Day 1 İstanbul – Düsseldorf – Amsterdam
Meeting 3 hours before the flight in front of the Turkish Airlines counter at the International Departures terminal of Istanbul Airport. After baggage, ticket, and passport procedures, departure to Düsseldorf at 06:50 with Turkish Airlines flight TK 1523. After arrival at 09:05 local time, on our city tour of Düsseldorf, one of Germany’s most important cities of culture, art, and industry, the rotating restaurant Rheinturm, Schloss Benrath, where some of Germany’s most important thinkers were educated, the shopping street Königsallee, and the lush green areas of Hofgarten are among the sights to be seen. After the tour, we depart for Amsterdam. On our city tour in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, which borders Germany to the east and Belgium to the south, Dam Square, Central Station, the National Monument, the Royal Palace, the Flower Market, and the Red Light District are among the sights to be seen. After the tour, transfer to our hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 2 Amsterdam – Zaanse Schans – Marken – Volendam – Giethoorn – Amsterdam
After breakfast at the hotel, guests who wish may join the extra tour Magnificent Fairytale Villages and Water Canals (Zaanse Schans & Marken & Volendam & Giethoorn Hobbit Village). (100 Euro) Our tour begins with the town of Zaanse Schans. Zaanse Schans, one of the hidden paradise towns of the Netherlands, is a famous Dutch town with historic windmills dating back to the 17th century that are still in operation and with untouched nature. With its historic windmills and wooden houses, Zaanse Schans offers beauties unlike anywhere else in the world, and you will feel as if you are strolling through an open-air museum. Our second stop on the tour is Marken. After exploring the inside of this wonderful island, which was once an island but later connected to the mainland by filling in the land between, we proceed to Volendam. Volendam is a place that impresses people at first sight with its harbor, characteristic Dutch houses, and people in traditional clothing. After spending a pleasant time in this town where you can taste delicious seafood and cheeses and buy inexpensive souvenirs, our final stop is Giethoorn Hobbit Village. Considered one of the most beautiful spots in the world, Giethoorn is one of Europe’s most fairy-tale-like places. Giethoorn, whose popularity comes from the 1958 film “Fanfare” being shot here, has grown in fame ever since and hosts over 800,000 tourists annually. After the tour, transfer to our hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 3 Amsterdam – Brugge – Ghent – Brussels
After breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Brussels. En route, guests who wish may join the extra tour Magnificent Cities Brugge & Ghent. (75 Euro) Our first stop on the tour is the magnificent Brugge, famous for its beauty. Today, Brugge is one of the most visited tourist cities in Europe and was protected by UNESCO in 1991. With its medieval architecture, water canals, narrow streets, bridges, historic buildings, and squares, it has become one of Europe’s favorite cities. After touring this beautiful city, we head to Ghent, another city where time seems to stand still. With a history of 1400
years, Ghent was founded where the Scheldt and Lys rivers meet and is one of the largest and wealthiest cities of the Middle Ages. After our tour in this city, famous for its medieval monuments and university, we depart for Brussels. Brussels, one of the most striking stops on Benelux tours, stands out with its versatility. Thanks to its cosmopolitan structure, the city offers travelers many different opportunities, and we will visit a number of valuable buildings. Upon arrival, the places to see include the Royal Palace, the Chinese and Japanese Houses, Brussels Cathedral, the city square, the Stock Exchange Building, the Atomium Monument, and the Manneken Pis Statue. After the tour, transfer to our hotel and free time. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 4 Brussels – Paris
After breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Paris, one of the most romantic cities in the world. Upon arrival in Paris, the places to see include Charles de Gaulle and the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, the Louvre Museum and the Pyramid, Place de l’Étoile, the Grand Palais and Petit Palais Exhibition Palaces, Place de la Concorde and the Obelisk, the French Parliament Building, the Alexandre III Bridge, the Seine River, Napoleon’s Tomb, and the Eiffel Tower. After the tour, transfer to our hotel and free time. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 5 Paris
After breakfast at the hotel, guests who wish may join the extra tour Magnificent Paris Masterpieces & Seine River Boat (Eiffel Tower & Seine River Boat Tour & Montmartre Painters’ Hill & Sacré-Cœur Basilica & Notre Dame Cathedral). (100 Euro) Our first stop on the tour is the Eiffel Tower, the city’s iconic landmark visited by millions of tourists every year. By going up to the 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower, you will have the chance to see Paris from above as well. Then we set off on a boat tour on the Seine River, which divides Paris into two. After seeing the historic monuments on both banks of the river during the boat tour, we take the cable car up to Montmartre Hill, the highest hill in Paris. On this hill, where the traces of important artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henry Toulouse Lautrec, Dalida, Vincent Van Gogh, and Jean Marais can be found, Sacré-Cœur (Basilica of the Sacred Heart) will be the first place to see. After seeing this structure up close, following a break where you can shop and have your portrait drawn at Place du Tertre, we visit Notre Dame Cathedral, described as a symbol of French history and an indispensable part of Paris’s silhouette. Notre Dame Cathedral was built on the orders of King Louis VII, who ruled between 1137 and 1180, to show the political, economic, and cultural power of Paris to the world. After seeing this magnificent structure, we take a short photo break. Then transfer to our hotel. In the evening, guests who wish may join the extra tour Magnificent Paris Under the Lights. (30 Euro) The city of Paris is beautiful in a different way by day and by night. On this tour, you will have the opportunity to see Champs-Elysées, Place de la Concorde, the Louvre Museum, and many more boulevards, buildings, and squares illuminated at night. After the tour, transfer to our hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 6 Paris – Luxembourg
