6-Day Gallipoli, Troy, Ephesus, Pamukkale & Cappadocia Tour

Day 1: Gallipoli Peninsula Tour, Overnight in Canakkale

You’ll be collected from your Istanbul hotel early in the morning for the drive to the Gallipoli Peninsula. It’s around four and a half hours on the road, with a short break along the way to stretch your legs. Lunch is waiting for you in Eceabat, and once you’ve eaten your fully guided tour of the battlefields begins.

Your guide walks you through the ground where the ANZAC campaign unfolded, starting at Brighton Beach and the Beach Cemetery, then on to ANZAC Cove, Ariburnu Cemetery and the ANZAC Commemorative Site. You’ll pause at the Respect to Mehmetcik Statue before climbing to the Lone Pine Australian Memorial. From there it’s the trenches and tunnels at Johnston’s Jolly, the Turkish 57th Infantry Regiment Cemetery, The Nek, and finally the Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial high on the ridge. Afterwards you’re driven the short distance to Canakkale to check in and rest.

• Overnight in Canakkale
• Included Meal(s): Lunch

Day 2: Troy Tour and Bus to Kusadasi

After breakfast you’ll check out and set off on the morning tour of Troy, the ancient city of the Trojan Horse, of Helen of Sparta and Paris the Trojan prince. Your guide brings the layers of this famous site to life before you head back to Canakkale.

From there you’ll board a public bus bound for the Selcuk/Kusadasi coast. It’s a long afternoon on the road with a couple of comfort stops en route. When you reach the bus station you’ll be met and driven the short way to your hotel in Kusadasi to check in.

• Overnight in Kusadasi
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast

Day 3: Full Day in Ephesus and Sirince Village

Your guide meets you after breakfast for a full day at Ephesus, one of the great cities of the ancient Greek world. You’ll walk the marble streets past the Temple of Hadrian, the Great Theatre and the Trajan Fountain, with plenty of time to take in the scale of the place.

After lunch you’ll visit the House of the Virgin Mary, believed to be where she spent her final years, and pass the Temple of Artemis — once one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, though little of it remains today. Next comes the Isa Bey Mosque, and then the old Greek village of Sirince, known for its wine and its small traditional shops. You’ll have around an hour here to wander at your own pace, sample the local food and wine, and poke about the little village stores before returning to your hotel in Kusadasi.

• Overnight in Kusadasi
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4: Pamukkale and Hierapolis Tour, Overnight Bus to Cappadocia

You’ll be picked up after breakfast and taken to the meeting point in Selcuk, where the full group comes together for the roughly three-hour drive to Pamukkale, with a short comfort stop halfway. Lunch comes first on arrival, and then your licensed guide leads you around the site. At Pamukkale you’ll see the Cotton Cliffs, the white terraces formed over centuries by calcium-rich water, and at the neighbouring ancient city of Hierapolis you’ll explore the basilica, the theatre and the Roman baths.

There’s free time at the end of the guided tour to look around on your own. If you fancy it, you can take a dip in the Pamukkale Antique Pool (at your own cost) — your guide will point out where and when to meet afterwards. Later you’ll be dropped at the bus station for the overnight bus to Cappadocia, which leaves in the evening. You’ll have some free time here beforehand, so you can grab dinner near the station if you’d like. The bus is non-smoking and air-conditioned, and the journey runs about ten hours with three breaks along the way.

• Overnight in Overnight bus to Cappadocia
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5: North Cappadocia Tour

You’ll be met at the Goreme bus station and taken to your cave hotel, where breakfast and a chance to freshen up are waiting before you meet your guide. The day starts at Devrent Valley, with its odd, weathered fairy chimneys, followed by Pasabag Valley — the Monks Valley — and its distinctive mushroom-shaped pinnacles.

From there you’ll drive on to the town of Avanos and stop for lunch. The afternoon takes you to the Zelve Open Air Museum, a cluster of carved caves and old churches that tells the story of the region’s monastic past, and finally to the natural rock castles of Uchisar before you’re returned to your hotel.

• Overnight in Cappadocia
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch

Day 6: South Cappadocia Tour and Flight Back to Istanbul

If you’d like to start the day in the air, you can add an early morning hot air balloon flight over the valleys for an extra cost. Otherwise, your guide meets you after breakfast to run through the day ahead. You’ll begin at the Red Valley, exploring its rock-cut churches and walking roughly five kilometres through the Rose Valley. Next is Cavusin Village, known for its old houses and the churches of Christian clergymen.

Lunch falls around midday, and afterwards you’ll drive to Pigeon Valley. The last stop is one of the underground cities — either Kaymakli or Ozkonak — where early Christians once sheltered and lived deep beneath the surface. From there you’ll be driven to Kayseri or Nevsehir airport for your evening flight back to Istanbul, which takes about an hour and twenty minutes.

• Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch

Inclusions

• Professional licensed guide
• Pickup from your Istanbul hotel and transfer to Istanbul Airport
• Domestic flight and bus tickets as per the itinerary
• 1 night in Canakkale (3-star) with breakfast
• 2 nights in Kusadasi (4-star) with breakfast
• 1 night in a Cappadocia cave hotel with breakfast
• Entrance fees on the program

Exclusions

• Dinners and drinks
• Hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia
• Pamukkale Antique Pool entry
• Airport transfer to your Istanbul hotel on arrival
• Personal expenses
• Tips and gratuities
• Travel insurance