Treasures of Turkey: nine days with a domestic flight to Cappadocia

Overview

Route: Istanbul›Cappadocia›Pamukkale›Ephesus›Çanakkale

• Physical level: Moderate
• Languages of the guided visits: Spanish, English

Highlights

• A scheduled departure every Wednesday with shared services: coach, licensed Spanish-speaking guide and visits in a group.
• Istanbul to Cappadocia domestic flight included: three full nights in the region instead of a nine-hour road day.
• Both classic Cappadocia routes, green and red, on consecutive days and with the tickets included.
• Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque with tickets included on the second day, while the group is still fresh.
• The Pamukkale travertines and the Hierapolis thermal city, with the night in Pamukkale itself and a thermal hotel.
• Ephesus in full, from Curetes Street to the Great Theatre, and the House of the Virgin Mary.
• The return across the Dardanelles, crossing from Asia to Europe on the Çanakkale 1915 bridge.

What is included and what is not

Day by day itinerary

1. Day 1

   Arrival in Istanbul

   Arrival at Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW), depending on your international flight. Our Spanish-speaking assistant waits at the exit of the arrivals hall and takes the group to the vehicle for the transfer to the hotel; the journey time depends on the airport and on the traffic, which is heavy on both approaches to the city in the late afternoon. On arrival you check in and receive the tour documentation, with the following morning departure time and the assistance telephone number. Rooms are available from the hotel check-in time; if the flight lands much earlier, luggage can be left at reception. The rest of the day is free and no visits are scheduled, so there is time to rest after the journey or take a first walk around the neighbourhood. The planned hotels are spread between Taksim, Laleli and Karaköy, all within a few minutes of the tram or the metro. Dinner is not included on this day; the hotel team will advise on where to eat nearby.

   Overnight in

   Istanbul

2. Day 2

   Classic Istanbul

   Breakfast at the hotel and departure with the guide to the historic peninsula. The day begins at Hagia Sophia, which for some nine hundred years had the largest dome in the Christian world; today it is a working mosque and foreign visitors follow a separate route through the upper galleries, with the ticket included. Free time for lunch follows, which is not part of the programme. In the afternoon the group walks the Roman Hippodrome, the elongated square enlarged by the emperor Septimius Severus, where the Egyptian obelisk and the serpent column still stand, and then the Blue Mosque, with its collection of İznik tiles and also with the ticket included. The day ends in the Grand Bazaar, with time to walk its covered streets; the stop is informative and there is no obligation to buy. Anyone who wishes may add a visit to Topkapı Palace: it is an optional activity, not part of the price, booked through our local team. The whole day is covered on foot or in short drives, on stone paving.

   Visits

   Hagia Sophia, Roman Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar

   Meals

   Breakfast

   Overnight in

   Istanbul

   Optional activities

   • Topkapı Palace
3. Day 3

   Bosphorus and bazaars, flight to Cappadocia

   Breakfast and departure for the Süleymaniye Mosque, the great work of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, whose terrace looks over the Golden Horn. We then walk down to the Egyptian Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar, the second largest and oldest covered market in Istanbul, where spices, dried fruit, sweets, saffron, tea and caviar are sold. Free time for lunch, which is not included, and then the Bosphorus cruise on a scheduled ferry: from the water you see the Ottoman palaces, the wooden yalıs on both shores, Ortaköy square and the bridges that join Europe and Asia. It is a scheduled boat shared with other passengers, and the route or the vessel may change if the sea is rough. In the afternoon, transfer to the airport and domestic flight to Cappadocia, about one hour and fifteen minutes; arrival may be at Kayseri or at Nevşehir airport, according to the airlines schedules. Meet and greet, transfer to the hotel in the region and dinner included.

   Visits

   Süleymaniye Mosque, Spice Bazaar, Bosphorus cruise

   Meals

   Breakfast, dinner

   Overnight in

   Cappadocia

   Notes for the day: Istanbul to Cappadocia flight, approx. 1 h 15. The day programme follows the confirmed flight time.

4. Day 4

   Cappadocia, green route

   Before dawn, anyone who wishes can take the balloon flight: it is an optional activity, not part of the programme, booked separately and dependent each morning on clearance for wind and visibility. After breakfast the so-called green route begins, through the south of the region. A first panoramic stop above the village of Göreme sets the volcanic landscape and the fairy chimneys in place. We continue to Kaymaklı Underground City, cut into the soft rock by the Christian communities, with low, narrow passages that can be skipped if they are uncomfortable; the ticket is included. Next comes the walk through the Ihlara Valley, beside the Melendiz stream and among rock-cut churches, also with the ticket included: it is the longest walk of the day, on a dirt path and with steps. We then visit the Selime Monastery, carved into the rock, and the Pigeon Valley, with its dovecotes cut into the cliffs. Return to the hotel and dinner. In the evening the Turkish night show in a cave venue can be booked, also optional.

