Dolmabahce Palace promenade, Istanbul, Turkey (MedioImages/Corbis) [enlarge photo]

When Depart on Mar. 15, Apr. 5, May 3, June 14, July 5, Aug. 9, Sept. 20, Oct. 4, Nov. 8, Dec. 20, 2009; Jan. 10, Feb. 14, 2010.

Mosque domes in Istanbul, Turkey (Andrew Ward/Life File/Photodisc) [enlarge photo]

The Fine Print Breakfast daily, one lunch, five dinners, hotel taxes, and transportation by private bus, train, and boat are included. While airport-hotel transfers are included upon arrival in Istanbul, transfers to Dalaman Airport at the end of the trip are not included and can be arranged for an additional €80 ($109) per family. Travel insurance is mandatory and can be purchased through G.A.P for an additional cost, which varies depending on the individual. Based on double, triple, or quadruple occupancy; there is no single supplement, as this is a family trip and accommodations are shared. However, you can choose to have your own room for an additional $89. (Please note that even if you pay extra for a single room, you will share accommodations while on the sleeper train on the second night.) One adult is required per two children (ages 5 to 17). The average number of participants in this tour is 10 with a maximum of 15. To book this trip, refer to code ETFA. Read these guidelines before you book any Real Deal.

Book By No deadline; based on availability.

Contact G.A.P Adventures, 800/708-7761, gapadventures.com.

Why It's a Deal The $999 rate breaks down to about $143 a night and covers accommodations, taxes, some meals, transportation, a boat ride, a daylong cruise, guided sightseeing tours and activities, and the services of English-speaking tour guides. You'll also benefit from G.A.P's relationships with local hotels, which enable the company to offer you lower rates than what you'd be paying if booking on your own.

Trip Details The Turkey Family Adventure package includes a total of seven nights' accommodations: two nights at hotels, one aboard a sleeper train, and four at a beach resort. (Aside from the meeting-point hotel, G.A.P doesn't publish the names of the participating hotels in advance, as they are subject to change.)

A G.A.P representative will meet you at the airport in Istanbul and transfer you to the meeting point, the Centrum Hotel in the Sirkeci peninsula, where Topkapi Palace and other historical sites are concentrated. Aside from a group orientation meeting at around 5 p.m., the day of arrival will be yours to explore the Turkish metropolis as you please.

The package includes a guided tour of the city on day two, which will feature stops at Hagia Sophia, a basilica turned mosque turned museum; Basilica Cistern, an underground water-storage structure built in 532; the Hippodrome, a former horse-racing track; and the soaring Blue Mosque, built in the early 1600s.

An overnight 15-hour train ride brings you to Denizli, a province in the inner part of the Aegean region. The area's main draw is the natural calcium-oxide-rich pools cascading down white terrace-like geological formations along the southern slope of Caldag. You'll take an excursion to Pamukkale and the ruins of the ancient city of Hierapolis.

You'll stay overnight in Denizli, and then proceed to Fethiye in the Mugla province, about 135 miles away. The city of 45,000 on the Fethiye Gulf has an outsize collection of Persian, Lycian, Carian, and Roman art. While in the area, you'll stop by Kayakoy, a ghost town that was turned into a museum. Learn how to whip up a Turkish version of pancakes with the help of a local villager.

Your home base for the next four nights will be Oludeniz, nine miles south of Fethiye. The beach town, which sits along a protected blue lagoon with a secluded sandy bay, is a popular paragliding spot.