Multi-day tour
Cappadocia in 4 days from Istanbul, with domestic flights
Four days and three nights in Cappadocia alone, with domestic flights from Istanbul: the northern and southern valleys, an underground city, the Ihlara valley and three sunrises to attempt the balloon, with a licensed English-speaking guide.
Key facts
- Duration 4 days / 3 nights
- Route Istanbul → Cappadocia 2 destinations
- Quotation Quotation within 24 business hours (72 business hours for groups and MICE)
- Recommended months April–June, September, October
- Type Private
Balloons over the fairy chimneys at dawn; the flight is optional and has three possible mornings.
Overview
A 4-day, 3-night programme devoted to Cappadocia alone, with the domestic flights to and from Istanbul in the base. On day 1 you fly to Kayseri or Nevşehir and, after the transfer, take a first reading of the landscape from Uçhisar Castle and Pigeon Valley. Day 2 covers the north: the Göreme Open Air Museum with its painted rock churches, Çavuşin, the chimneys of Paşabağ, Devrent Valley and a pottery in Avanos. Day 3 heads south: the underground city of Kaymaklı or Derinkuyu, the four-kilometre walk along the floor of the Ihlara Valley and the Selime Monastery. Day 4 is free until the transfer to the airport and the return flight.
With three nights, the balloon flight — optional and dependent on the wind — has three sunrises instead of one, which lowers the risk of staying on the ground. The programme runs privately, with a vehicle and a licensed English-speaking guide, tickets included and the Istanbul transfers between hotel and airport. Accommodation in Istanbul before and after the module is quoted separately.
With three nights, the balloon flight — optional and dependent on the wind — has three sunrises instead of one, which lowers the risk of staying on the ground. The programme runs privately, with a vehicle and a licensed English-speaking guide, tickets included and the Istanbul transfers between hotel and airport. Accommodation in Istanbul before and after the module is quoted separately.
Route: IstanbulCappadocia
- Physical level: Moderate
- Languages of the guided visits: Spanish, English
Highlights
- Cappadocia and Cappadocia alone: four days in the region, without sharing the time with another city.
- The Göreme Open Air Museum, Çavuşin, Paşabağ and Devrent in one day through the north, with a pottery in Avanos.
- The south on day 3: an underground city, the walk along the floor of the Ihlara Valley and the Selime Monastery.
- Three sunrises available for the balloon flight, optional and dependent on the wind, instead of just one.
- Domestic flights in the base, out to Kayseri or Nevşehir and back to Istanbul, with all transfers.
- A module that links up with any stay in Istanbul, operated privately on the date your client chooses.
What is included and what is not
Included
- 3 nights’ accommodation in Cappadocia (Göreme, Uçhisar, Ürgüp or a similar village, subject to availability).
- Daily breakfast at the hotel.
- Transfers in Istanbul between the hotel and the airport (IST or SAW) on day 1 and day 4.
- Airport – hotel – airport transfers in Cappadocia (Kayseri or Nevşehir).
- Domestic flights as per the itinerary in economy class (for example Istanbul – Kayseri and Nevşehir – Istanbul; the exact combination is detailed in the offer).
- Transport by air-conditioned tourist vehicle for all visits and legs stated in the programme.
- Services of a licensed English-speaking guide throughout the tour (other languages on request, subject to availability).
- Entrance tickets to the monuments and sites listed in the itinerary: Göreme Open Air Museum, Paşabağ, underground city, Ihlara Valley and Selime Monastery.
Not included
- International flights (home country – Istanbul – home country).
- Accommodation in Istanbul before and after the module (it can be quoted together with this programme).
- Lunches and dinners (unless stated as included in a specific offer).
- Optional activities in Cappadocia: balloon flight, quad/ATV rides, Turkish night, sema ceremony and the Dark Church at Göreme.
- Personal expenses (shopping, minibar, drinks not mentioned, laundry, room service, etc.).
- Tips for the guide, the driver, porters and restaurant and hotel staff.
- Visa fees and visa handling services, if required.
- Travel insurance (recommended).
- Any service not explicitly mentioned as included.
Day by day itinerary
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Day 1
Istanbul – Cappadocia: Uçhisar and Pigeon Valley
Pick-up at your Istanbul hotel and transfer to the airport (IST or SAW) for the flight to Kayseri (ASR) or Nevşehir (NAV), depending on the combination issued; the flight takes between an hour and an hour and twenty minutes. From Kayseri it is about 75 km to Göreme, a little over an hour by road with the Erciyes volcano behind you; from Nevşehir, about 40 km.
The guide meets the party at the terminal. With a morning flight, the afternoon is for getting your bearings: Uçhisar Castle, the tallest hollowed rock in the region, from whose base the valleys and fairy chimneys stretch as far as Erciyes; Pigeon Valley (Güvercinlik), with dovecotes cut into the cliff and the viewpoint over Göreme; and, while there is light, a stop at the Red Valley lookout to watch the tuff change colour at sunset.
Check-in at the hotel. The region has hotels carved into the rock and conventional hotels; the category and name are stated in the quotation. Evening free; the Turkish night with dinner and folk dances can be booked by those who wish.
