Istanbul & Ephesus Tour Package: 8 Days with Flight to Izmir
Overview
Istanbul & Ephesus Tour Package: 8 Days with Flight to Izmir
This package spends eight days linking the history of Istanbul with the ruins of Ephesus. Your price covers hotels with breakfast every morning, airport transfers, guided tours, a domestic flight and lunch whenever you are touring.
Istanbul Sightseeing and Bosphorus Cruises
A professional guide shows you the Old City, and one evening you board a Bosphorus dinner cruise. On another day a private car and driver take you to Galata, Balat, Dolmabahce and Ortakoy. There is also a free day, with a Turkish bath as an option, and a morning cruise along the Bosphorus.
A Full Day at Ephesus
Then you fly to Izmir to spend a whole day at Ephesus, among the best-preserved ancient cities on earth, before your flight back to Istanbul.
Tour Info
Choose your hotels
This package comes with a mid-range hotel. To stay somewhere else, pick another hotel below and we add only the difference in price. We confirm availability with you.
Select a check-in date and the exact prices for those dates will appear.
Middle Class
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Middle ClassThe hotel prices here are estimates. Before your booking is final, our team will get in touch to confirm the price and availability.
Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival at Istanbul Airport
When you land at Istanbul Airport (IST), our team is waiting to drive you privately to your central Istanbul hotel. Once you have checked in, the day is yours.
- Airport transfer included
- Free time to spend in Istanbul
Night at your Istanbul hotel.
Day 2 – Istanbul Old City: Hagia Sophia, Topkapi and Basilica Cistern
Once breakfast is over, a professional guide shows you the key landmarks of the historic Old City, starting with Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, then Topkapi Palace and the Basilica Cistern, and ending at the Grand Bazaar.
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Hagia Sophia
- Blue Mosque
- The Topkapi Palace
- Basilica Cistern
- The Grand Bazaar
- A professional guide
- Lunch is included
Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 3 – Free Day and Bosphorus Dinner Cruise
Spend the day as you choose in Istanbul: shopping, sitting in cafes or booking optional activities. After dark you go aboard for a dinner cruise on the Bosphorus, with Turkish performances and entertainment.
- Hotel breakfast
- Free time in Istanbul
- Time for shopping (optional)
- Bosphorus dinner cruise
- Turkish shows and entertainment
- Dinner included
Night in Istanbul.
Day 4 – Private Car Tour: Galata, Balat, Dolmabahce and Ortakoy
Today you have a private vehicle and a professional driver, which keeps the day flexible. At every stop the driver lets you out, waits close by while you look around on your own, then drives you to the next place.
- 08:00 - Hotel breakfast
- 09:00 - Private vehicle collects you from the hotel
- 09:30 - Galata Tower and its neighbourhood
- 11:00 - Balat and Fener and their colourful streets
- 12:30 - Lunch in a local restaurant
- 14:00 - Around Dolmabahce Palace
- 15:30 - Ortakoy and views of the Bosphorus
- 17:00 - Taksim Square and Istiklal Street
- 18:30 - Transfer back to the hotel
- 19:00 - Free time, dinner optional
Night in Istanbul.
Day 5 – Free Day in Istanbul and Optional Turkish Bath
No tours are planned today. You can relax at the hotel, wander the city at your own speed, sit in local cafes or shop. For the evening there is the option of a traditional Turkish bath and spa.
- 08:00 - Hotel breakfast
- 09:00 - Free time around the city
- 11:00 - Shopping or a cafe stop (optional)
- 13:00 - Lunch in a local restaurant (optional)
- 14:00 - See Istanbul at your own speed
- 17:00 - Back to the hotel to rest
- 19:00 - Turkish bath and spa (optional)
- 21:00 - Back to the hotel, free time
Night in Istanbul.
Day 6 – Bosphorus Morning Cruise and Flight to Izmir
The morning brings a group cruise on the Bosphorus, with Istanbul's waterfront sights seen from the water. After that a transfer takes you to the airport for the flight to Izmir, where you check in at your hotel and have free time.
- 07:30 - Hotel breakfast
- 08:30 - Collection from the hotel
- 09:00 - Bosphorus morning cruise (group tour)
- 13:00 - End of the cruise, back to the hotel
- 13:30 - Collection from the hotel, transfer to the airport
- 16:00 - Istanbul to Izmir flight
- 17:15 - Landing in Izmir, transfer to the hotel
- 18:30 - Check-in at the hotel
- 19:30 - Dinner (optional), either in a local restaurant or at the hotel
Night at your hotel.
Day 7 – Full-Day Ephesus Ancient City Tour
You spend the whole day at Ephesus, among the best-preserved ancient cities on earth. When the tour ends you go back to your hotel for a free evening.
- 08:00 - Hotel breakfast
- 09:30 - Departure for Ephesus
- 10:00 - Exploring Ephesus Ancient City
- 13:00 - Lunch in a local restaurant
- 14:00 - More time in Ephesus
- 16:30 - End of the tour, transfer to the hotel
- 17:00 - Back at the hotel, free time
- 19:00 - Dinner in a local restaurant (optional)
Night at your hotel.
Day 8 – Flight to Istanbul and End of Services
After breakfast you check out and transfer to the airport for your return flight to Istanbul. You can then fly on home or, schedule permitting, stay an extra night in Istanbul as an option.
