Budget Istanbul & Cappadocia Package: 5 Days with Flights & Cave Hotel

When you land, we transfer you to your hotel. The rest of the day has no fixed plans, so it is yours to enjoy. If you would like restaurant tips or ideas for the afternoon, just ask your agent.

The Istanbul programme today is optional.

• 09:30 AM – Tour starts: Your guide leads a full day through the Ottoman and Byzantine heart of the city.
• 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM – Topkapi Palace (optional): Tour the lavish home of the Ottoman sultans, with its fine buildings, treasures and views over the Istanbul skyline.
• 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM – Blue Mosque: Step inside to see the famous blue tiles and feel the calm of this great building.
• 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM – Hippodrome: Once the scene of Byzantine chariot races and public shows, it still has ancient obelisks and monuments that speak of the city's past.
• 12:30 PM – 01:30 PM – Lunch break (not included): Try traditional Turkish food at a local restaurant.
• 01:30 PM – 03:00 PM – Hagia Sophia (optional): At this UNESCO World Heritage Site, look up at the great domes and mosaics, where Byzantine and Islamic traditions meet.
• 03:00 PM – 04:30 PM – Grand Bazaar: Lose your way in the lanes of one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world, full of colourful stalls and Turkish goods.
• 04:30 PM – 05:00 PM – Transfer to the boat: As the day winds down, head to the pier for the Bosphorus cruise.
• 05:00 PM – 06:30 PM – Bosphorus cruise: Watch the skyline of Istanbul pass by on both the European and the Asian shores.
• 06:30 PM – Transfer to Istanbul Airport: After the cruise, you are driven to the airport for your flight to Cappadocia.

On arrival in Cappadocia, we take you to your cave hotel, where breakfast is included.

Early morning – hot air balloon flight (optional): If you wish, float over the fairy chimneys and valleys of Cappadocia as the sun comes up.

The guided day usually begins at about 09:00 and ends by 16:00 at the latest.

• Goreme Esentepe viewpoint: The first stop sits between Uçhisar and Göreme and looks out over fairy chimneys, the wider Cappadocian scenery and the small town of Esentepe.
• Zelve Open-Air Museum: Once a monastic community and a centre of Christian learning, Zelve still holds old monasteries, churches and chapels whose frescoes have survived in good condition.
• Pasabag (Monks Valley): Paşabağ, sometimes called Pasha's Vineyard, is known for its fairy chimneys with three heads and some of the most dramatic rock shapes in the region.
• Devrent Valley: A short drive away, this valley looks almost like the surface of the moon. Its small, pointed chimneys invite you to spot animals and mythical creatures in the stone.
• Avanos pottery workshop: Potters have worked in Avanos since 3000 BC, shaping clay taken from the Red River. In a traditional workshop you watch the craft up close.
• Love Valley: The last stop shows what millions of years of erosion can do. Cone-shaped pillars, pinnacles and fairy chimneys, some up to 40 meters tall, make it one of the best places in Cappadocia for photos.

You then return to your cave hotel for the night, with breakfast included.

Check out of your hotel at around 09:00 AM for a day among Cappadocia's lesser-known corners. The guided day usually begins at about 09:00 and ends by 16:00 at the latest.

• Meskendir Valley (4.4 km trek): The day opens with a 4.4 km walk through this valley near Ortahisar. On the way you can step inside Meskendir Church, decorated with bold red geometric patterns and a large cross carved into the chapel ceiling.
• Rose Valley: Behind Ürgüp, this quiet valley hides churches cut into the rock among its unusual formations. Footpaths run through vineyards and gardens between small villages and towns, and local people sometimes offer fresh grapes, apples or apricots.
• Red Valley: Much like its neighbour, Red Valley combines striking rock shapes with old cave churches. Its trails twist like a spider's web, joining remote villages and farmland.
• Cavusin Valley: Çavuşin Village is among the oldest settlements in Cappadocia, a warren of houses carved out of the rock. It is also where you find the biggest cave church in Cappadocia, the 5th-century Church of John the Baptist.
• Underground City: Early Christians dug 36 underground cities here to escape persecution. You visit the largest and best known of them, spread over eight levels, and walk through old wineries, kitchens and living areas.
• Pigeon Valley: On the edge of Göreme, the cliffs are dotted with pigeon houses carved over the centuries. Farmers once used the droppings to fertilise their fields. Today the valley is a favourite photo spot with wide views.
• Uchisar Castle panorama: The tour ends in Uçhisar, the highest point in Cappadocia. Its castle, a tall rock that once served as a fortress, looks out over the whole region as far as Erciyes Mountain.

At the end of the tour you say goodbye to Cappadocia and transfer to the airport for the 19:20 flight (or the 21:00 flight if the earlier one is full; the flight may be changed). On landing, you are driven to your hotel in Istanbul.

Flight times depend on availability, but we always book flights that suit the programme. Istanbul has two airports and we cannot promise which one your Cappadocia flights will use, so if you need a particular airport, please say so on the booking form.

To spend longer in Cappadocia, add extra days to your package on the booking form.

At the time you request, we drive you to the airport, and our services end here.

To stay longer in Istanbul, add extra days to your package on the booking form.

Optional extras

• Hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia (Goreme): $310
• One extra hotel night in Istanbul, before or after the tour: $65
• Upgrade to a private tour: $250