Turkey & Dubai Tour Package 10 Days: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Abu Dhabi

When you arrive, we drive you to your hotel. Nothing is planned for today, so the day is yours. If you would like restaurant tips or ideas for the afternoon, just ask your agent.

Please send us your flight details when you book so we can arrange your airport transfer.

At 09:30 am your guide meets you for a full-day walking tour through the Ottoman and Byzantine core of the city. Night in Istanbul.

• Topkapi Palace (optional): the home of the Ottoman sultans, full of fine architecture and precious objects, with wide views over the Istanbul skyline.
• Blue Mosque: step inside to see the famous blue tiles and feel the calm of this architectural masterpiece.
• Hippodrome: once the scene of Byzantine chariot races and public entertainment, it still holds ancient obelisks and monuments that tell the city's story.
• Hagia Sophia (optional): a UNESCO World Heritage Site where huge domes and fine mosaics show the blend of Byzantine and Islamic influences.
• Grand Bazaar: one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world, a maze of lanes lined with colourful stalls selling Turkish goods.

A driver collects you from your Istanbul hotel at around 04:00 AM for your 06:55 AM flight. On arrival you are taken to Goreme to meet your guide.

The tour usually runs from around 09:00 until 16:00 at the latest.

• Esentepe viewpoint, Goreme: the day opens at this panoramic spot between Uchisar and Goreme, looking out over fairy chimneys and the small town of Esentepe.
• Zelve Open-Air Museum: a former monastic settlement and centre of Christian learning, with old monasteries, churches and chapels whose frescoes are still in good condition.
• Pasabag (Monks Valley): also called Pasha's Vineyard, this valley is known for its three-headed fairy chimneys, some of the most striking rock shapes in the region.
• Devrent Valley: a short drive away, small pointed fairy chimneys form a moon-like scene, and many rocks look like animals or mythical creatures.
• Avanos pottery workshop: potters in Avanos have worked with clay from the Red River since 3000 BC. In a traditional workshop you watch their skill up close.
• Love Valley: the last stop. Millions of years of erosion have left cone-shaped pillars, pinnacles and fairy chimneys up to 40 metres tall, one of the strangest and most photogenic corners of Cappadocia.

The tour ends around 16.00 and you are dropped at your Cappadocia hotel for the night.

For those who book the optional hot air balloon flight, the day starts at around 05:00 AM to watch the sunrise from the air. After a champagne toast on landing you return to the hotel. About an hour later, once you have checked out at around 09:00 AM, the tour begins.

The tour usually runs from around 09:00 until 16:00 at the latest.

• Meskendir Valley (4.4 km trek): the day starts with a 4.4 km walk through this valley near Ortahisar. Inside Meskendir Church you see geometric red decoration and a large cross carved into the chapel ceiling, and you can look around the interior before taking in the scenery.
• Rose Valley: behind Urgup, this quiet valley hides churches cut into the rock among unusual formations. Its trails link small villages through vineyards and gardens, and local people sometimes offer fresh grapes, apples or apricots.
• Red Valley: much like its neighbour, it has striking rock shapes and old cave churches. Its winding paths connect remote villages and fields like the threads of a spider's web, a good place to see Cappadocia's nature and history side by side.
• Cavusin: among the oldest settlements in the region, this village is a maze of houses carved into the rock. It is also home to the Church of John the Baptist, the biggest cave church in Cappadocia, built in the 5th century.
• Underground city: early Christians built 36 underground cities here to escape persecution. You visit the largest and best known, which has eight levels, and walk through parts of it including old wineries, kitchens and living quarters.
• Pigeon Valley: on the edge of Goreme, the valley takes its name from the pigeon houses cut into its cliffs over the centuries. Farmers once used the droppings to fertilise their fields. Today it is a fine spot for panoramic photos.
• Uchisar Castle viewpoint: the final stop is Uchisar, the highest point in Cappadocia. Its tall rock castle once served as a fortress, and the view from the top takes in the whole region, with Erciyes Mountain far in the distance.

After a day of hiking and sightseeing, you are back at your hotel for the night at around 16:00.

After breakfast you are driven to the airport for your flight to Dubai, connecting through Istanbul.

In Dubai our representative greets you and drives you to your hotel. Check in and spend the night in Dubai.

The morning is free for optional activities. At around 3:00 PM a modern 4x4 Jeep (6 people per Jeep) collects you from the hotel lobby for the desert safari.

On the way you stop on the high dunes to take photos, play in the golden sand and watch the sunset.

You then reach a traditional Arab camp. Here you can ride a camel, have a henna design painted, smoke a fragrant shisha (water pipe) and watch live shows such as belly dancing, before sitting down to a BBQ dinner.

After dinner you return to the hotel for the night.

After a morning pick-up at the hotel, the tour starts in old Dubai. You visit the Bastakiya quarter, the Al Fahidi Fort and the Dubai Museum to learn about the country's culture and history.

An abra, a small wooden boat, takes you across Dubai Creek to the gold and spice markets. Then you move to modern Dubai and Jumeirah Beach, one of the city's busiest beaches, where you can take photos of the Burj Al Arab, often called the most luxurious hotel in the world.

The drive continues along Sheikh Zayed Road, lined with the city's great skyscrapers. Finally you pass through downtown for a view of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world (tickets not included), beside the huge Dubai Mall. The tour ends back at the hotel, and the rest of the day is free.

In the morning you are picked up at the hotel for the drive to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates and the largest of its seven emirates.

The first stop is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, one of the biggest and most lavish mosques anywhere. You then see the Palaces of the Sheikhs and pause in front of the grand Emirates Palace hotel for photos.

A short drive around the city helps you understand how the capital is laid out and built. Next is the Heritage Village, a small open-air museum that shows daily Arab life as it was before oil was found.

From there you follow the Corniche for a view of the skyline. Lunch is included. For an extra charge, you can choose to visit the Ferrari World theme park and its rides. At the end of the tour you return to the hotel.

After dark, Dubai's skyscrapers light up in style. At 8.30 PM you set sail on Dubai Marina for an evening on the water.

Dinner is served on board as you cruise the Persian Gulf. From the panoramic restaurant you can see the Ain Dubai, the largest observation wheel in the world, and the Palm Jumeirah further away.

The cruise returns to port at 10 PM. Night in Dubai.

Breakfast at the hotel. At the agreed time you are collected and taken to the airport for your flight home.

Optional extras

• Hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia (Goreme): $310
• One extra hotel night in Istanbul, before or after the tour: $65
• Two extra hotel nights in Istanbul, before or after the tour: $125