Best Experiences

On our regular tours, a guide explains the sights while you listen. The experiences listed here turn that around: you take part in an activity, and the location is the backdrop. Think of a sunrise balloon ride, a quad bike through a valley, a flying-dress photo session up on a roof, or sixty minutes aboard a helicopter. They tend to be short, usually one to three hours, and slot into the free hours between longer tours.

Balloon flights and valley rides in Cappadocia

Cappadocia has the biggest selection, and balloons dominate it. Flights come in four levels. The standard level is from $199 per person, the comfort level from $275, the premium tier from $399, and a balloon chartered for your group alone from $2,999. Every level comes with a licensed pilot, flight insurance, transfers from your hotel, a glass of champagne and a flight certificate. What really changes is how many people are in the basket with you: a lower price means a fuller basket.

Prefer to stay on the ground? The viewpoint tour costs $35 per person and takes you to a spot where you can watch the balloons rise, and the photo session at sunrise, $399 per person, gives you three locations, a flying dress and 250 photos, 15 of them edited. Later in the day, a quad (ATV) safari at sunset in Red and Rose Valley costs from $49 per person.

One practical point: in strong wind the balloons do not fly, and cancellations often come with little warning, usually the same morning. If your last morning in Cappadocia is the only one you have free, there is no backup. Choose your first morning wherever possible.

Istanbul: shopping, photos and the sky

Istanbul's experiences are about getting through the right doors rather than adrenaline. For $200 per person, a private four-hour shopping trip through the Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar comes with a guide who can tell you what each shop stocks and what it should cost; look at our guide to the bazaar beforehand. The rooftop flying-dress photo shoot costs $190 per person and gives you 250 photos, 13 edited images and a reel, but not hair or make-up. Above the Bosphorus, a private helicopter flight lasts 30 minutes in the air and costs $797.50 per person, including a guide and transfers by van.

Good fits and poor fits

• Couples: balloon flights, photo shoots and the helicopter work well for a proposal or an anniversary.
• Parents travelling with teenagers: in Cappadocia, the ATV, horse and camel rides are a good fit; check each tour page for the minimum age.
• Travellers with limited mobility: you climb over the side to get into a balloon basket, and quad bikes call for a firm grip, so these will not suit everyone.

All prices here are per person and exclude meals unless the listing says otherwise. Photos and videos shot by the operators' own crews, for instance on ATV rides and balloon flights, cost extra.

Pairing experiences with tours

Since most experiences last one to three hours, you can add a guided tour the same day. In Cappadocia the usual plan is a sunrise flight and then a day with a guide in the valleys. In Istanbul, the evening choices on our food tours page follow nicely after a shopping tour. For special occasions, look at our luxury tours, which use private yachts and cars with drivers, and at our balloon photo shoot guide, which lists sunrise times for each month.