Istanbul & Cappadocia Tour Package: 5 Days with Flights
Overview
Istanbul & Cappadocia Tour Package: 5 Days with Flights
This 5-day package joins Turkey's two best-known destinations: the historic heart of Istanbul and the unusual rock landscapes of Cappadocia. Along the way you see the history, culture and natural scenery that set Turkey apart.
After an arrival day in Istanbul, a guided walk takes you to the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome and the Grand Bazaar, with Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia as options. You then fly to Cappadocia for two days among fairy chimneys, valleys, cave churches and an underground city, with an optional sunrise balloon flight, before flying back to Istanbul for your last night.
Hotels with breakfast, a professional guide, all flights in the itinerary, air-conditioned vehicles and entrance fees (except optional sites) are included. International flights to Istanbul, lunches, dinners and optional activities in free time are not.
Tour Info
Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival in Istanbul and Hotel Transfer
We meet you at Istanbul airport and drive you to your hotel. No activities are planned today, and you meet your guide the following day at 09:30 AM.
Day 2 – Istanbul Old City Tour
At 09:30 AM your guide collects you from the hotel for a full day on foot through the centre of Ottoman and Byzantine Istanbul. The tour visits:
- Topkapi Palace (optional): the former home of the Ottoman sultans, full of history and fine architecture.
- Blue Mosque: one of Istanbul's best-known landmarks, famous for its blue tiles and its scale.
- Hippodrome: the old chariot-racing track, with the Egyptian Obelisk, the Serpent Column and the German Fountain.
- Hagia Sophia (optional): a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a vast, richly decorated Byzantine interior.
- Grand Bazaar: the world's oldest covered market, a lively place to shop for souvenirs, spices and textiles.
At the end of the day, you are taken back to your hotel in Istanbul for the night, with breakfast included.
Day 3 – Flight to Cappadocia and Afternoon Tour
After breakfast, check out and transfer to the airport for your flight to Cappadocia. On arrival, the tour goes straight to these sites:
- Goreme Esentepe – panoramic view: we start at the Esentepe viewpoint between Uçhisar and Göreme, looking out over the fairy chimneys, the unusual Cappadocian scenery and the small town of Esentepe.
- Zelve Open-Air Museum: once a centre for monks and Christian learning, Zelve has old monasteries, churches and chapels with well-preserved frescoes that show the region's past.
- Pasabag (Monks Valley): Paşabağ, also called Pasha's Vineyard, is known for its fairy chimneys with three heads and for some of the region's most striking rocks.
- Devrent Valley: a short drive away, this valley looks almost like the surface of the moon, with small pointed fairy chimneys, some shaped like animals and mythical creatures.
- Avanos Pottery Workshop: Avanos has made pottery since 3000 BC, and its craftsmen still shape clay from the Red River. You watch them at work in a traditional workshop.
- Love Valley: the last stop, where millions of years of erosion have carved cones, pinnacles and fairy chimneys up to 40 meters tall, a strange and very photogenic corner of Cappadocia.
After the tour, check in at your hotel and relax for the evening. Overnight in Cappadocia.
Optional evening: a Turkish Night Show with traditional music and dance.
Day 4 – Optional Balloon Flight, Cappadocia Tour and Flight to Istanbul
The day can begin at sunrise with an optional hot air balloon flight over Cappadocia. You drift above the rock formations and fairy chimneys as the sky changes colour, and after landing there is a champagne toast before the transfer back to your hotel.
The tour usually starts at around 09:00 and ends by 16:00 at the latest. Stops include:
- Meskendir Valley (4.4 km trek): the day opens with a 4.4 km walk through this valley near Ortahisar. On the way you can go 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 with unusual rock formations and rock-cut churches tucked out of sight. Its paths link small villages through vineyards and gardens, and local people sometimes offer walkers fresh grapes, apples or apricots.
- Red Valley: like its neighbour, it has striking rocks and old cave churches, with a web of winding trails between remote villages and fields. It is one of the best places to see both the scenery and the history of Cappadocia.
- Cavusin Valley: Çavuşin is among the oldest villages in Cappadocia, a maze of cave houses cut into the rock. It is also home to the Church of John the Baptist, the region's largest cave church, dating from the 5th century.
- Underground City: early Christians dug 36 underground cities in Cappadocia to hide from persecution. We visit the largest and best known, which has eight levels; you walk through parts of it and see old wineries, kitchens and living areas.
- Pigeon Valley: on the edge of Göreme, named after the pigeon houses carved into its cliffs over the centuries. Farmers once collected the droppings to fertilise their fields. Today it is a fine viewpoint and a good place for photos.
- Uchisar 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 the whole region, with Erciyes Mountain on the horizon.
After the tour, a transfer takes you to the airport for the flight back to Istanbul. On arrival, enjoy some free time to rest or do some last-minute shopping. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 5 – Departure Transfer
After breakfast, check out of the hotel. Our representative helps you with your transfer to the airport for your flight, which completes our services.
Extra nights in Istanbul can be added if you would like to stay longer.
