Private 3-Day Cappadocia Tour from Istanbul with Flights

Early morning: a driver collects you from your Istanbul hotel at 04:00 AM for the airport and your 06:55 AM flight to Cappadocia (see the note below).

Morning: your guide meets you on arrival and takes you to Goreme, where the tour begins.

Around 09:00 AM: the first day of sightseeing starts among the fairy chimneys and rock churches that give Cappadocia its unique character.

Note on the early flight: we chose this flight so you can see Cappadocia in real depth. If you would rather not fly so early and do not mind missing some stops, we can book a later flight, for example at 10:00 AM, 11:30 AM or in the afternoon. Just tell us in the booking form and we will arrange it.

The tour usually starts at around 09:00 and finishes by 16:00 at the latest.

Highlights of the day:

• Goreme Esentepe – Panoramic View: the day opens at the Esentepe lookout between Uçhisar and Göreme, with wide views over the fairy chimneys and the town of Esentepe.
• Zelve Open-Air Museum: a former monastic settlement and centre of Christian learning, where monasteries, churches and chapels still hold well-preserved frescoes from the region's past.
• Pasabag (Monks Valley): known for its three-headed fairy chimneys and also called “Pasha's Vineyard”, this valley has some of the most striking rock shapes in Cappadocia.
• Devrent Valley: a short drive away, its small pointed chimneys look like a moonscape, and many visitors spot animals and mythical creatures in the rock.
• Avanos Pottery Workshop: Avanos has made pottery since 3000 BC using clay from the Red River, and a visit to a traditional workshop lets you watch the potters at work.
• Love Valley: the last stop, where millions of years of erosion have left cone-shaped pillars, pinnacles and fairy chimneys up to 40 meters tall, one of the most photogenic corners of Cappadocia.

You then return to your cave hotel for the night, with breakfast included.

The day can begin before dawn with an optional hot air balloon flight. You drift over the fairy chimneys and rock formations as the sky changes colour at sunrise, and after landing there is a glass of champagne before the transfer back to your hotel.

The tour usually starts at around 09:00 and finishes by 16:00 at the latest.

Highlights of the day:

• Meskendir Valley (4.4 km Trek): the day begins on foot 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: a quiet valley behind Ürgüp, full of unusual rock shapes and churches cut into the stone. Its paths run through vineyards and gardens between small villages, and local people sometimes offer walkers fresh grapes, apples or apricots.
• Red Valley: close in character to Rose Valley, with striking formations and old cave churches. Its trails twist like a spider's web, tying together remote villages and farmland.
• Cavusin Valley: Çavuşin is among the oldest settlements in Cappadocia, a warren of cave houses cut into the rock. It also has the region's biggest cave church, the Church of John the Baptist, which dates 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 descends eight levels, and walk through parts of it to see old wineries, kitchens and living rooms.
• Pigeon Valley: on the edge of Göreme, named after the dovecotes carved into its cliffs over the centuries. Farmers once collected the pigeon droppings to fertilise their fields. Today it is a fine place for panoramic photos.
• Uchisar Castle Panorama: the final stop is Uçhisar, the highest point in Cappadocia. Its castle is a tall rock outcrop that once served as a fortress, and from the top the view takes in the whole region, with Erciyes Mountain on the horizon.

After a day of walking and sightseeing, you return to the hotel at around 16:00 for the night.

Check out of the hotel this morning. Today you see more of Cappadocia's highlights before flying back to Istanbul.

The tour usually starts at around 09:00 and finishes by 16:00 at the latest.

Highlights of the day:

• Ihlara Valley Tour: this route is best known for Ihlara Valley, a beautiful gorge full of cave churches and rock dwellings, cut by the Melendiz River that still flows along its floor. Along the way you also visit ancient settlements, an underground city, a monastery and several viewpoints.
• Goreme Panorama: the first stop is a lookout over Göreme Village and the volcanic landscape around it.
• Underground City: next comes one of the region's underground cities, where ancient peoples once took refuge.
• Ihlara Valley: then on to Ihlara Valley itself, one of the best-known valleys in the region, with remarkable dwellings and cave churches carved into the soft volcanic rock.
• Nar Lake & Pigeon Valley: a panoramic stop overlooks Nar Lake and Pigeon Valley, famous for the old pigeon houses cut into its cliffs.
• Onyx Workshop: the tour ends at an onyx workshop, where you can watch craftsmen work this beautiful stone.

When the tour is over, you say goodbye to Cappadocia and transfer to the airport for the 19:20 flight (if it is full, the 21:00 flight; the flight may change). On arrival you are driven back to your hotel in Istanbul.

Please note: flight times 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, so if you need a particular airport, please say so in the booking form.

To stay longer in Cappadocia, add extra days to your package through the booking form.

Optional add-ons

• Cappadocia hot air balloon flight (Göreme): $310
• Camel ride in Cappadocia: $85