With an afternoon flight, this day’s visits move to the morning of day 4 and the content stays the same.Optional activities
- Turkish night with dinner and folk show
Notes for the day: Kayseri and Nevşehir airports are assigned according to the flight schedules available on the date; transfers are included in both cases.
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Day 2
Northern Cappadocia: Göreme, Çavuşin, Paşabağ, Devrent and Avanos
For those who have booked the balloon flight, pick-up at the hotel before dawn and return at around eight, in time for breakfast. The guided day starts afterwards.
The Göreme Open Air Museum is the most complete Byzantine monastic complex in the region: churches and refectories cut into the rock between the tenth and twelfth centuries, with frescoes of the life of Christ in the Apple Church, the Sandal Church and St Barbara’s; the Dark Church, the best preserved because it was walled up, has a separate ticket and can be added. The route continues through Çavuşin, the abandoned village in the cliff face with the basilica of St John the Baptist, and Paşabağ, the Monks’ Valley, where the fairy chimneys have two and three caps and one of them keeps the hermitage of St Simeon.
After lunch at leisure, Devrent Valley, with no churches or villages, is a landscape of shapes: the camel, the seals and whatever figures each visitor sees in the rock. The last stop is Avanos, on the bank of the Kızılırmak, Turkey’s longest river, whose red clay has been thrown on the wheel since Hittite times; a working pottery is visited and any purchase is voluntary. On the way back, a stop at the Three Beauties viewpoint in Ürgüp. Return to the hotel at around five.Optional activities
- Balloon flight at dawn (weather permitting)
- Dark Church at the Göreme Open Air Museum (separate ticket)
Notes for the day: At the Göreme museum the churches are reached by narrow stairs and photographing the frescoes inside is not allowed.
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Day 3
Southern Cappadocia: underground city, Ihlara Valley and Selime
Breakfast and departure southwards, with a second chance at the balloon at dawn for anyone who could not fly the day before.
The first visit is an underground city, Kaymaklı or Derinkuyu depending on the day’s crowds: shelters dug into the tuff over centuries, with stables, cellars, kitchens, a church and round stone doors that were closed from inside; Derinkuyu goes down to about 55 metres. They are visited through narrow, low tunnels, stooping in places, and anyone who prefers not to enter waits with the guide outside.
Then the Ihlara Valley: a canyon about a hundred metres deep cut by the Melendiz river, with poplars, running water and painted hermitages in the walls. A staircase of some 360 steps leads down and the walk covers about four kilometres along the bottom, with a stop at the Ağaçaltı church, as far as Belisırma, where lunch is taken independently at the restaurants by the river.
In the afternoon, the Selime Monastery, the largest rock-cut complex in the region, with its cathedral of columns hewn from the rock and kitchens and cells on several levels. Return to Göreme, with a stop at Ortahisar or in Love Valley if there is light. Evening free; the sema ceremony in a Seljuk caravanserai can be attended by those who wish.Optional activities
- Balloon flight at dawn (second chance)
- Sema ceremony in a caravanserai
- Quad/ATV ride at sunset
Notes for the day: The underground cities are not advisable for anyone with claustrophobia or reduced mobility. At Ihlara a long staircase is climbed down and up; closed shoes.
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Day 4
Cappadocia – Istanbul
Breakfast at the hotel. The morning is free until the transfer, which is set by the confirmed flight: from Göreme allow an hour to Kayseri and about forty minutes to Nevşehir, plus check-in time for the domestic flight. Luggage can be left in the hotel’s storage until departure.
With an afternoon flight, the morning offers a third chance at the balloon, a walk in Love Valley or the Red Valley between Göreme and Çavuşin — flat, signposted paths of one to two hours — or time in Ürgüp, with its bazaar and stone houses. If day 1 arrived on an afternoon flight, this is when Uçhisar and Pigeon Valley are visited with the guide; otherwise the morning is free and the guide rejoins for the transfer.
Return flight to Istanbul, between an hour and an hour and twenty minutes, and transfer to the hotel named by your agency. End of the module. This programme links up with a stay in Istanbul or with Ephesus and Pamukkale, both quoted separately.Optional activities
- Balloon flight at dawn (third chance, with an afternoon return flight)
How the rate is calculated
Rate tailored to the season, the hotel category and the number of travellers. Request a quotation.
Departures
Tailor-made departures: any date
The programme is operated privately for your group: you choose the starting day and the itinerary is built around that date. There is no fixed departure calendar and no outside group to join.
Route map
Istanbul → Göreme → Avanos → Derinkuyu → Ihlara Valley
Operational notes
- The order of the visits may change according to opening hours, traffic and the day’s operation. The content of the programme stays the same.
- Domestic flights are issued in economy class; the baggage allowance depends on the airline and the fare and is shown on the ticket. Kayseri (ASR) and Nevşehir (NAV) airports are assigned according to the available schedules, and the programme of day 1 and day 4 follows the confirmed times.
