7-Day Cappadocia, Mount Nemrut, Ephesus & Pamukkale Tour by Air

Meals: lunch. Transfers included.

04:00 - Pick-up from your Istanbul hotel and transfer to the airport (the time may change with your flight and hotel location).

07:20 - Flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia (time and airport may change with the season, airline schedule and operations).

09:00 - Arrival, welcome at the airport and transfer to the start of the Red Route (arrival airport and time can change).

• Devrent Valley – known for volcanic rocks that look like animals and figures, an easy but memorable first view of how erosion turned Cappadocia into a natural sculpture park.
• Pasabag – one of the best places to see the famous fairy chimneys, including striking multi-capped columns tied to the region's early hermits.
• Avanos Pottery Workshop – Avanos sits on the Red River, whose clay has fed pottery making for thousands of years; the visit connects the landscape with a craft that is still practised.
• Zelve Open Air Museum – a former cave village and monastic settlement across several valleys, whose empty homes, churches, passages and tunnels show how life adapted to soft volcanic rock.
• Goreme panoramic view – a wide overview of central Cappadocia, with valleys, cave houses and rock formations spread out below in one sweep.
• Uchisar Castle exterior view – a natural rock citadel above the region; seen from outside, it is clear why this high point mattered for both settlement and defence.

16:30 - End of the tour and transfer to your hotel for a free evening. Overnight in Cappadocia.

Meals: breakfast and lunch. Transfers included.

Optional early-morning add-ons: a hot air balloon flight, the top-rated and most booked Cappadocia experience, with classic sunrise views; or a balloon watching tour that guarantees the best viewpoints for sunrise photos. Either can be added at the best available price when you book.

09:30 - Hotel pick-up for the southern Cappadocia route.

• Rose Valley – warm pink and red shades created by mineral layers in the rock, with cave rooms, old paths and small churches carved into its slopes.
• Underground City – a hidden Cappadocia below ground, with tunnels, storerooms, air shafts and stone doors built for protection in uncertain times.
• Pigeon Valley – cliffs lined with carved dovecotes once used to gather fertiliser for the vineyards, and viewpoints looking out to Uchisar and the valleys around it.
• Gulludere Valley – also called Rose Valley on many routes, it pairs softly coloured rock with cave churches, vineyards and footpaths that show a quieter Cappadocia.
• Cavusin Village – an old rock-cut village where cave homes and churches climb the cliff, showing how village life merged with the stone.

16:30 - The tour ends and we drive you to your hotel for a free evening. Overnight in Cappadocia.

Meals: breakfast. Transfers included.

After breakfast and check-out, your driver meets you at the hotel for the private transfer to Adiyaman or Kahta. There is no guide on this driver-only leg. The trip takes about 7 hours, with scenic stretches and 1-2 comfort stops, so the day moves at a steady pace.

Overnight in Adiyaman/Kahta.

Meals: breakfast and lunch.

09:30 am - Breakfast at the hotel, after which the tour leaves from your hotel.

• Karakus Tumulus – a royal burial mound of the Commagene era, marked by surviving columns and animal statues, introducing the dynasty behind Mount Nemrut.
• Arsemia Ancient City – a royal sanctuary and summer capital of the Commagene kings, whose inscriptions, reliefs and hillside setting give useful background before the summit.
• Cendere Bridge – a remarkably well-kept Roman bridge of huge stone blocks across the old river gorge, showing the region's engineering skill after the Commagene period.
• Mount Nemrut – reached by a mountain road and a final walk uphill to the summit terraces. The giant stone heads, the royal tomb sanctuary and the high views make it feel both archaeological and ceremonial.

After the tour, drive back to your Adiyaman hotel for check-in. Overnight in Adiyaman.

Meals: breakfast. Transfers included.

Breakfast and check-out at the hotel, then a transfer to Adiyaman Airport timed for your flight.

There is no direct service between Adiyaman and Izmir, so you fly via Istanbul or Ankara on the best available connection.

At Izmir Airport we meet you at the exit and drive you to your hotel in Kusadasi/Selcuk. Overnight in Kusadasi/Selcuk.

Meals: breakfast and lunch. Transfers included.

08:45 - Pick-up from your Kusadasi/Selcuk hotel and drive to Ephesus.

• Ephesus Ancient City – among the best-preserved classical cities of the eastern Mediterranean. Its marble streets take you past the library area, theatre, agora, fountains, temples and everyday spaces of a major Roman city.
• House of Virgin Mary – a peaceful sanctuary on the hill above Ephesus, valued for its spiritual tradition and calm, far from the scale of the ruins.
• Temple of Artemis – once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Only traces survive, but the visit completes the sacred setting that made Ephesus famous well beyond its walls.

16:00 - Return transfer to your Kusadasi/Selcuk hotel. Overnight in Kusadasi/Selcuk.

Meals: breakfast and lunch. Transfers included.

07:30 - After breakfast and check-out, leave Kusadasi/Selcuk for Pamukkale.

• Pamukkale Travertines – brilliant white mineral terraces formed by thermal water running down the slope; walking along them gives the day its signature view.
• Hierapolis Ancient City – a Roman spa town built over the hot springs, with a theatre, streets, gates, baths and sacred areas that show how healing water shaped city life.
• Cleopatra Antique Pool – visible during the visit, with warm thermal water and fallen ancient columns under the surface. A swim is optional and paid locally.

16:00 - Transfer to Denizli Airport.

19:30 - Flight to Istanbul (time and airport may change with the season, airline schedule and operations).

20:20 - Landing in Istanbul and transfer to your hotel (you may arrive at either of Istanbul's two airports, and timing can differ). The tour ends once you are dropped at your hotel.