Themed tour
Göbeklitepe and Mardin in three days, a private trip to the southeast
A private short break in south-eastern Anatolia: the sanctuary of Göbeklitepe, Şanlıurfa, the beehive houses of Harran and the limestone city of Mardin. Also available as a two-day version, without Mardin.
Private, tailor-made The vehicle and the guide are for your passengers only, and you choose the starting day.
Key facts
- Duration 3 days / 2 nights
- Route Şanlıurfa → Mardin 4 destinations
- Quotation Quotation within 24 business hours
- Recommended months March–May, October, November
- Departure type Private, tailor-made
T-shaped pillars inside the excavated enclosure at Göbeklitepe, among the site’s stone walls: the first visit of the programme.
Overview
A three-day private programme through south-eastern Anatolia, designed either as a short break on its own or as an extension to a wider circuit in Turkey. It covers the essentials of the earliest Mesopotamia in two short legs: Şanlıurfa, with Göbeklitepe and the Balıklıgöl precinct, and Mardin, above the Mesopotamian plain, with Harran as the stop between the two.
The programme runs by private vehicle with driver and a licensed Spanish- or English-speaking guide or, as an alternative specific to this programme, an accompanying archaeologist — which of the two is confirmed in the quotation — and starts and ends at an airport: arrival at Şanlıurfa (GNY) and departure from Mardin (MQM). Entrance fees for the sites and museums in the itinerary are included, as are accommodation with breakfast and the transfers.
The same programme exists as a two-day version, which closes at Harran and flies out of Şanlıurfa without reaching Mardin. Being a private programme, the start date is the agency’s to choose and the quote is made to order, in net rates.
The programme runs by private vehicle with driver and a licensed Spanish- or English-speaking guide or, as an alternative specific to this programme, an accompanying archaeologist — which of the two is confirmed in the quotation — and starts and ends at an airport: arrival at Şanlıurfa (GNY) and departure from Mardin (MQM). Entrance fees for the sites and museums in the itinerary are included, as are accommodation with breakfast and the transfers.
The same programme exists as a two-day version, which closes at Harran and flies out of Şanlıurfa without reaching Mardin. Being a private programme, the start date is the agency’s to choose and the quote is made to order, in net rates.
Route: ŞanlıurfaGöbeklitepeHarranMardin
- Physical level: Moderate
- Languages of the guided visits: Spanish, English
Highlights
- Göbeklitepe, a World Heritage Site, with the entrance included and a visit along covered walkways.
- The Balıklıgöl precinct and the covered bazaar of Şanlıurfa, on the same walk.
- Harran: conical mudbrick houses and the ruins of one of the oldest universities in the Islamic world.
- The old town of Mardin on foot, with the viewpoints over the Mesopotamian plain.
- Private vehicle with driver and, throughout the route, a licensed guide or an accompanying archaeologist, as confirmed in the quotation.
- Two versions: three days including Mardin, or two days closing at Harran.
What is included and what is not
Included
- Accommodation with breakfast: 1 night in Şanlıurfa and 1 night in Mardin (1 night in Şanlıurfa on the two-day version).
- Accompaniment throughout the route: a Spanish- or English-speaking guide holding a Ministry of Culture and Tourism licence or, as an alternative specific to this programme, an accompanying archaeologist. Which of the two accompanies your group is confirmed in the quotation.
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with driver for the visits and journeys in the programme.
- Entrance fees to the sites and museums listed in the itinerary: Göbeklitepe, the Balıklıgöl precinct and the Şanlıurfa bazaar, Harran and the old town of Mardin (the last one only on the three-day version).
- Airport – hotel – airport transfers.
Not included
- International air tickets and domestic flights.
- Lunches: not included on any programme. Dinners, unless stated as included in a specific offer.
- All drinks, with and outside meals.
- Personal expenses (shopping, minibar, laundry, room service).
- Tips for the guide, the driver and hotel and restaurant staff.
- Visa fees and visa handling services, if required.
- Travel and health insurance (recommended).
- Any service not expressly mentioned as included.
Day by day itinerary
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Day 1
Arrival in Şanlıurfa and Göbeklitepe
Welcome at Şanlıurfa airport (GNY) and transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon, once the midday heat has eased, we drive up to Göbeklitepe, about half an hour out of town. The site is visited along raised walkways under a large protective canopy, so the route is set out and the visit is comfortable: you see the stone circles with their T-shaped pillars, carved with foxes, boars, snakes and birds, and the guide explains why a sanctuary more than eleven thousand years old, older than pottery and farming, overturned what had been taken for granted about the order in which the temple and the village appeared. It is a World Heritage Site and the visit takes an hour and a half to two hours, including the site museum. Back in town, a walk through the covered bazaar of Şanlıurfa, with its passages of copperwork, cotton and spices, and around the Balıklıgöl precinct, with its pools of fish that tradition holds sacred, beside the cave where the same tradition places the birth of Abraham. This is a working place of pilgrimage: it is visited in modest dress and without photographing anyone at prayer.Notes for the day: The order of the two afternoon visits may be reversed depending on the arrival time of the flight.
