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VIP ANZAC TOUR
The VIP Anzac Tour is ideal
for those people who have enough time to attend the Anzac Day
Commemorations and get a really good taste of what Turkey has to
offer. The tour starts and finishes in Istanbul and includes a fully
guided tour around Istanbul and the Gallipoli region. Our guests on
this tour will stay in luxury Five-Star hotels throughout the tour.
 Starts:
21 April 2007 - Ends: 27 April 2007
7 Days and
6 Nights
5
Star Hotels
Includes All Entrance Fees
Many Meals Included
 Our hotels for Anzac Day guests
Frequently asked questions
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Day One:
Saturday 21th April - Arrival in Istanbul
Welcome to Turkey! You will be greeted with hospitality at the
Atatürk International Airport by a Sammy's Travel representative and
driven into the heart of the old city where you can rest and relax
for the remainder of the day. Tonight at 'Welcome Drinks' in your
hotel you can meet the rest of your tour group.
Overnight: Istanbul
Day Two: Sunday
22nd April - Istanbul City Tour
After breakfast we visit Dolmabahce Palace the last residence for
Ottoman Sultans with 365 rooms and 22 saloons. This Palace is famous
for its great collection of European antiquity, furniture and 4.5ton
chandeliers. Next we will visit the Bosphorus Bridge and you have a
unique chance to step from one continent (Europe) to another (Asia)
in 2 minutes. We will then have a Coffee/Tea break at Camlica Hill
exposing a panoramic view of Istanbul and the Bosphorus. - Lunch
break - After lunch we will depart for Miniaturk where more than 100
monuments from Turkey are in smaller size and we will then visit the
Rahmi Koç Industrial Museum. After a few hours rest we will have a
Private Bosphorus Cruise (BBQ on the boat). This is a traditional
excursion by boat along the waterway which separates the two
continents, magic Asia and Europe of marble palaces.
You will see ancient wooden villas of Ottoman architecture beside
modern residential and deluxe apartments and further along, the
parks and Imperial Pavillions of Yildiz Palace. On the coastal edge
of this park stands the famous Ciragan Palace Kempinsky Hotel, 300
meters of this marble facade faces the shore. Next the boat will
visit Ortakoy where a great variety of artists gather every Sunday
to display their work along the street. Ortakoy town is a symbol of
tolerance with a Church, a Mosque and a Synagogue having existed
side by side for centuries. You will also see many more things
during this magnificent boat cruise. Important Note : If the weather
conditions is not suitable we will arrange your dinner at a populer
restaurant instead of BBQ dinner on the boat
Overnight: Istanbul
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch & Dinner
Day
Three: Monday 23rd April - Istanbul to Gallipoli
After breakfast we drive to the World War I Battlefield of Gallipoli
stopping along the way to pick up refreshments for lunch. You will
also have an opportunity to watch "Gallipoli" the movie so you get a
feel for the type of people who fought in this war and to help you
picture conditions 92 years ago. This afternoon on a fully guided
tour, you will visit the Kabatepe War Museum, Anzac Cove, Hell Spit
Cemetery, Lone Pine, The Nek, and Chunuk Bair War memorial. Your
guide will reveal stories of battle woes and will bring alive the
legend of the Anzac's. By visiting the peninsula on the 23rd April
we get to spend more time exploring without the crowds from other
tours that arrive on the 24th.
Overnight: Canakkale
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch & Dinner
Day Four:
Tuesday 24th April - Troy Tour & Anzac Cove
After late breakfast we will depart for Troy, the site of King
Priam's Treasures. Probably the most famous city of ancient times -
who doesn't know the story of the Trojan Horse? Referred to in
Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey", Troy is in fact nine cities built on
top of each other. Troy Vl is believed to pertain to the famous
Trojan War of Homer, where the legendary heroes included Agamemnon,
Achilles, Ulysses and Nestor on the Greek side and Priam, Hector and
Paris on the Trojan side. After the tour of Troy we arrive at site
of the Dawn Service to get a good spot on the grass. War veterans,
military personal and media are everywhere and the atmosphere is
electric. There is a unique feeling in the air, a celebration of
peace subdued by a cloud of commemoration. Within 3 hours, the site
will appear like a sea of colour with thousands of Aussies and Kiwis
sprawling out on the grass, warmly wrapped up in sleeping bags and
the flags of their countries. You will have time to get a few hours
rest/sleep on the grass because by 9pm the MC will be asking you to
squash forward to try and make space for the thousands more people
still to come. The buzzing atmosphere will permeate the whole night.