   Visits

   Göreme panorama, Kaymaklı Underground City, Ihlara Valley, Selime Monastery, Pigeon Valley

   Meals

   Breakfast, dinner

   Overnight in

   Cappadocia

   Optional activities

   • Hot-air balloon flight at sunrise
   • Turkish night show in a cave venue
5. Day 5

   Cappadocia, red route

   A full day through the north of the region, the route known here as the red route. We start at Uçhisar Castle, the highest point in Cappadocia, a honeycombed crag from which almost the whole district is visible; the ticket is included. We continue to the Göreme Open-Air Museum, the group of churches and refectories cut into the rock with Byzantine frescoes, also with the ticket included; it is visited on foot, with steps and short slopes, and some chapels hold only a few people at a time, so the group goes in by turns. We go on through the Love Valley, with its conical formations, and reach Avanos, the town of red clay from the Kızılırmak river, where a potter gives a wheel demonstration. Before returning to the hotel we pass through the Imagination Valley, where erosion has left silhouettes that need no explaining. The day also includes a stop at carpet and semi-precious stone workshops, standard on this kind of tour: the visit is explanatory and any purchase is entirely voluntary. Dinner at the hotel.

   Visits

   Uçhisar Castle, Göreme Open-Air Museum, Love Valley, Avanos, Imagination Valley

   Meals

   Breakfast, dinner

   Overnight in

   Cappadocia

   Optional activities

   • Hot-air balloon flight at sunrise
6. Day 6

   Cappadocia to Pamukkale

   An early start to cross Anatolia from east to west down to the Aegean: some 650 kilometres and around eight hours with stops, the longest leg of the tour. It is covered by coach, with comfort stops en route and a stop for lunch, which is not included. The landscape shifts from the Central Anatolian steppe to the valleys of Denizli and is part of the journey. In the afternoon we reach Pamukkale, the Cotton Castle: the white travertine terraces formed by the thermal water running down the slope, walked barefoot along the marked areas, on a surface that is uneven, slippery and unshaded. In the same enclosure stands Hierapolis, the Roman spa city, with its necropolis and its theatre; the ticket for the site is included. Anyone who wishes to bathe in the ancient pool does so independently and with a separate ticket, which is not part of the programme. Dinner at the hotel in Pamukkale, all of them thermal establishments.

   Visits

   Pamukkale and the Cotton Castle, Hierapolis (necropolis and theatre)

   Meals

   Breakfast, dinner

   Overnight in

   Pamukkale

   Optional activities

   • Bathing in the ancient pool at Hierapolis

   Notes for the day: Road: about 650 km, approx. 8 h with stops. Early departure.

7. Day 7

   Ephesus and the Aegean coast

   Breakfast and departure for Ephesus, some 190 kilometres and around three hours by road. We enter through the upper gate of the site and walk down Curetes Street and Marble Street, past the Odeon, the Temple of Hadrian and the marble facades of the houses, to the Library of Celsus, and from there to the Great Theatre. The route is downhill, on uneven original paving with no shade: closed shoes and water. We then drive up to the House of the Virgin Mary, on the mountainside above the site, a quiet place of worship and a short visit where silence is requested. The tickets for Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary are included. Before moving on there is a stop at a regional leather outlet, an explanatory stop with no obligation to buy. In the afternoon, transfer to the coast: the night is in İzmir or in Kuşadası, depending on how the departure is arranged. Lunch and dinner are not included on this day.

   Visits

   Ephesus (Curetes Street, Temple of Hadrian, Library of Celsus, Great Theatre), House of the Virgin Mary

   Meals

   Breakfast

   Overnight in

   İzmir or Kuşadası

   Notes for the day: Road: about 190 km, approx. 3 h.

8. Day 8

   Çanakkale and back to Istanbul

   The last long leg of the tour: some 620 kilometres and around eight hours with stops, following the Aegean coast northwards. The day has a moment of its own, the arrival at the Dardanelles and the crossing from Asia to Europe on the Çanakkale 1915 suspension bridge, whose central span is the longest in the world; from the deck the whole strait is visible, and the stop before it allows a stretch of the legs. We continue through Thrace to Istanbul, with comfort stops en route and lunch at leisure, not included. The arrival time depends on the traffic coming into the city, which is at its heaviest in the late afternoon. Transfer to the hotel and overnight; the rest of the evening is free and no visits are scheduled. Dinner is not included on this day. It is worth presenting this day to passengers for what it is — a road day with a single visit — and for what it buys: the night is already in Istanbul and the last day does not force an early domestic flight.

   Visits

   The Dardanelles, Çanakkale 1915 bridge

   Meals

   Breakfast

   Overnight in

   Istanbul

   Notes for the day: Road: about 620 km, approx. 8 h with stops.

