Turkey 9 Nights 10 Days: Five of Our Packages Compared Night by Night

Our 9-night, 10-day Turkey packages start from $1,410 per person for the group-tour classic of Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale, and run to $3,690 per person for a version with a two-night gulet cruise. The bigger difference between them, though, is where the nine nights fall. This page lines up five of our 10-day routes night by night, so you can see how many hotel changes, flights and early starts each one means before you compare prices. If you want a do-it-yourself day-by-day plan instead, our 10-day Turkey itinerary covers the classic loop with transport and ticket prices. Here we compare the packages themselves, starting with the 10-day Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Ephesus tour.

The five routes at a glance

All five start and end in Istanbul, and all include the domestic transport shown on the package page. International flights are always extra.

"Kuşadası" here means the Kuşadası and Selçuk area, the base for Ephesus and Pamukkale day trips.

Night by night: where you sleep on each route

This is the table we wish every package page showed. Each cell is the place you sleep that night.

Three things jump out:

• Route 1 has one hotel change. Everything else is unpacking and repacking at least twice.
• Routes 1 and 2b end with a domestic flight on day 10. Book your flight home for that evening or the next day, never the morning.
• Route 5 gives Istanbul only two nights, one at each end. If Istanbul matters to you, add nights before the tour starts.

Route by route: what each split gives you

Route 1: Istanbul and Cappadocia, five nights and four

This is the slow one. Istanbul gets five nights: a guided Old City day (Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, Topkapı Palace and the Grand Bazaar), a free day with a Bosphorus dinner cruise, a food tour, a Bosphorus cruise with a hammam session, and a private car day to Galata and Karaköy before an evening flight to Cappadocia. Cappadocia then gets four nights in a cave hotel, with the Red and Green tours, a horse ride and a Turkish night dinner show. Four Cappadocia mornings give you several chances at a balloon flight, which is an optional extra.

Choose it if you are travelling with older parents or young children, or if Ephesus and Pamukkale can wait for another trip. It costs from $2,499 per person.

Route 2: the classic four, as a group tour or private

Both versions cover Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale with three domestic flights: Istanbul to Cappadocia, Cappadocia to Izmir, and Izmir back to Istanbul.

• Group, from $1,410 per person. Four nights in Istanbul (three at the start and one before you fly home), two in Cappadocia and three in Kuşadası. The Istanbul touring is a half-day Old City tour and an afternoon Bosphorus cruise, with free time around them. The package includes 8 breakfasts, 4 lunches and domestic flight baggage of 15 kg checked plus 8 kg cabin per person.
• Private, from $2,800 per person. Three nights in each region, a licensed guide who works only with your group on the Old City day, a Bosphorus lunch cruise, a hammam, a private car day in Istanbul, the Turkish night show in Cappadocia and lunches on touring days. The third Cappadocia night is what most travellers notice: it gives a spare sunrise for the balloon.

If you are choosing between them, the extra Cappadocia night and the private guide are what the price difference buys. Our 10-day package from the USA page goes through the private version day by day.

Route 3: the Antalya loop, Ephesus first and Cappadocia last

This route turns the classic loop around and adds the Mediterranean. You fly from Istanbul to Izmir on day 3 for Ephesus, see Pamukkale the next day and take an evening bus to Antalya. That gives three nights in Antalya, with Perge, Aspendos, Side and the Kurşunlu waterfall on one day and a free day on the coast. Then you fly from Antalya to Cappadocia for two nights and the Red and Green tours, before an evening flight back to Istanbul on day 9.

The trade-off is a single night in the Kuşadası area and only two nights in Istanbul before you leave it. It suits travellers who want a beach day without giving up Cappadocia, from $1,641 per person. A similar loop with Pamukkale and Antalya, the 10-day Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Ephesus and Antalya tour, starts from $1,605 per person.

Route 4: western Turkey without Cappadocia

This is the history route. From Istanbul you drive to the Gallipoli battlefields and sleep in Çanakkale, then visit Troy and Pergamon on the way south to Kuşadası. After Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary and Pamukkale, an intercity bus takes you to Antalya for the old city, the Düden waterfalls and a boat trip. One flight takes you from Antalya back to Istanbul, and the last full day there is free.

There is no Cappadocia on this route, which is why there is only one flight. It suits second-time visitors and anyone with family links to Gallipoli, from $1,760 per person. Our Gallipoli guide and Troy guide cover the sites.

Route 5: Cappadocia, the Aegean and a gulet

This is the most varied route and the one with the most moves. You get one night in Istanbul, a highlights tour and a flight to Cappadocia for two nights, then a flight to Izmir for Ephesus and two nights in the Kuşadası area. After that comes Pamukkale and the drive to Fethiye, two nights on a gulet via Butterfly Valley, St Nicholas Island and Kaş, and a last morning at Kekova's Sunken City and Demre before the flight from Antalya to Istanbul.

It is the right choice for people who want the sea to be part of the trip rather than an add-on, from $3,690 per person. Read about the coast in our Fethiye guide and see other boat trips under blue cruise tours.

What is and is not included

The headline price covers different things on each route. Check these lines before you compare.

Balloon flights are never part of the package price, because they depend on wind and on approval from the aviation authorities each morning. Nobody can promise a flight on a given day. Current prices are in our balloon price update.

Early starts and long legs to expect

Ten days across four regions means some early mornings. These are the moments our guests mention afterwards, taken from the package itineraries:

• Cappadocia to the Aegean. Routes 2 and 5 fly from Cappadocia to Izmir. On route 2a you have a free afternoon in Kuşadası after landing; on route 5 the flight follows a hiking tour in Cappadocia.
• Pamukkale to Antalya by bus. Routes 3 and 4 cover this leg by intercity coach after a day at the travertines. You reach Antalya late in the day.
• Balloon mornings. Balloon pickups are before dawn. On routes with two Cappadocia nights there is only one realistic balloon morning unless you add a night.
• The Gallipoli day. Route 4 drives from Istanbul to the peninsula and tours the battlefields the same day, so it is a long day in the vehicle.
• Topkapı on a Tuesday. The palace is closed on Tuesdays. Group departures plan around this; on a private route, tell us your start date and we arrange the days.

The airport time on day 10 also matters. Istanbul Airport is a long drive from the old city, so allow plenty of margin for your flight home.

Which route fits which traveller

• First visit, wants the classics, on a budget: Route 2a, from $1,410 per person.
• First visit, wants the classics with a private guide and more Cappadocia: Route 2b, from $2,800 per person.
• Parents, grandparents or small children: Route 1, with one hotel change, from $2,499 per person.
• Wants a beach: Route 3 for a resort city, Route 5 for a boat.
• Second visit, or interested in Gallipoli and the Aegean: Route 4, from $1,760 per person.
• Only Istanbul: our all-inclusive Istanbul package gives all nine nights to the city, with the Princes' Islands and a food tour, from $1,750 per person.

If ten days is too short, our 2-week Turkey tour page compares four 14- and 15-day routes. If it is too long, see the 7-day Turkey itinerary. Every multi-day tour is listed under multi-day trips, and the Türkiye destination guide covers each region.

Tours that cover this

• Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Ephesus tour, 10 days with flights: from $1,410 per person.
• Turkey tour package, 10 days, private, Istanbul, Cappadocia and Ephesus: from $2,800 per person.
• Istanbul and Cappadocia tour package, 10 days with flights and cave hotel: from $2,499 per person.
• 10-day Turkey tour: Istanbul, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Antalya and Cappadocia: from $1,641 per person.
• Turkey package with Fethiye gulet cruise, 10 days: from $3,690 per person.

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