Maximize your limited time in Turkey on a five-day sightseeing tour of Istanbul and Cappadocia. With domestic airfare, four nights of accommodation, and all ground transportation arranged, you’re free to forget the stress and focus your holiday. Professional licenced guides are with you every step of the way to ensure you have a great experience. Round out the adventure with a hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia.
Day Tour: --
Meals: --
Overnight: Istanbul
Description : Upon your arrival to Istanbul International Airport, you will be met by our hostess and transferred to your hotel. Before dinner, you can take a walk through the historical Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, having a look at the Hippodrome and the famous Blue Mosque. Overnight stay in Istanbul.
Day Tour: Full Day Istanbul Old City Tour
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: Istanbul
Pick-up Time: 08.00am (approximately)
Description : After having breakfast at the hotel, you will explore the wonderful sites of Old Istanbul, the only city in the world straddling two continents, Europe and Asia. You will visit the Blue Mosque, with its six graceful minarets and famed blue Iznik Tiles, the Hippodrome, ancient Roman arena for chariot racing and Grand Bazaar with its more than 4,000 shops. You will then visit The Topkapi Palace, which from the 15th to the 19th Century was the principle residence of the Ottoman Sultans. You will visit the fabulous Imperial Treasury and the Baghdad Kiosk. Topkapi Palace is now a museum and has unrivaled collections of jewelry, including the Spoonmakers Diamond, the 3rd largest diamond in the world, Ottoman court costumes and ceramics, notably one of the world's finest collection of early Chinese ceramics, much of it gifts from other rulers. Interestingly, some of the ceramics have a special glaze that was said to change color in the presence of poison. You also visit the Imperial Armory, displaying centuries of Ottoman weaponry. But perhaps the loveliest features of Topkapi Palace are its courtyards with their ancient trees, and it is easy to imagine the sultan strolling here far from the cares of state and empire. You will then proceed to The Suleymaniye Mosque, which is the largest and grandest of Istanbul's imperial mosques. It dates from the 16th Century heyday of the Ottoman Empire, and was designed by Sinan, the greatest architect of his day and originator of the Classical Ottoman style of architecture. Of the 2,000 structures Sinan designed, Suleymaniye Mosque and its complex of charitable institutions rank among the most important. Finally, visit the museum of Haghia Sophia* and the Church of The Divine Wisdom. After the tour, you will be dropped back to your hotel. Overnight stay in Istanbul.
Closed
- Hagia Sophia Museum closed on Monday. Replaced with Underground Cistern
- Blue Mosque closed on Friday due to Friday Prayer / No replacement
- Grand Bazaar on Sunday / Replaced with the Handicraft Store
- Topkapi Palace closed on Tuesday / No replacement
- Sultan Tombs on Monday / Replaced with the Little Hagia Sophia Mosque
Day Tour: Half Day Bosphorus Tour
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Cappadocia
Flight: Istanbul to Cappadocia
Pick-up Time: 08.00am (approximately)
Description : After having breakfast at the hotel, you will start your half day Bosphorus tour and visit the 17th Century Egyptian Spice Bazaar* and embark on an unforgettable cruise along the Bosphorus, the beautiful strait that divides Europe from Asia. Winding between wooded hills, it is lined with mosques, castles, 19th Century mansions, picturesque villages and the extravagant baroque places of the late Ottoman Sultans. The tour concludes with a drive along the Istanbul Bosphorus to Rumeli Fortress(no interior visit), built by Mehmed the Conqueror. After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel. We will pick you up again approx 03.00pm and transfer to Istanbul airport for your flight to Cappadocia. After you arrived to Cappadocia airport, you will be transferred to your hotel. Overnight stay in Cappadocia.
Closed
- The Egyptian Spice Bazaar on Sunday / No replacement
Day Tour: Cappadocia Green (South) Tour
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: Cappadocia
Pick-up Time: 09.15am (approximately)
Description : After breakfast at hotel, you will meet with your guide and depar for full-day tour of Cappadocia. Green Tour takes you to explore Derinkuyu underground city, the deepest place in Cappadocia and allow you to admire the beauty of the less visited places in Cappadocia like the beautiful Ihlara valley (There are approximately one hour trekking) and the Selime Monastery, the biggest rock-cut monastery of Cappadocia with a cathedral sized church. After the tour, you will be dropped back to your hotel. Overnight stay in Cappadocia.
Hot Air Balloon Ride Over Valleys of Cappadocia (Optional - Extra Cost)
Get ready for a wonderful experience unique to Cappadocia! We will pick you up from hotel at early morning (depending on the location of your hotel) and transfer you to the balloon site where you will have the opportunity to watch the balloon being prepared for your flight as you enjoy a light breakfast snack; preparation time is generally 15-20 minutes. Your flight will begin at sunrise, where your pilot will climb to a comfortable altitude of about 700 to 1000 meters above ground level. It is from this elevation that you will marvel at the beauty of Cappadocia below you. During certain segments of the flight our pilots are also capable of flying as low as 1 meter above the rock formations which will allow you perfect photo taking opportunities. The Standard Flight is a total of 60 fascinating minutes. There will be a champagne celebration at end of the flight and you will be presented with a Flight Certificate, signed by your pilot, as a souvenir reminder of this magnificent experience. You will be returned to your hotel at the end of your tour where you can rest, have breakfast, and then you can continue on with your full-day Cappadocia tour.
Day Tour: Cappadocia Red (North) Tour
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Flight: Cappadocia to Istanbul
Pick-up Time: 09.30am (approximately)
Description : After breakfast at hotel, you will meet with your guide for another full-day tour of Cappadocia. The first stop of today's tour is Esentepe, followed by a visit to Uchisar Castle. You then trek through Rose Valley to Cavusin, where you stop for lunch and learn about hand-made pottery. Afterwards, we visit the Pasabag Fairy Chimneys, followed by Devrent Valley and Goreme Open-air museum of Cappadocia. At the end of the tour, you will be transferred to Cappadocia airport for your flight to Istanbul. After you arrived to Istanbul airport, you will be transferred to your hotel in Istanbul. (Tonight's hotel booking is excluded)