Turkey Honeymoon Packages from the USA: Budgets for Two and Balloons

A Turkey honeymoon from the USA usually means 7 to 10 days in Istanbul and Cappadocia, sometimes with the coast, and costs from about $2,100 for two for the land package alone, before flights and a balloon ride. Our most popular couples' choice, the 6-day Istanbul and Cappadocia package with flights and a cave hotel, starts from $2,023 per person, or $4,046 for two. Turkish Airlines flies nonstop from more than a dozen US airports, and US citizens need no visa.

This page does the sums for two. It explains what a package covers and what you add, how the flight from the US shapes the first days, three honeymoon budgets side by side, and every balloon option we sell, so you can decide how much of the budget goes on that one sunrise.

What a honeymoon package includes, and what you add

Every price on this page is per person, so double it for the two of you. Our multi-day packages include:

• Hotels for every night, with breakfast
• Domestic flights inside Türkiye where the route needs them
• Airport and hotel transfers
• The guided days listed on each tour page, with a licensed guide

What you add yourselves:

• The international flight from the US, booked separately
• The balloon flight, which is an optional extra on our Istanbul and Cappadocia packages
• Most dinners, drinks and tips
• Entrance fees where a tour page does not list them as included

Read the inclusions on the tour page before comparing two offers. A cheap package that leaves out domestic flights or uses a hotel far from the old town can end up costing more.

Flights from the US for two

Turkish Airlines operates the nonstop flights between the US and Istanbul Airport (IST), from gateways that include New York JFK, Chicago, Miami, Houston, Dallas and Los Angeles. The East Coast flight is about 10 hours overnight; Texas and the West Coast are longer. Our flights to Istanbul from the USA page lists every gateway.

Three things matter more on a honeymoon than on a normal trip:

• Book the tickets in the names on your passports. If you have married but not yet changed a passport, the ticket must match the passport you travel on, not your new name. Change the passport after the trip.
• Plan an easy first day. You land in Istanbul around midday or afternoon after a night on the plane. Keep day one for the hotel, a walk and an early dinner; sightseeing starts on day two.
• Mind the time difference. Türkiye is on UTC+3 all year, 7 hours ahead of New York in US summer and 8 in winter, and 10 or 11 hours ahead of the West Coast.

A booked car for the airport run makes the first hour calmer. Our Istanbul airport VIP transfer is from $60 per group, so one price covers both of you.

Three honeymoon budgets for two

The table shows the land cost for two people on four of our packages, and the same trip with a balloon flight for both. Flights from the US, dinners and tips come on top.

These are our "from" prices per person doubled, so the final total depends on dates and hotel choice. Our Turkey trip cost from the USA page covers the other costs, from meals to tipping.

Which one? The 8-day private package is the one we suggest most often to American couples: four nights in Istanbul, three in a Cappadocia cave room and two sunrises for the balloon. The gulet route suits couples who want beach days; the Göcek route suits couples who prefer boats to early mornings.

Balloon add-ons compared

For most honeymooners the balloon is the one thing they are sure they want. These are the options we sell, from the cheapest to a private basket.

How to choose. If this is your only balloon ride, the comfortable or premium basket is worth the difference, because fewer people means space at the edge for photos together. The photo shoot is a ground session with the balloons behind you; many couples book it on the second morning after flying on the first. Our balloon photo shoot page explains how it works.

What nobody can promise. Every morning the civil aviation authority decides whether balloons may fly, based on the wind. If flights are cancelled, no company flies. Book the balloon for your first morning in Cappadocia so the second is a back-up; that is why we prefer itineraries with at least three nights there.

One honeymoon-specific note. Balloon operators set their own rules for passengers who are pregnant; tell us before booking and we will check with the operator.

Romantic extras in Istanbul

Istanbul is the half of the trip where small additions make the biggest difference.

• A private yacht on the Bosphorus. Our 2-hour private Bosphorus yacht cruise is from $600 per group, the same price for two as for a family. Sunset is the time to book it.
• A night on Büyükada. The Büyükada romantic getaway, from $440 per person, is an overnight on the largest of the Princes' Islands, which has no private cars.
• A rooftop photo session. The Istanbul flying dress photoshoot, from $190 per person, uses a rooftop with Hagia Sophia or the Blue Mosque behind.
• Dinner on the water. A Bosphorus dinner cruise with a show is from $90 per person; it is a shared boat, lively rather than intimate.

For hotel areas, the number of nights and more couple ideas in the city, see our Istanbul honeymoon package page.

When to go after a US wedding

American weddings cluster in late spring and early autumn, and both are good months for Turkey. Long-term averages from the Turkish State Meteorological Service:

• May: Istanbul averages a 22°C (72°F) high. Comfortable for walking; balloon days become more frequent.
• June: 27°C (81°F) in Istanbul. Long days, warm evenings, the start of beach season on the coast.
• September: 26°C (79°F) in Istanbul. Sea still warm, fewer crowds than July and August.
• October: 21°C (69°F) in Istanbul, about 18°C (64°F) by day in Cappadocia, with cold early mornings.
• December and January: short, cool days and possible snow in Cappadocia, which is beautiful, but balloons fly on fewer mornings, so allow extra nights.

If you are married in July or August, Istanbul and Cappadocia are hot by midday but balloon conditions are at their most reliable. Plan sightseeing early and late, and rest at the hotel in the afternoon.

Paperwork and money for newlyweds

• Visa. US citizens can stay up to 90 days in any 180 days without a visa, according to Türkiye's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. No e-Visa is needed.
• Passport validity. At least 60 days beyond the end of your stay. If one of you holds a different passport, check our visa requirements update.
• Money. Prices are in Turkish lira. Cards work in hotels, restaurants and most shops; keep some cash for tips, small cafés and the bazaars. Tell your banks you are travelling.
• Contact. Save the WhatsApp number of your driver and guide; it is how pickups are confirmed.
• Travel insurance. Worth having for a trip this far from home, especially one with prepaid hotels.

For couples deciding between regions rather than budgets, our honeymoon places in Turkey guide compares ten destinations by season.

Tours that cover this

• Istanbul & Cappadocia Tour Package: 6 Days, Flights & Cave Hotel: from $2,023 per person.
• Istanbul & Cappadocia Tour Package: 8 Days, Flights & Cave Hotel: from $2,400 per person.
• 9-Day Turkey Tour Package with Cappadocia & Fethiye Gulet Cruise: from $3,145 per person.
• Luxury Turkey Tour: 7 Days in Istanbul & Gocek with Private Yachts: from $2,100 per person.

See all our honeymoon packages in Turkey.

Frequently Asked Questions