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Day 2
Harran and on to Mardin
We drive south to the plain of Harran, some forty-five kilometres from Şanlıurfa. Harran is visited in the open with no shade, so it is done first thing: the conical mudbrick houses, built in that shape so the heat rises and escapes through the point, and the ruins of what was one of the oldest universities in the Islamic world, with the stump of its minaret and the remains of the walls. It is a border landscape, with Syria in view. The visit takes about an hour and a half. Here the programme divides: on the two-day version you continue to Şanlıurfa airport for the outbound flight, and on the three-day version we carry on east, about three hours by road, to Mardin. The city appears all at once, stepped up the hillside with the whole Mesopotamian plain in front of it. Arrival at the hotel and the rest of the afternoon free for a first walk, which is the best way to grasp the layout of the city before the guided visit the following day.Notes for the day: On the two-day version this day ends at Şanlıurfa airport and the programme does not reach Mardin.
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Day 3
Mardin and departure
The morning is given to the old town of Mardin, which is covered on foot: a single long street halfway up the slope and, hanging off it, stairways and covered passages between Ottoman houses of carved limestone, with lattices, arches and stepped terraces that make use of the gradient. The route takes in the viewpoints over the Mesopotamian plain, with Syria on the horizon, and the craftsmen’s bazaar, where copper and silver are still worked. Mardin is a city of several languages and several liturgies, and that reads off the façades before any explanation: the lintels, the inscriptions and the bell towers tell you who built each house. Allow about two hours of walking, with steps and a continuous gradient, and closed shoes; the guide sets the pace and looks for the shade, because the pale stone throws back a great deal of light. Afterwards there is free time for a coffee on one of the terraces that look out over the valley, which is where it becomes obvious why the city was built exactly there. At the agreed time, transfer to Mardin airport (MQM) for the outbound flight. End of our services. This day exists only on the three-day version of the programme.Notes for the day: Three-day version only.
Expected hotels
| City | Nights | Category | Hotel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Şanlıurfa | 1 | 4* | El Ruha Hotelor similar |
| Mardin | 1 | 4* | Mardin Büyük Mardin Otelior similar |
Hotels as listed or similar; the final confirmation is given in the quotation.
How the rate is calculated
Rate tailored to the season, the hotel category and the number of travellers. Request a quotation.
Departures
Private, tailor-made
The vehicle and the guide are for your passengers only, and you choose the starting day.
The exact dates of each departure are confirmed in the quotation, together with hotel and domestic-flight availability.
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.
- Göbeklitepe is visited along raised walkways under a protective canopy, which keeps the route to the marked areas. Harran is visited in the open with no shade.
- The old town of Mardin is covered on foot, with steps and sloping passages. The visit takes about two hours.
- Between June and September the heat in Şanlıurfa is intense. Open-air visits are concentrated at the beginning and the end of the day, and water, a hat and sun protection are advisable.
- Şanlıurfa is a city of pilgrimage: in Balıklıgöl and in the religious precincts, modest dress is advisable and photographing people should be kept to a minimum.
- To enter mosques, shoes must be removed and shoulders and knees covered; women must cover their hair. It is worth carrying your own scarf.
- Museums and sites may have a weekly closing day and different summer and winter hours. The final itinerary follows the opening calendar in force on the dates of travel.
- During the religious holidays (Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı, whose dates move because they follow the lunar calendar) museum and shop hours change, the monuments are busier and domestic flights and roads fill up.
- A valid passport, the visa or electronic authorisation and compliance with entry requirements are the traveller’s responsibility. They should be checked in advance, as they depend on nationality.
Best time to travel
Recommended months: March, April, May, October, November
South-eastern Anatolia has a shorter, sharper season than the west of the country. From March to May and from October to November the temperatures allow Göbeklitepe, Harran and Mardin to be visited in comfort, and the skies are usually clear. Between June and September the heat in Şanlıurfa and on the plain is intense and open-air visits are concentrated at the beginning and the end of the day. In midwinter the programme runs normally, with shorter days and the chance of rain and of raw days in Mardin, which stands at over a thousand metres.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the two-day and the three-day version?
The three-day version adds Mardin: you sleep there on the second night, visit the old town the next morning and fly out of Mardin airport. The two-day version ends at Harran and flies out of Şanlıurfa. The rest of the programme is identical.
Can it be added to another circuit in Turkey?
Yes, that is one of its usual uses: it links up with a domestic flight from Istanbul or from Cappadocia. Say so in the quote request and the whole thing is costed, connecting transfers included.
Are the domestic flights to Şanlıurfa or Mardin included?
No. The programme begins with the welcome at Şanlıurfa airport and ends at Mardin airport, and domestic flights are not included. We can quote them separately alongside the programme.
How much walking is there and what level does it require?
Moderate. Göbeklitepe is covered along level walkways; Harran is uneven ground with no shade; the old town of Mardin is the most demanding part, with steps and slopes for about two hours. If anyone travelling has reduced mobility, mention it when requesting the quote so the route can be adjusted.
When is the best time for this route?
March to May and October to November. Between June and September the heat in Şanlıurfa and on the plain is intense and open-air visits are concentrated at the beginning and the end of the day.
Is the guide an archaeologist?
The programme runs with a licensed Spanish- or English-speaking guide holding a Ministry of Culture and Tourism licence; on this itinerary an archaeologist may accompany the group. Say in the request whether your group needs that and we confirm who accompanies before the services are issued.
How is it requested?
With approximate dates, the number of passengers and the hotel category required, through the quote form. Agencies receive net rates.
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.
