8-Day Istanbul, Kusadasi, Pamukkale & Cappadocia Tour – Winter Special

After breakfast you set out on a full-day guided tour of the historic peninsula. The first stop is Topkapi Palace, the residence of the Ottoman sultans, where you photograph its monumental gates from outside. You then enter the Blue Mosque, famed for its six minarets and an interior lined with blue Iznik tiles, and admire Hagia Sophia from the outside – a 6th-century cathedral that later became a mosque and remains one of the world's great architectural landmarks. Continue to the Hippodrome, once the stage for chariot races, to see the Obelisk of Theodosius, the Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine. After a local lunch the tour ends in the Grand Bazaar (closed on Sundays), one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world, packed with carpets, ceramics, jewellery, leather and handicrafts. Return to your hotel. In the evening you can join an optional Bosphorus dinner cruise with folk and belly-dance shows. Please bring a headscarf for mosque visits. Overnight in Istanbul.

Following breakfast you board a boat for a classic cruise along the Bosphorus, the strait that separates Europe from Asia. The shores are lined with wooden mansions, marble palaces, fortresses and old fishing villages. From the water you see Dolmabahce Palace, the parks and pavilions of Yildiz Palace, the long marble facade of Ciragan Palace and Ortakoy, where a mosque, a church and a synagogue have stood side by side for centuries. Further on rise Rumeli Fortress, built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452 in just four months, and Beylerbeyi Palace, the Ottoman summer residence on the Asian shore. After lunch at a Turkish restaurant you visit the Spice Bazaar, filled with herbs, spices, Turkish delight, coffee, nuts and souvenirs. You are then transferred to Istanbul Airport for your domestic flight to Izmir, met on arrival and driven to your hotel in Kusadasi for dinner. Overnight in Kusadasi.

After breakfast, at around 08:30, you leave the hotel for a fully guided tour of Ephesus, one of the best-preserved ancient cities in the world. En route you see the site of the Temple of Artemis, then walk down Curetes Street past the Roman baths to the elegant Library of Celsus and the Grand Theatre. Lunch is served around 13:00. In the afternoon you visit a carpet-weaving centre where one of Turkey's oldest crafts is still practised, before driving up to Sirince, a village of original whitewashed houses built in the Anatolian Greek style and renowned for its fruit wines. You see the vineyards and learn how the wine is made. On the way back you stop at one of the region's well-known leather production centres, where you can shop without market-style sales pressure. Dinner and overnight in Kusadasi.

We leave Kusadasi at 08:00 and drive inland along the Buyuk Menderes valley to Pamukkale. On arrival there is a lunch break until about 13:30. In the afternoon you explore the brilliant white calcium terraces of Pamukkale, the natural wonder known as the Cotton Castle, and the ruins of Hierapolis, the ancient spa city built above them. You can walk across the travertines and, if you wish, lie back in the warm natural spring water. Denizli, the nearby city, is known for its textile industry, and you visit one of the famous textile factories of the area before the drive back. Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Kusadasi.

After breakfast you check out and transfer to Izmir Airport for your domestic flight to central Anatolia. On landing at Kayseri or Nevsehir Airport you are met and driven to your hotel in Cappadocia, a region of volcanic valleys, fairy chimneys and cave dwellings. The drive from the airport already offers glimpses of the extraordinary scenery, with table mountains, eroded valleys and rock-cut houses appearing along the road. The rest of the day is free to settle in, admire the views from your hotel and take your first walk among the rock formations nearby. Dinner and overnight in Cappadocia.

Pickup from your hotel is at around 10:00. The day begins at Uchisar Castle, the tallest natural rock citadel and fairy chimney in the region, with wide views over the valleys. You then visit an underground city to discover how people once lived beneath the surface. Next comes Devrent Valley, a lunar landscape of extraordinary rock shapes. After lunch at a local restaurant you continue to Pasabag, home to some of the tallest and best-known fairy chimneys in Cappadocia, and to a pottery centre in Avanos, where you learn about the town's long pottery tradition and watch the process. The tour ends at the Zelve Open-Air Museum, with rock-cut churches and the remains of a valley settlement. Drop-off at your hotel for dinner. Overnight in Cappadocia.

After breakfast you check out and are transferred to Kayseri or Nevsehir Airport for your domestic flight back to Istanbul, where you connect with your onward journey home. Depending on your flight schedule, the morning may leave a little time for a final walk among the fairy chimneys or a last look at the valleys from your hotel terrace. Please keep your passport and flight details at hand for the domestic check-in. We hope you have enjoyed this journey through Istanbul, the Aegean coast, Pamukkale and Cappadocia and look forward to welcoming you again. End of our services.