Istanbul Trip Overview
Maximize your sightseeing time in Cappadocia and Ephesus by flying between regions on a 3-day tour! After a flight from Istanbul to Kayseri, discover Cappadocia’s highlights on two sightseeing tours and visit UNESCO-listed Göreme Open-Air Museum, Rose Valley, Kaymakli Underground City and more. Then, fly to Izmir to explore the archeological finds at Ephesus and finish the 3-day experience. 4-star accommodation in a boutique Cappadocia cave hotel and an Izmir hotel is included, plus a Cappadocia hot air balloon ride is available as an optional activity. Upgrade to include a flight back to Istanbul at the end of the tour.
Additional Info
Duration: 3 days
Starts: Istanbul, Turkey
Trip Category: Multi-day & Extended Tours >> Multi-day Tours
Explore Istanbul Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Istanbul, Turkey, Turkey
Maximize your sightseeing time in Cappadocia and Ephesus by flying between regions on a 3-day tour! After a flight from Istanbul to Kayseri, discover Cappadocia’s highlights on two sightseeing tours and visit UNESCO-listed Göreme Open-Air Museum, Rose Valley, Kaymakli Underground City and more. Then, fly to Izmir to explore the archeological finds at Ephesus and finish the 3-day experience. 4-star accommodation in a boutique Cappadocia cave hotel and an Izmir hotel is included, plus a Cappadocia hot air balloon ride is available as an optional activity. Upgrade to include a flight back to Istanbul at the end of the tour.
Itinerary
Day 1: Istanbul – Kayseri – Cappadocia
Stop At: Cappadocia, Cappadocia
Start your tour with a hotel pickup from central Istanbul and travel to airport in time for your flight. Board the plane on your own, and relax on the 1.5-hour flight southeast to Kayseri, a city deep in mainland Turkey. On arrival, meet your guide, hop inside your minibus and travel a little further into Cappadocia to see its wondrous sights.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Goreme National Park, Goreme 50180 Turkey
Your first stop is Göreme Open-Air Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage site, home to fairy chimneys and a collection of rocky monuments that attest to Byzantine days in Cappadocia. Explore with your guide, and then continue to the small town of Avanos, which is famous for its pottery production.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Pasabag, Urgup Turkey
After a quick look around the pretty town, enjoy a stop nearby in Pasabag (Monk’s Valley), and take a walk through the area’s cone-like rocks to see where monks and hermits once lived in isolated seclusion. Continue traveling through Dervent Valley, where fairy chimneys pepper the landscape, and then travel back to your hotel in Cappadocia in time for dinner.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Dinner
Accommodation included: 4 star hotel
Day 2: Cappadocia – Kayseri – Izmir
Stop At: Cavusin, Cavusin, Cappadocia
Spend the morning at leisure and enjoy breakfast in your hotel, meet back up mid-morning for another tour of Cappadocia. Start with a walk through Rose Valley, a gorgeous stretch of land that takes its name from its abundance of red-hued rock. Straddling the villages of Göreme and Çavuşin, the valley is peppered with rock-carved churches and tunnels, and your guide will point out the best ones as you walk. Finish up in Çavuşin and, after seeing its cave mosque, enjoy some free time for lunch (own expense).
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Ortahisar, Ortahisar, Cappadocia
Hop aboard your minibus and continue your day’s tour to the town of Ortahisar to see its crowning glory, Ortahisar Castle. Pose for photos by the unique rock fortress before traveling onward to the Kaymakli Underground City, one of Cappadocia’s best-preserved subterranean sites. Explore its maze of passages, seeing underground stables and cellars while learning about the early Christians who once hid here to escape persecution. Return to your coach, pass through Pigeon Valley, and then return to your hotel.
Check out in the late afternoon, and travel with your guide to Kayseri Airport for your 1.5-hour evening flight to Izmir. Arrive at Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport on your own, and enjoy a transfer to your hotel. Refuel with a late-evening meal of sandwiches laid on by the hotel and enjoy a good night’s sleep in readiness for tomorrow.
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
• Dinner
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: 4 star hotel
Day 3: Ephesus
Stop At: Ephesus Museum, Selcuk Turkey
Enjoy breakfast in your hotel, and then travel to Ephesus where an important archeological site, considered as one of Europe’s best-preserved Classical cities, awaits. Explore the ruins on a walking tour and see sights such as the Temple of Hadrian — a monument built to celebrate the Emperor Hadrian’s visits to the city.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Meryemana (The Virgin Mary’s House), Sultaniye Mahallesi, Selcuk 35100 Turkey
Take a break for lunch in the main town (own expense), before traveling to the House of the Virgin Mary, a site that many believe is where the Virgin Mary spent her final days. Enjoy a look around the chapel and hear about its history as a place of pilgrimage from your guide. Finally, return to your coach and travel back to your hotel to check out.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Izmir, Izmir, Izmir Province, Turkish Aegean Coast
Your 3-day tour then finishes with a drop-off at the Izmir airport,Izmir hotel or Kusadasi hotel. Alternatively, upgrade to include a flight back to Istanbul, and finish your tour there instead.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.
