Circle of Civilizations

Upon arrival in Istanbul, you will be transferred to your hotel. The remainder of the day is free to explore this amazing city.

Enjoy a full-day tour of Istanbul including Topkapi Palace - the residence of the Ottoman sultans, the Hippodrome, the Underground Cistern, the Blue Mosque, and St. Sophia. Enjoy 3,000 shops in the Grand Bazaar.

If weather permits, take a optional Bosphorus cruise today. Start your day with a visit of the Spice Bazaar. Then cruise along the Bosphorus waterway and view the dramatic sights lining the Bosphorus' wooded shores: mosques, mansions of the Ottoman elite, the Sultan's fanciful gingerbread palaces and hunting lodges, and a fortress built by Fatih the Conqueror. In the evening, you may want to enjoy an optional Turkish dinner including a belly dancing show and an Anatolian cultural performance.

You will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Athens. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Today consider joining a tour of Athens including an overview of the modern city and classical sights. Drive by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Panathenian Stadium, see vistas of the Presidential Palace, Hadrian's Arch, the Catholic Cathedral, the Academy, the University, the National Library and the Temple of Nike. Visit the Roman Temple of Olympian Zeus and then the Acropolis including the amazing Parthenon. The remainder of the day is at your leisure or consider joining an optional tour to Cape Sounion.

Today, you can either enjoy a day cruise to the three Saronic Islands of Hydra, Poros and Aegina (weather permitting), or you may decide to go on a full-day tour to Delphi instead.

You will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Cairo. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel.

Today visit the 200-foot-high step Pyramid of Sakkara in Memphis, the Pyramid of Unas, the Serapeum, and the Alabaster Sphinx. Continue to the Three Pyramids, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. In the evening consider taking an optional dinner cruise on the Nile.

In the morning, consider joining tour of the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities - one of the world's most famous museums, which has a magnificent collection of antiquities and is home to King Tut's renowned treasures. Consider taking an optional tour of the citadel, mosques and bazaar in the afternoon.

You will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Tel Aviv. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Today, consider a full-day guided tour of Jerusalem. Drive to the Mount of Olives for a panoramic view. Enter the Old City and walk through the Jewish quarter to the restored Cardo. See the Wailing Wall (the Kotel), and the Christian Quarter. Proceed to the New City and view the Knesset - Israel's parliament, and visit Yad Vashem.

Enjoy a day at leisure or consider taking an optional tour to the Dead Sea, where you can float in the mineral rich waters and visit a spa, or enjoy a city tour visiting the must see icons of Tel Aviv.