10 Days Best of Turkey: Istanbul, Safranbolu, Ankara, Cappadocia, Ephesus & Pamukkale Private Tour

Upon arrival at Istanbul International Airport, you are met and transferred to your hotel. After check‑in, you can relax or explore the nearby streets at your leisure. The evening is free.

Start the day with a hearty breakfast before visiting the historic Hippodrome, where the Obelisk of Theodosius, the Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine still stand. Continue to the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque (entry to Topkapi Palace and the Basilica Cistern is optional and paid on site). After lunch, stroll through the bustling Asil Efendi market, sampling local delicacies and browsing handmade crafts. Return to the hotel for a restful evening.

Enjoy breakfast before embarking on a Bosphorus cruise that showcases Dolmabahce Palace, Yildiz Palace, and the majestic Ciragan Palace. The boat passes old wooden villas, marble palaces, fortresses and fishing villages along both shores. After the cruise, experience a guided shopping tour in Istanbul’s historic streets, learning about traditional carpet weaving and local crafts. The day concludes with free time to explore the city at your own pace.

After breakfast, depart Istanbul for the historic town of Safranbolu. Upon arrival, check into your hotel and spend the afternoon wandering the cobblestone streets, admiring the well‑preserved Ottoman houses and visiting the local market known for its crocus trade. Evening free for leisure.

Today you cross Central Anatolia to Cappadocia, with two possible routes. One option visits Hattusa, the UNESCO-listed capital of the Hittites, where the Kadesh treaty with Egypt was concluded, together with the nearby Hittite city of Alacahöyük. The other leads through Ankara to Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Atatürk, and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, with a stop at the Salt Lake on the way. Dinner and overnight in Cappadocia.

Guests on the optional balloon flight are collected at about 05:30 to watch the sunrise over the fairy chimneys, with a champagne toast after landing. After breakfast the guided tour begins at 09:30 at Ozkonak Underground City, followed by the Göreme Open Air Museum with its 10th-century frescoes and the abandoned cave village of Cavusin. After lunch in Avanos and a visit to a pottery workshop, you continue to Love Valley, Devrent (Imagination) Valley and the Three Beauties, returning to the hotel around 18:00. Dinner and overnight in Cappadocia.

The morning is free for shopping in Cappadocia. Later you are driven to Kayseri Airport for the domestic flight to Izmir, followed by a transfer to your hotel in Kusadasi. Dinner and overnight in Kusadasi.

A fully guided day starts at Ephesus: the site of the Temple of Artemis, Curetes Street, the Roman baths, the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre. After lunch you visit a carpet weaving centre and then the hillside village of Sirince, with its white Greek-era houses and fruit wines, where wine makers explain how the wines are produced. On the way back there is a stop at a leather production centre. Dinner and overnight in Kusadasi.

At 08:00 you set off for Pamukkale, arriving in time for lunch. In the afternoon you walk on the white calcium terraces, where you can paddle in the warm spring water, and explore the ruins of Hierapolis, followed by a visit to a textile factory in Denizli. Dinner and overnight in Pamukkale.

An optional early-morning balloon flight over Hierapolis and the travertines is available before breakfast. Afterwards you are transferred to Denizli Airport for the domestic flight to Istanbul, where the tour ends.