Turkey
To get our mini brochure for this holiday please click here, and we will email you a PDF copy.
Day One: Welcome to Istanbul
Upon touch down at Istanbul airport, you will be met at the airport and your private driver will take you to your hotel ready to begin exploring tomorrow. The rest of the day is yours to relax.
Overnight in Istanbul
We offer a variety of hotel classes to suit different budgets. You can choose the style that’s right for you. Select from Classic, Premium or Deluxe when booking, and click hotel name below for more details.
Classic - Istanbul Town Hotel
Premium - Dosso Dossi Old CIty Hotel
Deluxe - Doubletree by Hilton Istanbul Old Town
Meals included: None
Day Two: Discover the city
After breakfast, you’ll meet your personal guide who will take you on a private adventure in one of the world’s most enchanting cities. Begin at the the grand Topkapi Palace (closed on Tuesdays), once home to the Ottoman sultans and now a museum brimming with priceless jewels, robes and relics. Break for lunch before visiting the Blue Mosque, famed for its intricate tiled decoration. Next you’ll visit the ancient Hippodrome, where the Byzantine Emperors used to watch chariot races. Afterwards, you’ll walk through the atmospheric back streets of Old Istanbul, stopping at the colourful spice market with its myriad aromas on the way to the bustle of the Grand Bazaar (closed on Sundays).
Overnight in Istanbul
Classic - Istanbul Town Hotel
Premium - Dosso Dossi Old CIty Hotel
Deluxe - Doubletree by Hilton Istanbul Old Town
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch
Day Three: Incredible Cappadocia
Wake early for the 1.5 hour flight to Cappadocia. From the airport, you’ll be driven straight to one of the region’s famous underground cities, used by Christian settlers to hide from invading armies and formed by a maze of narrow passages that criss cross deep underground. From here, you’ll continue to the ancient city of Sahinefendi (Sobesos), scattered with mosaics, chapels and a hammam and only discovered in 2002. Next, it’s the rock-cut Byzantine monastery of Keslik, home to a intricate frescoes and evocative chambers. On your journey between these attractions, you’ll pass incredible scenery: villages scattered about the hillsides and surrounded by table-top mountains. After stopping for lunch, you have three activity options to choose from – horse ride or mountain bike through apricot orchards and vineyards, climbing volcanic stone hills for breathtaking vista on mountain tops, or hike through the Güvercinlik Valley, finishing with a wine-tasting at a local vineyard. You’ll return to your hotel at around 5pm, with time to relax before visiting a captivating show put on by Whirling Dervishes, who famously twirl while in a religious trance.
Overnight in Cappadocia
Classic - Kelebek Special Cave Hotel
Premium - Anatolian Cave Houses
Deluxe - Tas Konaklar
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch
Day Four: Up in the air
Wake early this morning for a breath-taking flight travelling high above the incredible mountains and valleys of Cappadocia. On this hour-long sunrise flight, you’ll toast the stunning views with a glass of champagne, before returning to your hotel at around 8am. After breakfast, you’ll spend the rest of the day exploring the captivating countryside. Start by wandering the compelling troglodyte houses of the Derwent Valley before heading to Pasabag. This valley is home to strange, toadstool-like rock formations, known as ‘fairy chimneys’. You’ll break for lunch in the sleepy town of Avanos, on the banks of the Red River, a centre for terracotta pottery for more than 4,000 years. Watch traditional artisans at work during a workshop, then continue to the Goreme open-air museum, where 4th-century rock monasteries honeycomb the mountains, topped by Byzantine churches. End your day at the beautiful Uchisar Rock Castle, a Byzantine fortress carved into a rock mountain which once harboured Christians escaping persecution.
Overnight in Cappadocia
Classic - Kelebek Special Cave Hotel
Premium - Anatolian Cave Houses
Deluxe - Tas Konaklar
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch
Day Five: Home time
Leave the hotel at around 7.30am ready for the flight back to Istanbul airport, from where you can catch a connecting flight home.
Meals included: Breakfast
Whats included:
- Private English-speaking guides unless stated otherwise
- Private transfers unless stated otherwise
- Meals as listed
- Private air-conditioned transport throughout tour
- Return domestic flights between Istanbul and Cappadocia
What's not included:
- International flights to/from experience:
call 0208 251 0425 for AX specially negotiated flight rates - Optional extras listed
- Tips for guides, drivers, hotel and restaurant staff
- Any visa, customs, airport taxes or similar charges before or after the tour
- Personal expenses, such as laundry
SUITABILITY FOR FAMILIES : Suitable for families with kids over the age of 4 years.
If you intend to travel solo, contact us on 0208 251 0425
GETTING THERE
Typical return Economy flights from London to Istanbul cost around £270 per person and take approximately three and a half hours.
Experience start point: Istanbul (IST)
End point: Istanbul (IST).
Ready to book