Wonders of Turkey by Air · 12-Day Package

Begin your journey through the places regarded as Istanbul's principal symbols. Arrive at Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW), where the tour representative will greet you with a sign displaying your name and take you to the hotel. Enjoy a private transfer without waiting at the airport. Overnight in Istanbul.

Discover the places regarded as Istanbul's principal symbols.

Blue Mosque: A monument of the Ottoman Empire where you can explore seventeenth-century Ottoman architectural art and style. It is described as the first mosque built with six minarets, featuring around 21,000 blue tiles approximately 400 years old.

Hippodrome of Constantinople: Continue to the great hippodrome built by Constantine the Great, where the Romans held horse races. Monuments from the middle of the hippodrome still stand: the Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine Column and Column of Constantine, together with the more recent German Fountain, a gift from the German Empire.

Hagia Sophia: An important symbol of Istanbul and Turkey whose name means Divine Wisdom. Construction began in 532 and was completed in 537, taking only five years during Emperor Justinian's reign. It served as a church for 916 years, a mosque for 482 years and a museum from 1935. This masterpiece was regarded as the world's largest cathedral until the sixteenth century. It is a wonderful place to see Byzantine art alongside Ottoman art and beautiful centuries-old mosaics.

Lunch: Free time for lunch.

Topkapı Palace: One of the tour's most intriguing places. Fatih Sultan Mehmet built the palace between 1460 and 1478 after the Turks took Istanbul. It became the residence of 24 Ottoman sultans, including Süleyman the Magnificent and Sultan Ahmet. The palace transports you to the sultans' world, with the opportunity to see Ottoman jewellery and collections of ceramics, clocks and armour, as well as beautiful courtyards and views of Istanbul.

Basilica Cistern: This place receives many visitors throughout the year. Its history, the upside-down Medusa, the story of Medusa and the custom of throwing money into the water are among visitors' most frequent questions.

Grand Bazaar: Finish the tour with a visit to one of the world's oldest shopping complexes, open since 1461. Find traditional and modern shopping opportunities, all kinds of products and souvenirs for every taste.

Transfer back to your hotel after the tour. Overnight in Istanbul.

Süleymaniye Mosque: The mosque embodies the power of Süleyman the Magnificent and the genius of Mimar Sinan. It has formed part of Istanbul's historic skyline since the sixteenth century. The Süleymaniye complex, celebrated by the poet Yahya Kemal as the beautiful sanctuary envisioned by the last religion, was built by Mimar Sinan on Istanbul's third hill within the old city walls. Construction began in 1550 and took seven years, using materials brought from across the empire. Its setting and form make it a defining part of Istanbul's skyline.

Boat tour: Discover the Bosphorus, where two great continents meet and where Fatih conquered Istanbul. A Bosphorus tour invites you to explore the strait's stories and one of the world's most peaceful skylines, whether you live in Istanbul or are visiting. The invitation in the programme says that visitors who have not taken a Bosphorus tour have not fully seen Istanbul. Sailing along the strait, sharing simit with the seagulls and drinking tea are characteristic Istanbul experiences. See historic waterfront mosques, mansions and the bridges connecting the shores, and hear their stories from the sea.

Galata Tower: One of the world's oldest towers and a symbol of Istanbul. It was included on UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List in 2013. This prominent part of the city's skyline was used as a fire lookout for a long period and was known as the Galata Fire Tower.

Istiklal Street: If cities have hearts, Istiklal Street is Istanbul's. Set within thousands of years of history, it has welcomed people from many nations and reflected their cultures for centuries. It is among the first places local and international visitors explore. Find local and global brands, historic places reflecting different cultures, delicious food, memorable street flavours and an exceptional atmosphere.

Egyptian Bazaar: Also called the Spice Bazaar, one of Istanbul's liveliest places. Built in the 1660s as part of the New Mosque complex, it is one of the city's oldest covered bazaars. It took its name from spices, herbs and similar products sold from Egypt. Its L-shaped plan contains 88 vaulted rooms. Of its six gates, the Haseki Gate section has two storeys. The upper floors once served as courts where disputes between merchants and their customers were resolved.

Airport transfer: Leave the hotel for a private transfer to the airport.

Optional hot-air balloon tour: Enjoy a visual feast as the balloons float above the fairy chimneys that have become symbols of Cappadocia. If you would like this distinctive experience and memorable moments, we are delighted to offer our guests the Cappadocia Balloon Tour. The flight lasts approximately 60 minutes. Discover the serenity of the morning with a magnificent sunrise flight from take-off areas surrounded by fairy chimneys, in a balloon designed to stand out against this landscape.

