4 Days Ephesus, Pamukkale and Cappadocia Tour from Istanbul by Plane & Bus
From: $640.00
Early morning flight from Istanbul to Izmir. Meet your guide and begin your 4-days Tour of Ephesus, Pamukkale and Cappadocia. You will have 2 nights accommodation with one night in Kusadasi at a 4-star hotel and one night in Cappadocia at a cave hotel, On local tours guided services from a professional licensed guide, transportation in air-conditioned vehicles with expert drivers. Domestic flight and overnight bus tickets as per itinerary included. All meals and entrance fees as specified in the itinerary.
Obtain your tour price in USD by selecting tour dates and specifics below:
Day 1: Fly from Istanbul to Izmir – Ephesus Tour
You will be picked up from your hotel in Istanbul around 4:00 am and transferred to the airport for your flight to Izmir, departing between 6:00 and 8:00 AM. Upon arrival in Izmir, you’ll be transferred to Selçuk, where you’ll meet your guide to begin your full-day Ephesus tour.
Your first stop will be the ancient city of Ephesus, where you’ll explore its fascinating ruins, including highlights like the Temple of Hadrian, the impressive Great Theater, and the beautiful Trajan Fountain. After lunch, the tour continues to the House of the Virgin Mary, believed to be where she spent her final years. You’ll also visit the site of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the stunning Isa Bey Mosque, a remarkable example of Seljuk architecture.
After the tour ends at around 4:00 pm, you will be transferred to your hotel in Kusadasi for check-in. The rest of the day is yours to relax or explore the area at your leisure.
- Overnight in Kusadasi
- Included Meal(s): Lunch
- Accommodation: Efe Boutique Hotel OR Neopol Hotel Deluxe OR Derici Hotel or similar (Standard quality)
Day 2: Pamukkale & Hierapolis Tour – Overnight Bus to Cappadocia (649.8 km)
After breakfast at around 7:30 am, you will be picked up from your hotel in Kusadasi and transferred to the meeting point in Selçuk, where the full group will gather. From there, the journey to Pamukkale will begin at approximately 8:30 am, with a drive of about 3 hours. A brief 10-minute stop for a restroom break will be made halfway through the trip.
Upon arrival in Pamukkale around 11:45 am, the group will first enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, around 1:00 pm, your guided tour will begin with a professional licensed guide. You will explore the stunning Cotton Cliffs, a natural wonder formed by deposits of calcareous salts, and the ancient ruins of the City of Hierapolis. Key highlights include the theatre and the Roman Baths.
At the end of the guided tour, you will have 1 hour of free time to explore the area at your own pace. If you wish, you can opt to swim in the famous Pamukkale Antique Pools (optional and at your own expense). Your guide will provide the details of the exact meeting point and time.
Today’s tour will end around 4:00 pm, after which you will be transferred to the bus station for your overnight bus to Cappadocia. The bus departs at 9:00 pm, giving you free time before departure to relax and have dinner near the bus station. The bus ride to Cappadocia takes approximately 10 hours, with three stops for personal needs along the way.
- Overnight Bus to Cappadocia
- Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
- Accommodation: No accommodation is included on this day
Day 3: North Cappadocia Tour
Upon arriving at the Goreme bus station in the morning, you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel in Cappadocia. After enjoying breakfast, you can relax in the hotel lobby until your pick-up at 9:30 am. At that time, you will begin your North Cappadocia tour, where you’ll meet your guide and start exploring the region.
The tour will start with a visit to the Devrent Valley, famous for its unique fairy chimneys shaped like animals. Next, you’ll explore Pasabag Valley (Monks Valley), known for its impressive mushroom-shaped rock formations.
After this, the tour continues to Avanos, a charming town renowned for its ancient pottery traditions. Following lunch in Avanos, you will visit the Zelve Open Air Museum, an extraordinary collection of carved caves and ancient churches, which gives a glimpse into the region’s early monastic life.