Well before the grey light of dawn signals the start of the dawn
service, speakers and entertainers begin their addresses, folk songs
and stories. The local Turks also sell a great variety of Turkish
Kebabs, pancakes and fast hot foods.
Overnight: Anzac Cove
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch & Dinner
Day Five:
Wednesday 25th April – Anzac Day at Gallipoli
The day begins with the Dawn Service held at the ANZAC Commemorative
Site, which will be followed by the Australian and New Zealand
memorial services held at Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair respectively.
Today is the reason you came to Turkey, to commemorate the sacrifice
your forefathers have made. Emotions run high and this evening you
will travel back to Istanbul, arriving there in the late evening.
Overnight: Istanbul
Meals: Lunchbox & Dinner
Day Six:
Thursday 26th April - Istanbul City Tour
This morning after breakfast we will visit the "Sultan Ahmet
Center", the heart of the "Old City" from where the Byzantine and
Ottoman Empires were ruled. Hagia (St.) Sophia, one of the greatest
marvels of architecture, constructed as a basilica in the 6th
century by Emperor Justinian. Then we will visit the Blue Mosque,
facing Hagia Sophia, famous with its blue Iznik tiles and unique
with 6 minarets, built in the name of Sultan Ahmet. We will also
visit the Hippodrome, center of sportive (chariot races, athletics)
events and political activities of the old city. Obelisk of
heodosius, Serpentine Column, German Fountain of Wilhelm II are the
monuments decorating the Hippodrome. - Lunch Break - Topkapi Palace
The great palace of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th
centuries housing an exquisite collection of crystal, silver, and
Chinese porcelain, robes worn by the sultans and their families, the
famous jewels of the Imperial Treasury, miniatures, the Holy Mantle;
enshrining relics of the Prophet Mohammed. Grand Covered Bazaar,
Most attractive shopping center and biggest "souk" in the world with
nearly 4000 shops selling antiques, jewellery, gold, carpets,
leatherware and souvenirs.
Overnight: Istanbul
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Day
Seven: Friday 27th April - The end of the tour
After breakfast the tour finishes and we bid farewell to our new
found friends and exchange e-mails. Wherever you are heading to next
you will take unforgettable memories and a new understanding of this
country that plays such an important part in your history. The
transfer back to the airport is included in your tour and if you
want to extend your stay please let your guide know.
Meals: Breakfast
Discounts:
5% for 4 or more people
10% for 20 or more people
General Travel Information:
When booking an Anzac tour it is important to ensure that your tour operator is a member of TURSAB which is the Turkish regulatory
body of tourist activities. It is illegal for non-members to operate tours in Turkey without a TURSAB license and membership number.
Sammy’s Travel is a member of TURSAB (License No:1714).
Notice: Before you book with any agency, it is most important that you check all the details of the services offered.
Low budget offers usually don't cover many services, such as: quality, entrance fees, standard of the coaches, accommodation in Gallipoli,
professional lecture about Gallipoli, private security, doctor, professional guide (not an escort or offsider), references of the agency
and background.
Australian Govt. Announcement access Gallipoli ANZAC Day 2006 The Australian Dept of Veteran Affairs is making special arrangements for
those with special needs in an effort to assist aged and infirm visitors.
Read more about this at:
http://www.dva.gov.au/commem/anzac/gallipoli_access.htm
Also note from their website : "Travel by passenger car to these services is not allowed and on completion of the Dawn Service,
official coaches will depart before public coach departures to meet Turkish protocol requirements."
Please, Read the notice from Australian Embassy at
http://www.embaustralia.org.tr/anzac/anzacdayatgallipoli.htm
A brief warning from the Australian Embassy web site: "Accommodation in the Gallipoli area, particularly for the night of 24 April,
is very heavily booked well in advance of ANZAC Day. Intending travellers will need to make bookings as early as possible to secure
accommodation."
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