CAA News Today

Read Milton Moore’s tour diary from his trip to Turkey in October 2013, organized by Tutku Tours.

CAA has partnered with Tutku Tours to provide an exclusive offer for its members to spend two weeks exploring the ancient and contemporary sides of Turkey, from May 27 to June 10, 2014. Highlights of the Arts in Turkey Tour: Yesterday and Today trip include stops in Istanbul, Iznik, Canakkale, Troy, Assos, Ayvalik, Izmir, Pergamum, Ephesus, Kusadasi, Pamukkale, Catalhoyuk, Konya, Cappadocia, and Ankara. This tour is a one-of-a-kind experience that takes visitors on a spectacular journey through ancient and modern Turkey. Visit the workshops of local artists, learn about techniques of ancient art, and take in galleries and museums in some of the world’s oldest cities.

The tour begins with three days in Istanbul—the city on seven hills and the capital of two former empires—where travelers will visit the major attractions, including the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, and Hagia Sophia, and also get to know the city’s vibrant street life and local art scene. The tour will then visit the Iznick Foundation’s tile factory, the archaeological site of ancient Troy, and the Pergamum acropolis. The city of Izmir, which boasts numerous museums and art galleries, comes next, and later the port city of Ephesus and Pamukkale, near the ancient city of Herapolis. A handful of other exciting stops will happen in the several days before the return flight from Ankara.

In addition to access to cultural and historic sites, the Art of Turkey Tour will provide CAA members with time for rest and relaxation. The group will stop at a carpet school in Ephesus, along with an overnight stay at a spa hotel at the Pamukkale hot springs. The end of the trip includes a stop in Cappadocia, where travelers can explore the Göreme Open-Air Museum, a vast collection of painted cave-churches dating from 1000 AD, and also watch a whirling dervishes ceremony. At the final destination, Ankara, the tour will visit the famed Museum of Anatolian Civilizations.

Getting There: Turkish Airlines provides nonstop, direct flights from the United States and Canada from the following cities: New York, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Chicago, Houston, and Toronto.

Land and Air Rates: $3,990 per person for a double room; $4,780 per person for a single room.

The Arts in Turkey Tour features include:

• International flight from the US via Turkish Airlines
• Thirteen nights in superior hotels
• Comprehensive sightseeing as specified in the program
• Meals (thirteen dinners, four lunches, daily breakfasts)
• An official, licensed English-speaking guide throughout the tour
• Visits to art galleries
• Transportation in air-conditioned vehicles
• All entry fees to sites and museums
• A hot-air balloon flight in Cappadocia
• Local taxes and service charges

For a detailed, day-by-day tour itinerary, please download and review the Arts in Turkey Tour brochure.