Overview

Choose from these dates to join our small group tour with our same highly rated guides:

2024 Small Group Tour Dates

14 October - 19 October 2024    

The Best of Turkey: Istanbul, Cappadoci Tour is the ideal travel choice for those who wish to enjoy the main historic sites and major attractions of Turkey in a longer tour but without a lot of bus travel. Instead, we connect the major destination cities by short one hour flights. 

We’ll explore Istanbul and it’s ancient structures, from the mosques to the Roman influenced architecture. Immerse yourself in the history of this incredible city as you explore the Grand Bazaar, the Hippodrome and the Basilica Cistern, and the Topkapi Palace with it's Imperial Harem.

Next, you'll take a one hour flight to Cappadocia where you'll experience an entirely new region of Turkey and be amazed by breathtaking landscapes. While staying at a luxurious cave hotels at night, you'll explore the lunar like topography and cave mosaics during the day.

Sites such as Uchisar Fortress, OrtaHisar, Red Valley, Pasabaglari (Fairy Chimneys), Zelve Open Air Musuem (houses carved in rock, Seljukian Mosque and remains), Esentepe for panoramic view of the Goreme Valley, Goreme Open Air Museum (rock cut churches, frescos, monastery) and Kaymakli Underground City all await!

5 Nights 6 Days Available on request İstanbul, Cappadocia
Itinerary

Day 1: Istanbul

  • Your private guide will welcome you at the Istanbul Airport and take you to your hotel in the heart of Istanbul (All our hotel options sit atop the tallest of the seven hills of Istanbul in the historic Sultanahmet district.)
  • You will have time to become acquainted with the celebrated historic district of this bustling city before turning in for the night.

Day 2: Istanbul

  • Today your guide will meet you at your hotel, and you will first visit the Hagia Sophia to explore it's incredible architecture and remarkable story.
  • Later you will also visit one of the Ottoman Empire’s greatest architectural achievements: the Blue Mosque.
  • Following lunch, you will marvel at the Hippodrome and the Basilica Cistern.
  • In the afternoon, you can browse the shops of the Grand Bazaar before retiring to the hotel for the night.

Day 3: Istanbul

  • Your guide will meet you at your hotel and you will take off to the Topkapi Palace! After conquering Constantinople in the 15th Century, the Ottomans built Topkapi Palace. You'll have the opportunity to explore the palace and its treasures, including the hidden chambers of the Imperial Harem.
  • Next, you'll make a visit to the Spice Market /Egyptian Bazzar before a boat tour of the Bosphorous Strait, and a quiet cafe offers a bit of rest in the afternoon. (Based our guides discretion, the morning and afternoon may be reversed in order to give you the best experience possible.)
  • You'll spend your final night in Istanbul.

Day 4: Istanbul to Cappadocia

  • Enjoy breakfast in Istanbul and then get ready for your flight to Cappadocia!
  • A private driver will meet you at your hotel and transfer you to the Istanbul airport for a one hour flight to Cappadocia.
  • Your private guide and driver will will welcome you to Cappadocia as you exit from baggage claim.
  • Directly from the airport your tour will begin with a visit to Uchisar Fortress, OrtaHisar and Red Valley.
  • After a day of exploration and travel you will check-in to your hotel and retire for the night.

Day 5: Cappadocia

  • You may choose to rise today or day 6 before dawn for an hot-air balloon ride over the picturesque Cappadocian valleys. Let us know if you would like to add this addition experience to your tour.
  • Today, your Cappadocia guide will take you to explore Pasabaglari (Fairy Chimneys), and Zelve Open Air Musuem (houses carved in rock, Seljukian Mosque and remains).
  • Following lunch, continue to Esentepe for panoramic view of the Goreme Valley, Goreme Open Air Museum (rock cut churches, frescos, monastery) and Kaymakli Underground City.
  • Enjoy the incredible views of the Cappadocia landscape and enjoy the hospitality of your hotel in the evening before you retire for the night.

Day 6: Departure

  • A private driver will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the Cappadocia airport for your international flight home.
Inclusions/Exclusions

What is included in the tour

  • Accommodation: Sultanhan, Kale Konak,
  • Meals: 6 breakfasts, 4 lunches
  • Services of a private licensed professional English speaking tour guide
  • Airport Transfers: with air conditioned transportation with driver
  • Air conditioned transportation with driver in Cappadocia
  • Domestic flights: Istanbul-Cappadocia
  • Admission fees to sites and museums
  • Parking, portage, tipping (except guide & driver), toll roads
  • Coordination and attentive customer service throughout the tour by Sojourn staff

  • Required Association of Turkish Travel Agencies Foreign Visitors Insurance 
(a basic mandatory policy and not an adequate replacement for purchasing your own travel insurance.) 

What is not included in the tour

  • International flight tickets (Arrive to Istanbul, Depart from Antalya)
  • Beverages at lunch
  • Optional gratuities to your guides and drivers
  • Travel insurance
  • Visas, laundry, and personal items
  • Entry visas to Turkey (purchased online before arrival)
  • Optional programs listed in itinerary
Price

2024 Prices are per person in US$

Travelers Prices
Per Person in Single Room $2590
Per Person in Double Room  $2080
Per Person in Triple Room $1870
Map
İstanbul, Cappadocia View on Map