Turkey
From Legends to History: Turkey's Legacy of Civilizations and Culture
Program No. 12828RJ
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From Legends to History: Turkey's Legacy of Civilizations and Culture
From Legends to History: Turkey's Legacy of Civilizations and Culture
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Participant Reviews
Based on 40 Reviews
SHOWING
An amazing tour of Turkey! We were only 14, which was a very workable number of people for this tour. Our group leader, Cigdem Girgic, was incredible - friendly, warm, very knowledgeable, and accomodating.
My tour was October 8-24, 2025. The weather was mostly sunny, with temps in the 60s and 70s (cooler evenings), very comfortable, except for a couple of rainy and cooler days (very light, steady rain, not a pouring rain).
Turkey has an extremely rich and well-preserved history and culture going back to the paleolithic and neolithic ages (8000BC), with many ruins throughout the eras and empires. The tour presents Turkey all the way through history to it's present day democracy. Very educational. I particularly enjoyed experiencing an evening Sema Whirling Dervish ceremony and learning about the ceremony, its meaning and purpose. I found it peaceful and mesmerizing.
— Review left November 2, 2025
Turkey is a fascinating country and Road Scholars offers a wonderful way to get to know it. From such fun experiences as taking a hot air balloon over the bizarre rock formations of Cappadocia to meeting the zillions of friendly cats all over the country, to museums and archeological sites, to great food, and of course to the excellent course leaders and really great particpants, I loved it and totally recommend it.
— Review left October 27, 2025
This journey, as described in the RS itinerary, could have been legendary and full of promises. Unfortunately, it wasn’t conducted the way we had expected. To echo our fellow traveler’s comments, there was little educational contents, the one reason RS tours stand out from the others. If you are into conventional resort vacationing and major shopping with passing interest in history and ancient ruins, you would love this trip. However, if you are into educational value, cultural and antiquity exploration, you would likely go away unsatisfied. The RS web pages are badly out of date. There was a great deal of discrepancies and omissions between the tour program and the actual site visits with little or no explanations. The Extension to this program added little practical value and filled with disinformation – a huge disappointment.
Note that RS review page is not giving any star ranking entry. Overall ranking to our experience for this journey is no higher than 2 out of 5 stars.
— Review left October 21, 2025
This is the most amazing trip! Turkey is a kaleidoscope of history, culture, legends, art, surprising landscapes and wonderful people. When I look back through my pictures I am overwhelmed by the richness of the experience. Our hotels were wonderful - and the guides second to none! Thank you.
— Review left October 21, 2025
My evaluation of the trip boils down to this: too much of the cost of the trip was devoted to luxurious accommodations which in spite of the good food and comfort they delivered isolated us from the local culture we so ardently wished to experience. We became tourists wishing only to obtain creature comforts of the most exotic kind. My expectation for the trip was largely educational; I expected much less from lodging than from program. Spending 3 days in Antalya without educational offerings to match the length of stay especially given the museum closure was a loss of precious time to learn about Turkey's culture. I would have preferred more time in Cappadoccia, travel to Catal Hoyuk, even Konya if we could have spent more time with the Sufis or history of the caravanserai.
— Review left October 13, 2025
The trip was fun and instructive, and with some exceptions had the right amount of activity. The Group Leader was adept at rearranging the schedule to manage crowds and bus timing. He made a special effort to get us into the balloons at Cappadoccio-- which I gather wasn't easy, and which we appreciated.
One thing that was not so satisfying was the placement of the hotels along the route. The hotels were isolated from the life of the towns/cities we were in. Very nice hotels-- not criticizing the level here-- but far from anything walkable. Many of us would have liked to walk around and see something of Turkish life.
The Armada hotel in Istanbul, while lacking is some amenities, was perfectly situated for exploration, which many of us took advantage of.
— Review left October 9, 2025
This was an outstanding program in a country we knew little about before this trip. Türkiye is the cradle of civilization, and this history of this place is fascinating, from 8000 BC right up to today. Our tour guide was exceptional; the hotels mostly 5-star; the lectures interesting and worthwhile, and the side trips unique. My husband and I would highly recommend this experience to anyone with a love and interest in history.
— Review left May 20, 2025
The journey through Turkey on the 'From Legends to History; Turkey's Legacy of Civilizations and Cultures' was fascinating from start to finish. Never having visited that region before, I came away with an appreciation of the country's ancient beginnings to its modern, bustling cities. It was an incredible adventure through time.
— Review left May 17, 2025
This was my fifth trip with Road Scholar. They were all wonderful, but this one is especially notable for the depth and breadth of the experience in relation to the time spent on it. We saw a lot, learned a lot, and laughed a lot. Great guide (Senol), great travel companions, great experience overall. Highly recommended.
— Review left May 5, 2025
The tour takes you through a wide swath of the country providing an amazing change of scenery and geography. As a result, people should realize there are a number of days with long bus time. Also most of the hotels are remote from towns/shopping. There is a strong emphasis on history.
