Turkey, Egypt, Jordan & Israel Signature

Itinerary

• Day 1: Arrival, Istanbul

  Welcome to Istanbul, Turkey! Upon arrival, you will be greeted and escorted to the hotel for check in. The rest of the day is free for you to have a rest.

  • Istanbul

• Day 2: Istanbul

  After breakfast, your exploration of Istanbul will begin with a visit to Topkapi Palace, where you can get a pretty good feel for the life of Ottoman sultans from fabulous collections of holy relics and interesting buildings such as the Imperial Harem. Continue your tour to the Hagia Sophia, which is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and famous for its massive dome. Close by is the Blue Mosque, which was named for blue tiles surrounding the walls of interior design. From here it is a short walk to the Basilica cistern. Immerse yourself in the mystical atmosphere with water dripping from the vaulted ceiling and ghostly carp patrolling the water.

  Later, walk through the hippodrome (an ancient Grecian stadium for horse racing and chariot racing) to Egyptian Obelisk (a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument) and then stop at Serpentine Column (an ancient bronze column built to commemorate the Greeks who fought and defeated the Persian Empire at the Battle of Plataea).

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  • Istanbul

• Day 3: Istanbul - Izmir - Kusadasi

  After breakfast at the hotel, you will have a flight to Izmir. Upon arrival, a comfortable private transfer will take you to the first tourist attraction the Agora. Stroll around this rectangular-shaped, multilevel marketplace of old Smyrna to enjoy the Corinthian colonnade and Faustina Gate. Followed by is the Kizlaragasi Hani, an ancient Ottoman-built warehouse dating from 1744. After the tour, you will be transferred to the hotel in Kusadasi for check in.

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  • Kusadasi

• Day 4: Kusadasi - Ephesus - Izmir - Istanbul

  Today is dedicated to exploring the ruins of the ancient city Ephesus. You can get a deep understanding of this city's original splendor from several visible ruins, including the Arcadian Way, the Antique Theater, the Roman Baths, and the Celcus Library. After that, continue your exploration to the Shrine of Virgin Mary, which is a Catholic and Muslim shrine located on Mt. Koressos in the vicinity of Ephesus. After visiting the Basilica of St. John, you will be escorted to Izmir for your flight to Istanbul. Upon arrival, check in to the hotel and the rest of the day is at leisure.

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  • Istanbul

• Day 5: Istanbul - Cairo

  After breakfast, you will have an international flight to Cairo, the capital of Egypt. Upon arrival, be met and transferred to the hotel for check in. The rest of the day is at leisure.

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  • Cairo

• Day 6: Cairo

  This morning, you will be transferred to the Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom. Start your exploration with a visit to the Alabaster Sphinx and the statue of Ramses II. After that, continue on to the Step Pyramid of Saqqara, which was the earliest of the existing pyramids in Egypt. Later, move on to the Pyramids of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Take photos to this world-famous architecture and the mysterious Sphinx, a colossal lion with a pharaoh's head.

  Optional: In the evening, chance to revisit the Pyramids with the famous Evening Light & Sound Show (USD40/person, including round-trip private transfers).

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  • Cairo

• Day 7: Cairo

  After breakfast, learn about the history of Egypt from the magnificent collection of Pharaonic antiquities. Continue your visit to the Citadel of Salah El-Din, a medieval Islamic fortification. The main building of this castle is the Mohammed Ali Mosque. Your tour will end at the Khan El Khalili Bazaar, a busy and colorful open-air bazaar filled with unique and exotic items from spices and perfumes to jewelry and souvenirs.

  Optional: Chance to experience Shisha (Arabian hookah) at the Khalili Bazaar (USD15/person).

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  • Cairo

• Day 8: Cairo - Luxor

  After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Luxor. Upon arrival, be met and escorted to the hotel for check in. After a short break, you will start your exploration along the East Bank of Luxor to the Temples of Karnak, where you can take in the representative buildings of Ancient Egypt. Followed by is the Luxor Temple, which is one of the best-preserved of all of the ancient monuments with large amounts of the structure, statuary and relief carvings.