Towards the end of the day, you will stop for about 15 minutes to take panoramic photos of the stunning Uchisar Castle. While the interior of the castle is not open for visitors, the exterior provides breathtaking views over Cappadocia’s surreal landscape.
After the tour ends around 4:00 pm, you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is free for you to relax or explore the area at your leisure.
For extra activities, you can choose one from the following options: a traditional Turkish Night show with dinner, a 2-hour ATV tour, a 2-hour horseback riding tour through the valleys, or attend a 1-hour Whirling Dervish show. Please note that all activities are available at an additional cost, and you can join only one due to time constraints.
- Overnight in Cappadocia
- Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
- Accommodation: Heaven Cave House OR Dedeli Konak Cave Hotel OR Holiday Cave Hotel or similar (Standard quality)
Day 4: South Cappadocia Tour – Fly back to Istanbul
For an additional option, you can book an early morning hot air balloon ride to enjoy breathtaking aerial views of the valleys. Please note that this activity comes at an extra cost.
After breakfast at the hotel, you will check out and be picked up around 9:30 am to begin your full-day tour of South Cappadocia. Your first stop will be the breathtaking Red Valley, where you’ll explore the famous rock-cut churches and hike 5 km through the serene Rose Valley (Gulludere Vadisi), renowned for its stunning pink-hued rock formations.
Next, you’ll visit Cavusin Village, known for its ancient cave houses and churches once inhabited by Christian clergymen. Around noon, you’ll take a break for lunch at a local restaurant, savoring authentic Turkish flavors.
After lunch, the tour will continue to Pigeon Valley (Guvercinlik Vadisi), where you’ll witness the valley’s iconic pigeon houses carved into the cliffs. In the afternoon, you’ll explore either the Kaymakli Underground City or Ozkonak Underground City, both remarkable underground cities where early Christians took refuge.
At the end of the tour, around 3:30 pm, you will be transferred to Kayseri or Nevsehir Airport for your evening flight back to Istanbul. Departure times are subject to flight availability, typically between 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm, with the flight lasting approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. END OF OUR SERVICE and TOURS.
Please note that transportation from Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) to your hotel in Istanbul is not included in the tour price.
- Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
- Accommodation: No accommodation is included on this day
INCLUDED in the Tour Price:
- Pick-up from your hotel in Istanbul city center and transfer to Istanbul Airport (European side of Istanbul only).
- Domestic flight tickets from Istanbul to Izmir and from Kayseri or Nevsehir to Istanbul.
- Overnight intercity coach ticket from Pamukkale to Cappadocia.
- 1 night stay in Kusadasi at a 4-star hotel, including breakfast.
- 1 night stay in Cappadocia at a cave hotel, including breakfast.
- English-speaking guide during the tours.
- Meals as per the itinerary (B = breakfast, L = lunch).
- Entrance fees mentioned in the itinerary.
- Local taxes and service charges.
NOT INCLUDED:
- Drop off transportation service from Istanbul New Airport OR Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Istanbul Hotel upon returning to Istanbul
- Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride.
- Optional tours mentioned in the program, they will be provided at an additional cost.
- Services not mentioned in the program.
- Drinks with meals.
- Travel insurance (recommended).
IMPORTANT INFO:
- The order of the itinerary is indicative and subject to change, but all visits described will take place.
- This is a regular group tour, but if requested at cost can be provided as a private tour.
- The regular group tour has shopping stops included in the tour.
- Overnight buses do not have restroom facilities on board.
- Vegetarian lunch option available upon request.
- The normal arrival time in Istanbul is between 8:00 – 10:00 pm. If you are planning on reserving your plane back home that same day, we recommend you book a plane ticket from 1:30 am onwards, to avoid missing your flight.
- On flights luggage allowance is 15 kg per person for checked in luggage. For carry-on, you can take up to 8 kg per person. One carry-on is allowed per person.