- Flight back to Istanbul
- Extra night in Istanbul (optional)
- Services end
Inclusions & Exclusions
- ✓Breakfast and 7 Nights in a Middle-Class Hotel Chosen from Our List, Subject to Availability and Your Approval
- ✓Flights Within Turkey
- ✓Transfers to and from the Airport
- ✓Professional Guide on Each Tour Day
- ✓Tour of Istanbul's Old City
- ✓Private Istanbul Tour in a Car with a Driver
- ✓Morning Cruise on the Bosphorus
- ✓Tour of the Ancient City of Ephesus
- ✓Lunch on Each Tour Day
- ✓A Free Day in Istanbul
- ✓Turkish Bath and Spa Visit (Optional)
- ✓Transport on Tour Days
- ✓Local Taxes and Service Fees
- ✕International Flights to and from Turkey
- ✕Personal Expenses
Cancellation Policy
Cancel at no charge until 7 days before your tour and you receive a full refund. If you cancel within the final 7 days before the tour, no refund is given. All times shown are local.
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Travel guides
- Incoming Travel Agency in Turkey: What We Book and the 2027 Calendar
- Istanbul and Kuşadası Holiday 2027: A Week of City, Ruins and Sea
- Turkey in November 2027: Weather by Region, Where to Go and Prices
- Istanbul to İzmir by Private Car: Drive Time, Routes and Stops
- 8 Days in Turkey: Four Day-by-Day Itineraries and What They Cost
- Turkey Itinerary 7 Days: 3 Routes with Real Travel Times
- Turkey Packages from Canada: Direct Flights, Entry Rules and Prices
- UK to Turkey Tour Packages: Flights, Entry Rules and Prices
- Turkey Packages for Travellers from Germany: ID Entry, Flights, Routes
- Turkey Packages for Travellers from Brazil: Flights, Seasons, Routes
8-day Istanbul and Ephesus package: the key facts
Most of these eight private days are spent in Istanbul at a slow pace, with one whole day set aside for ancient Ephesus. Prices start at $1,880 per person. The package covers seven nights in hotels with breakfast, domestic flights to Izmir and back, transfers to and from the airport, local taxes, and on tour days both lunch and a professional guide. Your Istanbul programme has the Old City tour, a Bosphorus cruise with dinner, a private tour of the city by car with your own driver, a Bosphorus cruise in the morning and two days to yourself. On the Aegean side, a guide takes you round Ephesus for a whole day.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Length | 8 days, 7 nights |
| Cost | from $1,880 per person |
| Where you stay | Istanbul (5 nights), then the Izmir area (2 nights), then back to Istanbul |
| Accommodation | 7 nights with breakfast in middle-class hotels we have selected, confirmed after you approve them |
| What is covered | Ephesus tour, morning Bosphorus cruise, private car tour, dinner cruise, Old City tour, a guide and lunch on each tour day, transfers, domestic flights |
| Not covered | Personal expenses, international flights; Turkish bath only as an option |
Why pair Istanbul with Ephesus?
Together they cover two chapters of one long history. Istanbul was the capital of both the Byzantine and the Ottoman worlds. Ephesus, among the best-preserved ancient cities anywhere, takes you back to the Roman period and the first Christian centuries. A short domestic flight links the two, so Ephesus fits into an Istanbul holiday with no long drives.
What is on the 8-day itinerary?
| Day | Plan |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival and private transfer to your hotel in the centre |
| Day 2 | Tour of the Old City: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar |
| Day 3 | A free day, then a Bosphorus cruise with dinner and Turkish shows |
| Day 4 | Driver and private car: Galata Tower, Balat, Fener, Dolmabahce Palace, Ortakoy, Taksim, Istiklal Street |
| Day 5 | A free day; Turkish bath and spa if you want them |
| Day 6 | Morning cruise on the Bosphorus, then fly to Izmir |
| Day 7 | Ephesus tour, full day |
| Day 8 | Fly back to Istanbul; services end |
How does it stack up against our other Istanbul pairings?
| Package | Days | Added destination | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| This Istanbul and Ephesus trip | 8 days | Ephesus | $1,880 per person |
| Istanbul plus Antalya package | 8 days | Coast of the Mediterranean | $1,980 per person |
| Istanbul plus Cappadocia package | 8 days | Cappadocia region | $2,400 per person |
| Private tour of Turkey | 8 days | Ephesus, Pamukkale and Cappadocia | $2,250 per person |
To add Pamukkale as well, the 2-day Ephesus and Pamukkale trip from Istanbul from $675 can take the place of the Ephesus section, or we can extend the package by one day.
What will you see in Ephesus?
Your guide takes you to the Temple of Hadrian, the Great Theatre, the Library of Celsus with its well-known facade, and the marble streets with columns along both sides, describing everyday life in the Roman city. The evening after the tour is yours.
Who is this package for?
Travellers who like a slow stay in Istanbul, with days off for shopping, cafes and a hammam, and who have an interest in biblical sites or the ancient world. It also works well if you have seen Cappadocia already.
When should you go?
The best months run from April to June, and again from September to November. In July and August Ephesus gets very hot, so the tour begins early. Istanbul is at its busiest in summer and its quietest in winter.
What goes in your luggage?
Good walking shoes, sun cream and a hat at Ephesus, modest clothing for mosque visits, something smart-casual for the evening cruise with dinner, swimwear or a spare set of clothes for the hammam, and passports for the domestic flights.
How do you reserve?
Choose dates here and fill in the form, or write to us on WhatsApp with your flight details. We confirm the hotels once you approve them and send you the plan in written form. Payment is only due after confirmation. For other options, browse tours in Istanbul, tours in Ephesus and our Turkey tour packages.
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