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  • Luxor

• Day 9: Luxor - Cairo

  After breakfast, set out for a visit to the Valley of the Kings, where rock-cut tombs of the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom were excavated. Continue on to visit the Colossi of Memnon - two massive stone statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III.

  In the afternoon, you will be escorted to the airport for your flight to Cairo. Upon arrival, be met and transferred to a nearby hotel for check-in.

  Note: Visit tombs for Ramesses VI, Tutankhamun and Ay will be subject to an additional charge of USD8/person respectively, while a visit to other tombs is included in the main tickets.

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  • Cairo

• Day 10: Cairo - Amman - Petra

  After breakfast, you will be escorted to the airport for your international flight to Amman. Upon arrival, our representative will greet you and help you go through Border Check and Customs. Your English-speaking driver in Amman will transfer you to the hotel in Petra (about 3 hours). After checking in to the hotel, the rest of the day is free for you to have a rest.

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  • Petra

• Day 11: Petra

  After breakfast, your English-speaking guide will spend about 2 hours taking you visit main highlights of Petra with introductions of their history and culture. After that, enjoy an exploration tour on your own pace. Petra is a historical and archaeological city in southern Jordan, famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system. Stroll around the paved streets to immerse yourself in magnificent architecture such as Al Khazneh, elaborate royal tombs, and a curved Nabatean theater.

  Note: My Odyssey Tours arranges an English-speaking driver for the trip. When you visit Petra, Odyssey will arrange private English-speaking guides to explain the site for you and you will explore the other sites on own, the driver will be just a driver, of course, your driver is also able to give you general information on Jordan. Your private guide will be with you at Petra for around two hours, after which you have some time to explore further on your own.

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  • Petra

• Day 12: Petra - Allenby Bridge Border (Jordanian Side) - Jerusalem

  After breakfast, your driver will escort north to Allenby Bridge (around 4 hours). En route, stop at Madaba to enjoy its Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics and Mt. Nebo to get a panorama view of the Holy Land. Upon arrival, say goodbye to your driver and pass the boarder on your own. The driver in Israel will meet you at the Israeli side and transfer you to the hotel in Jerusalem for check in.

  Note:
  1. Your private driver will meet you at the Israel Terminal and transfer you to hotel in Jerusalem with private vehicle (no guide today).
  2. There is 10-minute shuttle bus service between two border check points, and the cost is USD12/person, USD3/luggage.

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  • Jerusalem

• Day 13: Jerusalem

  Old Jerusalem is a spiritual lightning rod, sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians. Today you will have a tour of this city. Move to the Mount of Olives to get a panoramic view of the city. Go downhill and stop at the Gethsemane, a garden famous as the place where Jesus prayed. Followed by is King David's Tomb, a place of pilgrimage for Jews, Muslims and Christians. Head to Wailing Wall, where you have a chance to see coming-of-age ceremonies of Jewish sons and daughters. Continue your visit to Church of the Holy Sepulcher and then stop at the Golgotha, where Jesus was said to have been crucified.

  Note:
  1. Private English speaking guided tour for today.
  2. Please be aware that during Friday and Saturday, the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Agsa Mosque is NOT open to non-muslim. In that case, we suggest changing the tour sequence so that we could still visit these two sites.

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  • Jerusalem

• Day 14: Jerusalem - Tel Aviv

  Today you will drive south to Bethlehem, which is the birthplace of Jesus. Explore the multitude of Churches and Chapels in the Church of the Nativity compound, enjoy the bustle of Manger Square, and visit the Shepherds Field.

  Later, spend about 2 hours driving to Tel Aviv. Upon arrival, pay a visit to the Old Jaffa. It is an awesome maze of historic stone buildings, amazing little galleries and studios, mosques and churches, the Jaffa Flea Market (Shuk Hapishpishim) and the Jaffa Port.

  Note: Private English speaking guided tour for today.

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  • Tel Aviv

• Day 15: Tel Aviv, Departure

  After breakfast at the hotel, you will have some leisure time until driving to the Ben Gurion Airport for your flight back home.

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