The Mediterranean: in the Footsteps of Great Civilisations

Enhance your cruise and extend your trip with a carefully designed programme.

 

Enjoy a few days discovering Cappadocia’s unique scenery in the heart of Turkey. The exceptional landscapes, as beautiful as they are mystical, will fascinate you, as will the history of this striking region. From fairy chimney rock formations to cave dwellings and underground cities, embark on a journey where shimmering colours mingle with the aromas and magic of the Orient.

 

Day 1 - Antalya/Konya

After disembarkation procedures are completed, you will be greeted at pier by our local representative.

By road, you will immediately head for Konya, lying in Central Anatolia at an altitude of 1,000 metres (3,281 feet). From the Mediterranean region of Antalya, an approximately four-and-a-half-hour drive will take you to this holy city, the cradle of Sufism and the former capital of the Seljuk Empire. It is there that, in the 13th century, the mystic poet Jalal al-Din Rumi – also called “Mevlana”, meaning ’erudite’ – founded the Mevlevi Order, also known as the “whirling dervishes”. Today, the city boasts prestigious religious monuments that attract a great many pilgrims, but it is also a significantly urbanised modern metropolis.

For lunch, you will enjoy traditional cuisine at a local restaurant in Konya.

You will then visit the Mevlana Museum, dedicated to the founding father of the whirling dervishes. This major pilgrimage site houses the former lodge of the Mevlevi Order and the mausoleum of the master, a masterpiece of Seljuk art built in 1274 after his death.

You will then be taken to the Hich Hotel Konya 4*.

Check-in in your room.

Dinner at leisure and overnight at your hotel.

 

Day 2 - Konya/Cappadocia

Breakfast and check-out.

After breakfast, once you have completed your hotel check-out, you will leave Konya and cross the arid planes of Anatolia towards Cappadocia.

On the way (approximately one-and-a-half hour drive), you will stop at the Sultan Han Caravanserai. This roadside inn built in the 13th century afforded caravaners a place to rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais, or hans in Turkish, supported the flow of commerce across a network of trade routes connecting Asia, North Africa and South-Eastern Europe. The Sultanhani han is one of the most well-preserved along the Silk Road linking Konya to Persia.

You will travel on for another couple of hours to reach Mustafapasa (Sinasos). Located 5 km (3 miles) south of Urgup, it is one of the most beautiful villages in Cappadocia. The town is famous for its Greek architecture. Greeks and Karamanlides (Turkish-speaking Christians) make up the majority of the population. The rest are Muslim Turks. Its sculpted wooden doors and facade decorations are very typical.

Lunch will be served in a local restaurant.

After lunch, you will head to Kaymakli to visit the UNESCO-listed, largest underground city in the region. Between the 6th and 10th centuries, the city was carved out of volcanic rock, up to a depth of more than 90 metres (295 feet). It is possible to go as deep as eight levels down through an intricate labyrinth of tunnels.

After another half-hour or so on the road, you will arrive at the 4* Argos In Cappadocia Hotel in the mid-afternoon.

Enjoy some free time to freshen up and rest.

Dinner will then be served in a local restaurant.

Overnight in the hotel.

 

Day 3 - Cappadocia

You will visit Pasabag, boasting the most striking fairy chimneys in Cappadocia, crowned with double and sometimes even triple rock caps. Even for this region, these formations are truly unique! The locals call them mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys. As you wander around Pasabag, you will see many vineyards.

After lunch, your discovery tour will continue with the Zelve Open-Air Museum, south of Avanos. It encompasses three valleys home to a multitude of crumbling cave dwellings, painted and carved churches, wine-making rooms and wheat grinding mills. Right at the back of the third valley are the deepest and most intact cave dwellings, with many details indicating what life must have been like here a thousand years ago.

Next, in Avanos, the capital of Turkish pottery, a workshop will teach you more about this wonderful local handicraft inherited from the Hittite period.

To wrap up this day spent amid fairy chimneys and Byzantine vestiges, you will stop for a wine tasting at a local vineyard with some of the oldest perched vines in the world. There, you will be able to taste fruity wines made from local grapes.

Back to your hotel.

Dinner at leisure.

Overnight at the hotel.

 

Day 4 - Cappadocia

Your day will then be spent discovering this unique and colourful natural environment through some of the most well-known sites in the region (ten to twenty-minute transfer between each visit). On the road between Uchisar and Goreme, you will start by visiting Pigeon Valley. A short walk will enable you to discover the dovecote tradition in Cappadocia. The locals carve them out of the tuff formations called “fairy chimneys”.

