The following information is important and should be considered in conjunction with the tour itinerary:

• To secure your place a  deposit of 800Euro will be required on making the booking and will only be refunded if the tour does not go ahead due to insufficient numbers. If booking for the July departure the second payment of 1,600Euro will be required no later than April 30, 2025,  and if booking for the September departure the second payment will be due no later than June 30 2025 The final payment will be required in cash on arrival in Istanbul.
• No refunds will be given for cancelations made after April 30 2025.

• The cost of the tour does not include airfares. You can estimate on fares being between $2,000 – $3,500. Airlines depart Melbourne on Saturdays arriving in Istanbul on Sunday afternoon and then depart Istanbul on Friday arriving Melbourne Saturday night. This means that you can make the most of your three week vacation. I can assist with a group booking if you wish or you are free to make your own reservations.  Should you wish to depart arrive into Istanbul the day prior to commencement of the tour I am able to assist you with bookings for additional nights at our tour hotel or you are free to make bookings at the hotel of your choice.

• I will be leading the tour and hope to share my love of this wonderful country with you while we are away. We will also have “guides” at Sultanahmet, Cappadocia, Gallipoli, Ephesus, Bergama and Troy.

• Hotels have been chosen for their comfort but also for their proximity to the town centre or historic sites. In this way you will have the independence of doing your “own thing’ if you choose. All hotels are extremely comfortable and will be a mixture of 4 star, “special class” hotels i.e. restored Ottoman villas and even a dwelling carved into volcanic rock. This is not a 5 star tour so luxury accommodation is not a component of this tour. The hotels however are atmospheric and interesting and will provide a very comfortable place to lay your weary body!

• The cabins on the Gulet will be small and ‘adequate”. The cabins can be a little stuffy as summer temperatures on the Mediterranean will be hot. It is not unusual for guest to sleep on deck under the stars. Linen is provided however I would recommend that you pack a sleep sheet for use on the Gulet.

• Most activities are optional, if you prefer to do your own thing, that’s fine except of course if we are travelling between destinations. If you choose not to partake in all the planned activities, it will generally not interfere with the plans of those that do, so don’t worry. The bus will only be available for those activities listed on the itinerary and no refund will be given for activities or meals that you choose not to partake in.

• Evening meals will usually consist of two or three courses. So that we are able to make the most of our days our evening meals will be rather late by Australian standards. Most evening meals will be around 8pm ish.   Water will be provided with meals however any other drinks will be at your own expense. Alcohol is freely available in Turkey although the variety of wines available is very limited but is improving.

• The tour is quite energetic so a reasonable level of fitness is essential to ensure maximum enjoyment of all the activities. Bring your walking shoes and expect to make good use of them – there is no better way to take in the real atmosphere and meet the locals than by moving around amongst them.

• Summer temperatures in Turkey will vary between 25 – 40 degrees – pack accordingly.

• Turkey is a buyer’s paradise so allow extra room for “unexpected purchases”! Remember too that there will be many times when you will need to carry your own luggage, this is not the driver’s responsibility, so please ensure that you can manage this.

• Given the long distances we must travel there will be some days where we will have no option but to travel long distances on the bus i.e. Antalya to Konya. The bus will be air-conditioned and non-smoking and we will have a break every 1.5- 2.5 hours.

• Please ensure that you have travel insurance!

Important Note: The itinerary is as accurate as is currently possible. Changes may be made due to unforeseen circumstances however if this happens every effort will be made to ensure that the equivalent or better is provided.