Cappadocia & Ephesus Tour from Istanbul – 3 Days with Flights

Included today: lunch, transfers, entrance fees, flight and hotel.

An early Istanbul pick-up, a morning flight to Cappadocia, your first guided route with lunch and a night in the region.

03:30 – Our team collects you at your Istanbul hotel and drives you to the airport for the early flight. Pick-up time and airport depend on flight availability.

06:40 – Domestic flight to Kayseri or Nevsehir, leaving most of the day for sightseeing. The airline may change the flight time.

08:15 – After landing, our local staff greet you and take you straight to the start of the tour. The arrival airport may vary with availability.

Route: Devrent Valley (Pink Valley) → Pasabag Open Air Museum → Avanos Pottery Workshop → Goreme Panoramic View → Zelve Open Air Museum → Uchisar Castle (exterior view)

• Devrent Valley (Pink Valley) – no buildings and no ticket booths inside: the most untouched view of Cappadocia's geology on the Red Tour.
• Pasabag Open Air Museum – windows cut high in the chimneys make you wonder how the monks lived in those narrow rock rooms.
• Avanos Pottery Workshop – some family workshops have run for over a century, passing the same red clay methods down each generation.
• Goreme Panoramic View – you may know it from brochures, but seeing it in person is something else.
• Zelve Open Air Museum – part of the UNESCO-listed Goreme National Park, recognised for its intact cave settlement.
• Uchisar Castle (exterior view) – while you take photos from the viewing terrace, your guide explains its role as a Byzantine-era stronghold.

After the tour – Transfer to your Cappadocia hotel for check-in; the evening is free. Lunch is included today.

Night – Stay in Cappadocia before heading west tomorrow. One hotel night in Cappadocia is included.

Included today: breakfast, lunch, transfers, entrance fees, flight and hotel.

Breakfast, check-out, the south Cappadocia route with lunch, an airport transfer and a flight on toward the Ephesus region.

Early morning, optional: two sunrise extras can be added at the best available price when you book: a hot air balloon flight, the most booked activity and rated the number one Cappadocia experience for its sunrise views, or a balloon watching tour to the best viewpoints for sunrise photos.

09:30 – After breakfast and check-out, our team picks you up for the second day of touring. The sunrise extras fit best before this. Pick-up time depends on your hotel's location.

Route: Red Valley → Rose Valley (Gulludere Valley) → Cavusin Village → Pigeon Valley → Underground City

• Red Valley – sharp ridges, cone-shaped pinnacles and worn hollows make a landscape found nowhere else.
• Rose Valley (Gulludere Valley) – unlike the Goreme Open Air Museum, its cave churches are mostly unrestored, giving a rawer feel for old Cappadocia.
• Cavusin Village – at the foot of the main cliff you see the true size of the carved settlement, with rooms five and six levels high.
• Pigeon Valley – it looks much as it did several hundred years ago, a Cappadocia landscape almost untouched by modern building.
• Underground City – tunnels running for kilometres linked the underground cities, so communities could talk and move without coming up.

17:00 – Transfer to Kayseri or Nevsehir Airport for the next domestic flight; the airport depends on availability.

Evening – Flight toward the Izmir region. If there is no direct flight, you connect via Istanbul. The airline may change the time.

Night – On arrival in the Izmir area, transfer to your hotel in Kusadasi for check-in. One hotel night in Kusadasi is included.

Included today: breakfast, lunch, transfers, entrance fees and flight.

Breakfast, Ephesus with lunch, a transfer to Izmir Airport, an evening flight and drop-off at your Istanbul hotel.

08:30 – After breakfast, our team collects you from your Kusadasi hotel and drives you to Ephesus. Pick-up time depends on the hotel's location.

Route: Ephesus Ancient City → Marble Streets → The Odeon → The Agora → The Temple of Hadrian → The Monumental Fountains → The Library of Celsus → The Great Amphitheatre

• Ephesus Ancient City – few sites anywhere match its scale, detail and visual power.
• Marble Streets – ruts worn by chariot wheels still show in the marble blocks of the main street.
• The Odeon – unlike the Great Theatre it had a roof, giving musicians and speakers controlled acoustics.
• The Agora – Ephesus had two agoras, one for trade and one for government, each with its own role.
• The Temple of Hadrian – four Corinthian columns hold a curved pediment framing a carved bust of the goddess Tyche over the door.
• The Monumental Fountains – the Nymphaeum Traiani once carried a huge statue of Emperor Trajan above a reflecting pool.
• The Library of Celsus – at its height it held more than 12,000 scrolls in wall niches behind the reading room.
• The Great Amphitheatre – the acoustics are so exact that a whisper on stage carries clearly to the back row.
• The Roman Baths – ancient Ephesus had several bath halls, each serving different districts and social classes.
• House of Virgin Mary – a cool, wooded hillside above Ephesus shelters the chapel, so the walk up feels calm and reflective.
• Temple of Artemis – pilgrims came from all over the ancient Mediterranean to the great temple on the plain below the city.

16:00 – Transfer to Izmir Airport for the evening flight back.

20:05 – Domestic flight from Izmir to Istanbul; the airline may change the time.

21:10 – Landing at Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gokcen Airport. Our staff meet you and drive you back to your hotel, where the tour ends.