Lunch will be served in a local restaurant.

After a short transfer (approximately ten minutes), you will reach the Goreme Open-Air Museum, the most visited site of the monastic communities in Cappadocia, and one of the most famous sites in the centre of Turkey. It is a complex comprising more than 30 churches and chapels carved out of rock and containing superb frescoes dating from the 9th century to the 11th. While the exterior seems relatively unremarkable, the interiors are designed in a typical Byzantine style, with a central dome and a floor plan in the shape of a cross or a rectangle. The largest and most well-preserved church in Goreme is Tokali Kilise. Its interior walls are covered in some of the most beautiful frescoes in the region, depicting scenes from the New Testament. In the early evening, you will be attending a whirling dervish ceremony called “semah”. During this ritual dance, accompanied by Sufi music and symbolising a prayer and divine communion, the Mevlevi Order disciples spin around in a trance-like state.

Dinner at leisure and overnight at the hotel.

 

Day 5 - Cappadocia/Kayseri

After breakfast and check-out, time at leisure depending on your flight schedule.

You will then be transferred to the Kayseri airport in time for check-in for the PONANT selected flight or any other flight (provided that you have previously communicated your flight schedule to your travel agent).

 

Your hotels:

 

 

The 4* Argos In Cappadocia Hotel is a former monastery in the village of Uchisar, now turned boutique hotel. Its interior reflects the cave-dwelling tradition yet offers every modern-day comfort. The hotel has been beautifully renovated by integrating the new structures into the heart of the vestiges with the utmost respect for the environment. Guests come here to press pause and take a break from the frantic pace of the modern world. Each room is unique and offers a private space. They are carved right out of the rock, celebrating the region’s cave-dwelling tradition. Lush gardens and sun-drenched terraces reveal picturesque panoramic views.

Upgraded rooms are also available depending on availability and on a supplement basis. Contact your travel professional for further detail.

 

Your programme includes:

• 1-night at the Hich Hotel Konya 4*, or similar, breakfast included.
• 3-night at the Argos Hotel In Cappadocia 4*, or similar, breakfast included.
• Meals as mentioned in the programme.
• Beverage package during meals (bottled water + 1 soft drink or 1 local beer or 1 glass of wine and 1 coffee or tea). Excepted for the Lunch in Konya, No alcoholic beverages available around the Mevlana Museum Complex.
• Transfers, visits, and entrance fees as mentioned in the programme.
• The services of a local English-speaking guide and a local French-speaking guide during visits.

 

Your programme does not include:

• Personal expenses.
• Meals not mentioned in the programme.
• Visa if necessary.
• Tips for the driver and local guide.
• Other services not mentioned in the programme.
• Early check-in and late check-out.

Please note:

• It is imperative that the details of your departure flight are provided to your travel agent, no later than 30 days before the start date of your cruise, to secure the proper private transfer.
• Turkey’s unit is the Turkish Lira.
• The distance between Cappadocia and Antalya is about 540 km (335 miles) and takes about 8 hours to cover by road. Since no domestic flights are possible on the itinerary dates, the package includes an overnight stay in Konya to make your trip more enjoyable.
• Konya is a holy city and its region is one of the most conservative in Turkey. The traditional local restaurants, particularly those located near religious sites, do not sell alcoholic beverages. It is possible to order alcoholic beverages in the bars and restaurants of certain international hotels.
• For the Mevlana Museum visit, clothing must cover the shoulders and legs. Women must cover their head, so a scarf is recommended.
• Kaymakli Underground City: this visit is not recommended for anyone suffering from claustrophobia, respiratory problems, or who has difficulties walking. The passageways are very narrow and low, requiring visitors to hunch over (but not crawl). There is adequate light. Good walking shoes are recommended.
• Official in-room check-in time at 3:00 p.m.
• Official time of check-out from the room at 12:00 p.m.
• This programme is not suitable for people with reduced mobility.

 

Contact of your hotels:

 

Hich Hotel Konya 4*

Argos Cappadocia

Uchisar-Nevsehir

TURKEY

Telephone number: (90) 384 219 31 30.

 

Duration and order of the visits may vary. To know your PONANT flight schedule, please contact your travel agent; it is also indicated on your electronic ticket included in your travel documents.

Kindly note that a minimum number of participants is required for this trip to proceed. As a result, both the price and itinerary may be adjusted based on the final number of participants. Should the minimum number not be met, we will offer you an alternative arrangement.