— Review left May 4, 2025
A wonderful experience with an excellent guide, Senol Ogru and bus driver Metin (his beautiful smile welcomed us every morning). I saw a sweatshirt that stated "Turkey, the world's largest museum" and I would say this was an apt description of our adventure. I am a history nerd so this program was everything I love: historical sites; wonderful museums; excellent lectures; beautiful areas carved by and made through natural occurrences. Tours are made and destroyed by guides and we were fortunate that Senol was our leader. I loved the food and especially enjoyed our meals at local restaurants. This was my 1st solo travel adventure and I was welcomed by all and always felt included. Go to Turkey, take it all in and enjoy!
— Review left May 1, 2025
If you like to get your mind blown with historical facts, this trip is for you! Fabulous country, fabulous people and great tour guide. An experience to remember!!!
— Review left April 20, 2025
We knew we would need a group tour through Türkiye and Road Scholar provided us with just the sort of experience we wanted. It’s a big country steeped in history and we saw about as much of it as is possible in 2 weeks. The group of people we traveled with were lovely and our guide superb. This was a highlight in our travel experiences.
— Review left October 30, 2024
Fantastic tour of Turkey!! An absolute bargain for the price. We exchanged about $1,000 to Turkish Lira to have with us and came home with most of it. The only extra charge we had during the trip was the balloon ride in Cappadocia and that was voluntary (HIGHLY recommended BTW). The fee you will pay really does cover almost everything. Tour was beautifully planned, meals were great. You are NOT going on this trip to "relax", you are on the go most of the time, some early mornings but generally back to the hotel by dinner time. We walked an average of 4 miles a day with the most strenuous day coming in at 7 miles (in Istanbul). All in all, feel comfortable in highly recommending this trip. Our group was older but no one had any problems keeping up, the tour guide was great, and our group was wonderful.
— Review left October 28, 2024
This trip has fulfilled my lifetime dream.
— Review left October 24, 2024
Great trip - I wish we had more time in Ankara though. Ayeshegul was a fabulous guide and our driver Hasan was also excellent. The food was wonderful and all of the participants were physically capable (this has been a problem in the past with other RS trips).
All of the guest lecturers were good and added to the quality of the trip.
There was a lot of bus time, but the bus was comfortable and the scenery was interesting and it was nice not having to deal with airports and luggage, etc.
Looking forward to my next trip to China!
— Review left October 21, 2024
Turkey is an archeologist's dream- prehistoric remains, Hittite, Greek, Roman, Ottoman, and more. Our guide was so knowledgeable; I was astounded by the depth of her knowledge. The food was fantastic. Fresh fruit, like figs, dried fruit, wonderful meals and the buffets had ginormous array of desserts. Everyday was filled with fascinating sites. Do be prepared to climb irregular steps which can be more challenging if you are short because some stair rises are tall. The Turkish people were so friendly.
— Review left October 15, 2024
This is my second experience with Road Scholar and it keeps getting better. Our guide was excellent and experienced. Everybody loved her. The program was excellent and gave us fresh knowledge of the history of part of the world!
I will be looking to travel with them againin the near future!
— Review left October 13, 2024
A wonderful tour that fulfilled all of my hopes to learn more about this vast and fascinating country. Our tour leader Senol was knowledgeable, humorous and helpful throughout. The meals were delicious, accommodations excellent, and the tour bus large and comfortable (with a great driver). We saw a range of historic sites, but also learned much about modern Türkiye and its people and culture. The pace was busy and the days were full — but never exhausting. I loved every minute!
— Review left June 23, 2024
So much to see in Turkey! A history many 1000s of years old, Biblical peoples, Alexander the Great, Roman, Christain, Islamic. Sights you won't see anywhere else, underground cities 20+ levels deep, "fairy chimney's" where early Christains lived, Ephesus, Troy, beautiful Istanbul! Go!
— Review left June 14, 2024
Road scholar Turkey's Legacy of Civilizations and Cultures is truly enriching showing in a nutshell a more than 10,000 year history of human endeavors in overlying cultures. Their eternal struggles of survival and death, but also of cultural creativity continuing into the present modern state of an independent Turkish republic after the richness of the former Ottoman, Byzantine, Roman, Greek, Phrygian, Hittite, and Assyrian empires. It is a deep, thorough, invigorating and beautiful experience.
— Review left May 25, 2024
A fantastic trip with mind-bending historical sites, an informed guide, comfortable hotels and delicious meals.
— Review left May 12, 2024
Very busy schedule! Lots of sites and information. Our group leader Ms Burcu was great. our group of 12 was interesting and compatible which added to our trip.Very little free time as there is so much to see and Learn.i would recommend staying in Istanbul a little longer if you can to enjoy the city.
— Review left May 6, 2024
The program in Turkey was wonderful. Hats off to Baltac, the company in Turkey that runs the tour. I highly recommend it. But, as Road Scholar clearly states, only take this trip if you can walk several miles a day.