Important Notes
Optional extras
- Cappadocia hot air balloon (Göreme): $310
- One extra night at an Istanbul hotel, before or after the tour: $65
- Upgrade to a private tour: $250
Inclusions & Exclusions
- ✓Accommodations with breakfast
- ✓Professional guide
- ✓All flights in the itinerary
- ✓Air-conditioned vehicles
- ✓Admission Fees to enter sights (Except optionals)
- ✕International flights to Istanbul
- ✕Dinner and lunch
- ✕Optional additional tours or activities during free time
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Istanbul and Cappadocia 5-day tour with flights: the key facts
This 5-day, 4-night group package gives Istanbul a full day of its own before you fly to Cappadocia. You arrive on Day 1, spend Day 2 on a guided walk through the old city and sleep in Istanbul again. On Day 3 you fly to Cappadocia in the morning and tour the northern valleys that afternoon. Day 4 starts with an optional balloon and continues with a walking-heavy tour before the flight back to Istanbul, and Day 5 is your departure.
It suits first-time visitors who want both places without changing hotels too often, and who like to walk. Three of the four nights are in Istanbul and one is in Cappadocia. The price is from $1,595 per person.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Length | 5 days / 4 nights |
| Route | Istanbul - Cappadocia - Istanbul |
| Style | Group tour, with a private upgrade for $250 |
| Start / end | Airport pick-up in Istanbul on Day 1 / departure transfer from Istanbul on Day 5 |
| Included | 4 nights with breakfast (3 Istanbul, 1 Cappadocia), professional guide, Istanbul-Cappadocia-Istanbul flights, air-conditioned vehicles, entrance fees except optional sites |
| Extra | Lunches and dinners, balloon ($310), Turkish Night Show, extra Istanbul night ($65), international flights |
How is it different from our cheaper 5-day group package?
Our Istanbul and Cappadocia package for 4 nights and 5 days, from $1,150, flies to Cappadocia on the evening of Day 2 and spends two nights there. This tour, from $1,595, keeps you in Istanbul for the first two nights, flies on the morning of Day 3 and gives Cappadocia one night. It also lists entrance fees for the main sights as included. Choose this one if you prefer more Istanbul and fewer hotel moves, and the other if you want two Cappadocia mornings. The Istanbul and Cappadocia tour packages page compares more options.
What do we see on the Istanbul day?
The guide collects you from your hotel at 09:30 on Day 2 for a full day on foot. You visit the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome with the Egyptian Obelisk, the Serpent Column and the German Fountain, and the Grand Bazaar. Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia are optional, and since entrance fees are included "except optionals", assume you pay for those two and ask for the price. In the evening you return to the same hotel. See things to do in Sultanahmet.
What should we wear?
For the Blue Mosque, men and women should cover their shoulders and knees, women also cover their hair, and shoes come off at the door. Scarves are usually available at the entrance. Mosques close to visitors during prayer times, so the guide may change the order of the stops. For Cappadocia, wear proper walking shoes: Day 4 starts with a 4.4 km walk through Meskendir Valley and includes the steps of an underground city. Our what to wear in Istanbul page has more tips.
How do the flights work?
The flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia on the morning of Day 3 and the return on the evening of Day 4 are both included. The page names only "Istanbul airport" for your arrival and gives no airports, airlines or times for the domestic flights. Istanbul has two airports, so ask which one the flights use and tell us in the booking form if one suits your hotel better. The header says transfers are included, and the itinerary describes airport transfers, but the inclusions list leaves them out, so ask us to confirm them in writing.
What do the two Cappadocia touring days cover?
On Day 3 you go straight from the airport to the Esentepe viewpoint, the Zelve Open-Air Museum, Paşabağ, Devrent Valley, an Avanos pottery workshop and Love Valley. Day 4, usually from about 09:00 to 16:00, covers Meskendir Valley and its church, the Rose and Red valleys, Çavuşin and the Church of John the Baptist, an eight-level underground city, Pigeon Valley and Uçhisar Castle. A Turkish Night Show is offered on Day 3 evening, with no price given.
Is the hot air balloon included?
No. The balloon in Göreme costs $310 and is offered at sunrise on Day 4. With only one night in Cappadocia, that is your one chance, and wind can ground all balloons for several days in a row. Take-offs need daily permission from Turkey's civil aviation authority, so there is no way to be sure of a flight in advance. Our balloon price guide explains the options, including lower-cost ways to see the balloons.
Which hotels are used?
The page gives no hotel names or star ratings for either city, and unlike some of our packages it does not say whether the Cappadocia night is in a cave hotel. If staying in a cave room matters to you, mention it in the booking form and ask us which hotels are planned for your dates. Breakfast is included every morning; lunch and dinner are not. Our pages on Cappadocia cave hotels and where to stay in Istanbul explain the areas.
Can we add nights or go private?
Yes. An extra Istanbul hotel night before or after the tour costs $65, and you can upgrade to a private tour for $250. For more time in both places, our 8-day Istanbul and Cappadocia package starts from $2,400 per person.
How do we book this package?
Choose your date and number of guests in the booking form on this page, and note your arrival flight and preferred Istanbul airport. You can also message us on WhatsApp at +90 545 307 67 88. We check the flights and hotels, then send the full plan in writing before you make any payment. Get Turkey Tours is a TÜRSAB-licensed agency (A-15751).
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