12-Day Turkey Discovery Tour from Istanbul

Arrive in Istanbul and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight stay in Istanbul

Meal: Breakfast & Lunch

08:30 - Pick up from your hotel.

Transfer to Istanbul's historical peninsula.

• Hagia Sophia: Hagia Sophia shows Istanbul's layered Byzantine and Ottoman history through its vast dome, mosaics and monumental interior.
• Blue Mosque: The Blue Mosque is one of Istanbul's defining Ottoman landmarks, known for its domes, minarets and blue Iznik tiles.
• Hippodrome: The Hippodrome was the ceremonial heart of Byzantine Constantinople and still frames important monuments in the Old City.
• Grand Bazaar: The Grand Bazaar adds color, trade history and free time in one of Istanbul's most recognizable covered market areas.
• Bosphorus Cruise: The Bosphorus Cruise shows Istanbul from the water, passing palaces, mosques, bridges and waterfront mansions on both shores.

17:00 - Tour and cruise end.

Transfer back to your hotel.

Overnight stay in Istanbul

Meal: Breakfast

A full day stays free in Istanbul for your own pace before the Aegean section begins.

Overnight stay in Istanbul

Meal: Breakfast & Lunch

04:00 am - Early morning pick up from your hotel.

07:15 am - Flight from Istanbul to Izmir. (Flight time may change.)

08:30 am - Arrival at Izmir airport. (Arrival airport and time may change according to availability.)

Transfer to Ephesus Ancient City.

• Ephesus Ancient City: Ephesus Ancient City preserves marble streets, temples, theatres and civic buildings from one of the great cities of the Roman world.
• House of Virgin Mary: The House of Virgin Mary is a quiet pilgrimage site on the mountain above Ephesus, visited for both its religious meaning and setting.
• Temple of Artemis: The Temple of Artemis was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and explains why Ephesus once mattered far beyond the region.

16:30 - Ephesus tour ends.

Transfer to your hotel in Kusadasi/Selcuk.

Overnight stay in Kusadasi/Selcuk

Meal: Breakfast & Lunch

08:00 - Pick up from your hotel.

Transfer to Pamukkale.

• Pamukkale: Pamukkale is famous for white travertine terraces formed by mineral-rich thermal water flowing down the hillside.
• White Calcium Terraces: The white calcium terraces are the signature view of Pamukkale, where shallow mineral pools step down the slope like a natural staircase.
• Hierapolis Ancient City: Hierapolis rises above the travertines with Roman streets, baths, theatre remains and a long sacred thermal tradition.
• Cleopatra Antique Thermal Pool: Cleopatra Antique Pool is visited inside the Pamukkale area; entering the area is included, while swimming among ancient columns is extra on-site.

16:00 - Pamukkale tour ends.

17:30 - Evening bus to Antalya. (Bus departure time may change.)

21:00 - Transfer to your hotel in Antalya upon arrival.

Overnight stay in Antalya

Meal: Breakfast

A free Mediterranean day lets you slow the pace after the west-coast transfer section.

Overnight stay in Antalya

Meal: Breakfast

Another free day is built in so the itinerary stays realistic for travelers who do not want constant guided movement.

Overnight stay in Antalya

Meal: Breakfast & Lunch

08:00 - Pick up from your hotel.

• Perge: Perge Ancient City adds Roman streets, baths, gates and stadium remains to the Antalya coastal route.
• Aspendos Theatre: Aspendos is best known for its remarkably preserved Roman theatre, one of the strongest classical stops near Antalya.
• Side Ancient City: Side combines ancient ruins with a coastal setting, including temple remains near the Mediterranean shoreline.
• Duden Waterfall: Duden Waterfall adds an accessible nature stop near Antalya, balancing the classical sites with fresh scenery.

17:30 - Tour ends.

Transfer back to your hotel in Antalya.

Overnight stay in Antalya

Meal: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel and check-out from your hotel.

According to your flight time, you will be transferred to Antalya Airport. (It might be a connected flight if a direct flight is not available.)

Fly to Cappadocia.

Upon arrival at Cappadocia airport, we will welcome you at the exit and transfer you to your hotel.

Enjoy a free rest of the day after arrival.

Overnight stay in Cappadocia

Meal: Breakfast & Lunch

09:30 - Pick up from your hotel.

• Devrent Valley (Pink Valley): Devrent Valley introduces Cappadocia through animal-shaped fairy chimneys and wide volcanic forms that make the landscape feel almost imagined.
• Pasabag Open Air Museum: Pasabag is one of the best places to see Cappadocia's multi-headed fairy chimneys and the cave cells once used by hermit monks.
• Avanos Pottery Workshop: Avanos adds a cultural stop to the valley route, showing how red river clay is shaped in local pottery workshops.
• Goreme Panoramic View: Goreme panoramic viewpoints help you read the scale of Cappadocia, with cave settlements, valleys and volcanic ridges visible together.
• Zelve Open Air Museum: Zelve preserves a former cave village spread across several valleys, with carved rooms, tunnels and churches that show daily life in the rocks.
• Uchisar Castle (exterior view): Uchisar Castle is Cappadocia's highest natural viewpoint and shows how defensive and domestic spaces were carved into one rock mass.

17:00 - Tour ends.

Transfer to your hotel.

Overnight stay in Cappadocia

Meal: Breakfast & Lunch

09:30 - Pick up from your hotel.

• Red Valley: Red Valley is known for warm volcanic colors, walking paths and layered rock walls that make south Cappadocia especially photogenic.
• Rose Valley (Gulludere Valley): Rose Valley, also called Gulludere, combines pink-toned cliffs with rock-cut churches and quiet walking sections.
• Cavusin Village: Cavusin is an old cave village where abandoned rock houses and cliff churches show the lived history of Cappadocia.
• Pigeon Valley: Pigeon Valley is named after carved dovecotes in the cliffs and gives one of Cappadocia's most familiar valley views.
• Underground City: The underground city reveals tunnels, storage rooms, ventilation shafts and defense passages used by local communities for protection.

17:00 - Cappadocia tour ends.

Transfer to Cappadocia airport.

21:30 - Evening flight to Istanbul. (Flight time may change.)

23:00 - Arrival in Istanbul. (Arrival airport and time may change according to availability.)

Transfer to your hotel in Istanbul.

Overnight stay in Istanbul

Meal: Breakfast

Transfer from your hotel to the airport according to your international departure time. The package ends here.