Empires of Anatolia: Istanbul to Cappadocia

You land in a city that has been the capital of two empires and the crossroads of two continents. A private transfer sweeps you to the Grand Sirkeci Hotel in the heart of the old city, with the rest of day one free to get your bearings. Day two is given over to Sultanahmet's greatest hits — the Hippodrome, the tilework of the Blue Mosque, the soaring dome of Hagia Sophia and the sultans' chambers of Topkapi Palace, before descending into the eerie half-light of the Basilica Cistern and losing yourself in the Grand Bazaar. Day three turns to flavour: a guided walk through the Spice Market and the backstreets of Karaköy tasting simit, döner and stuffed mussels, followed by an afternoon Bosphorus cruise past palaces and waterfront mansions, refreshments on board.

Checking out of Istanbul, you cross to the Gallipoli peninsula for a powerful day walking in the footsteps of the ANZACs — ANZAC Cove, Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair, with a guide who brings the events of 1915 into sharp, human focus. A private transfer carries you on to Troy, where the legend of Homer's Iliad meets the trowel of the archaeologist. You wander the nine layers of the ancient city and stand beside the wooden horse before continuing to Bergama for a carpet-weaving demonstration and the ruins of the Asclepion, one of the ancient world's great healing centres.

Ephesus is, by common consent, the best-preserved ancient city on earth, and a morning spent walking its marble streets to the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre makes the case emphatically. From there you climb into the hills to Şirince, a stone-built village of fruit wines and artisan shops, for a home-cooked lunch with genuine village hospitality. The following day brings one of Turkey's most photographed landscapes: Pamukkale, where brilliant white travertine terraces cascade down the hillside, filled with warm turquoise mineral pools that have drawn bathers since Roman times, when the city of Hierapolis stood on the plateau above.

The final leg crosses the Anatolian plateau via Konya, home to the whirling dervishes and the tomb of the mystic poet Rumi, before arriving in Cappadocia as the light turns the valleys gold. You sleep in a cave hotel carved into volcanic rock, and rise before dawn for the reason most travellers come here in the first place: a hot air balloon drifting silently over the fairy chimneys of Göreme as the sun comes up. The rest of your time is spent exploring underground cities, rock-cut churches and valleys that look more like a film set than anywhere real, before a final transfer to Nevşehir airport for your flight home.