Eleven nights, five iconic regions, three domestic flights and a sunrise hot air balloon — a private, licensed-guide journey through the Byzantine, Roman, Ottoman and Cappadocian heart of Turkey, from the Bosphorus to the fairy chimneys.
This 12-day, 11-night package links five of Turkey's most rewarding regions into a single, unhurried private journey: Istanbul's Byzantine and Ottoman old city, the Aegean ruins of Ephesus, the mineral-white terraces of Pamukkale, the Roman coastline around Antalya, and the fairy-chimney valleys of Cappadocia. Three short domestic flights replace the long overland drives, so your days go to sightseeing rather than to the road.
You travel with a private, licensed English-speaking guide and an air-conditioned, non-smoking vehicle on every touring day — no shuffling between a bus microphone and forty other travelers. Seven of your touring days include a full guided sightseeing program with lunch and entrance fees built in; the remaining days are free time, flight days, or built-in rest built around your hotel.
Two full private days covering the Old City (Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar) and the Bosphorus & hills, plus an optional Ottoman dinner cruise on arrival night.
A full day at one of the best-preserved Roman cities on earth, including the Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre and the House of the Virgin Mary.
The calcium travertines of Pamukkale paired with the Hierapolis ruins and an optional dip in the Cleopatra Antique Pool.
Three nights on the Mediterranean with Perge, Aspendos and Side, plus a dedicated day exploring Antalya's old town and waterfalls.
A hot air balloon ride over the fairy chimneys is included, followed by two full days covering both the Red and Green Tour routes.
Three short domestic flights connect the regions, so almost every hour on the ground goes to sightseeing rather than transit.
Every touring day below runs on a private, licensed-guide basis with an air-conditioned, non-smoking vehicle. Times are approximate meeting points and may shift slightly by hotel location and season. Tap a day to open the full details.
You are met at Istanbul Airport by our welcome staff and privately transferred to your hotel — no shared shuttles, no waiting on other flights. The rest of the afternoon is free to rest and settle in after your journey.
In the evening, an optional Bosphorus dinner cruise (pickup around 19:30) offers a first taste of Turkish hospitality: a full Ottoman-style set menu, a Whirling Dervish Sema ceremony, live Turkish folk dance, and belly dance performances, all sailing past the lit-up skyline of the old city. The cruise returns you to your hotel by around 23:45.
A full day through Istanbul's historical peninsula, where 1,600 years of Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman history sit within walking distance of each other. You'll walk the open-air Hippodrome and its three ancient monuments, step inside the Sultan Ahmed (Blue) Mosque and Hagia Sophia, and wind through the 4,000-shop Grand Covered Bazaar.
Travelers who want to go deeper can add the optional Topkapı Palace, seat of the Ottoman court for nearly four centuries, and the Basilica Cistern, a 6th-century underground reservoir built by Emperor Justinian I. A guided lunch is included; the day wraps up around 17:00 with a transfer back to your hotel.
Today trades mosques for markets and water. Start at the Spice (Egyptian) Bazaar in Eminönü, then board a private-guided Bosphorus cruise (roughly 1.5–2 hours) for a close-up view of the strait that splits Europe from Asia.
Afterward you'll ride the cable car up Pierre Loti Hill above the Golden Horn and stop at Çamlıca Hill on the Asian side for panoramic views over the bridge, the strait and the Sea of Marmara. Travelers who want to see inside the largest palace in Turkey can add the optional Dolmabahçe Palace, with its 285 rooms and 46 halls. The day ends around 17:30 with a transfer back to your hotel in Istanbul.
A relaxed morning to revisit a favorite neighborhood, shop for souvenirs, or simply enjoy your hotel before heading south. You're privately transferred to the airport for an afternoon flight to Izmir (typical departure around 16:45, arrival 17:55), followed by a road transfer to your hotel in the Ephesus/Kuşadası area.
A full day at Ephesus, the best-preserved Roman city in Asia Minor and once a leading center of art, science and religion. You'll walk the marble street to the Library of Celsus, stand in the 25,000-seat Great Theatre, and hear how the city rose and fell over a thousand years.
Two shorter stops round out the day: the House of the Virgin Mary, a pilgrimage site on Mount Koressos believed to be where Mary spent her final years, and the scattered ruins of the Temple of Artemis, once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Lunch and all entrance fees are included; the tour ends around 16:00.
You're picked up with your luggage and driven to Pamukkale, arriving for an 11:00 start. The bright white travertine terraces are formed by mineral-rich thermal spring water precipitating calcium carbonate as it cools in the open air — a natural phenomenon UNESCO recognizes alongside the adjoining ruins of Hierapolis.
You'll walk through Hierapolis's Roman Theatre and Necropolis, with the option to add the Cleopatra Antique Pool (extra entrance fee), a thermal pool said to have been used by Cleopatra herself, and a stop at the reddish Karahayıt hot springs. In the late afternoon you're transferred onward to Antalya, arriving around 19:00.
