Turkey Round Trip from Istanbul for Polish Travellers: 8 or 10 Days

A round trip through Turkey from Istanbul takes 8 days by air or 10 days if you want to travel part of the way by road. Our 8-day Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Ephesus tour with three domestic flights starts from $1,464 per person, and our 10-day round trip via Gallipoli, Troy and Antalya from $1,512 per person. A private 8-day version with your own guide starts from $2,250 per person. All prices are in US dollars and include hotels, guided days and the domestic transport on the programme; your flight from Poland to Istanbul is booked separately.

This page compares those round trips day by day. For the 2027 Polish holiday calendar, ferie dates and the best months, see our guide to a Turkey trip from Poland. If you only want Istanbul with a guide, see the Polish-speaking guide in Istanbul page.

8 or 10 days: the short comparison

The difference between an 8-day and a 10-day round trip is less about the number of sights than about how you travel between them. Eight days needs domestic flights. Ten days lets you see the west coast from the road.

If this is your first trip and you have a week of leave plus two weekends, the 8-day tour by air is the safe choice. If you have been to Istanbul before, or you are interested in history from Troy to Gallipoli, the 10-day road trip gives you more for a similar price.

The 8-day round trip by air, day by day

This is the programme of our shared-departure 8-day tour, which starts and ends in Istanbul:

1. Day 1, Istanbul. Arrival and transfer to the hotel.
2. Day 2, Istanbul. The Old City: the Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace and the Grand Bazaar. Topkapı Palace is closed on Tuesdays, which is worth knowing if you plan extra days in the city.
3. Day 3, Istanbul. A free morning, then a Bosphorus cruise in the afternoon past Dolmabahçe Palace and the Ortaköy Mosque.
4. Day 4, Cappadocia. Flight to Cappadocia and the Red Tour of the northern valleys. The night is in a cave or stone hotel.
5. Day 5, Cappadocia to the Aegean. The Yellow Tour of the southern valleys, then an evening flight to Izmir.
6. Day 6, Pamukkale. A full day at the white travertines and the ancient city of Hierapolis.
7. Day 7, Ephesus. The ancient city and the House of the Virgin Mary, then the flight back to Istanbul.
8. Day 8, departure. Transfer to Istanbul Airport.

The price includes seven nights (three in Istanbul, one in Cappadocia, two near Ephesus and a final night in Istanbul), three domestic flights with a 15 kg checked bag, breakfasts and the lunches listed, entry tickets on the programme and a licensed guide. Dinners, the balloon flight and the Antique Pool at Pamukkale are extra.

Pamukkale first. Our Highlights of Turkey 8-day tour, from $1,670 per person, runs the route the other way round and uses 4 or 5-star hotels. Note that it marks the Istanbul Old City tour, the Bosphorus cruise and Ephesus as optional, so add those if you want them.

The 8-day alternative with Konya and a sleeper train

For travellers who like trains, our Discovery of Turkey tour from $2,035 per person adds Konya and replaces one hotel night with a sleeper train:

• Days 1 to 3, Istanbul, with the Old City, the Spice Bazaar and a Bosphorus cruise before the flight to Cappadocia.
• Day 4, Cappadocia, with the fairy chimneys and valleys.
• Day 5, Konya, where the Mevlana Museum holds the tomb of Rumi, then the sleeper train to Izmir.
• Day 6, Şirince and Ephesus, starting with breakfast in the hill village.
• Day 7, Pamukkale and Hierapolis, then the flight to Istanbul.
• Day 8, departure.

It includes six nights in 4-star hotels with breakfast, the sleeper train, domestic flights, entry fees and an English-speaking guide. Lunches and dinners are extra. Our Konya destination guide explains what else the city offers.