After breakfast at the hotel, we set off for Luxembourg. Upon arrival, our Luxembourg city tour begins. Notre Dame Cathedral, the Duke’s Palace, the City Hall, and Constitution Square are among the places to see. After the tour, guests who wish may join the extra tour Magnificent History and Mosaics (Trier & Remich & Schengen). (55 Euro) Our first stop on the tour is Trier, founded by the Romans in 15 BC and bearing the title of Germany’s oldest city. In the city tour we will carry out in Trier, located in the Moselle Wine Region among low red sandstone hills covered with vines on the banks of the Moselle River, one of the tributaries of the Rhine, the Porta Nigra, the largest surviving Roman city gate north of the Alps, the Roman Ruins within the UNESCO World Heritage Site, St. Peter’s Cathedral and Church of Our Lady, Constantine Basilica, and the house where Karl Marx, the revolutionary thinker and father of scientific socialism, was born are among the places to see. After our Trier visit, we head to the town of Remich, the tax haven, where you can do the cheapest shopping throughout our tour. Due to Luxembourg’s low tax policies and border location, you can buy products such as chocolate, coffee, and alcoholic beverages here at very low prices. Finally, we visit Schengen, the point where the borders of Germany, France, and Luxembourg meet and where the free movement agreement that abolished passport controls between European Union member states was signed. In this village, one of Europe’s important wine regions, you will have the opportunity to taste local wines and see the Monument and building where the Schengen Agreement was signed. After the tour, transfer to our hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 7 Luxembourg – Strasbourg
After breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Strasbourg, one of France’s most beautiful cities and the pearl of the Alsace region. As you tour Strasbourg, you will feel as if you are traveling back in time through Europe’s largest cobblestone medieval neighborhoods. With its nature and historic structures from a fairy tale land, wooden houses, historic medieval churches, cathedrals, and many works of art, it is a place well worth seeing. Strasbourg also has historical significance as the place where the French national anthem “La Marseillaise” was written, and it appears as a city where Alsace culture and French architecture blend together. In addition, during our city tour, Strasbourg Cathedral, Rohan Palace, Kleber Square, and the Petit France district decorated with traditional Alsace houses are among the places to see. After the tour, guests who wish may join the Magnificent Fairytale Villages of Alsace (Eguisheim & Colmar & Kaysersberg & Riquewihr) tour. (100 Euro) In this tour, where we will want to take photos at every opportunity from start to finish, our first stop will be Eguisheim. Eguisheim, which was named “Favorite French Village” in 2013, is a village where history and nature dance together. Its colorful houses reflecting the typical architecture of the Alsace region create Eguisheim’s postcard-like appearance. After the tour, we depart for Colmar, famous for its medieval buildings, Gothic-style churches, and colorful houses. As we stroll through the well-preserved streets of Colmar, the St. Martin Cathedral, built entirely of pink stone, Little Venice, reminiscent of the Italian city of Venice with its small canals, Maison Pfister, one of Colmar’s oldest houses, and Maison des Tetes, a Renaissance building decorated with faces, are among the places to see. Our third stop on the tour is Kaysersberg. Kaysersberg is a charming part of the Alsace region as a medieval town in France. It is famous for its colorful houses, narrow streets, and historic atmosphere. In particular, the 13th-century Château de Kaysersberg is one of the town’s most prominent symbols. Sainte-Croix Church, located in the city center, also attracts attention with its Gothic architecture. After the tour, we move on to our final stop, Riquewihr, one of Alsace’s most enchanting cities, with many half-timbered houses that give the city its charm. This historic village fascinates visitors with its old houses decorated with colorful flowers, narrow streets, and medieval fabric surrounded by walls. On our tour, we will also see the ruins of Riquewihr Castle and feel the medieval atmosphere by walking along the village’s old ramparts. After the tour, transfer to our hotel in Strasbourg or the surrounding area. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 8 Strasbourg – Stuttgart - Istanbul
After breakfast at the hotel, check out of the rooms and depart for Stuttgart. In southwestern Germany, Stuttgart, hidden among lush green hills, stands out not only for its identity as an industrial giant but also for its elegant parks, vineyards, and cultural texture. In our city tour, Schlossplatz (Palace Square), the largest square in Stuttgart, Neues Schloss (New Castle), Altes Schloss (Old Castle), and Johanneskirche (St. John’s Church) are among the places to see. After the tour, depart for the airport at the time indicated by our guide. After baggage, ticket, and passport procedures, depart for Istanbul at 18:35 with Turkish Airlines flight TK 1706. Arrival at 22:35 local time and the end of our tour.