Istanbul Trip Overview
Tour Description and Highlights:
5 Days Luxury Gold Anzac Day 2021 tour, beginning and ending in Istanbul. On this tour package, you will explore the dizzying sights of Istanbul and be shown around the battlegrounds and memorial sites of Gallipoli, as well as attending the Anzac Day 2021 ceremonies at Anzac Cove. Also included is a tour of the historic city of Troy. The tour starts and ends in Istanbul.
You can see our Tour Route:
Turkey/ Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Covered Bazaar, Spice Market & Anzac Conference, Gallipoli, Troy Tour & ANZAC Cove, ANZAC Dawn Service at Commemorative Site Gallipoli, Istanbul
Additional Info
Duration: 5 days
Starts: Istanbul, Turkey
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Istanbul Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Istanbul, Turkey, Turkey
Tour Description and Highlights:
5 Days Luxury Gold Anzac Day 2021 tour, beginning and ending in Istanbul. On this tour package, you will explore the dizzying sights of Istanbul and be shown around the battlegrounds and memorial sites of Gallipoli, as well as attending the Anzac Day 2021 ceremonies at Anzac Cove. Also included is a tour of the historic city of Troy. The tour starts and ends in Istanbul.
You can see our Tour Route:
Turkey/ Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Covered Bazaar, Spice Market & Anzac Conference, Gallipoli, Troy Tour & ANZAC Cove, ANZAC Dawn Service at Commemorative Site Gallipoli, Istanbul
Itinerary
Day 1: Istanbul Arrival Day – Anzac Conference – Thursday , 22nd April 2021
Pass By: Istanbul, Istanbul
Welcome to Istanbul! We are waiting for you directly at the gate behind passport control / immigration at International Airport (IST). Watch out for the TravelShop Turkey sign. Arrival airport transfer from Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW) can be arranged at additional expenses. Transfer to your five star hotel, you will be given your room key and the rest of the day is yours to explore Istanbul until 6:00pm
At 6:00pm we will start our conference about ANZAC Dawn Service and Turkey (Duration approx 1 hour). The conference is held by ANZAC experts from Australia and New Zealand and by our professional Turkish ANZAC tour guides. Welcome cocktail, coffee, tea and snacks are included. You will meet your fellow ANZAC Day Gallipoli tour members and the TravelShop Turkey staff. We recommend you to arrange your international flights, to be at Ataturk airport in time and check-in your hotel prior our ANZAC conference starts. Overnight in Istanbul.
Meals included:
• Dinner: (Airport transfer from IST, welcome cocktail and ANZAC conference included)
Accommodation included: Pullman Hotel or Ramada Hotel & Suite Golden Horn
Day 2: Gallipoli Tour – Friday, 23rd April 2021
Pass By: Istanbul, Istanbul
We depart for Gallipoli at 7:00am (4.5 hours distance). On the way we will watch the latest documentaries about the Gallipoli campaign. We arrive in Gallipoli for lunch on the coast of Gabatepe. After lunch we start our tour of the Gallipoli peninsula. Visit Kabatepe War Museum, ANZAC Cove, Lone Pine Australias Memorial and Cemetery, Quinns Post, Turkish 57th Regiment Cemetery, the Nek, Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial and Cemetery. Overnight in Çanakkale.
Please Note: Normally on 23rd April ; Anzac Cove is open for visitors but this year Anzac Cove and Beach Cemetery was closed for security as one of the company staff was from Syria. So the Australian Government and Turkish Government take a decision from 22nd April to 25th April Noon time means ceremony finish time was closed to visitors. Lone Pine , Chunuk Bair and other places were open and allowed for guided tour.
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: 4 Star Troia Tusan Hotel or Similar in Canakkale
Day 3: Troy Tour & ANZAC Cove – Saturday , 24th April 2021
Pass By: Anzac Cove, 17900 Canakkale Province, Gallipoli Turkey
The governments of Australia and New Zealand have announced that the Gallipoli peninsula will be closed on 24th April 2021 for safety and security purposes, cemeteries and memorials cannot be visited as in previous years. Therefore, we have visited the Gallipoli peninsula and done our guided Gallipoli tour yesterday already.
Today we will visit the Trojan horse and the ancient city of Troy, located on the other side of the Dardanelles (approx. 1.5 hours distance including ferry).
