Private Turkey Tour with Gulet Cruise: 11 Days with Domestic Flights

When you land at Istanbul Airport or S.Gokcen Airport, our representative meets you and looks after your transfer to the hotel.

After check-in the rest of the day is yours. Rest after the journey, or take a walk around the neighbourhood at your own pace.

Your guide collects you from the hotel at 09:30 AM for a full day on foot through the heart of the city's Ottoman and Byzantine past.

Today's main sights:

• Topkapi Palace (optional): the palace where the Ottoman sultans once lived and ruled, full of history and fine architecture.
• Blue Mosque: one of the city's best-known landmarks, admired for its blue tilework and its sheer scale.
• Hippodrome: the old chariot-racing ground, where the Egyptian Obelisk, the Serpent Column and the German Fountain still stand.
• Hagia Sophia (optional): a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose Byzantine architecture and vast domed interior leave a lasting impression.
• Grand Bazaar: the oldest covered market in the world, a lively maze for buying souvenirs, spices and textiles.

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

Today you leave the hotel, see more of Istanbul and then fly to Cappadocia.

Have breakfast at the hotel first. The first stop is the Egyptian Spice Bazaar, a busy market full of rich smells, where stalls sell exotic spices, Turkish delight and other local products.

Then comes a relaxing Bosphorus Cruise between Europe and Asia. From the water you see the city's mix of architectural styles and sail past grand Ottoman palaces such as Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi.

After the cruise you are driven to Istanbul Airport for your flight to Cappadocia. On arrival we take you to your cave hotel, where breakfast is included.

If you wish, you can start the day early with an optional hot air balloon flight over the Cappadocian landscape.

The day's touring usually begins at about 09:00 and is over by 16:00 at the latest.

Highlights of the day:

Göreme Esentepe panoramic viewpoint: The day opens at Esentepe, a lookout between Uçhisar and Göreme. Fairy chimneys spread out below you, together with the small town of Esentepe.

Zelve Open-Air Museum: This valley was once a centre of monastic life and Christian learning. You walk among old monasteries, churches and chapels whose frescoes have survived in good condition.

Paşabağ (Monks Valley): Famous for its three-headed fairy chimneys, Paşabağ is also called "Pasha's Vineyard". Some of the most striking rock shapes in Cappadocia stand here.

Devrent Valley: A short drive away, Devrent looks almost like the surface of the moon. Its small, pointed fairy chimneys invite you to spot shapes, and some really do look like animals or mythical creatures.

Avanos Pottery Workshop: Potters have worked in Avanos since 3000 BC, shaping clay taken from the Red River. At a traditional workshop you watch the craft up close.

Love Valley: The last stop. Millions of years of erosion have carved rock pillars here up to 40 metres tall, along with cones, pinnacles and fairy chimneys. Few places in Cappadocia are as strange, or as photogenic.

Afterwards you return to your cave hotel for the night, with breakfast included.

Today you check out of the hotel, see more of Cappadocia and then fly to Izmir.

Please note: on some days there is no direct flight between Cappadocia and Izmir, so the journey may be a connecting flight with one stop.

The day's touring usually begins at about 09:00 and is over by 16:00 at the latest.

Meskendir Valley (4.4 km trek): The day starts on foot with a 4.4 km walk through Meskendir Valley near Ortahisar. Along the way you step inside Meskendir Church, decorated with bold red geometric patterns and a large cross engraved on the chapel ceiling, and enjoy the valley scenery around it.

Rose Valley: Tucked away behind Ürgüp, this quiet valley is known for its rock formations and the churches cut into its stone. Footpaths cross it, linking small villages through vineyards and gardens, and local people sometimes offer walkers fresh grapes, apples or apricots.

Red Valley: Next door to Rose Valley, it has similar rock formations and old cave churches. Its trails twist and branch like a spider's web, connecting remote villages and farmland. It is a good place to see both the nature and the history of Cappadocia.

Çavuşin Village: One of the oldest settlements in the region, Çavuşin is a maze of cave houses carved into the rock. It is also home to the 5th-century Church of John the Baptist, the largest cave church in Cappadocia.

Underground City: Early Christians dug 36 underground cities in Cappadocia to hide from persecution. You visit the largest and best known of them. It goes down eight levels, and you can walk through parts of it, including old wineries, kitchens and living rooms.

