Turkey Tour Package on a Budget: 7 Days, Istanbul to Pamukkale

We meet you at Istanbul Airport and drive you to your hotel. No activities are planned for today. Your guide will meet you the following morning at 09:30 AM.

This morning you check out of your hotel. Before your evening flight to Cappadocia, you can join an optional full-day tour of Istanbul's Ottoman and Byzantine heart with our guide, starting at 09:30 AM and ending with a Bosphorus Cruise.

• Topkapi Palace: Walk through the rich, grand palace where the Ottoman sultans lived. Look at its detailed architecture and precious objects, and enjoy the views over the Istanbul skyline.
• Blue Mosque: Go inside this architectural masterpiece, known for its blue tiles, and feel its peaceful atmosphere.
• Hippodrome: This was once the centre of Byzantine public life and chariot racing. Its old obelisks and monuments recall the city's great past.
• Hagia Sophia: A UNESCO World Heritage Site where Byzantine and Islamic influences meet. Look up at the huge domes and the famous mosaics.
• Grand Bazaar: One of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world. Its maze of lanes is lined with colourful stalls selling all kinds of Turkish goods.
• Bosphorus Cruise: End the day on the water, with wide views of the skyline on both the European and Asian shores.

After the cruise we take you to Istanbul Airport for your flight to Cappadocia. On arrival you are driven to your Cave Hotel, with breakfast included the next morning.

Early this morning you can choose to take an optional hot air balloon flight over Cappadocia's unusual landscape.

The guided day usually runs from about 09:00 until 16:00 at the latest.

• Göreme Esentepe viewpoint: The first stop is a lookout between Uçhisar and Göreme. Fairy chimneys spread out below you, along with the small town of Esentepe.
• Zelve Open-Air Museum: Monks and Christian scholars once lived and studied here. Their monasteries, churches and chapels still hold well-kept frescoes that show how the valley looked in the past.
• Paşabağ (Monks Valley): Also called Pasha's Vineyard, this valley is known for fairy chimneys with three heads, among the most striking rock shapes in all of Cappadocia.
• Devrent Valley: After a short drive you reach a moon-like valley of small, pointed chimneys. Many of the rocks look like animals or mythical creatures.
• Avanos pottery workshop: Potters in Avanos have shaped clay from the Red River since 3000 BC. In a traditional workshop you watch local craftsmen make their ceramics by hand.
• Love Valley: Millions of years of erosion have left cones, pinnacles and fairy chimneys here, some as tall as 40 metres. It is one of the most photogenic and unusual corners of the region.

In the evening you return to your cave hotel for the night, with breakfast included.

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

The guided tour sets off at around 09:00 and finishes 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 step inside Meskendir Church, decorated with bold red geometric patterns and a large cross carved into the chapel ceiling.
• Rose Valley: Tucked away behind Ürgüp, this quiet valley is full of unusual rock shapes and churches cut into the stone. Its footpaths link small villages through vineyards and gardens, and local people sometimes offer walkers fresh grapes, apples or apricots.
• Red Valley: Much like its neighbour, Red Valley has striking rock formations and old cave churches. Its winding paths spread like a spider's web, joining remote villages and farmland, and show both the nature and the history of Cappadocia.
• Çavuşin Village: One of the region's oldest settlements, Çavuşin is a maze of cave houses cut into the rock. It also holds the 5th-century Church of John the Baptist, the biggest cave church in the region.
• Underground City: Early Christians dug 36 underground cities in Cappadocia to hide from persecution. You visit the largest and best known of them, which goes down eight levels, and walk through old wineries, kitchens and living rooms.
• Pigeon Valley: On the edge of Göreme, the cliffs are dotted with pigeon houses carved over many centuries. Farmers once collected the droppings to fertilise their fields. Today the valley is a favourite place for wide views and photos.
• Uçhisar Castle panorama: The final stop is Uçhisar, the highest spot in Cappadocia. Its rock castle once served as a fortress, and from the top you can see the whole region as far as Erciyes Mountain.

When the tour ends we take you to the airport for your flight to Izmir. From there you are driven to Kusadasi for the night, with breakfast included.

After breakfast we pick you up from your hotel at 10:00 AM. A drive of about 20 minutes brings you to the Magnesia Gate, the entrance to the ancient city of Ephesus. From there your guide leads you through its main sites:

• Library of Celsus (10:30 AM – 11:00 AM): Stand before the library's richly carved facade, the best-known landmark of Ephesus.
• Temple of Hadrian (11:15 AM – 11:45 AM): Built for the Roman emperor Hadrian, it still shows fine columns and detailed reliefs.
• Terrace Houses (12:00 PM – 12:45 PM): Walk into the elegant homes where wealthy families of Ephesus once lived.
• Hercules Gate (01:00 PM – 01:15 PM): This large gateway carries carved figures of the legendary hero.
• Grand Theatre (01:30 PM – 02:00 PM): It once held as many as 25,000 people, and performances still take place here today.
• The Snake Cult of Asklepios (02:15 PM – 02:30 PM): Hear about the followers of Asklepios, god of healing, and see what is left of his temple.
• Herm (Marker) of Hermes (02:45 PM – 03:00 PM): These old stone markers once guided people and marked boundaries in the city.
• Artemission (03:15 PM – 03:30 PM): Stand where the Temple of Artemis rose, one of the ancient world's Seven Wonders.
• Relief of the goddess Nike (03:45 PM – 04:00 PM): A finely worked carving of Nike, the winged goddess of victory.
• Fountain of Trajan (04:15 PM – 04:30 PM): The well-kept remains of a grand fountain raised in honour of Emperor Trajan.
• House of Virgin Mary (04:45 PM – 05:30 PM): The tour ends at the house many believe was the Virgin Mary's last home and resting place.

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

This morning you check out of your hotel and spend the day in Pamukkale before flying back to Istanbul.

• Hierapolis (10:00 AM – 11:30 AM): See the Necropolis, the Theatre and the famous Cleopatra Pool. A swim in the pool costs an extra admission fee.
• Lunch (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM): Break for a meal at a local restaurant (not included).
• Pamukkale (1:15 PM – 2:00 PM): The main event is the travertines, a natural wonder of bright white terraces filled with mineral-rich water. Walk on the soft, cotton-like surface and enjoy the views.
• Pamukkale Naturel Lake (2:15 PM – 3:00 PM): Finish at Pamukkale Naturel Lake and Park, another pretty corner of the area.

After the tour you are taken to Denizli Airport for your flight to Istanbul.

Today we take you to the airport for your departure, and this is where our services end.

Want more time in Istanbul? You can add extra nights to the end of your trip.

Optional extras

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