8 Day Turkey Tour: Istanbul to Konya, Pamukkale, Ephesus and Cappadocia

Included

The includes list names domestic flight tickets, all airport transfers by private vehicle, entrance fees to the sites on the itinerary, 7 breakfasts and 2 dinners, 7 nights in 4-star bed and breakfasts and hotels with a cave hotel in Cappadocia, and a guide for the guided portion. Baggage on the flights is 15 kg checked plus 8 kg cabin. Reserve now pay later applies and free cancellation closes 24 hours before departure.

What You May Pay on the Day

Lunches come out of your own pocket, along with drinks and dinners in Istanbul. Two dinners elsewhere on the route are included. The hot air balloon ride is the big optional extra in Cappadocia and this listing does not even offer to book it, so arrange it separately if you want to fly.

Single rooms and hotel upgrades are not mentioned by the listing, so their cost is not stated. One 2022 guide suggests about 10 percent for restaurant tips.

How It Sits Against the Other 8-day Option

The 8-Day Istanbul Ephesus Pamukkale Cappadocia by Plane lists at $1,012 per person but only includes flights if you pick the with-flight-tickets option, and its notes contradict its includes list on entry tickets. This Ephesus Shuttle trip prices the flights in from the start and states entrance fees as included, which makes the gap easier to judge.

Arrival in Istanbul

You land at Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gokcen (SAW) and meet the representative holding a name sign. The drive from either airport to the hotel can take up to 2.5 hours, so plan the evening around it. The first nights are at the Recital Hotel, Yasmak Sultan or Dosso Dossi Old City, or similar.

Istanbul Old City Day

A guided day covers Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar. A Saturday departure moves the Istanbul sightseeing to day 7, when the Grand Bazaar is open. Dinner in Istanbul is not included.

Flight to Izmir and Ephesus

You fly from Istanbul to Izmir. The guided visit covers Ephesus, where the walk from the Upper Gate to the Lower Gate is about 3 km downhill, and the House of the Virgin Mary, about 7 km from Selcuk. The night is in Kusadasi at the Efe Boutique Hotel or Neopol Deluxe.

Pamukkale and Hierapolis

The road leg runs to Pamukkale for the white travertine terraces and the Hierapolis ruins, both on the UNESCO list since 1988. You sleep here at the Colossae Thermal or Pam Thermal. The listing does not say which nights have the two included dinners.

Konya and on to Cappadocia

This is the leg no other tour on the site runs. The road passes Konya, where Rumi died in 1273 and is buried beside his father, the site of today's Mevlana Museum. The Sultanhani Caravanserai follows before the drive ends in Cappadocia.

Two Cappadocia Days and the Cave Hotel

The visits are Kaymakli Underground City, the Goreme Open Air Museum, Uchisar Castle and Devrent Valley. You sleep in the Melekler Evi Cave Hotel or Zeydem Suits. No balloon ride is offered, so the mornings are on foot or in the vehicle.

Return Flight

On day 7 you fly from Kayseri back to Istanbul. The tour ends at Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gokcen airport.

Anyone Who Wants a Balloon Flight in the Package

The balloon is not included and not offered as an option here, so you would book it separately at your own risk. The 3-Day Cappadocia Tour with Balloon includes a balloon on its with-balloon option and refunds 75 euro per person if weather cancels the flight.

Travellers Who Need a Proven Track Record

Nine reviews at 4.3 is a small count, and one past traveler judged the hotels closer to 3-star. The 7-Day Best of Turkey Tour has 93 reviews at 4.9 and includes 5 lunches as well as breakfasts.

People Who Cannot Handle Long Road Days

The route has road legs from Ephesus and Pamukkale eastward through Konya into Cappadocia, the listing gives no drive times, and an airport transfer can take up to 2.5 hours. The 2-Day All-Inclusive Cappadocia Trip includes round-trip flights from Istanbul.

Travellers on the Tightest Budget

At $1,579 this sits mid-range, with lunches on top. The 8-Day Istanbul Ephesus Pamukkale Cappadocia by Plane lists from $1,012, though its flights are a paid option.

Travellers Who Need Every Detail Fixed

Starting times are shown only on checking availability, the order may reverse, and the shared group size is not stated. If that uncertainty bothers you, the 4-Day Private Turkey Tour sells a private group instead, though its own listing contradicts itself on flights and hotels.

Reaching Istanbul

Istanbul Airport (IST) is the Turkish Airlines hub and opened in 2019. Sabiha Gokcen (SAW) opened in 2001. The tour meets you at either one, with a private transfer to the hotel, and that drive can take up to 2.5 hours.

Domestic routes across Turkey are served by Turkish Airlines and Pegasus, with SunExpress and AJet on tourist corridors.

Days to Add in Istanbul

Three nights in Istanbul is the common recommendation before moving on. The Basilica Cistern, Dolmabahce Palace and a Bosphorus cruise are all outside this tour's itinerary, and the Suleymaniye Mosque with its 53 m dome is another easy add. For a guide-only day that leaves the hotels to you, the Private Istanbul Tour 1 to 3 Days runs 1 to 3 days from $90.

What the Route Skips

Gallipoli and Troy are not on this route. The 2-Day Gallipoli and Troy Tour covers the battlefields and Troy from Istanbul by road. For a longer circuit that adds the coast, a 14-day sample runs Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Ephesus and the Riviera.

Timing and Reading Up

Spring and autumn are recommended for Pamukkale. Konya has a mean daily maximum of 4.6 C in January, and the January mean in Nevsehir is 0.0 C. Before you fix dates, read the guide to the best time to visit Turkey and the Turkey itinerary guide.