A day of Roman Pamphylia. At Aspendos you'll see antiquity's best-preserved theater, an amphitheater still used for performances today, thanks to acoustics that have impressed visitors since the 2nd century AD. Perge, one of the largest ancient settlements near Antalya, follows, with colonnaded streets and a stadium among the highlights.
The afternoon continues to Side, a peninsula city that has shifted from ancient trading port to one of Turkey's most popular coastal resorts, with a stop at the Kurşunlu Waterfalls on the way back. Lunch and entrance fees are included; the tour returns you to your hotel around 17:00.
A closer look at Antalya itself, starting with the lesser-visited Karpuzkaldıran (Lower Düden) Waterfall and the more famous Upper Düden Waterfall, where legend holds that Alexander the Great once watered his horses. From there you'll walk through Kaleiçi, Antalya's atmospheric old town, past the Hellenistic-era marina and through Hadrian's Gate, built in 130 AD to mark the Roman emperor's visit.
Lunch is included, and the day ends around 17:00 with a transfer back to your hotel — leaving the evening free to explore Kaleiçi's restaurants and harbor at your own pace.
A free morning on the Mediterranean coast — a last swim, a slow breakfast, or one more walk through Kaleiçi. Early afternoon, you're privately transferred to Antalya Airport for a short flight to Kayseri (typical departure around 15:00, arrival 17:00), then driven to your cave-style hotel in Cappadocia.
Before dawn (pickup roughly 04:00–05:00) you'll rise above Cappadocia's fairy-chimney valleys in a hot air balloon, one of the most photographed experiences in Turkey, before returning to your hotel for breakfast. Later that morning, a full-day private tour covers Devrent (Imagination) Valley, where volcanic rock formations take on shapes suggested by the eye, and the Zelve Open Air Museum, a cave village carved across three valleys.
You'll also stop at the Esentepe viewpoint for panoramic photos, Uçhisar Castle — the highest point in the region, carved directly from rock — and Avanos, a pottery-making town on the banks of the Kızılırmak River. The optional Göreme Open Air Museum, home to Cappadocia's finest rock-cut churches, can be added before the day ends around 17:00.
Your final Cappadocia day covers the region's most photogenic valleys: Red Valley, known for sunrise and sunset light on its orange rock formations, and Rose Valley, with soft pink cliffs, hidden cave chapels and quiet walking trails. You'll continue to Çavuşin, one of the region's oldest settlements, and the Pigeon Valley viewpoint, named for the thousands of dovecotes once used to collect natural fertilizer.
The day closes with one of Cappadocia's most striking sights: an underground city such as Kaymaklı or Derinkuyu, multi-level shelters carved to protect entire communities during ancient invasions, complete with kitchens, stables and ventilation shafts. After the tour you're transferred to Kayseri Airport for an evening flight back to Istanbul, landing around 21:50.
After breakfast, check out of your hotel (before 12:00) and transfer privately to Istanbul Airport in time for your international flight home. This marks the end of the tour and all included services. Prefer to stay longer? Extra nights in Istanbul before or after the package can be arranged on request.
Short descriptions of the main sites on this itinerary — including the ones built into the tour price and the optional extras you can add on the ground. Optional sites are clearly marked and are not included in the base package price.
A former chariot-racing stadium at the heart of the Old City, home to the 16th-century-BC Egyptian Obelisk, the Serpentine Column from Delphi, and the Column of Constantine.
Built between 1609 and 1617, this working Ottoman imperial mosque is famed for its cascading domes and the blue Iznik tiles that give it its nickname.
A 6th-century Byzantine masterpiece commissioned by Emperor Justinian I, later converted into a mosque — one of the most significant religious buildings on earth.
One of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world, with 61 streets and over 4,000 shops drawing up to 400,000 visitors a day.
The administrative and residential seat of the Ottoman court from around 1478 to 1856, now a museum housing the empire's imperial collections.
A vast 6th-century underground reservoir built by Justinian I, once capable of storing up to 100,000 cubic meters of water beneath the city.
Istanbul's second-largest covered market, in the Eminönü quarter, famous for spices, Turkish delight and local color since the 17th century.
A guided sail along the strait dividing Europe and Asia, taking in palaces, fortresses and waterfront mansions from the water.
Two of Istanbul's best viewpoints — one reached by cable car above the Golden Horn, the other on the Asian side overlooking the Bosphorus Bridge.
Turkey's largest palace, with 285 rooms and 46 halls, built as the Ottoman Empire's grand statement of 19th-century modernization.
The most important Roman city in Asia Minor, once a leading center of art, science and religion, with some of the best-preserved ruins in the Mediterranean.
Ephesus's architectural showpiece, an ornate two-story facade that once housed thousands of scrolls and stands as one of antiquity's finest libraries.
A Hellenistic-era theater seating up to 25,000 people, attributed to Lysimachus, one of Alexander the Great's generals.
A pilgrimage site on Mount Koressos believed to be where the Virgin Mary spent her final years, revered by both Christian and Muslim visitors.
Once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; only scattered foundation stones remain today, but the site's history still draws visitors.
Brilliant white calcium terraces formed by mineral-rich thermal springs — a UNESCO World Heritage natural wonder unlike anywhere else in Turkey.
