Intro
Fly to Istanbul, once known as Constantinople, a proud city that for millennia has straddled the East-West divide. Marvel at the elegant Blue Mosque and the exquisite Hagia Sofia and cruise along the Bosphorus. A range of group and private walking tours are available. For something a little different try Antalya for excellent boutique hotels, delicious food, numerous historical and archaeological sites and a plethora of hiking options.
Urfa (formerly Edessa) is an ancient city with stone streets, lively squares, an excellent museum and a teeming bazaar. It also makes a great base for visiting Göbekli Tepe, the world’s first temple, and ancient Harran, as well as a boat trip to nearby Rumkale. Or why not discover the ancient history and traditions of Turkey’s oldest and still thriving city? Bodrum, a once sleepy fisherman’s town turned hotspot for artists, musicians and intellectuals offers fascinating historical sites, buzzing nightlife and glittering bays.
For more info please get in touch by clicking the Ask a question button below.
Places Visited
Istanbul - Urfa - Antalya
Culinary Turkey (3-14 days)
Tickle your taste-buds with a tour of Turkey's cuisine
Turkey's Beaches
Relax and unwind on Turkey's Mediterranean beaches
The Magic of Cappadocia (4 days)
Unique history and fairytale landscapes
Troy and Nicaea Extension (2 days)
Explore two sites of enormous historical significance in this short extension
Thrace Extension (3 days)
Explore European Turkey in the Thrace region, a fascinating and little seen region
Turkey Gullet Experience
Set sail aboard a Turkish Gulet and explore Turkey's coast
Konya Extensions (3 days)
Day trip options from Konya
Istanbul Extensions (5 days)
Extend your trip from Istanbul
Turkey's Cities (1-14 days)
From Bodrum to Istanbul, explore Turkey's historic cities
Trekking in Turkey (3-14 days)
Discover Turkey's splendid and varied terrain on foot
Luxury Turkey
Discover the best Turkey has to offer
Highlights of Turkey (15 days)
East and west, see Turkey at its best
Archaeology of Western Turkey (15 days)
Uncover historical secrets in the west
Silk Road through Turkey (14 days)
Ancient trading routes, historic battles and striking scenery
Ancient Anatolia & Eastern Turkey (14 days)
Discover Eastern Turkey's archaeological wonders
Black Sea & Eastern Turkey (14 days)
Natural wonders, ancient sites & Kurdish culture
Eastern Turkey & Georgia Explorer (14 days)
From Ancient Anatolia to the Heart of Georgia.
Treasures of Eastern Turkey (12 days)
Ancient sites and Kurdish culture
Turkish Volcano Trek (10 days)
Stunning eastern peaks including Mount Ararat
Classical Turkey (10 days)
Journey through Turkey's iconic sites
Aegean Sea Gulet Cruise (8 days)
Explore the Gulf of Gokova on a classic Turkish sailboat
Southern Turkey Snapshot (7 days)
Turkey's southern frontiers: the cradle of civilisation
Classical Constantinople (4 days)
Discover the exotic charms of this eternal city
Cynthia Bishop , Eastern Turkey Explorer, TurkeyI 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
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John Colligan , Eastern Turkey Snapshot & archaeology extensionTravel 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.
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Eric , Ancient Anatolia & Eastern TurkeyThis 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.
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Rod & Ellen , Ancient Anatolia & Eastern TurkeyWe’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.
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Wendy , Tailormade TurkeyTravel 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.
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Johanna, Shiree, & Madelein , Tailormade TurkeyWe 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.
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Neil , Ancient Anatolia & Eastern TurkeyTravel 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.
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Stephen Kamin , Eastern Turkey ExplorerThis 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.
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Tessa Skola , Tailormade Eastern TurkeyAs 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.
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Joy Lawley , Eastern Turkey Snapshot, TurkeyThis 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.
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Jane Kimberley , The Magic of Cappadocia, TurkeyI 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 :-) :-)
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Marion McCallum , Eastern Turkey Snapshot, TurkeyA 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.
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