The 10-day round trip by road: Gallipoli, Troy and the coast

Our 10-day Turkey tour package from $1,512 per person leaves Istanbul on the first morning and travels down the west coast:

• Day 1: Istanbul to the Gallipoli battlefields, night in Çanakkale.
• Day 2: Troy, then a bus to Kuşadası.
• Day 3: a rest day in Kuşadası.
• Day 4: Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artemis.
• Day 5: Pamukkale and Hierapolis, evening bus to Antalya.
• Days 6 and 7: a free day and an Antalya tour of your choice, then a night bus to Cappadocia.
• Days 8 to 10: Cappadocia, with the Red Tour and the Green Tour, then the flight to Istanbul.

It includes nine nights, intercity buses, the flight from Cappadocia to Istanbul, breakfasts and listed lunches, entry tickets on the programme and an English-speaking guide. Two legs are overnight buses, which keeps the price down.

Add Istanbul at the start. This tour has no Istanbul nights; it begins with the drive to Gallipoli. Most travellers from Poland add two or three nights in Istanbul before it, with a guided day such as our private Istanbul guide from $199 per group.

Without Cappadocia. The 10-day Western Turkey tour from $1,760 per person starts and ends in Istanbul, adds Pergamon and an Antalya boat trip, and leaves out Cappadocia. It suits travellers who have seen Cappadocia before. Our Gallipoli battlefield guide and Troy guide explain both sites.

Group departure or private tour

All the tours above except one are shared departures: fixed dates, a shared guide and a group that changes from region to region. For your own guide and vehicle, our private 8-day Turkey tour package starts from $2,250 per person. It follows Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale, and includes:

• seven nights in a mid-range hotel from our list, with breakfast;
• lunch on each touring day;
• every domestic flight and airport transfer;
• a licensed guide who speaks English, and entry tickets to every museum and site on the programme;
• the Bosphorus cruise, the Green and Red Tours in Cappadocia, Ephesus with the House of the Virgin Mary, and Pamukkale.

The private tour costs more, but it includes lunch every touring day and lets you choose start times, for example to be at Ephesus before the cruise-ship crowds. For families with children or travellers who want to set their own pace, the difference is often worth it.

A Polish-speaking guide is arranged on request, subject to availability, and is easiest to find in Istanbul. Ask when you first send your dates.

Getting to Istanbul from Poland

• Flights. LOT Polish Airlines flies to Istanbul from Warsaw and Kraków, and since January 2026 also from Gdańsk. Turkish Airlines flies to Istanbul from Warsaw and Kraków. Check which Istanbul airport your ticket uses: Istanbul Airport (IST) on the European side, or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side, further from the Old City.
• Documents. Polish citizens can travel with a valid dowód osobisty or a passport, without a visa, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Every child needs their own document.
• Time. Turkey stays on UTC+3 all year: one hour ahead of Poland in summer and two hours in winter.
• Money. The currency is the Turkish lira. Cards work in hotels, restaurants and shops; keep some cash for small purchases. At a cash machine, choose to be charged in lira.
• Phone. Turkey is outside EU roaming, so buy a local SIM or an eSIM.

Our Istanbul airport transfer page explains the drive from both airports. Travellers with another nationality should check the Turkey visa requirements update.

What the price includes, and what to add

The package covers hotels, domestic flights or buses, guided days and the entry tickets on the programme. On top of it, budget for:

• Your return flight from Poland to Istanbul.
• The balloon flight in Cappadocia, if you want one. Our standard sunrise flight starts from $199 per person. Flights take off only when the civil aviation authority allows them, so a windy morning can cancel the flight. It is never included in a package.
• Dinners, and lunches on the days where the tour does not list them.
• Pamukkale's Antique Pool, a separate ticket on site.
• Tips for guides and drivers, and personal spending.

For typical daily costs, see our Turkey trip cost guide.

Tours that cover this

• 8-day Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Ephesus tour: group, three flights, from $1,464 per person.
• 10-day Turkey tour package: by road via Gallipoli, Troy and Antalya, from $1,512 per person.
• Discovery of Turkey, 8 days: with Konya and a sleeper train, from $2,035 per person.
• Private 8-day Turkey tour package: your own guide, lunches on tour days, from $2,250 per person.

Frequently Asked Questions