A Phrygian city founded around 190 BCE, with a well-preserved Roman theater and one of the largest necropolises in Anatolia.
A thermal pool formed after a 7th-century earthquake, long rumored to have been used by Cleopatra herself; entrance fee is paid on-site.
Antiquity's best-preserved theater, seating 15,000 and still used for performances today thanks to its remarkable acoustics.
One of the largest and best-preserved ancient settlements near Antalya, with colonnaded streets, a stadium and a Roman bath complex.
A former Pamphylian trading port on a narrow peninsula, now one of Turkey's most popular coastal resort towns.
Twin waterfalls linked to Alexander the Great's campaigns, and Antalya's atmospheric old harbour district behind Hadrian's Gate.
A sunrise flight over the fairy-chimney valleys of Cappadocia — one of the most iconic experiences in Turkey, included in the package price.
Wind-carved "Imagination Valley" rock formations alongside a cave village spread across three valleys, once home to an early monastic community.
The highest point in Cappadocia, carved directly from rock, followed by Avanos, a pottery town with roots dating back to the Hittites.
The crown jewel of Cappadocian heritage sites, with rock-cut churches and monastic complexes decorated in Byzantine frescoes.
Cappadocia's most photogenic valleys, known for their sunrise and sunset colors, cave chapels, and thousands of rock-cut dovecotes.
A multi-level underground shelter carved to protect entire communities during ancient invasions, complete with kitchens and ventilation shafts.
Turkey tour pricing varies by hotel category, season and group size, so the figures below are a general guide to current market rates rather than a fixed quote. Your exact price is confirmed after you submit a reservation request.
Roughly €1,650–€2,100 per person with 4-star hotels, rising to around €2,600–€2,950 per person for 5-star or boutique cave-hotel upgrades in Cappadocia. Solo travelers should budget a single-room supplement of roughly €400–€650.
Joining scheduled small-group departures (shared guide and vehicle on touring days) typically runs from around €1,290–€1,650 per person, with the same flights, hotels and hot air balloon flight included.
These ranges reflect typical 2026 rates for comparable 11–12 night Turkey itineraries with domestic flights, a hot air balloon flight and private or small-group guiding, based on current Turkish tourism market listings. Peak season (April–June, September–October) generally sits toward the top of each range; low season (November–February, excluding balloon-weather-sensitive dates) sits toward the bottom.
A few practical suggestions to get more out of this specific itinerary, based on how the route, timing and included services fit together.
The Cappadocia balloon flight depends on wind and weather clearance. If your travel dates are flexible, avoid scheduling a same-day onward flight right after Day 10 in case of a weather reschedule.
Ephesus, Hierapolis, Aspendos and the Cappadocia valleys all involve cobblestones, gravel paths or gentle inclines. Closed, supportive walking shoes matter more than fashion here.
Day 3 ends with a transfer back to your Istanbul hotel; the Day 4 flight to Izmir departs in the afternoon, after a free morning. Reconfirm your exact flight time with your travel consultant once dates are set, since domestic schedules shift seasonally.
Days 4 and 9 are travel/free days built around afternoon flights. If your schedule allows, extending Istanbul or Antalya by one extra night gives more breathing room without disrupting the flight-based structure.
Only the optional Day 1 dinner cruise is included in the price; all other dinners are on your own. Kaleiçi in Antalya and Sultanahmet in Istanbul both offer strong dinner options within walking distance of most hotels.
Topkapı Palace, the Basilica Cistern, Dolmabahçe Palace and the Cleopatra Pool are all worthwhile but add up quickly. Picking two or three that match your interests (history vs. relaxation) usually works better than trying to add all of them.
Standard, superior and 5-star/boutique cave-hotel categories are all available — let your travel consultant know your preferred category when requesting a reservation.
All three flights are economy class with a 15 kg checked bag and 8 kg cabin bag allowance. Exact departure times are confirmed closer to your travel date and may shift by season.
Every touring day is led by a licensed, English-speaking guide dedicated to your group — not a shared coach microphone.
Five regions linked by short domestic flights instead of long overland transfers, so your time goes to sightseeing.
A clear 30% deposit, a fixed inclusions list, and no hidden fees on entrance tickets that are marked as included.
A 30% advance payment confirms your reservation once you submit a booking request. We'll send bank transfer details, and ask for the payment receipt along with a passport copy for each traveler to complete hotel and flight bookings. The remaining 70% is paid on arrival in Istanbul, before the tour begins.
The 30% advance payment guarantees flight and hotel costs on your behalf and is non-refundable if you cancel. However, you will not owe the remaining 70% package balance if you cancel before arrival. Date changes are accommodated where availability allows.
Have questions, or not ready to reserve yet? Send us a message and we'll reply within a few hours.
Choose private or small-group, tell us how many travelers, and provide your details. We'll confirm availability within a few hours.
Your 30% advance payment secures flights and hotels and is non-refundable if you cancel. You will owe no further balance if you cancel before arrival. Date changes are accommodated subject to availability.