We are heading to the #1 ski resort in the world, Zermatt, Switzerland!  When people dream of skiing in Europe...the place they are dreaming about is Zermatt!  Zermatt is the jewel in Switzerland's crown and simply is the most beautiful ski village in the world. It looks like it was created for a medieval movie set. But it is real and just happens to have some of the best skiing in the Alps.  

The beautiful village of Zermatt!                                        Lunch with an amazing view!

You can walk from one end of the town to the other in about fifteen minutes, which is handy because no cars are allowed on the local streets. The town does however have one of the best networks of alpine cable cars, gondolas, and cog railways in Europe which take you up to amazing 250km of skiing for all levels.  Skiable elevations soar to over 13,000 feet and more snow falls in Zermatt than on most other winter resorts in Europe. Great ski conditions are all but guaranteed. In fact the glaciers fields in Zermatt allow for skiing 365 days per year!  

We will be making three amazing stops on our Turkey highlight tour.  Our first stop is Istanbul then to the ancient hill homes of Cappadocia, then on to our final stop to see ancient Greek and Roman ruins of Ephesus.

Straddling two continents, Istanbul has been a sprawling cosmopolitan city since the days it was called Byzantium. Ruled by the Greeks, Romans, Venetians and then Ottomans, the city blends the ancient, historical and modern as effortlessly as it does different cultures and religions.  Note: Travelers choosing the three day option will stay three nights in Istanbul. 

Cappadocia is a geological oddity of honeycombed hills and towering boulders of otherworldly beauty. Since the 8th century people began living underground here and leaving the countryside scattered with fascinating cavern architecture. The rocky wonderland is honeycombed with a network of human-created caves; living quarters, places of worship, stables, and storehouses that were all dug into the soft stone. In fact, tunnel complexes formed entire towns with as many as eight different stories hidden underground. You will have the option to take a hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia!

EPHESUS

Day 5

Founded in 10th century B.C. by the ancient Greeks, Ephesus is the most important archeological site in Turkey and it’s easy to understand why. There are so many beautiful, monumental, awe-inspiring things to see in Ephesus that it will literally take your breath away.  The showpiece of Aegean archaeology, it's probably the most evocative ancient city in the eastern Mediterranean, and one of the grandest ancient sites in the world. The remarkably preserved ruins and the site is a treasure trove to explore: marble-paved streets with grooves made by chariot wheels lead past ancient buildings and monuments. Ephesus is very large and will take many hours to see all that it has to offer.