5 Days Turkey Tour to Istanbul Ephesus and Pamukkale

Welcome to Turkey. When you land in Istanbul, our driver will be waiting at the exit with a sign showing your name, ready to take you to your hotel. Take your time checking in and resting after the journey. At a convenient hour, your travel consultant will meet you at the hotel to say hello and give you a brief overview of the tour ahead.

After breakfast, your guide meets you in the lobby for a walking tour of historic Istanbul. You will take in Hagia Sophia, the famous Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome, with the Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius and the Serpentine Column from Delphi, as well as the German Fountain, the grand Topkapi Palace of the Ottoman sultans and the sprawling Grand Bazaar. The route is entirely walkable, and at the end of the day you will be driven back to your hotel.

After an early check-out, your driver will take you from the hotel to the airport for the one-hour flight to Izmir; once there, head to your airline's departure gate. On arrival in Izmir, our representative will meet you and drive you to our Ephesus office ahead of a full day at the ancient site. The tour takes in the Temple of Artemis — one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World — the 25,000-seat amphitheatre, the celebrated Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian and the harbour street of ancient Ephesus. The day closes at the House of the Virgin Mary, believed to be her final home, before you are transferred to your hotel.

After breakfast and check-out, your guide will collect you at the set time for a full day at Pamukkale and Hierapolis — about two and a half hours' drive through beautiful countryside, with a lunch break on arrival. You will visit the gates of ancient Hierapolis, its necropolis and fine ancient theatre, and the famous travertines, whose calcified pools and cascades shimmer like a frozen mountainside. There is the chance to swim among the ruins in Cleopatra's pool or visit the Hierapolis Archaeology Museum. At the end of the day you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Istanbul, where your driver will be waiting with your name on a sign to take you to your hotel.

After breakfast, check out of the hotel between 12:00 and 1:00 pm. Depending on your international flight time, your driver will be waiting in the lobby to take you to the airport. This brings your tour to a close, and we hope to welcome you back to Turkey before long.