9. Day 9

   Departure

   Breakfast at the hotel. If the return flight leaves very early, the hotel prepares a breakfast box instead of the service in the dining room. Transfer to the airport at the time stated in the documentation, calculated on the departure time of the international flight and on the expected traffic at that hour; in Istanbul a generous margin is advisable, because both airports are a long way from the centre. Our services end with the airport transfer. If the international flight leaves at night, the room is released at the hotel check-out time and luggage can be left at reception, with the transfer scheduled for the afternoon. To extend the stay, extra nights can be added in Istanbul before or after the tour, in the same planned hotels and with the transfers adjusted to the new dates, or the tour can be combined with a full-day excursion to the Asian side or to old and modern Europe. All of this is set out in the quotation.

   Meals

   Breakfast

Expected hotels

Hotels as listed or similar; the final confirmation is given in the quotation.

Operational notes

• This is a scheduled tour operated with shared services: the coach, the licensed guide and the visits are shared with other passengers who have booked the same programme, whether through your agency or another. What is not shared is the room, or the arrival and departure transfers in Istanbul, which are handled with an assistant. Coach seats are not numbered and daily rotation is recommended.
• Timings are the group timings. Each morning departure time is set by the day operation and announced the evening before; on a scheduled tour one passenger delay affects the whole coach, so keeping to the timetable is part of the tour conditions.
• On scheduled programmes the order of the visits may be adjusted according to local operating conditions, while keeping the content and the level of the services booked. In Istanbul, some legs may be covered on foot or by public transport depending on the traffic.
• In high season some legs may be shared with other Spanish-speaking groups. The guide remains a licensed, Spanish-speaking guide on every scheduled visit.
• The Istanbul to Cappadocia domestic flight is issued in economy class and the checked and cabin baggage allowance depends on the airline and the fare issued; the exact allowance is shown on the ticket. Arrival may be at Kayseri (ASR) or Nevşehir (NAV) airport according to the available schedules, and the day programme follows the confirmed times.
• The Bosphorus cruise operates on a shared scheduled boat. The route or the vessel may change because of weather and, exceptionally, the service can be suspended in rough seas.
• Hagia Sophia is a working mosque. Foreign visitors follow a separate tourist route through the upper galleries, while the ground floor is reserved for prayer. That route closes during the five daily prayers and, at Friday midday, for a longer period. The visiting arrangement and opening hours depend on current regulations and may change without notice; if access is restricted on the date of the visit, the monument is explained from outside.
• Mosques require shoes to be removed and shoulders and knees covered; women are required to cover their hair. Bringing your own scarf is advisable, although the busiest mosques usually lend one at the entrance.
• Working mosques close to visitors during the five daily prayers and, in particular, around the Friday midday prayer. When a visit coincides, the commentary is given outside or the day is reordered.
• Museums and archaeological sites may have a weekly closing day and different summer and winter opening hours. The final itinerary is adjusted to the opening calendar in force on the travel dates.
• During the religious holidays (Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı, whose dates move with the lunar calendar) museum and shop hours change, monuments are busier, and domestic flights and roads fill up.
• The Cappadocia balloon flight is an optional activity and is not part of the programme. Flights are confirmed before dawn and are cancelled by the operator for wind or visibility, so booking it for the first available sunrise is advisable. If it is cancelled for safety reasons, the amount is refunded in full.
• The Turkish night show in a cave venue is an optional activity and is not part of the programme. It is booked with the reservation or locally through our own team, and its cost is stated in the quotation.
• The Pamukkale travertines are walked barefoot along the marked areas. The surface is uneven and slippery, and there is no shade along the route.
• Ephesus is walked on original marble paving, uneven and unshaded; the Cappadocia valleys on dirt paths. Moderate walking level and closed shoes throughout the tour.
• Between June and September the midday heat is intense at open-air sites. Visits are concentrated early and late in the day, and water, a hat and sun protection are advisable.
• The programme includes explanatory stops at craft workshops (carpets, leather or ceramics), which are standard on this kind of tour. The visit is informative and any purchase is entirely voluntary.
• The hotels listed on this page are the ones planned. If they are not available on the travel dates, they are replaced by another establishment of similar or higher category in the same town, with prior notice to the agency.
• Triple rooms generally consist of two standard beds plus an extra bed, and are subject to availability. Most hotels in Turkey do not accept four people in a standard room.
• A valid passport, the visa or electronic authorisation and compliance with entry requirements are the traveller responsibility. They depend on nationality and should be checked well in advance.
• The tour has two long road days: Cappadocia to Pamukkale, some 650 kilometres, and the Aegean coast to Çanakkale and Istanbul, some 620. Both start early, include comfort stops en route and end with arrival at the hotel in the late afternoon.

Best time to travel

Recommended months: April, May, June, September, October

Gallery

Frequently asked questions

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.

Read the full booking conditions

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.

How to verify us

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