Classic Türkiye 10 Days

Personal welcome at Istanbul International Airport (IST) with a name sign. Private transfer to your hotel in the heart of Sultanahmet, the historic district par excellence. Check-in and time to rest after your flight. If you arrive early, your guide will suggest an orientation walk around the area: the Fountain of Sultan Ahmed III, your first views of Hagia Sophia lit up at night and a Turkish tea on a terrace overlooking the Sea of Marmara.
Accommodation: the planned hotel (or a similar one of the same category).

Turkish buffet breakfast with local produce. At 09:00 the day begins with a visit to Hagia Sophia, the 6th-century Byzantine masterpiece with its stunning golden mosaics. We cross over to Topkapı Palace, home of the Ottoman sultans for 400 years, where we explore the Harem, the Imperial Council Hall and the collection of sacred relics. Lunch at a restaurant with a terrace in Sultanahmet. In the afternoon, we descend into the Basilica Cistern, the "sunken palace" with its 336 columns and enigmatic Medusa heads. Return to the hotel with free time to explore the neighbourhood at your own pace.
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.
Accommodation: the planned hotel.

After breakfast, we sail along the Bosphorus on a scenic cruise: Ottoman palaces such as Dolmabahçe, wooden yalı mansions, Rumeli Fortress and the intercontinental bridge. We disembark and visit the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest covered markets in the world, with more than 4,000 shops selling carpets, ceramics, spices and jewellery. Lunch in the historic Eminönü district with views of the Golden Horn. In the afternoon, a stroll through the colourful neighbourhoods of Balat and Fener, with their Ottoman houses and cobbled streets that seem frozen in time. Return to the hotel.
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.
Accommodation: the planned hotel.

Early breakfast and transfer to IST airport for the domestic flight to Kayseri (ASR), about 1 h 20 min. Arrival in Cappadocia, where your local driver will meet you. First stop: the spectacular Göreme Open-Air Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its rock-cut churches carved into the volcanic stone and decorated with Byzantine frescoes from the 10th to the 13th century. Lunch at a typical cave restaurant. In the afternoon, check-in at your cave hotel and a walk around the village of Göreme with panoramic views of the fairy chimneys.
Domestic flight included: IST → ASR.
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.
Accommodation: the planned hotel.

Option of a hot-air balloon flight at sunrise (extra, weather permitting). Breakfast on the hotel terrace with views of the balloons. A full day in Cappadocia: we descend into Derinkuyu Underground City, an eight-level labyrinth dug thousands of years ago that sheltered entire communities. We continue to Pigeon Valley, with its rock formations and views of Uçhisar. Lunch included. In the afternoon, a visit to a local pottery workshop where craftsmen keep alive Avanos's age-old ceramic tradition. A stop at the Three Beauties viewpoint (Üç Güzeller) for panoramic photos. Dinner at your leisure — your guide will recommend the best cave restaurants.
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.
Accommodation: the planned hotel.

Breakfast and departure for Pamukkale along one of the most scenic routes in Türkiye. A stop in Konya, the city of the whirling dervishes, to visit the Mevlana Museum, dedicated to the mystic poet Rumi. Lunch in Konya with a taste of the local cuisine (etli ekmek, the region's typical flatbread topped with meat). We continue across the Anatolian plateau, reaching Pamukkale at sunset. Check-in at the thermal hotel, where you can enjoy the resort's own natural hot-spring pools.
Distance: ~540 km (6–7 h with stops).
Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Accommodation: the planned hotel.

Breakfast and a morning visit to the travertine terraces of Pamukkale, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will walk barefoot across the white petrified cascades, with thermal water at 35 °C. At the top, we explore the ancient Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis: its theatre with seating for 12,000 spectators, the largest necropolis in Anatolia and the Gate of Domitian. Option to swim in Cleopatra's Pool among submerged Roman columns (extra ticket). Lunch included. In the afternoon, drive to Kuşadası on the Aegean coast. Arrival and check-in.
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.
Accommodation: the planned hotel.

A day devoted to one of the most impressive archaeological sites in the world: Ephesus. We walk the great marble avenue, the majestic Great Theatre with room for 25,000 spectators where St Paul preached, the famous Library of Celsus with its restored façade, the Roman latrines, the baths and the Terrace Houses (2nd-century mosaics and frescoes). Visit to the House of the Virgin Mary on the slopes of Mount Koressos, a place of pilgrimage recognised by the Vatican. Lunch in the charming village of Şirince, famous for its fruit wines and Ottoman houses. Return to Kuşadası with a free afternoon to stroll along the seafront promenade.
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.
Accommodation: the planned hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Izmir for the domestic flight to Istanbul (IST). Arrival in Istanbul and transfer to the hotel. Free afternoon to explore on your own: shopping in Nişantaşı (Turkish fashion), a stroll around the modern Karaköy district with its art galleries and speciality cafés, or relaxing in a traditional hammam (your guide will recommend the best one). Farewell dinner at a restaurant with a terrace overlooking the illuminated Bosphorus.
Domestic flight included: ADB → IST.
Meals included: breakfast and dinner.
Accommodation: the planned hotel.

Last Turkish breakfast at the hotel. Free time, depending on your flight time, for a final stroll around Sultanahmet or some souvenir shopping. Private transfer to Istanbul International Airport (IST). Farewell to your guide and the end of an unforgettable journey through Türkiye.
Meals included: breakfast.
Note: if your flight leaves in the evening, we can arrange an extra half-day visit (ask us).