15 Days in Turkey for Gulf Families: A Green Route and a Sea Route

Fifteen days in Turkey is enough for Istanbul plus two regions at a pace that suits children and grandparents, and for Gulf families two routes work best. In summer, combine Istanbul with the green Black Sea around Trabzon and Uzungöl and finish in Cappadocia. In spring and autumn, or over Eid al-Adha in May, combine Istanbul with Cappadocia and a long stay on the Antalya coast. Both use three domestic flights and leave free afternoons. The Cappadocia part can be booked as our Istanbul and Cappadocia package, 5 days with flights, from $1,150 per person.

This page lays out both routes day by day, explains what each part costs with our tours, and covers the family details: prayer, food, rest days and which 2027 holidays fit a two-week trip. If you want a fixed group-style package instead, see the comparison in our 2-week Turkey tour guide.

Which route for which season

Route A is the classic Gulf summer pattern. Route B is the better choice when the Black Sea is wet and cool, from October to May, and for families who want a beach.

Route A day by day: Istanbul, the Black Sea and Cappadocia

Why this order: the Black Sea comes in the middle, when children are rested, and Cappadocia comes last because its early starts are optional. Returning to Istanbul between the two regions also gives a free evening for the shopping that Gulf families usually want to spread over the trip.

What Route A costs, piece by piece

We build Route A as one private plan, but each piece exists as a tour with a published starting price:

• The Black Sea part: our Istanbul and Trabzon tour, 4 days with Sumela Monastery and flights, from $1,455 per person. To set your own pace in Trabzon, use the day tours instead: Uzungöl private day trip from $80 per person, Sumela Monastery tour from $120 per person and the Trabzon city tour from $75 per person.
• The Cappadocia part: the Istanbul and Cappadocia package, from $1,150 per person, or the day tours on their own: the Red Tour and the Green Tour with lunch, each from $80 per person.
• Istanbul day trips: Bursa and Uludağ with ferry, cable car and lunch from $90 per person, and Sapanca and Maşukiye with lunch and pickup from $70 per person.
• In the city: a private licensed guide from $199 per group per day, and a Mercedes Vito with driver for 8 hours from $299 per group for up to six guests.

A balloon flight is an extra, and it depends on the weather and on permission from the aviation authority each morning, so it can never be guaranteed. Our standard sunrise balloon flight starts from $199 per person. With two Cappadocia mornings in the plan, you have a second chance if the first flight is cancelled.

Route B: Istanbul, Cappadocia and the Antalya coast

1. Days 1 to 4, Istanbul. As in Route A, with one day trip, to Bursa or to Sapanca.
2. Day 5, fly to Cappadocia. Settle into a cave hotel and watch the sunset from a valley viewpoint.
3. Days 6 and 7, Cappadocia. Red Tour and Green Tour, with an optional balloon morning.
4. Day 8, fly to Antalya. Depending on the day of the week, the flight may connect in Istanbul.
5. Day 9, Antalya old town. Kaleiçi, Hadrian's Gate and the Düden waterfalls; our Antalya city tour with boat trip and lunch starts from $90 per person.
6. Day 10, boat day. The Suluada island boat tour from Antalya, with lunch, starts from $50 per person.
7. Day 11, Pamukkale. A long day to the white travertines and Hierapolis; the Pamukkale and Hierapolis tour from Antalya with lunch starts from $90 per person.
8. Days 12 and 13, beach and rest. The days that make the trip feel like a holiday.
9. Day 14, fly to Istanbul, shopping and a Bosphorus evening.
10. Day 15, departure.

For a single booking, our Istanbul and Antalya package, 8 days with flight and Suluada, from $1,980 per person, covers the Istanbul and coast parts, and the Cappadocia nights are added in between.

Pace for children and grandparents

The routes above are already slower than most two-week tours. A few rules keep them that way:

• One flight per travel day, never two. A domestic flight with hotel check-out, transfers and check-in takes most of a day.
• No more than two full sightseeing days in a row. Days 9 and 12 to 13 in the routes are deliberately light.
• Early mornings only by choice. The balloon flight means a pickup before dawn; children under the operators' minimum age, and many grandparents, are better off watching from a viewpoint.
• A van, not a coach. With prams and shopping bags, a private vehicle with a driver saves time at every stop, especially on the mountain roads above Trabzon.
• Connecting rooms or apartments. Ask early, especially in Uzungöl and Cappadocia, where many hotels are small.

Fitting 15 days into the 2027 Gulf calendar

Two weeks needs a long holiday, so in practice it means summer or Eid al-Adha with extra leave.

• Eid al-Adha, around 16 May 2027. Kurban Bayramı in Turkey runs from 16 to 19 May, the same week. Route B suits it: about 26°C by day in Antalya and green valleys in Cappadocia. Turkish families travel too, so book domestic flights and coastal hotels early.
• Summer school holidays, June to August. Route A, with the Black Sea at its greenest. Book Uzungöl hotels months ahead for July and August.
• Eid al-Fitr, around 9 March 2027. Too cool for the beach. If you have two weeks then, use Route B with more Istanbul days and fewer Antalya days, and treat Antalya as old town and boat trips rather than swimming.

For national holiday dates and flights, see our pages on a Turkey trip from the UAE and a Turkey trip from Kuwait.

Prayer, food and Arabic on the road

• Prayer. Mosques are within easy reach in every town on both routes, including the lakeside mosque at Uzungöl. Guides plan around Friday noon prayer, when Istanbul's main mosques close to visitors for a while.
• Halal food is standard in Turkish restaurants. In the Black Sea highlands many family restaurants serve no alcohol; in Antalya's resorts, ask for family restaurants if that matters to you.
• Arabic-speaking guides are arranged on request, subject to availability. They are easiest to find in Istanbul and hardest in Trabzon, so ask at the first enquiry. See our Arabic-speaking guide page.
• Modest dress in mosques applies to every visitor: covered shoulders and knees, and a headscarf for women.

Ready-made 15-day packages, if you prefer a fixed plan

If you would rather book one package with a set itinerary, four of ours run for 15 days:

• Best of Turkey Tour Package: 15 Days with 4 Domestic Flights, from $1,880 per person: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus, Pamukkale and Antalya.
• Best of Turkey Tour Package: 15 Days with Flights and Antalya Coast, from $3,980 per person.
• Best of Turkey Tour Package: 15 Days with Gulet Cruise and Flights, from $4,435 per person, which also includes Trabzon.
• Turkey Tour Package 15 Days: Istanbul to Nemrut, Göbeklitepe and Trabzon, from $4,880 per person.

These packages move faster than the two family routes above and include more ancient sites. For a route built around your family, start from our tailor-made Turkey tour page.

Tours that cover this

• Istanbul and Trabzon Tour: 4 Days with Sumela Monastery and Flights: from $1,455 per person, the core of Route A.
• Istanbul and Cappadocia Tour Package: 5 Days with Flights and Cave Hotel: from $1,150 per person, used in both routes.
• Istanbul and Antalya Tour Package: 8 Days with Flight and Suluada: from $1,980 per person, the core of Route B.
• Best of Turkey Tour Package: 15 Days with Gulet Cruise and Flights: from $4,435 per person, a fixed 15-day plan that includes Trabzon.

Frequently Asked Questions