Cappadocia & Antalya Tour from Istanbul – 5 Days with 3 Flights

Meals: lunch. Transfers: included.

At 04:00 our team collects you from your Istanbul hotel for the airport transfer; the pick-up time and the airport can vary with flight availability. Your morning flight to Cappadocia leaves at 07:20, though the time may be adjusted. At 09:00 you land, meet our staff at the airport exit and go straight to the first sight; the arrival airport and timing depend on availability.

• Devrent Valley (Pink Valley): it lies only a few kilometres from Pasabag, and the contrast between them is one of the most deliberate choices of the Red Tour. Devrent shows nature at its purest, while Pasabag shows what happened when people decided to live inside the same rock.
• Pasabag Open Air Museum: besides the famous tall chimneys, the site has many smaller ones. Many visitors only go to the biggest group and miss the quieter clusters at the back, so it pays to take the full loop path for a few extra minutes.
• Avanos Pottery Workshop: some family workshops here have worked without a break since the early 20th century, handing down techniques and clay preparation through apprenticeship. A piece bought from a family studio comes with a clear line of craftsmen behind it.
• Goreme Panoramic View: in spring, green patches appear on the valley floor between the rocks, a seasonal colour that makes the pale chimneys stand out sharply. In summer the land dries to an even brown and ochre and that contrast is gone.
• Zelve Open Air Museum: each of its three linked valleys holds its own cluster of cave homes, cut on several levels and joined by inner tunnels and carved stairs. Walking the full loop through all three takes about forty minutes and shows far more variety than one valley alone.
• Uchisar Castle (exterior view): the rock is much more porous and fragile than it looks from the terrace, and erosion has closed parts of the interior to visitors in recent years. The outside view on the Red Tour is therefore no compromise; it is often the more complete way to see it.

At 17:00, when the northern route ends, you are driven to your hotel and spend the night in Cappadocia.

Meals: breakfast and lunch. Transfers: included.

Optional early-morning add-ons: a hot air balloon flight, the most booked activity and rated the top Cappadocia experience for its sunrise views, or a balloon watching tour at the best sunrise photo spots, with the best viewpoints guaranteed. Either can be added at the best available price during booking.

At 09:30, after breakfast, you are collected for the southern route.

• Red Valley: the trail follows the natural shape of the canyon instead of a built path, winding past rock bases and over low ridges with no railings. Without barriers it feels wild, even though the route is well used and easy to follow.
• Rose Valley (Gulludere Valley): the path drops from the upper plateau to the canyon floor, then rises gently through orchards and past carved cliff fronts before coming out near Cavusin. The changing ground and scenery make the walk feel much shorter than it really is.
• Cavusin Village: wine presses carved at the foot of the cliff prove that winemaking was central to village life, along with farming and religion. Cappadocia's volcanic soil gives distinctive, mineral-rich wines, and Cavusin's valley location gave it the same fertile land its neighbours farmed.
• Pigeon Valley: the cliffs hold both carved pigeon houses and natural hollows left by weathering, and you need a close look to tell them apart. Carved houses have regular round or rectangular openings and smooth insides; natural holes are irregular and rough.
• Underground City: these cities were bold feats of engineering, dug entirely by hand through soft volcanic tuff with no mortar, timber or metal supports. Vertical shafts from the surface brought fresh air and a little light to rooms several floors down, keeping people alive during long periods underground.

At 17:00 you return to your hotel for a second night in Cappadocia.

Meals: breakfast. Transfers: included. Free time: rest of the day.

After breakfast you check out and transfer to Cappadocia Airport in time for your confirmed flight to Antalya. If there is no direct flight, a connection via Istanbul may be used.

In Antalya our team meets you and drives you to your hotel in the city centre; the arrival airport and timing depend on availability. The remaining hours are yours to enjoy Antalya at your own pace, a welcome pause after two guided days in Cappadocia.

Ideas for your free time: the old town of Kaleici and its harbour, Konyaalti or Lara beach, or the Duden waterfalls. You spend the night in Antalya.

Meals: breakfast. Transfers: included.

After breakfast the day is free in Antalya. Take it slowly in Kaleici, enjoy the marina views, relax by the sea, or plan a loose day of shopping and seaside cafes.

This day without a guide matters because it balances the busy touring of the other days. Antalya becomes a destination in its own right, not just a stop between flights. You stay a second night in Antalya.

Meals: breakfast and lunch. Transfers: included.

At 08:00, after breakfast and check-out, you are driven to the first site of the last guided day.

• Perge Ancient City: with its avenues, gates and public buildings, Perge opens the Antalya section with solid archaeology and moves the trip from beach mood to classical history.
• Aspendos Ancient Theater: its state of preservation and size make it stand out, ideal if you want one theatre that still feels structurally strong. It is among the clearest highlights of the Antalya days.
• Side Ancient City: here ruins meet the sea, which feels quite unlike inland sites and keeps the final day firmly Mediterranean rather than turning it into another museum route.
• Kursunlu Waterfall: a greener, softer end after the stone ancient sites, and a last moment in nature before the airport.

At 18:00 you transfer to Antalya Airport. The evening flight to Istanbul leaves at 21:00, subject to availability. At 22:15, on arrival in Istanbul, our transfer staff meet you and drive you to your hotel; the arrival airport and timing depend on availability.

Your 5-day Cappadocia and Antalya tour ends with this last hotel transfer in Istanbul.