5 Days Pamukkale, Ephesus and Cappadocia Tour starting from Istanbul Airport

Day 1: Istanbul to Izmir and Kusadasi

At Istanbul airport, make your way to the domestic part of the airport and check in for your flight to Izmir. A company representative will meet you when you land in Izmir and drive you on to Kusadasi, a car journey of approximately 1.5 hours. Check in to your hotel there, and the rest of the day is free.

Note: Please note there should be a minimum of 4 hours duration between the arrival of your international flight to Istanbul and the check-in of your domestic flight to Izmir.

• Overnight in Kusadasi
• Included Meal(s): No meals are included on this day
• Accommodation: Efe Boutique Hotel OR Neopol Hotel Deluxe OR Derici Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 2: Pamukkale and Hierapolis

After breakfast around 7:30 am, you will be picked up from your Kusadasi hotel and driven to the meeting point in Selcuk, where the full group comes together for the first time. The Pamukkale tour then sets off from Selcuk at 8:30 am, with around 3 hours on the road; after the first 1.5 hours there is a 10-minute stop for a restroom break. You arrive around 11:45 am, the group goes to lunch first, and after lunch, at around 1:00 pm a professional licensed tour guide begins your guided tour of the Pamukkale and Hierapolis area. In Pamukkale you will see the Cotton Cliffs, one of the natural wonders of the world, formed by deposits of calcareous salts. You will also visit the ancient ruins of the City of Hierapolis, with its basilica, theatre and Roman Baths. At the end of the guided tour, you will have some free time to explore the area on your own. As an option, you may choose to swim in the Pamukkale antique pools (at your own expense) during this free time. Your guide will tell you the exact meeting point and time. The tour ends around approximately 4:00 pm, and you will be transferred back to your hotel in Kusadasi at around 7:00 pm.

• Overnight in Kusadasi
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: Efe Boutique Hotel OR Neopol Hotel Deluxe OR Derici Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 3: Ephesus, then fly to Cappadocia

After breakfast at the hotel around 8:30 am your tour guide will meet you at the hotel and pick you up for a full day at Ephesus, starting with a briefing on the day’s activities. You will first visit the Temple of Artemis, once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient world, and then the world-famous ancient Greco-Roman City of Ephesus, the most well-preserved example in the world. A break for lunch follows this impressive site. Afterwards you will see the House of the Virgin Mary, believed to be where she spent her last days and a holy place for both Christians and Muslims, and then the Isa Bey Mosque. Next you will be taken to Sirince Village; an old Greek village known for its quaint beauty and for wine tasting and production. Here you have one hour free to explore on your own without a guide, trying the different foods and wines of the area and looking around various small traditional village shops. After the tour you will be transferred to Izmir airport for your flight to Kayseri or Nevsehir through Istanbul. A representative holding your name sign will be waiting at Kayseri or Nevsehir airport to pick you up and take you to your hotel.

• Overnight in Cappadocia
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: Heaven Cave House OR Dedeli Konak Cave Hotel OR Holiday Cave Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 4: Northern Cappadocia Highlights

For an optional extra, book an early morning hot air balloon ride and see the valleys from the air. Please note that this activity comes at an additional cost.

After breakfast around 9:30 am, you will be picked up from your hotel for the full-day tour of North Cappadocia. It opens at the Devrent Valley, where you will see the unique fairy chimneys, and continues to the Pasabag Valley (Monks Valley) and its mushroom-shaped pinnacles. From there you drive to the city of Avanos. After lunch you will visit the Zelve Open Air Museum in Cappadocia, a series of carved caves and ancient churches that give a glimpse into the region’s monastic history. Towards the end of the day tour, before returning to your hotel, you will be able to visit the natural castles of Uchisar. After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel around 4:00 pm.

• Overnight in Cappadocia
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: Heaven Cave House OR Dedeli Konak Cave Hotel OR Holiday Cave Hotel or similar (Standard quality)

Day 5: Southern Cappadocia and return to Istanbul

After breakfast at the hotel around 9:30 am your tour guide will meet you and pick you up for the full-day tour of South Cappadocia, beginning with a briefing on the day’s activities. You will start at the Red Valley, where you can explore the famous rock-cut churches and hike approximately 5 km through the Rose Valley (Gulludere Vadisi). Next comes Cavusin Village, famous for its houses and churches of Christian Clergymen. We will take a break for lunch around noon, and afterwards you drive to the Pigeon Valley (Guvercinlik Vadisi). In the afternoon you will visit the Kaymakli Underground City or Ozkonak Underground City, where early Christians lived, and this brings your full-day tour to an end. At the end of the tour around approximately 4:00 pm, you will be transferred to Kayseri or Nevsehir airport for your late evening return flight between 7:00 – 10:00 pm (flight duration is approximately 1 hour 30 minutes) to Istanbul. END OF OUR SERVICE and TOURS.

• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
• Accommodation: No accommodation is included on this day

Important notes:

• Please note that your return flight from Kayseri / Nevsehir to Istanbul will arrive at either the New Airport in Istanbul or at the Sabiha Gökçen Airport depending on the availability of flights on the ticket purchase date.
• Upon arrival at Istanbul airport, you will have to arrange your own pick-up service from Istanbul airport to your hotel in Istanbul. This transfer is not included as part of your package tour services with us. Our service ends upon your flight arrival at Istanbul Airport.
• If you have a preference to return to a specific airport in Istanbul i.e. Sabiha Gokcen or Istanbul New Airport, you must request your choice of the airport in Istanbul by email prior to your tour booking. Any changes requested once your booking is confirmed will incur an additional cost.

INCLUDED in the Tour Price:

• All transfers mentioned in the itinerary
• Domestic flight tickets from (Istanbul to Izmir and Izmir to Kayseri and Kayseri to Istanbul)
• 2 nights in Kusadasi at a 4-star hotel including breakfast
• 2 nights in Cappadocia at a cave hotel including breakfast
• English-speaking guide during the tours
• Meals as per itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch)
• Entrance fees mentioned by the itinerary
• Local taxes and service charges

NOT INCLUDED:

• Drop off transportation service from Istanbul New Airport OR Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Istanbul Hotel upon returning to Istanbul
• Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride.
• Optional tours mentioned in the program, they will be provided at an additional cost.
• Drinks with meals.
• Services not mentioned in the program.
• Travel insurance (recommended).

IMPORTANT INFO:

• The order of the itinerary is indicative and subject to change, but all visits described will take place.
• This is a regular group tour, but if requested at cost can be provided as a private tour.
• The regular group tour has shopping stops included in the tour.
• You can swim in the Antique pool in Pamukkale. However, please note that there is an extra charge that you will have to pay directly at your own expense before entry to the pools. This entrance fee to the pools is not covered as part of your tour. Please note that you must bring your own towel, swimsuit etc. if you need to use the pools.
• The normal arrival time in Istanbul is between 7:00 – 10:00 pm. If you are planning on reserving your plane back home that same day, we recommend you book a plane ticket from 1:00 am onwards, to avoid missing your flight.