7-Day Turkey Tour Package: Pamukkale, Ephesus, Cappadocia & Istanbul

The tour starts with an early flight straight to Pamukkale. Your flight leaves Istanbul at 06:35 AM, so you need to be at Istanbul airport by 05:00 AM at the latest to join.

You fly to Denizli for Pamukkale and begin with the ancient city of Hierapolis, famous for its well-preserved ruins and its historical importance. You see the Necropolis, the Theatre and the Cleopatra Pool, where you can swim for an extra fee.

The main attraction is the travertines of Pamukkale, a natural wonder of bright white terraces filled with mineral-rich water. Walking on these cotton-like formations is a unique experience, and the views are superb. There is also a chance to visit Pamukkale Naturel Lake and Park.

At the end of the tour you are driven to Kusadasi for the night.

After breakfast you check out of the hotel. Today is for Ephesus, followed by a flight to Cappadocia.

Your driver picks you up at 10:00 AM, and a drive of about 20 minutes brings you to the Magnesia Gate of Ephesus Ancient City. This tour is optional and costs $95 per person.

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

• Library of Celsus: the most famous building in Ephesus, known for its grand facade.
• Temple of Hadrian: built for the Roman emperor Hadrian, with columns and detailed reliefs that have survived remarkably well.
• Terrace Houses (optional): a complex of luxurious homes where the wealthiest families of Ephesus lived.
• Hercules Gate: a monumental entrance decorated with carvings of the legendary hero.
• Grand Theatre: it once held as many as 25,000 people and is still used for performances today.
• Herm (Marker) of Hermes: old stone markers that pointed the way and marked boundaries in the city.
• Artemission: the site of the Temple of Artemis, counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
• Stone-carving of the goddess Nike: a finely worked relief of Nike, the winged goddess of victory.
• Fountain of Trajan: the remains of a large fountain dedicated to Emperor Trajan.
• House of Virgin Mary (optional): the visit ends at the house believed by many to be the Virgin Mary's final resting place.

After the tour you are taken to Izmir airport for your flight to Kayseri, followed by a transfer to Cappadocia for the night.

If you wish, you can start the morning with a hot air balloon flight over Cappadocia's remarkable landscape (optional).

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

Highlights of the day:

• Goreme Esentepe – Panoramic View: the day opens at the Esentepe lookout between Uçhisar and Göreme, with wide views over the fairy chimneys and the town of Esentepe.
• Zelve Open-Air Museum: a former monastic settlement and centre of Christian learning, where monasteries, churches and chapels still hold well-preserved frescoes from the region's past.
• Pasabag (Monks Valley): known for its three-headed fairy chimneys and also called “Pasha's Vineyard”, this valley has some of the most striking rock shapes in Cappadocia.
• Devrent Valley: a short drive away, its small pointed chimneys look like a moonscape, and many visitors spot animals and mythical creatures in the rock.
• Avanos Pottery Workshop: Avanos has made pottery since 3000 BC using clay from the Red River, and a visit to a traditional workshop lets you watch the potters at work.
• Love Valley: the last stop, where millions of years of erosion have left cone-shaped pillars, pinnacles and fairy chimneys up to 40 meters tall, one of the most photogenic corners of Cappadocia.

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

Check out of the hotel this morning. You spend the day on more of Cappadocia's highlights, then fly to Istanbul.

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

Highlights of the day:

• Meskendir Valley (4.4 km Trek): the day begins on foot with a 4.4 km walk through this valley near Ortahisar. On the way you step inside Meskendir Church, decorated with bold red geometric patterns and a large cross carved into the chapel ceiling.
• Rose Valley: a quiet valley behind Ürgüp, full of unusual rock shapes and churches cut into the stone. Its paths run through vineyards and gardens between small villages, and local people sometimes offer walkers fresh grapes, apples or apricots.
• Red Valley: close in character to Rose Valley, with striking formations and old cave churches. Its trails twist like a spider's web, tying together remote villages and farmland.
• Cavusin Valley: Çavuşin is among the oldest settlements in Cappadocia, a warren of cave houses cut into the rock. It also has the region's biggest cave church, the Church of John the Baptist, which dates from the 5th century.
• Underground City: early Christians dug 36 underground cities in Cappadocia to hide from persecution. You visit the largest and best known of them, which descends eight levels, and walk through parts of it to see old wineries, kitchens and living rooms.
• Pigeon Valley: on the edge of Göreme, named after the dovecotes carved into its cliffs over the centuries. Farmers once collected the pigeon droppings to fertilise their fields. Today it is a fine place for panoramic photos.
• Uchisar Castle Panorama: the final stop is Uçhisar, the highest point in Cappadocia. Its castle is a tall rock outcrop that once served as a fortress, and from the top the view takes in the whole region, with Erciyes Mountain on the horizon.

After the tour you transfer to the airport for your flight to Istanbul, and a driver takes you to your hotel on arrival.

This optional day usually runs from around 09:30 until 17:00 at the latest.

Your guide picks you up from the hotel at 09:30 AM for a full-day walk through the historic heart of Istanbul, the core of both Byzantine and Ottoman history. Optional: $120 per person.

Highlights include:

• Topkapi Palace: the palace where the Ottoman sultans lived and ruled, full of history and fine architecture.
• Blue Mosque: one of the best-known sights in Istanbul, admired for its scale and its blue tiles.
• Hippodrome: the old chariot-racing ground of the city, still marked by the Egyptian Obelisk, the Serpent Column and the German Fountain.
• Hagia Sophia: step inside this UNESCO World Heritage Site and take in its vast Byzantine interior.
• Grand Bazaar: the oldest covered market on earth, a lively maze where you can shop for souvenirs, spices and textiles.

When the tour ends you are taken back to your hotel in Istanbul for the night, with breakfast included.

This optional day usually runs from around 09:00 until 16:00 at the latest. Optional: $115 per person.

After breakfast at the hotel, the first stop is the Egyptian Spice Bazaar. Follow the scents through the crowded lanes, past stalls of exotic spices, Turkish delight and other local produce.

Then relax on a Bosphorus Cruise between Europe and Asia. From the water you see the city's mix of architectural styles and pass grand Ottoman palaces, among them Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi.

After the cruise you are transferred back and have the rest of the day free, with an overnight stay in Istanbul.

After breakfast you check out, and our representative takes care of your transfer to the airport for your departure. This is where our services end.

Want more time in Istanbul? Add extra days to your package through the booking form.

Optional add-ons

• Cappadocia hot air balloon flight (Göreme): $310
• One extra hotel night in Istanbul, before or after the tour: $65
• Upgrade to a private tour: $350