I would avoid Turkish airlines at all costs. Our flight out of JFK was delayed 6 hours causing a cascading series of problems, none of which Turkish Air was helpful in solving. For a while it looked like we would miss the first day of the tour. But Kazim, who runs Baltac, went out of his way to fix the problem.
I cannot recommend booking your flight through Road Scholar however. When problems with the airline arose they were not helpful. Turkish airlines lied about what I was told about our problems and Road Scholar was not anxious to push back and help us complete the trip (I'm not going into all the details because they're too specific to us to be helpful to others.).
We booked through RS because we wanted them to be our advocate if the need arose. Instead it took 3 one hour international phone calls to push RS to in turn push Turkish air to fix our problem. Throughout it all I felt RS acted more as an agent of the airline than as an agent of their customer (me).
One other thing: It seems RS has an ironclad policy of communicating ONLY via phone calls and NEVER via email. It's unbelievable that a company in 2024 with clients in different time zones would cause such inconvenience. We were only in a time zone 6 hours away. What if we had been, say, in India? Email is how much of business is done. This policy is another example of RS acting for its own reasons and not for the convenience of their client.
— Review left May 4, 2024
Excellent trip - 5 Stars
Turkey is a must see destination! This trip provides an in depth experience into the history, culture, and present day society of Turkey. Shenol Ogra is an excellent guide. He's very personable and is a wealth of information. The infrastructure of Turkey is amazing. Every person I encountered was very pleasant.
The Road Scholar materials accurately describe the physical requirements of this trip. If you are unable to perform the physical requirements of the trip, as described, do not book this trip as to avoid inconveniencing you, fellow travelers and the guide.
I thoroughly enjoyed this trip to Turkey and I look forward to visiting Turkey again.
— Review left November 20, 2023
This program is one of the best tours we have ever taken.
— Review left November 6, 2023
A wonderful trip with an exceptional guide.
— Review left November 5, 2023
Highly Recommend this tour of Turkey, especially if this your first trip. Covers all the highligts in depth.
— Review left October 31, 2023
This is an excellent program, visiting a most interesting and beautiful country, offering insights into the evolution of civilizations. Highly recommend.
— Review left October 25, 2023
The Anatolian plane and Mediterranean coast of Turkey are physically gorgeous and loaded with fascinating ruins and history.
Hotels and restaurants were wonderful as are travelling amenities in good roads, excellent hotels, and great and varied food.
This was one of, if not the, best trips ever!
— Review left October 21, 2023
Fabulous trip! Expansive itinerary allowed us to see a wide range of sites in Turkey, enhancing our understanding of the rich history and culture of Turkey. Accommodations were very good, food was terrific. This trip lived up to its billing and was thoroughly enjoyable.
— Review left October 9, 2023
Absolutely a great program, but I would advise those with a walking problem to think twice. Activity level was higher than some other "keep the pace"
programs we have enjoyed with RS.
— Review left October 5, 2023
Republic of Türkiye is a beautiful country, enormously rich in history and culture and with hospitable, generous people. It was a great trip.
— Review left May 23, 2023
We throughly enjoyed the food, the tour, the people. Sami was so knowledgeable and kind. My only complaint is after being on the bus all day to get to Istanbul, we had to listen to a 2 hour lecture. It was informative but we were supposed to rest up for the next day of walking.
I would like to travel with Sami again as would my husband. It was our dream trip.
Thank you.
Carolyn and
Bill
— Review left May 21, 2023
All of Turkey is a museum! Fabulously interesting places, both historical and modern.
— Review left October 22, 2022
Turkey was a fascinating country. I have long wanted to visit the prime sites in Turkey- Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, and Topkapi Palace, but be aware that large parts of these sites have large parts closed for a long time for renovation. Cappadocia met all my expectations though. I appreciated this trip because we saw so many different areas, which necessitated several long bus rides. Be aware that this is a “keep up the pace” program with many cobblestones, hills, and stairs, so make sure you’re up to it.
— Review left October 15, 2022
Turkey was on our Travel Log and we enjoyed the tours, lodging, and events. We learned so much about the histories of Alexander the Great, Ottoman Empire, Romans, Christians, the Serfis Whirl Dancer culture, WW1 and 11, and Karma Ataturk. We are thinking of returning to tour Istanbul.
— Review left October 10, 2022
This was an amazingly interesting and informative trip! I never realized how much there was to learn about that area of the world. It was well organized and had lots of interaction with locals and each other and a great guide. Highly reccommed this adventure.
— Review left October 3, 2022
This tour of Turkey was one of the best we have done Road Scholar, and we've done many good tours. It was so informative of a subject that we knew so little!
— Review left May 23, 2022
This has to be one of the most outstanding programs ever, led by thoroughgoing professionals - it far exceeded my very high expectations. The accommodation was excellent, indeed some of it absolutely splendid, the food was a delicious surprise, we were treated with goodwill and courtesy throughout. The historic sites, the country itself, were dazzling, augmented by the group leader's very informative commentaries and other expert talks. Highly recommended!
— Review left October 21, 2019