Istanbul & Cappadocia Tour Package: 5 Days with Flights & Cave Hotel

When you arrive, we drive you to your hotel. Nothing is planned for today, so the rest of the day is yours.

For restaurant tips or ideas for the afternoon, just ask your agent.

Full-day Istanbul tour, starting at 09:30

• 09:30 AM – Hotel pick-up: meet your guide and set out to discover the city's Ottoman and Byzantine past.
• 10:00 AM – Topkapi Palace (optional): the former home of the Ottoman sultans, full of fine architecture and treasures. (Optional, depending on the schedule and entrance tickets.)
• 11:30 AM – Blue Mosque: go inside this beautiful mosque and admire its calm interior and famous blue tiles.
• 12:00 PM – Hippodrome: walk across the old centre of Byzantine chariot racing, with its historic monuments and obelisks.
• 1:00 PM – Lunch break (optional): stop for lunch at a local restaurant (not included in the price).
• 2:00 PM – Hagia Sophia (optional): visit this famous building, where Byzantine and Islamic art and architecture meet. (Optional, depending on the schedule and ticket availability.)
• 3:30 PM – Grand Bazaar: lose yourself in the busy lanes of the Grand Bazaar and shop for Turkish goods and souvenirs.
• 5:00 PM – Bosphorus Cruise: finish the day on the water, with views of both the European and the Asian shores of the city.
• 6:30 PM – Transfer to Istanbul Airport: after the cruise you are driven to Istanbul Airport for your flight to Cappadocia.

In Cappadocia you are taken to your cave hotel for the night. Breakfast is included.

Optional early-morning activity: Early risers can take an optional hot air balloon flight over Cappadocia at sunrise (extra cost).

The day's touring usually begins at about 09:00 and is over by 16:00 at the latest.

Highlights of the day:

Göreme Esentepe panoramic viewpoint: The day opens at Esentepe, a lookout between Uçhisar and Göreme. Fairy chimneys spread out below you, together with the small town of Esentepe.

Zelve Open-Air Museum: This valley was once a centre of monastic life and Christian learning. You walk among old monasteries, churches and chapels whose frescoes have survived in good condition.

Paşabağ (Monks Valley): Famous for its three-headed fairy chimneys, Paşabağ is also called "Pasha's Vineyard". Some of the most striking rock shapes in Cappadocia stand here.

Devrent Valley: A short drive away, Devrent looks almost like the surface of the moon. Its small, pointed fairy chimneys invite you to spot shapes, and some really do look like animals or mythical creatures.

Avanos Pottery Workshop: Potters have worked in Avanos since 3000 BC, shaping clay taken from the Red River. At a traditional workshop you watch the craft up close.

Love Valley: The last stop. Millions of years of erosion have carved rock pillars here up to 40 metres tall, along with cones, pinnacles and fairy chimneys. Few places in Cappadocia are as strange, or as photogenic.

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

At around 09:00 AM you check out of your hotel and set off to explore more of Cappadocia.

The day's touring usually begins at about 09:00 and is over by 16:00 at the latest.

Highlights of the day:

Meskendir Valley (4.4 km trek): The day starts on foot with a 4.4 km walk through Meskendir Valley near Ortahisar. Along the way you step inside Meskendir Church, decorated with bold red geometric patterns and a large cross engraved on the chapel ceiling, and enjoy the valley scenery around it.

Rose Valley: Tucked away behind Ürgüp, this quiet valley is known for its rock formations and the churches cut into its stone. Footpaths cross it, linking small villages through vineyards and gardens, and local people sometimes offer walkers fresh grapes, apples or apricots.

Red Valley: Next door to Rose Valley, it has similar rock formations and old cave churches. Its trails twist and branch like a spider's web, connecting remote villages and farmland. It is a good place to see both the nature and the history of Cappadocia.

Çavuşin Village: One of the oldest settlements in the region, Çavuşin is a maze of cave houses carved into the rock. It is also home to the 5th-century Church of John the Baptist, the largest cave church in Cappadocia.

Underground City: Early Christians dug 36 underground cities in Cappadocia to hide from persecution. You visit the largest and best known of them. It goes down eight levels, and you can walk through parts of it, including old wineries, kitchens and living rooms.

Pigeon Valley: On the edge of Göreme, the cliffs are dotted with pigeon houses carved over the centuries. Farmers once collected the droppings to fertilise their fields. Today the valley is a fine viewpoint and a favourite with photographers.

Uçhisar Castle panorama: The final stop is Uçhisar, the highest point in Cappadocia. Its tall rock castle once served as a fortress, and from the top you can see across the whole region to Erciyes Mountain on the horizon.

After the tour it is time to say goodbye to Cappadocia. You are taken to the airport for the 19:20 flight (or the 21:00 flight if the earlier one is full; the flight may be changed), and on arrival you are driven back to your hotel in Istanbul.

Please note: Flights depend on availability, but we always book flights that fit the programme. Istanbul has two airports, and we cannot guarantee which one your Cappadocia flights will use. If you need a specific airport, please say so in the booking form.

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

At the time you have requested, you are driven to the airport, and this is where our services end.

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

Optional extras

• Cappadocia Balloon (GOREME): $310
• +1 Night Istanbul Hotel (Post or Pre): $65
• +2 Nights Istanbul Hotel (Post or Pre): $125