Turkey Tours from Russia and Kazakhstan: Beyond Antalya, with Prices

Turkey tours from Russia and Kazakhstan need no visa: Russian citizens can stay up to 60 days on a tourist trip and Kazakh citizens up to 90 days in any 180, and the easiest way beyond the beach is to add Istanbul and Cappadocia to an Antalya holiday or to fly into Istanbul and do both. With us, a 3-day Cappadocia trip from Antalya by flight with a cave hotel starts from $613 per person, and a 5-day Cappadocia and Antalya tour from Istanbul with three flights from $908 per person.

This page is for travellers from Russia, Kazakhstan and the wider Russian-speaking region who already know Türkiye as a resort country and want to see more of it. It compares the entry rules and payment situation for Russian and Kazakh passports, explains the flights and time zones, and sets out three ways to build the trip: from a resort, as a city trip, or as the full loop.

Entry rules: Russia and Kazakhstan compared

The rules differ more than many people expect, and the details matter if you plan a long stay.

These entry rules come from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The internal Russian passport is not a travel document for Türkiye, and you also need the international passport for every domestic flight inside the country, so keep it with you. Kazakhstan has used a single time zone, UTC+5, across the whole country since March 2024. If someone in your group holds another passport, check our Turkey visa requirements update.

Paying in Türkiye with a Russian or Kazakh card

For Russian citizens, money is the practical question that needs the most planning.

• Visa and Mastercard cards issued in Russia have not worked abroad since the two networks suspended their Russian operations in 2022.
• Mir cards are no longer accepted by the major Turkish banks. The private banks dropped the system first in September 2022, and the three state banks followed within days, as Reuters reported at the time.
• Cash is the reliable option. Bring US dollars or euros and change them into Turkish lira at exchange offices, which are common in Istanbul, Antalya and Cappadocia. Change in small amounts as you go.

For Kazakh travellers, cards issued by Kazakh banks on the Visa and Mastercard networks generally work in hotels, restaurants and shops. Carry some cash anyway for small cafés and tips.

Our tours are priced in US dollars, and museums set their ticket prices in euros and charge them in lira. Our Hagia Sophia ticket price update gives the main example. For a full budget, see Turkey trip cost.

Flights, airports and time zones

From Moscow, the flight to Istanbul takes about four hours, on airlines including Aeroflot, Turkish Airlines and Pegasus, and there are many seasonal flights from Russian cities straight to Antalya. From Almaty, Air Astana and Turkish Airlines fly nonstop to Istanbul Airport in about six hours; the return is shorter.

Three points to plan around:

1. Istanbul has two airports. Istanbul Airport (IST) is on the European side and Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side. Check which one your flight uses before you book a hotel or a transfer.
2. Open-jaw trips save a day. Fly into Istanbul and home from Antalya, or the reverse, rather than going back to your arrival city.
3. Domestic flights replace the long drives. Istanbul to Cappadocia (Kayseri or Nevşehir) is about 1 hour 20 minutes in the air, against roughly 10 to 12 hours by bus. Antalya to Cappadocia is about 490 km by road, a long day of driving with stops, which is why many guests choose a flight or an overnight bus.

Three ways to build the trip

Most of our guests from Russia and Kazakhstan fit into one of these three patterns.

Prices are per person and do not include your international flight.

From an Antalya resort: Cappadocia in two or three days

For many travellers from Russia, Türkiye means a hotel on the coast at Antalya, Belek, Side, Kemer or Alanya. Cappadocia is the trip out of the resort that people talk about afterwards, but it is not a day trip.

• By overnight bus. Leaving in the evening and arriving in the morning saves a hotel night and costs least. The price is a tiring first day.
• By flight. Flying from Antalya takes the long road out of the trip and leaves you more time in the valleys and more chances for the balloon.
• Two nights if you want the balloon. Flights only go ahead when Türkiye's civil aviation authority approves the morning's weather, so a second morning doubles your chances. Our standard sunrise balloon flight starts from $199 per person; a flight can never be promised.

Our Cappadocia tour from Antalya page compares the options in detail, and guests staying further east can read our guide to a Cappadocia trip from Alanya. For days out closer to the hotel, see excursions from Antalya.

Istanbul and Cappadocia as a city trip

Without the beach, the classic pairing is three nights in Istanbul and two in Cappadocia. It fits a week of leave and works in every season.

In Istanbul, one day goes to the old city: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern and Topkapı Palace, which is closed on Tuesdays. A second day covers the Bosphorus, the Grand Bazaar and the Galata side. Our private Istanbul tour with a licensed guide costs from $199 per group per day.

In Cappadocia, plan the valleys, the Göreme Open-Air Museum and an underground city such as Kaymaklı or Derinkuyu. Winter is a real option for travellers used to cold: Cappadocia often has snow from December to February, which makes the valleys look completely different, but some balloon mornings are lost to wind and fog. Our page on Cappadocia from Istanbul for travellers from Russia covers the plane versus night bus choice and the winter balloon season.

Travellers from Kazakhstan will find routes, flights and prices for this pairing on our page about the Istanbul and Cappadocia tour from Almaty.

The long loop: ten days around the country

With ten days, you can see the main regions of Türkiye in one trip, using domestic flights for the long legs:

1. Istanbul, two or three nights.
2. Cappadocia, two nights, with two balloon mornings.
3. Pamukkale, one night, for the white travertines and the ruins of Hierapolis. Shoes come off on the terraces.
4. Ephesus, one or two nights near Selçuk or Kuşadası, for the Roman city and the Terrace Houses.
5. Antalya, two nights to finish by the sea, with the old town of Kaleiçi and the Düden waterfalls.

Our 10-day tour of Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Ephesus and Antalya follows this order, from $1,605 per person. Finishing on the coast also suits families who want a few beach days after the sightseeing. More regions are on our Türkiye destination guide.

Russian-speaking guide and private car

A private tour with us includes a licensed tourist guide, a private car or van with a driver, and hotel pickups, and you can reach us on WhatsApp throughout the trip. Guided days run in English as standard. A Russian-speaking guide can be arranged on request, subject to availability; ask when you first contact us, because the New Year and May holidays are booked early.

Russian is one of the more widely spoken foreign languages in Antalya's resort areas, so hotel staff there often speak some. Elsewhere, especially in Cappadocia and Pamukkale, expect English. Our pages on a Russian-speaking guide in Istanbul and a Russian-speaking guide in Cappadocia explain how the request works in each city.

Tours that cover this

• 3-day Cappadocia tour from Antalya by flight, with cave hotel: from $613 per person.
• Cappadocia and Antalya tour from Istanbul, 5 days with 3 flights: from $908 per person.
• 1-night Cappadocia tour from Istanbul with flights and cave hotel: from $394 per person.
• Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Ephesus and Antalya tour, 10 days: from $1,605 per person.

Frequently Asked Questions