7 Days Turkey Tour

Welcome to Istanbul, where your week in Turkey begins. As you come through arrivals, our driver will be holding a sign with your name, ready to drive you to your hotel. Take your time to check in and unwind after the journey. Later on, at a time that suits you, your travel consultant will meet you at the hotel to introduce the programme for the days to come.

After breakfast, your guide will meet you in the lobby for a walking tour of the old city. The day takes in the great highlights of historic Istanbul: the soaring dome of Hagia Sophia, the elegant Blue Mosque, and the ancient Hippodrome with its Obelisk of Theodosius brought from Egypt and the Serpentine Column from the Temple of Delphi. You will pause at the German Fountain, explore the grand courtyards of Topkapi Palace — once home to the Ottoman sultans — and finish among the maze of stalls in the Grand Bazaar. The whole route is walkable, and afterwards you will be driven back to your hotel.

Early this morning your driver will collect you from the hotel for the transfer to the airport and your one-hour flight to Cappadocia. On arrival, our representative will meet you at the exit and take you to our office, where you can leave your luggage before setting off on a guided tour of northern Cappadocia. You will take in the sweeping panorama from Esentepe, see the Byzantine-era Uchisar Castle from below, and explore Pasabag, Devrent and the Three Beauties valleys — among the most striking landscapes in the region. The day continues in the old towns of Urgup and Avanos, the latter famous for its red-clay pottery, where you are welcome to try your hand at the wheel. Afterwards you will be transferred to your hotel.

If you would like, start the day with an optional sunrise balloon flight — one of the great experiences of the week. After breakfast and check-out, your guide will collect you for a tour of southern Cappadocia: Meskendir and Rose Valley with their red rock and walking trails, the cave houses of Cavusin, the aptly named Pigeon Valley and the panorama from Love Valley. You will explore the Kaymakli Underground City with its many levels of rooms, wineries, tombs and stables, and can attend a traditional carpet-weaving demonstration. At the end of the tour you will be transferred to the airport for a late flight to Izmir, where our representative will meet you on arrival and take you to your hotel in the Kusadasi area.

Following breakfast, our guide picks you up from the hotel and heads for the ancient city of Ephesus. Among the highlights are the Temple of Artemis — one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World — the great amphitheatre seating 25,000, the iconic Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian and the marble harbour street. You will finish at the House of the Virgin Mary before returning 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 — around two and a half hours' drive through beautiful scenery, with a lunch break on arrival. You will explore the gates of ancient Hierapolis, its necropolis and beautiful ancient theatre, and the famous travertines, whose snowy-white panorama is among the trip's most striking sights; there is the chance to swim among the ruins in Cleopatra's pool or visit the Hierapolis Archaeology Museum. At the end of the tour 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, our driver will be waiting in the lobby to take you to the airport. This brings your seven-day Turkey tour to a close, and we hope to welcome you back before long.