Daily Hattusas / Boğazköy Tour
Description
Tour departs from Ankara in the mornıng for a meandering drive to Hattusas, the ancient capital of the Hittite Empire. Before visiting the main ruins, we will proceed to Yazılıkaya to see the open air sanctuary as the sunlight begins to shine directly on the bas-reliefs. In the afternoon, we will visit the capital of Hattusas and see the Lion’s Gate, tunnel, the King’s Gate, the Citadel and the Grand Temple before returning to Ankara.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Hattusha is the capital of Hittite's first Anatolian organised state to play an important role in the archaeological past of Anatolia. After the destruction of Hattus, the city of Hattusha was founded around 1600 BC. Hattusha is located within the Bogazkoy - Alacahoyuk National Park. The Hittites were one of the two largest civilizations of its age and excavations made at their capital city show that the first settlements in this area began with the Paleolithic Age, while the settlement was most fully advanced during the Old Bronze Age (3000-2500 BC). The oldest Hittite written in 1800 BC is at Bogazkoy. The town's wall and doors, the palace, the archives and temples are still there today. A temple called Yazilikaya is located 2 km away from the city. The first known open-air temple in Anatolia, Yazilikaya's flat rock faces, are carved with Hittite Gods’ and Goddess’ stone reliefs.
The Yazılıkaya Rock Shrine is to the north of the capital. Two natural chambers, covered by the most sumptuous samples of the Hittite relief art with its walls, the gods and goddesses and the figures of the Grand King Tudhalie IV, are decorated with open-air temples.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
- Hand sanitizers and masks will be available for the best hygiene practice. - Please be ready and waiting in your hotel lobby 15 minutes prior to your scheduled pick-up time and let the lobby that you are expecting a tour guide. - Comfortable shoes are advised - Wheelchair users must inform our agent whether guest(s) is/are fully dependent on the chair or partly able to walk or move. - Guests must contact Deren Koray Tourism at least 24 hours before your product date to confirm your reservation and arrange transportation. Please use the contact details on your confirmation/voucher. - Upon pickup, please present your confirmation/voucher and photo ID in exchange for your product. - Airport picks up and transfers are also available at extra charge. Please contact us for further information.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Service animals allowed
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(4)
Good. But the visit was contracted with a guide in Spanish. And the guide spoke English, no Spanish. Otherwise, fine.
Guide was fantastic and your amazing Lots of historical sites Had a fantastic lunch too Our private tour was ok. If you interested in history I recommend
We had a 3 hour drive there and gained almost 700 meters in elevation. Magnificent views, good driver and knowledgeable guide. Terrific lunch stop.
I scheduled this tour of Hattusa through the Viator website. I was traveling in Turkey as a solo female traveler and without a rental car, so I wanted to find a way to visit Hattusa safely and easily. Public transport options might be available, but they were difficult to find and ascertain any schedules for buses or otherwise ahead of time (and taking a taxi all the way from Ankara to Hattusa would be expensive as well as a little concerning for a solo female traveler). Scheduling a guided tour of the site seemed to me the best way to get myself there as well as learn a lot from a professional. It turned out to be a wonderful decision, as I felt completely safe and happy the entire day from the start to the end of the tour and definitely got far more out of it than I expected. I had a private tour with a guide and a driver in a very nice vehicle. My guide, Tayfun, was excellent - very knowledgeable and so friendly and kind. It was wonderful to get to meet him and talk with him about the ancient history of Hattusa and Yazilikaya, and - although it was not a standard stop on the tour - he also took me to a third site, Alacahoyuk, which was such a wonderful surprise. He also gave me a lot of great advice on other places to see in the region, museums and mosques to see in Ankara, and even contacted other tour guides in other cities to try to help me set up transportation for some other archaeological sites I had planned on visiting. I had an absolutely wonderful time, and I can certainly recommend my tour guide and driver to anyone wanting to time travel to the Hittite Empire. :)
Madeline, thank you very much for your fantastic review. We know that you have been waiting for this fascinating getaway after the Pandemic. We are very glad to hear that you have enjoyed every moment of your trip in the cradle of civilization. Indeed, Tayfun made a lovely surprise (what could we expect more) he is one of the esteemed tour guides in our team. He presumably mentioned the result of the rich and varied culture of the Hattis because of the arrival of the large Indo-European immigrants' from Western Europe by BC 2000. This is why we see the remarks of these people regarding their roles, religion, culture and body of laws. Oh, there are many things to discover in the region and we are glad that you had a wonderful tour experience. Looking forward to seeing you again and thank you very much for choosing us, Madeline! All the best…