Göreme Open-Air Museum: See Cappadocia's rock-cut churches and monasteries, with frescoes from the tenth to thirteenth centuries and some of the region's finest wall paintings.

Uçhisar cave houses and dovecotes: Enter a cave house now used as a café, drink apple tea and see its interior.

Pigeon Valley: Thousands of dovecotes were carved into the valley's cliffs by Cappadocian farmers to collect guano for fertilising their farms.

Kaymaklı Underground City: An underground refuge carved by Cappadocia's Christians in the seventh and eighth centuries AD. Descend up to 25 metres. This complete underground city contains stables, living rooms, a church, food stores, wine cellars, stone doors, a ventilation shaft, kitchens and underground tunnels.

Paşabağı fairy-chimney valley: Also known as Monks Valley. See natural mushroom-shaped rock formations and monks' cells inside the formations.

Avanos: Cappadocia's historic pottery town. The town's pottery tradition dates to the Hittites. The Red River supplied abundant red clay to its inhabitants, and pottery is still practised here.

Devrent Valley: Also called Pink Valley or Imagination Valley, with famous pink rock formations. Use your imagination to recognise different figures in the rocks; the most notable is the seated stone camel.

Ürgüp fairy chimneys: A symbol of Cappadocia, with caps on their tops. The mushroom-shaped formations resemble a family and are known as the Three Beauties.

Red Valley: One of the best places to see the sunset in Cappadocia. At the end of the day, the valley turns pink and even red.

The tour, also known as the Cappadocia Blue Tour, has several stops to visit and explore. Professional, experienced guides familiar with the region accompany the excursions. Travel in groups of 16 in comfortable, luxury vehicles, with hotel pickup and drop-off. The tour starts at approximately 09:30 and finishes at approximately 17:30.

Mustafapaşa: The first stop is the village formerly known as Sinasos, City of the Sun, which was home to Orthodox Greeks for centuries. Learn about ancient Greek culture, historic buildings and the village's natural beauty.

Keşlik Monastery: The second stop is described as a pearl of Cappadocia. Learn about the monastery's many frescoes.

Şahinefendi: Also known as Sobesos. Archaeologists excavate the area's history and earlier civilisations. See a Roman bath structure, basilica and mosaic stones at the excavation site.

Soğanlı Valley: Visit churches from the Roman period and see the famous Soğanlı rag dolls that feature in local everyday life.

Kaymaklı Underground City: The final stop. The city dates to the Hittite period; its tuff rock spaces were enlarged during Roman and Byzantine times to create their present form. There are eight floors, four of which are open to the public. Learn what life was like eight floors underground.

At the end of a varied and enjoyable day, take away memories of remarkable natural landscapes, distinctive places and unusual experiences.

Optional tour — Turkish Night in a typical cave: Enjoy a wonderful evening at the Cappadocia Turkish Night. We invite you to an entertaining programme of stage performances with unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, adding a distinctive experience to your holiday.

An evening of entertainment awaits in the magical atmosphere of historic rock-cut venues, where the traditions and cultures of ancient Anatolia are introduced. Spend an enjoyable time with your loved ones.

Would you like to add a Turkish Night to your Cappadocia holiday? Discover this evening entertainment opportunity while exploring the region.

Optional tours available before airport pickup

Hiking: The Cappadocia Red Valley Walking Tour is an opportunity to explore one of the region's best-known valleys in depth, surrounded by distinctive landscapes. The professional guides accompanying you share their knowledge at every step.

After pickup from your hotel in a comfortable, fully equipped vehicle, depart for the first stop on the Cappadocia Red Valley walking programme.

This beautiful valley is a popular part of Cappadocia. Its unusual, striking fairy chimneys provide opportunities for memorable landscape photographs.

This natural wonder also offers much to learn and see. Its reddish formations give the valley its name; walking among them feels like entering a red rose made of rock.

The scenery becomes especially beautiful at sunset, when the colours seem to pass from the horizon to the rocks and back again.

Cappadocia horse-riding tour: Experience nature among Cappadocia's distinctive landscape, valleys and fairy chimneys. How about an expedition worthy of the place known in antiquity as the Land of Beautiful Horses? We invite you to spend time in nature on an adventurous, enjoyable ride. An unusual day away from city crowds awaits you and your loved ones.