Pigeon Valley: On the edge of Göreme, the cliffs are dotted with pigeon houses carved over the centuries. Farmers once collected the droppings to fertilise their fields. Today the valley is a fine viewpoint and a favourite with photographers.

Uçhisar 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 across the whole region to Erciyes Mountain on the horizon.

After the tour you go to the airport for your flight to Izmir. On arrival you are driven to Kusadasi for the night, with breakfast included.

After breakfast you are collected from your hotel at 10:00 AM. A drive of about 20 minutes brings you to the Magnesia Gate of the ancient city of Ephesus.

From there a full guided walk takes in the main sites of the city, including:

• Library of Celsus: its grand facade is one of the best-known sights of Ephesus.
• Temple of Hadrian: built for the Roman emperor Hadrian, with well-preserved columns and finely carved reliefs.
• Terrace Houses (optional): the luxurious homes where the wealthy families of Ephesus lived.
• Hercules Gate: a monumental gateway decorated with carvings of the legendary hero.
• Grand Theatre: it once held up to 25,000 spectators and still stages performances today.
• Herm (Marker) of Hermes: ancient markers that guided travellers and showed boundaries within the city.
• Artemission: the site where the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, used to stand.
• Stone-carving of the goddess Nike: a detailed relief of Nike, the winged goddess of victory.
• Fountain of Trajan: well-kept remains of a monumental fountain raised in honour of Emperor Trajan.
• House of Virgin Mary (optional): the tour ends at the house that tradition holds to be the Virgin Mary's final resting place.

Once the tour is over you are taken back to your hotel in Kusadasi for the night, with breakfast included.

Today you check out of the hotel, explore Pamukkale and then travel on to Fethiye.

Today the tour usually begins at about 07:30.

The main sights are:

Hierapolis: Walk through the Necropolis and the Theatre, and see the Cleopatra Pool (swimming in the pool costs an extra admission fee).

Pamukkale travertines: The main event of the day. Bright white terraces of mineral-rich water step down the hillside, and you can walk across their soft, cotton-like surface while taking in the wide views.

Pamukkale Naturel Lake and Park: There is also time for the lake and its park, a pleasant extra in this beautiful area.

Please be at Fethiye Harbor by 10:00 AM.

Once you have checked in, you board the gulet and get a short briefing. The boat then leaves Fethiye Harbor for Butterfly Valley, where there is time to swim, have lunch and, if you like, hike up to the waterfall. More than 136 species of moths and butterflies live in the valley, though on hot days they are harder to see.

Optional activity: paragliding over the Blue Lagoon. Next comes Oludeniz (Blue Lagoon), counted among the most photographed beaches in the world. Guests who want to can paraglide here, taking off from Babadag Mountain at 2000 metres and gliding high above the lagoon. Book in advance for special rates, or tell the captain during the cruise if you decide to join.

In the evening the gulet anchors at St. Nicholas Island. Climb up through the ancient ruins and watch the sun go down from the top. (L, D)

Start the morning with a swim in the clear water of Aquarium Bay near Kalkan, then have breakfast on board.

The gulet continues to Kas, a small fishing town full of lively cafes, beer gardens and independent shops. It is a good place to browse for handmade jewellery, and its ancient theatre is well preserved.

Optional activity: diving. Kas ranks among the top diving spots in southern Turkey. Beginners and certified divers alike can explore caves and wrecks below the surface. Book ahead for discounted rates.

You spend the night anchored in a quiet bay between Kas and Kekova. (B, L, D)

After breakfast the gulet sails to the Sunken City, a Lycian town that slipped under the sea in an earthquake in the second century. The boat moves slowly over the ruins of this protected World Heritage site. Swimming, diving and snorkeling are not allowed here.

Next you anchor near Kekova and walk up to Simena Castle, where the view over the bay is lovely.

The cruise ends at Demre Harbor in the afternoon. From there you are picked up and taken to the airport for your flight back to Istanbul.

After breakfast you check out of the hotel, and our representative helps with your transfer to the airport. This is where our services end.

Want more time in Istanbul? Add extra days to your package through the booking form.

Optional extras

• Cappadocia Balloon (GOREME): $310
• +1 Night Istanbul Hotel (Post or Pre): $65
• Private Tour Upgrade: $550