Troy is one of the most famous cities in the history, remembering us Hector, Achilles and Achaean Greeks, the sake of Helen, Paris, Agamemnon and Priam. Your guide will explain the mythology surrounding Troy, the Trojan Horse and Helen of Troy.
If you wish to buy snacks for the overnight camp, today is best time to do it. There are also some food and drink stalls available at ANZAC Cove. Tonight at 5:30pm we will meet at the hotel for our buffet dinner before heading to ANZAC Cove for the Dawn Service. Overnight at ANZAC Cove.
If you dont wish to stay outside at the ANZAC Commemorative Site overnight, we provide optional hotel accommodation in Çanakkale. This option is not available after your arrival in Turkey, pre-booking is required.
Please Note: In 2021 the ANZAC Commemorative Site will open later than it has in previous years. The new opening time will be decided later on and before guests arrival we will inform you., the ANZAC Commemorative Site will not open before the designated opening time. Please all the guests should be registered for attendance passes.
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at ANZAC Cove
Day 4: ANZAC Dawn Service at Commemorative Site Gallipoli- Sunday, 25th April 2021
Pass By: Anzac Cove, 17900 Canakkale Province, Gallipoli Turkey
Don’t forget your warm clothes, sleeping bags, wet weather gear, torches, hat, sunscreen and good walking shoes because Gallipoli is still as cold and dark as it was 99 years ago! Optional we provide sleepings bags, please let us know at time of booking.
05:30-06:15 Dawn Service, ANZAC Commemorative Site, North Beach
09:30 – 10:15 Australian Memorial Service, Lone Pine
11:30 – 12:15 New Zealand Memorial Service, Chunuk Bair
After attending the ANZAC services, at approx. 3:00pm we will gtravel to Istanbul. The bus trip will be around 5 – 6 hours. So approximately at 21:00 you will be back to hotel. Overnight in Istanbul.
Meals included:
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Pullman Hotel or Ramada Hotel & Suite Golden Horn
Day 5: Istanbul – City Tour – End of ANZAC Tour – Monday, 26th April 2021
Pass By: Istanbul, Istanbul
After breakfast, check out from your hotel as we will not be back in time. Your luggage will be stored. We depart at 8:30am for your guided Istanbul city tour.
Topkapi Palace: Beginning from the Mehmed the Conqueror, the Topkapi Palace which was the official residential of the Ottoman Sultans until the Sultan Abdulmecid the thirty-first Sultan’s time has been used as a center for the state administration, education and art of the Empire approximately 400 years. The palace is full of examples of Ottoman architecture and also contains large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armor, Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts and murals, as well as a display of Ottoman treasure and jewelry.
Sultanahmet Imperial Mosque: The mosque, built between 1609 and 1616, is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. With its six minarets and a great cascade of domes, the mosque is a worthy sibling to Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia). Pope Benedict XVI visited the Sultan Ahmed Mosque on 30th November 2006 during his visit to Turkey. It marks only the second papal visit in history to a Muslim place of worship.
Hippodrome: Today the area is officially called Sultan Ahmet Square, and is carefully maintained by the Turkish authorities. The course of the old racetrack has been indicated with paving, although the actual track is some 2 m below the present surface. The surviving monuments of the Spina, the two obelisks and the Serpentine Column, now sit in holes in a landscaped garden. The German Fountain, an octagonal domed fountain in neo-Byzantine style, which was constructed by the German government in 1900 to mark the German Emperor Wilhelm II’s visit to Istanbul in 1898, is located at the northern entrance to the Hippodrome area, right in front of the Blue Mosque.
Spice Bazaar: The Spice Bazaar, or Egyptian Bazaar is one of the oldest bazaars in the city. Located in Eminonu, it is the second largest covered shopping complex after the Grand Bazaar. The air here is filled with the enticing aromas of cinnamon, caraway, saffron, mint, thyme and every other conceivable herb and spice.
Please make your own arrangements for departure transfers or simply ask TravelShop Turkey staff.
We hope you had a memorable ANZAC day tour and we look forward to seeing you in the future on another TravelShop Turkey Tour. Have a safe trip back home and thanks for choosing TravelShop Turkey.
Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.
