Budget Turkey Tour Package: 8 Days with Domestic Flights

Our representative is waiting for you on arrival at Istanbul Airport or S.Gokcen Airport and assists with your transfer to the hotel. Once you have checked in, the day is yours. Rest after the journey or take a walk around the streets near your hotel, as you prefer.

Your guide collects you at the hotel at 09:30 AM for a full day on foot through the old centre, the heart of Byzantine and Ottoman Istanbul. The main stops are:

• Topkapi Palace (optional): once the home of the Ottoman sultans, with fine architecture and a long history.
• Blue Mosque: one of the city's most famous landmarks, known for its grand scale and blue tiles.
• Hippodrome: the old chariot-racing ground, where you see the Egyptian Obelisk, the Serpent Column and the German Fountain.
• Hagia Sophia (optional): a UNESCO World Heritage Site with outstanding Byzantine architecture and a vast interior.
• Grand Bazaar: the oldest covered market in the world, a lively place to shop for souvenirs, spices and textiles.

At the end of the tour you are driven back to your Istanbul hotel for the night, with breakfast included.

Today you check out of your hotel, see more of Istanbul and then fly to Cappadocia.

After breakfast at the hotel, the first stop is the Egyptian Spice Bazaar, a crowded market full of the scent of exotic spices, Turkish delight and other local goods.

Next comes a relaxing Bosphorus Cruise. As the boat sails between Europe and Asia, you see the varied architecture of the city and pass grand Ottoman palaces, including Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi.

After the cruise, you are transferred to Istanbul Airport for the flight to Cappadocia. On arrival, we take you to your Cave Hotel, where breakfast is included.

Early in the morning you can choose to join a hot air balloon flight over the rock landscapes of Cappadocia (optional).

The guided tour usually starts around 09:00 and finishes by 16:00 at the latest.

• Goreme Esentepe panoramic view: the day opens on a viewpoint between Uçhisar and Göreme, with fairy chimneys and the small town of Esentepe spread out below.
• Zelve Open-Air Museum: a former monastic community and centre of Christian learning, with old monasteries, churches and chapels whose frescoes are still in good condition.
• Pasabag (Monks Valley): Paşabağ, also called “Pasha's Vineyard”, is famous for fairy chimneys with three heads and some of the most striking rock shapes in the region.
• Devrent Valley: a short drive on, small pointed chimneys give the valley a moon-like look, and many rocks resemble animals or mythical creatures.
• Avanos Pottery Workshop: the potters of Avanos have shaped clay from the Red River since 3000 BC. In a traditional workshop you watch them at work.
• Love Valley: the last stop. Millions of years of erosion have carved cone-shaped pillars, pinnacles and fairy chimneys, some up to 40 meters tall, in one of the most photogenic corners of Cappadocia.

Back at your Cave Hotel for the night, with breakfast included.

Today you check out of the hotel, see more of Cappadocia and then fly to Izmir.

Please note: on some days there is no direct flight between Cappadocia and Izmir, so the flight may connect with one stop.

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

• Meskendir Valley (4.4 km trek): a 4.4 km walk near Ortahisar leads to Meskendir Church, with red geometric decoration and a large cross carved into the chapel ceiling. You can look inside and enjoy the valley around it.
• Rose Valley: a quiet valley behind Ürgüp with churches cut into the rock. Paths wind through vineyards and gardens between villages, and locals may offer you fresh grapes, apples or apricots.
• Red Valley: close to Rose Valley and similar in style, with fine rock shapes and old cave churches. Its trails form a web that links remote villages and farmland.
• Cavusin Valley: Çavuşin is one of the oldest settlements in Cappadocia, a maze of homes carved into the rock. Here you find the Church of John the Baptist, the largest cave church in the region, from the 5th century.
• Underground City: early Christians built 36 underground cities in Cappadocia to escape persecution. You visit the biggest and best known, eight levels deep, and walk through parts of it, including wineries, kitchens and living areas.
• Pigeon Valley: just outside Göreme, named after the dovecotes carved into its cliffs over the centuries. Farmers once used the droppings as fertiliser. Today it offers wide views and good photos.
• Uchisar Castle Panorama: the final stop is Uçhisar, the highest point in Cappadocia. Its rock castle once served as a fortress, and the view from the top takes in the whole region and Erciyes Mountain in the distance.

After the tour, you are driven to the airport for the flight to Izmir. On arrival, a transfer takes you to Kusadasi for the night, with breakfast included.

After breakfast, you are collected from your hotel at 10:00 AM. The drive to the Magnesia Gate of Ephesus Ancient City takes about 20 minutes.

Inside the ancient city, a full guided walk takes in many important sites:

• Library of Celsus: its grand facade is one of the best-known sights in Ephesus.
• Temple of Hadrian: built in honour of the Roman emperor, with columns and carved reliefs still in good shape.
• Terrace Houses (optional): a luxurious housing complex where the wealthy families of Ephesus once lived.
• Hercules Gate: a monumental gateway carved with scenes of the legendary hero.
• Grand Theatre: it once seated up to 25,000 people and still hosts performances today.
• Herm (Marker) of Hermes: old markers that guided people and marked boundaries in the city.
• Artemission: the site of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of antiquity.
• Stone-carving of the goddess Nike: a finely cut relief of Nike, the winged figure of victory.
• Fountain of Trajan: the well-kept remains of a monumental fountain built for Emperor Trajan.
• House of Virgin Mary (optional): the tour can end at the house believed to be the Virgin Mary's final resting place.

Afterwards you are driven back to your hotel in Kusadasi for the night, with breakfast included.

Today you check out of the hotel, spend the day at Pamukkale and then fly back to Istanbul.

Pick-up is early in the morning. Your first visit is the ancient city of Hierapolis, known for its well-kept ruins and long history. You see the Necropolis and the Theatre and stop at the Cleopatra Pool, where you can swim for a fee.

The high point is the travertines of Pamukkale, a natural wonder of bright white terraces and mineral-rich pools. Enjoy the views and walk across the soft, cotton-like rock. There is also a chance to visit Pamukkale Naturel Lake and Park nearby.

After the tour, you are driven to Denizli Airport for the flight back to Istanbul. On landing, a transfer takes you to your Istanbul hotel for the last night of the trip, with breakfast included.

Enjoy breakfast, then check out of the hotel. Our representative helps with your transfer to the airport, and our services end here.

If you would like to stay longer in Istanbul, simply add extra days to your package through the booking form.

Optional add-ons

• Hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia (GOREME): $310
• Extra night at an Istanbul hotel, before or after the tour: $65
• Upgrade to a private tour: $400