8-Day Best of Turkey Tour: Istanbul, Bursa, Ephesus and Cappadocia

On arrival at your designated Istanbul airport, you will be met by a One Nation Travel representative or driver and transferred to your hotel.

After check-in, you have the rest of the day free. You might walk through Sultanahmet, stop at a café, or rest at your hotel.

Allow approximately 2 hours for arrival procedures and the transfer; timing depends on your flight and transfer schedule.

Overnight in Istanbul at a selected 4-star or boutique hotel.

After breakfast, meet your English-speaking guide at approximately 8:30 AM. Begin at Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, built in the sixth century. You can see its architecture and historic mosaics from the designated visitor area, subject to current access arrangements.

Continue to the Blue Mosque, also known as Sultan Ahmed Mosque, to see its domes, six minarets and blue İznik tiles. At the Hippodrome of Constantinople, you can see the Egyptian Obelisk and Serpent Column.

After lunch at a local restaurant, visit Topkapi Palace, the former residence and administrative center of the Ottoman sultans. Explore its courtyards and collections before continuing to the Grand Bazaar, a covered market with carpets, ceramics, jewelry and textiles.

Return to your hotel in the late afternoon. Allow approximately 8 hours for the tour; timing depends on the confirmed schedule.

Overnight in Istanbul at a selected 4-star or boutique hotel.

After breakfast, depart at approximately 8:30 AM for a half-day excursion. Visit the Spice Bazaar, also known as the Egyptian Bazaar, where you can browse stalls selling spices, Turkish delight, tea and dried fruit.

Board a shared boat for a cruise on the Bosphorus, the waterway separating Europe and Asia. Depending on the route, you may see Dolmabahçe Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, the Bosphorus Bridge and Rumeli Fortress from the water.

Return to your hotel to collect your luggage. In the afternoon or evening, transfer to the airport for your included flight to Izmir. On arrival at Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel in Kuşadası.

Allow approximately 9 hours for sightseeing, flights and transfers, depending on confirmed transport schedules. Your evening is at leisure.

Overnight in Kuşadası at a selected 4-star hotel.

After breakfast, meet your guide at approximately 8:30 AM. Begin at the Temple of Artemis, then continue to the Ancient City of Ephesus. Walk its marble streets and see the Library of Celsus, Temple of Hadrian and Great Theatre as your guide explains life in the Greek and Roman periods.

After lunch at a local restaurant, visit the House of the Virgin Mary, traditionally associated with Mary’s final years, and the 14th-century İsa Bey Mosque.

Transfer to Izmir Airport for your included flight to Kayseri or Nevşehir, depending on availability. You may connect through Istanbul. On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your cave hotel in Cappadocia; arrival may be late in the evening.

Allow approximately 12 hours for sightseeing, flights and transfers, depending on confirmed transport schedules.

Overnight in Cappadocia at a selected cave hotel.

You may choose an optional early-morning hot air balloon flight over Cappadocia. It is arranged separately and paid locally, and depends on availability, suitable weather and aviation approval.

After breakfast, meet your guide at approximately 9:30 AM. Visit Devrent Valley, also called Imagination Valley, to see rock formations resembling animals and other shapes. Continue to Paşabağ Valley, also called Monks Valley, for its mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys. In Avanos, a town on the Kızılırmak River, you will learn about its pottery traditions.

After lunch, visit Zelve Open-Air Museum, where cave dwellings, rock-cut churches and passages occupy a former settlement. Finish at a panoramic viewpoint overlooking Uçhisar.

Return to your hotel at approximately 4:00 PM. The guided tour lasts approximately 6.5 hours, depending on the confirmed schedule; the optional balloon flight is additional. The rest of the day is free.

Overnight in Cappadocia at a selected cave hotel.

After breakfast, depart at approximately 9:30 AM with your English-speaking guide. Visit Red Valley for its rock formations and cave churches. Weather and trail conditions permitting, take an approximately 5-kilometer hike through neighboring Rose Valley.

Continue to Çavuşin Village to see its rock-cut dwellings and churches. After lunch, visit Pigeon Valley, where pigeon houses were carved into the cliffs, followed by either Kaymaklı Underground City or Özkonak Underground City, depending on the day’s arrangements.

The tour ends at approximately 4:00 PM. Transfer to Kayseri Airport or Nevşehir Airport for your included flight to Istanbul. On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

Allow approximately 12 hours for sightseeing, flights and transfers, depending on confirmed transport schedules.

Overnight in Istanbul at a selected 4-star or boutique hotel.

After breakfast, depart your Istanbul hotel at approximately 8:00 AM for Bursa, an early Ottoman capital. Your journey may include a ferry crossing in the Marmara region, subject to the day’s transportation arrangements.

Travel toward Uludağ Mountain and, weather and operating conditions permitting, take a cable car ride. Enjoy a barbecue lunch during the mountain excursion.

Back in Bursa, visit the Grand Mosque, also known as Ulu Cami, with its arches and Islamic calligraphy. You will also have time to explore regional products, including roasted chestnuts and Turkish sweets. Continue to Koza Han, a former silk trading center with a courtyard and shops.

Return to Istanbul in the evening. Allow approximately 12 hours for the excursion; timing depends on traffic, weather and confirmed transport schedules.

Overnight in Istanbul at a selected 4-star or boutique hotel.

After breakfast, check out of your hotel. Check-out is normally required before 12:00 noon.

At the appropriate time for your confirmed flight, your driver will transfer you to your designated Istanbul departure airport.

Allow approximately 2 hours for the transfer; timing depends on your confirmed transport schedule.