Turkey 8-Day Tour: Istanbul, Pamukkale, Antalya & Cappadocia

Whether you land at Istanbul New Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökcen Airport (SAW), our team will be at the international arrivals exit with a sign showing your name.

From there you are driven to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to explore the city, or you can join the optional Night Cruise on the Bosphorus with Dinner & Show.

Overnight: Istanbul

Your guide meets you at the hotel at 09:30 AM, and the rest of the day is spent on foot in the old city, where Byzantine and Ottoman history stand side by side.

Highlights of the day

• Topkapi Palace (optional): For centuries this was home to the Ottoman sultans. Walk through its courtyards and rooms and hear the story behind its fine architecture.
• Blue Mosque: One of the city's best-known landmarks, admired for its grand scale and the blue tiles that line its interior.
• Hippodrome: Chariot races were once held on this square. Today you can see the Egyptian Obelisk, the Serpent Column and the German Fountain here.
• Hagia Sophia (optional): Go inside this UNESCO World Heritage Site to see Byzantine building skill at its height and a vast, richly decorated interior.
• Grand Bazaar: End in the world's oldest covered market, a lively maze of stalls where you can shop for souvenirs, spices and textiles.

When the tour is over, you are driven back to your Istanbul hotel for the night, with breakfast included.

Today you check out of your hotel, fly to Denizli to see Pamukkale, and then continue by public bus to Antalya.

• 5:00 AM: Transfer from your hotel to Istanbul Airport.
• 7:00 AM: Fly to Denizli, the closest airport to Pamukkale.
• 8:30 AM: Land at Denizli Airport, where your local guide and driver are waiting.
• 9:00 AM: Set off by road to Pamukkale, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its hot springs and white terraces.
• 10:00 AM: Arrive in Pamukkale and begin the guided tour of the terraces, the hot springs and the ruins of the ancient city of Hierapolis.
• 1:00 PM: Lunch at a local restaurant serving traditional Turkish food (not included).
• 2:00 PM: The tour of Pamukkale and Hierapolis continues. You can swim in Cleopatra's Antique Pool for an extra fee.
• 4:00 PM: Board a public bus to Antalya.
• 08:00 PM: Arrive at Antalya Otogar (bus station), where we pick you up and drive you to your hotel.

After breakfast you are collected from your hotel at about 8:00 AM.

Highlights of the day

• Perge: The day begins at Perge, one of the largest ancient cities of the Pamphylia region.
• Aspendos Ancient Theatre: This well-kept theatre holds 15,000 people and is still used for festivals and concerts today.
• Side: After a lunch break at a riverside restaurant, you head to the ancient port of Side, with its large theatre, Roman Baths and the Temple of Apollo.
• Manavgat Waterfall: On the way back you stop at the falls before being driven to your hotel in Antalya.

After a busy day you can relax at your hotel in the centre of Antalya and get a good night's sleep before the next stage of the trip.

After breakfast, check out of your Antalya hotel.

You are driven to Antalya Bus Station for the bus to Cappadocia. The trip takes about 6 to 7 hours, with 3 stops along the way.

At Goreme Bus Station you are met and taken to your hotel in Cappadocia. The rest of the day is free to rest or look around at your own pace.

You can begin the day with an optional early morning hot air balloon flight for a bird's-eye view of the Cappadocia valleys (at extra cost).

The guided tour usually gets going at about 09:00 and wraps up no later than 16:00.

Highlights of the day

• Goreme Esentepe panoramic viewpoint: The first stop is Esentepe, a lookout point between Uçhisar and Göreme. From here the fairy chimneys, the wider Cappadocian scenery and the little town of Esentepe spread out below you.
• Zelve Open-Air Museum: Zelve was once a place of monastic life and Christian learning. Its monasteries, churches and chapels still hold well-kept frescoes that show how the valley looked in earlier centuries.
• Pasabag (Monks Valley): Paşabağ, also known as Monks Valley or "Pasha's Vineyard", is famous for fairy chimneys that split into three heads. Some of the most striking rock shapes in Cappadocia stand here.
• Devrent Valley: A short drive brings you to Devrent, where small, pointed fairy chimneys give the ground a moon-like look. Many of the rocks seem to take the form of animals or mythical creatures.
• Avanos Pottery Workshop: Avanos has been a pottery town since 3000 BC, and its craftsmen still shape clay taken from the Red River. In a traditional workshop you can watch them at the wheel.
• Love Valley: The last stop is Love Valley. Millions of years of erosion have carved cones, pinnacles and fairy chimneys here, some as tall as 40 meters, and few corners of Cappadocia are as unusual or as good for photos.

Overnight: Cappadocia

Today you check out of the hotel, explore another part of Cappadocia and then fly back to Istanbul.

The guided tour usually gets going at about 09:00 and wraps up no later than 16:00.

Highlights of the day

• Meskendir Valley (4.4 km trek): The day opens with a 4.4 km walk through Meskendir Valley near Ortahisar. On the way you can go inside Meskendir Church, painted with bold red geometric patterns and with a large cross carved into the chapel ceiling, and enjoy the scenery around it.
• Rose Valley: Behind Ürgüp lies this quiet valley of unusual rock shapes and churches cut into the stone. Footpaths run through vineyards and gardens between small villages, and locals sometimes hand walkers fresh grapes, apples or apricots.
• Red Valley: Red Valley has the same mix of striking rocks and old cave churches. Its paths cross one another like a spider's web, joining remote villages and farmland, and give a real feel for the region's nature and past.
• Cavusin Valley: Çavuşin Village is one of the oldest settlements in Cappadocia, a maze of homes carved into the rock. It is also where you find the Church of John the Baptist, the biggest cave church in the region, dating 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 goes down eight levels; open sections include old wineries, kitchens and living rooms.
• Pigeon Valley: On the edge of Göreme, this valley is named after the pigeon houses cut into its cliffs over the centuries. Farmers once used the droppings to fertilise their fields. Today it offers wide views and good photo spots.
• 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 look across the whole region to Erciyes Mountain on the horizon.

When the tour ends, you are taken to Kayseri or Nevsehir airport for a late evening flight to Istanbul.

On arrival, we meet you at the airport and drive you to your hotel for the night.

Overnight: Istanbul

After breakfast, check out of your Istanbul hotel (check-out time is before 12:00 noon). You are then driven to Istanbul International Airport to match your flight time. This is where our tour and services end.

If you would like to stay longer in Istanbul, you can add more days to your package through the booking form.

Optional extras

• Cappadocia hot air balloon (Goreme): $310
• One extra hotel night in Istanbul, before or after the tour: $65
• Upgrade to a private tour: $400