- The balloon flight is optional and not part of the programme. It is confirmed each dawn on wind and visibility, and the operator may cancel it at the last moment. With three nights there are three possible sunrises; it is best booked for the first, keeping the others in reserve. Pick-up is before dawn and the return to the hotel at around eight.
- The underground cities are visited through narrow, low-ceilinged tunnels with sections where you have to stoop; they are not advisable for anyone with claustrophobia or reduced mobility. When busy, the visit is made in small groups in shifts.
- At the Ihlara Valley a staircase of some 360 steps is descended and about four kilometres are walked on an earth path beside the river; at Göreme and Paşabağ there are carved steps and short slopes. Moderate walking level; closed shoes throughout the programme.
- At the Göreme Open Air Museum photographing the frescoes inside the churches is not allowed, and the Dark Church has a separate ticket. Museums and sites keep summer and winter hours; the final itinerary is adjusted to the opening calendar of the travel dates.
- The programme includes explanatory stops at craft workshops in the region (pottery in Avanos, carpets or onyx), which are standard on this kind of tour. The visit is informative and any purchase is entirely voluntary.
- During the religious holidays (Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı, whose dates move with the lunar calendar) domestic flights and the region’s hotels fill up early and the sites receive more local visitors.
- Between December and March it may snow; snow does not stop the visits, but it can delay a leg and close the Ihlara road for a few hours. Warm clothing is advisable for early mornings at any time of year.
- The pick-up point on day 1 and the drop-off point on day 4 is the Istanbul hotel your agency names in the file. From Sabiha Gökçen (SAW), on the Asian shore, transfers are longer than from IST.
- A valid passport, the visa or electronic authorisation and compliance with entry requirements are the traveller’s responsibility and depend on nationality; they should be checked well in advance.
Best time to travel
Recommended months: April, May, June, September, October
Cappadocia is a plateau at over a thousand metres: spring and autumn bring clear days, mild temperatures and mornings with little wind, the condition the balloon needs. Summer is dry, hot at midday, with visits concentrated early and late in the day. Between December and March it snows often; the white landscape is one photographers seek out most, but the early mornings are very cold and the odd road may close for a few hours.
Gallery
Frequently asked questions
Why four days and not three?
With two nights, the northern and southern circuits are both done against the clock and the balloon has a single sunrise. With three nights each area has its own day, the Ihlara Valley is walked without hurry and there are three possible dawns to fly, which matters because flights are cancelled for wind.
Is the balloon flight included?
No. It is an optional activity booked together with the programme and operated by a licensed balloon company; it is confirmed each dawn according to wind and visibility and, if cancelled, the next sunrise is attempted. Its cost is stated in the quotation.
Do we fly to Kayseri or to Nevşehir?
It depends on the flights available on the date. Kayseri (ASR) is about 75 km from Göreme and has more frequencies; Nevşehir (NAV) is about 40 km away. Transfers are included from either.
How much walking is there and how demanding is it?
Moderate. At Göreme and Paşabağ the paths are earth with carved steps; at Ihlara some 360 steps are descended and four flat kilometres walked; the underground city is visited stooping in places. Every visit has an alternative for anyone who prefers to skip it, waiting with the guide.
Can it be done in winter?
Yes. From December to March snow is frequent, the snowy landscape is among the most photographed and the balloons fly if the wind allows; expect very cold mornings and the odd day of closed roads. The region sits at over a thousand metres.
Is the hotel in Istanbul included?
No. The programme starts with the pick-up at your Istanbul hotel on day 1 and ends with the transfer back to that hotel on day 4; the nights in the city are quoted separately or together with a stay.
Is it suitable for groups?
Yes. It runs privately for your party with its own vehicle and guide. For large groups the underground city is visited in shifts, because the tunnels are narrow, and the balloon is booked further ahead.
When is the best time?
April to June and September to October: clear days, mild temperatures and mornings with little wind, which is what the balloon needs. Summer is dry and hot and the visits are concentrated early and late in the day.
Booking conditions
- Deposit
- 30% of the total when the booking is confirmed. For bookings made 30 days or less before departure, the full amount at confirmation.
- Balance
- The remaining 70%, no later than 31 days before departure.
- Payment methods
- Bank transfer or credit card. Card payments carry a 3% surcharge; charges applied by the issuing bank are borne by the client.
- Cancellations
- More than 90 days before departure: handling fee only, plus penalties on services already issued · 89–61 days: 25% · 60–31 days: 50% · 30 days or less and no-show: 100%. Reductions in places follow the same scale. Refunds within 10–14 business days of written cancellation.
Credentials
- Legal name
- Colorido Tours Turkey Turizm Ticaret Ltd. Şti.
- TÜRSAB licence
- A-12116
- Office
- Istanbul
- Operating scope
- Turkey only. Egypt, Jordan and the Greek islands only as extensions of a Turkey itinerary.
- Guides
- Licensed guides in Spanish and English
- 24/7 emergency line during the trip
- +90 544 533 53 55
- Who handles your request
- Your request is handled by our reservations team, and the same person follows the file from quotation through to operation on the ground.