Jeep safari: Adventure and excitement await on a Cappadocia jeep safari. Discover roads that may be muddy or water-covered in the distinctive landscape of fairy chimneys and valleys. Spend exciting moments in nature with your loved ones.

The safari lasts two hours and can be joined at different times. Sunrise and sunset are the most popular options.

Company vehicles provide hotel pickup and drop-off for the off-road excursions. Experienced drivers lead the safari, with opportunities to take distinctive photographs in the magnificent valleys.

Spa and massages in Cappadocia: How about resting body and mind after tiring, stressful days? The Cappadocia spa massage service offers an opportunity to relax, refresh and feel energised. Take time for yourself and discover the massage options during your stay.

Leave the hotel for a private airport transfer. Flight to Izmir, pickup at Izmir Airport and transfer to the hotel.

The House of the Virgin Mary was discovered by Lazarist priests in 1891. Following Pope Paul VI's visit in 1967, it was recognised as a Christian pilgrimage centre. Visitors wishing to make a vow leave written wishes on the church's Wishing Wall, regarded as sacred by Muslims too, and drink from the Holy Fountain. Continue to the ancient city of Ephesus, a former metropolis built entirely of marble.

With the guide, see ancient remains including the Temple of Hadrian, Temple of Domitian, Temple of Serapis, Church of the Virgin Mary, Upper Agora and basilica, Odeon, Town Hall, Turkish bath and public bath. See the Library of Celsus, both a funerary monument and a library, and the surviving ancient theatre.

Visit the old Greek village of Şirince, mentioned by the Greek writer Dido Sotiriou in her work about Anatolia. Walk among historic houses and streets with authentic architecture. Hear how fruit wines are made in the wineries and enjoy free tastings, with the opportunity to purchase wine. This completes the Ephesus, Virgin Mary and Şirince Tour.

Then go to the restaurant in Selçuk for lunch. Afterwards, see the Temple of Artemis panoramically, visit İsa Bey Mosque, one of the oldest and most striking works of Turkish architecture from the Anatolian principalities, and reach Şirince after a short journey of 10 kilometres.

Pamukkale brings nature and history together in a fascinating setting and appears on many people's lists of places to see in their lifetime. Enjoy the natural wonder of the travertines, the thermal waters that attract many visitors and the ancient city of Hierapolis, known as the Holy City.

Gate of Hell in the Holy City

The history of Pamukkale, called White Paradise, reaches back to antiquity. Alongside accounts connecting the beginning of life here with worship of the Mother Goddess, the King of Pergamon is described as founding Hierapolis in the second century BC after admiring the area.

Archaeological excavations in 2013 revealed the cave known as the Plutonion Sanctuary, the Gate of Hell. Its thermal waters and carbon dioxide gas could kill living creatures, giving it the names Gate of Hell and Gate to the Land of the Dead. The cave was regarded as the entrance to the underworld ruled by Pluto and his wife Persephone. Priests sacrificed animals killed by the gas to Pluto.

Hierapolis, with Pamukkale's natural travertines and remains of Hellenistic and Christian history, was included on UNESCO's cultural and natural heritage list in 1988.

Pamukkale, with settlement beginning in the Hellenistic period, was destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt by the Romans. The earthquake made the pools even more remarkable; the thermal waters attract people from around the world.

Pamukkale travertines: The white formations give the district its name and resemble a fairy-tale landscape. The area has 17 hot-water sites with temperatures ranging from 35 to 100 degrees. Water at 36 degrees reaches the travertines through a 320-metre channel, flows over the terraces and travels a further 240 to 300 metres. The programme describes calcium bicarbonate-rich water reacting with oxygen, releasing carbon dioxide as calcium carbonate settles. The initial gel-like deposit gradually hardens into a natural formation visible from kilometres away.

Some sections cannot be entered to protect the travertines. Shoes are prohibited in the areas that may be visited.

Ancient Hierapolis: Geographers describe the city built above the travertines as a Phrygian city. Although the region is associated with Mother Goddess worship, its name in the Hellenistic period is unknown. The surviving city was founded in the second century BC by Eumenes II, King of Pergamon, who admired the travertines and the region. Its name comes from Hiera, queen of the Amazons and wife of Telephus, founder of Pergamon.

After breakfast, leave the hotel for a private transfer to Izmir Airport to fly to Istanbul.