- We offer hotel pick-up services for drop-off at the airport from locations on the European side of Istanbul, specifically in the districts of Taksim, Şişli, Sultanahmet, Eminönü, Fatih, Beşiktaş, Karaköy, and Bakırköy. Pick-ups are scheduled around 3:50 a.m., but this can vary based on flight schedules. If you’re situated on the Anatolian side or outside of these districts, you’ll need to arrange your own airport transportation.
WHEN TO BOOK?
- Book as soon as possible to guarantee availability, especially during public holidays and festivities.
- You can book up to 2 days before (Istanbul local time) if there are still places available. If less than 2 days before the start of your requested tour date, please contact us by email or phone as it would be a last-minute booking that will need to be checked for availability before your tour reservation is confirmed.
5 reviews for 4 Days Ephesus, Pamukkale and Cappadocia Tour from Istanbul by Plane & Bus
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Carlos L –
I enjoyed the 4-day tour of Ephesus, Pamukkale and Cappadocia. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and we all learned new information. I would recommend this tour to anyone traveling to Turkey.
Kristine D –
Excellent tour. We would have liked to spent more time at Cappadocia and Pamukkale town. The lunch stops could be more planned but food was good and people nice. The guide , Aylin was simply wonderful, very knowledgeable and explaining patiently. Good natured and helpful.
Charleston –
We had a very pleasant experience with One Nation Travel. The pick up, drop offs, tour guides and hotel arrangements were very good. Our whole trip was very efficiently planned and we got to see all the sights that we wanted to. We were a little disappointed with the meals offered, but other than that the whole experience was a great one.
I do have to say that the items in the rug stores, gem factories and pottery places are very highly overpriced. You can buy them much cheaper at the government stores in Istanbul.
Chitra M –
Our recent November trip to Turkey was nothing short of fun, educational and adventurous. We were told you need at least 2 weeks in Turkey. However, due to limited leave which was slightly more than a week, we planned to cover the ‘places not to be missed. We found the perfect tour online which was a 4 day programme put together by One Nation Travel. This tour essentially covers Ephesus, Pammukale and Cappadoccia which we booked before leaving Singapore. Bilal was quick to respond to all our queries and Can Bebber, the Sales Manger, whom we met in Istanbul, was very efficient and helpful. He gave us his contact and to reach out for him anytime during our 4 day trip. Came in handy when one of the transfers didn’t take place as planned and he made special arrangements for us to be picked up by his friend. We really appreciated the service provided. The 4 day tour was well planned and the guides were knowledgeable. We loved Ephesus and the highlight was the Hot Air Balloon in Cappadocia. Pammukale was a little underwhelming. Not sure if it was the time of year or over the years with too many hotels built around, the cotton cliffs were not all that white and widespread. Overall it was worth a visit and a dip in the Hot springs is a must. We have given our feedbackk to Can suggesting further improvements on hotel locations used (eg. Goreme area in Cappadoccia instead of Urgup) and optional arrangements in Pammukale after visiting the coton cliff/hot sprngs and waiting for our bus ride from Pammukale to Cappadoccia. Tour in Pammukale ends at around 2pm and the bus doesnt leave till 10pm. We are hoping our suggestions will be implemented. We made our own arrangement to stay at Divan Hotel in Istanbul at Taksim. 5-star hotel with awesome service and a very helpful concierge Semen who went out of his way to make our trip very pleasant. Centrally located and walking distance to the metro that connects to the old city where all the attractions are. We plan to return to Turkey in the near future and visit more places. We would use One Nation Travel service again for sure, Cheers, chitra
Petronio R –
We have just arrived home from our trip and wish to thank Onenationtravel.com for a wonderful experience in Ephesus, Pamukkale, and Cappadocia. Everything went smoothly, pick up and tours were on time and as per expectation. Would highly recommend this tour company to anyone visiting Turkey.