müzesi, was awarded European Museum of the Year in the early 2000s. It was formerly a mental institution during the Ottoman eta, when it was renowned for its progressive approach including meditative music and flower gardens. Today, many Ottoman minatures from medical schoolbooks, along with models of patients are displayed in the museum. 
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Accommodation

Accommodation

All accommodation subject to availability. Final accommodation choices will be confirmed after booking.

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Novotel Bosphorus Hotel

Istanbul (1 night)

Located in the trendy Karakoy harbour-side area of Istanbul, the contemporary Novotel Bosphorus Hotel provides an ideal base from which to explore the city - a stone's throw from the main sites of Sultanahmet but situtated in a more local area. Modern rooms offer flat-screen TVs, air conditioning and complimentary Wi-Fi. Facilities at the hotel include an indoor swimming pool, sauna, steam bath, Turkish bath and massage services, and the on-site restaurant - with superb views over the Bosphorus - is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and serves excellent Turkish and international cuisine.

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Reviews

I went on this trip rather than all the other interesting possibilities in the world because I wanted to go to Gobekli Tepe. Being there was all I could have hoped for. It was a stunning experience and I was moved to tears. Thank you so much for the opportunity. Regarding the food, the olives were the best I`ve ever tasted. And the yoghurt is fabulous. Also the cheese and pistachios and apricots. Oh yes, and the watermelon : ) Thanks to David too for being so patient with my endless questions

Cynthia Bishop , Eastern Turkey Explorer, Turkey

Travel the Unknown were very responsive to my personal wishes, and flexible enough to make this a fantastic tour- we covered a lot in a limited time. Guides were pleasant and informative, and the transport was excellent.

John Colligan , Eastern Turkey Snapshot & archaeology extension

This tour comprehensively covered many of the most important ancient archaeological sites in Anatolia, starting with the chronologically earliest Göbekli Tepe, Çatalhöyük, the Hittite capital Hattusha, Harran, Gordion and Mount Nemrut. I have no hesitation in highly recommending Travel the Unknown and its representatives in Turkey.

Eric , Ancient Anatolia & Eastern Turkey

We’ve been doing a few small group tours in recent years and this was the first trip we’ve taken with Travel the Unknown, and it did not disappoint. We chose this tour as it included all the sites that we wanted to see for year that were hard to find elsewhere, including Gobekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe, Mount Nemrut, Hattusa and Catalhoyuk. The entire experience was well organized and planned to near perfection. Our guide, Hasan Tekdal, was just amazing at pulling together thousands of years of history along with the culture and peoples of the region to create a once in a lifetime experience.

Rod & Ellen , Ancient Anatolia & Eastern Turkey

Travel the Unknown was able to take an abundance of ideas from three experienced travels in my group and synthesize them into a perfect, custom-made adventure, with a wide variety of activities and experiences, led by personable local guides with incredible expertise.

Wendy , Tailormade Turkey

We were fortunate to book a private trip to Turkey with Travel the Unknown. All aspects exceeded our expectations: booking the trip, the guides and personalized tours, transport, accommodation and the food! Our tour operator on the ground was the best! She went out of her way to ensure a wonderful and special experience of Turkey and the private gulet cruise.

Johanna, Shiree, & Madelein , Tailormade Turkey

Travel the Unknown is an excellent company to chose for a real travel experience. It was a fabulous holiday where we felt we saw a different side to Turkey and saw sights and had experiences that were once in a lifetime events. I would certainly recommend them to anyone wanting to have new experiences and see the true side of a country.

Neil , Ancient Anatolia & Eastern Turkey

This was my third trip with Travel the Unknown and I was just as fully satisfied as on our previous trips. Rahul and his staff are extremely responsive and knowledgeable. Our original itinerary involved areas that were affected by the recent earthquake in Turkey, so the itinerary had to be modified. Rahul accomplished this in a seamless fashion and created a trip that was as interesting, and more varied, than the original one. Kudos for that.

Stephen Kamin , Eastern Turkey Explorer

As a worldwide traveller, explorer & author travelling through COVID times, my trip with Travel The Unknown was a perfect choice for my adventure in Turkey. As a solo booking , I didn’t need the usual tourist bling. I knew what I wanted to see and the company chose the best guide I could have wished for. No fuss. Dealing with my preferences. This company know exactly what they are doing with complete knowledge of their guests, countries and Travel passage. I highly recommend Travel the Unknown.

Tessa Skola , Tailormade Eastern Turkey

This trip was an amazing and very exhilarating experience. We had high hopes of Gobekli Tepe, which were totally fulfilled- it is utterly amazing, but we had not anticipated some of the other gems to be so exceptional as well. We were a small group, which made the trip very personal. Altogether it was a marvellous week, helped by having a caring guide and an excellent driver.

Joy Lawley , Eastern Turkey Snapshot, Turkey

I had a lovely time in Turkey. Both of the tours that were part of the package were fabulous, both tour guides were very knowledgeable and made the trips very interesting providing plenty of information, and the places where we went for lunches as part of the trip were superb. David McGuinness is a credit to Travel the Unknown, he goes that `extra mile` to keep customer happy. I`d like to say a huge `thank you` for all the help you gave me organising and planning my trip. I certainly will recommend anyone to use you for planning their `unknown` destination holiday. The emails, telephone calls were all spot on, well done :-) :-)

Jane Kimberley , The Magic of Cappadocia, Turkey

A great way to travel to some of the more remote and interesting places in the world. It was a very interesting area and we saw a lot that we would never have managed on our own. I would recommend the holiday to others.

Marion McCallum , Eastern Turkey Snapshot, Turkey
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