Black Sea & Eastern Turkey Private Tour: 7 Days from Istanbul

Private Black Sea and Eastern Turkey tour in 7 days: the key facts

This is a private 7-day, 6-night trip. It starts with a domestic flight from Istanbul to Rize and ends with a flight from Van back to Istanbul. In between you travel by minibus. You see the tea gardens and wooden villages of the eastern Black Sea first. Then you cross the high plateau to the ruins of Ani, Erzurum and Kars, and on to Dogubayazit below Mount Ararat. The last stop is Lake Van, with a boat trip to Akdamar Island.

It suits travellers who have already seen Istanbul and the western sites and want mountain roads, castles, old churches and village food rather than beaches. The price is from $2,440 per person. Private local guides, breakfasts, entrance fees, the minibus and both flights are included.

Does the day order on the page make sense?

Not fully, so ask for the final order in writing. Day 2 ends with a night in Rize, but Day 3 begins at Ani, on the Armenian border near Kars, and no transfer between them is described. Day 3 then goes from Ani back to Kars for lunch and west to Erzurum. Day 4 says you "leave the village" and drive about 6.5 hours to Kars "along the Black Sea coast", which does not fit a start in Erzurum. Before you pay, ask us to send the real sequence of nights and drives. The sights themselves (Ani, Ardahan Castle, Bogatepe, Kars) stay the same.

How do the two domestic flights work?

There are two flights, and both are included. On Day 1 you meet in Istanbul and fly to Rize, then visit the tea plantations and Çamlıhemşin the same afternoon. On Day 7 you fly from Van to Istanbul; the page gives about 2 hours for that flight. The page does not give flight times or say which Istanbul airport is used. If you are flying in from abroad, arrive the day before. The extra Istanbul hotel night costs $65 and can be booked before or after the tour. Ask for both flight numbers and times in your written plan before you book your international tickets.

Which hotels are used?

The page promises a 5-star or boutique hotel each night, but it does not name them. As the day plan stands, the six nights are near Çamlıhemşin, in Rize, in Erzurum, in Kars, in Dogubayazit and in Van. In small towns such as Çamlıhemşin and Dogubayazit, "boutique" is the more likely category. Ask for the hotel names with your plan, so you can check them before you pay.

How long are the drives, and how hard are the days?

This is a road trip with long days in the minibus. Day 4 is the longest, at about 6.5 hours of driving with stops at Ardahan Castle and the cheese village of Bogatepe. The drive to Dogubayazit on Day 5 takes about three hours. Day 6 starts with about 2 hours to Van, then a boat to Akdamar. Walking is easy to moderate: grass and stone paths at Ani, a castle approach at Zilkale, and uneven ground at Ishak Pasha Palace. The page gives no time for Ani to Erzurum on Day 3, so ask. Bring layers, because you will be on high plateaus most of the week.

When is the best time of year for this route?

Late spring to early autumn is the easiest season. Travel sources put the most reliable weather and the longest opening hours at Ani in June to September. Winters in Kars are severe, with January averages below freezing and snow on the plateau. Ayder's roads are generally kept open in winter, but heavy snow can slow them down. A winter departure is possible on paper, but expect shorter daylight, icy paths at Ani and slower drives. Ask us about road conditions for your dates before you confirm.

Which meals are included?

Only breakfast is listed as included. Other meals are extra unless the itinerary names them. That leaves one open question on Day 4. The page describes cheese tasting in Bogatepe and then "a traditional home-cooked dinner". It does not say whether this dinner is in the price. Treat the Cag Kebab evening in Erzurum on Day 3 as your own choice and cost. Ask us to mark which meals are covered in your written plan.

Why does the page list a private upgrade and a balloon flight?

These look like standard extras copied from other packages. This tour is already sold as private, yet the page offers a "Private Tour Upgrade" for $350. It also lists a Cappadocia balloon flight for $310, and the route does not go to Cappadocia. Ask us to confirm in writing that the $2,440 price is already for a private tour and that no upgrade is needed. If you want Cappadocia and a balloon flight, you need extra days and a flight, so ask for a separate quote. The $65 extra night in Istanbul is the only extra that fits this route.

Can we compare it with other Black Sea or eastern tours?

Yes. The 7-day Black Sea tour from Istanbul starts from $2,480. If you want more time in the east, the private best of Eastern Turkey tour runs 9 days from $3,730. If you add a night on the coast, you can book day trips such as the Uzungol private day trip from Trabzon from $80. Read our Black Sea Turkey guide and Eastern Turkey guide, or ask for a tailor-made Turkey tour.

How do I book this private tour?

Pick a date and the number of guests in the booking form on this page and send it, or message us on WhatsApp. We check flights, hotels and roads for your dates. Then we send you the full plan in writing, with the corrected day order, hotel names, both flight times and the list of included meals. You pay only after you have read and confirmed it. The tour is run by Get Turkey Tours under TÜRSAB licence A-15751.