Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Turkey: Istanbul, the Aegean, the Lycian Coast and Cappadocia
14 days from Istanbul: Gallipoli and Troy, two nights beside Ephesus, Pamukkale at sunset, a Kekova boat day from Kaş, Antalya's old town and three nights in a Cappadocia cave hotel.
14 days · Round trip from Istanbul · up to 12 guests
Kaş on the Lycian coast, base for the Kekova boat day. Photo: Tutku Çetinel, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ka%C5%9F,_Andifli,_07580_Ka%C5%9F-Antalya,_Turkey_-_panoramio.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 14 days, 13 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Istanbul
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
You are happy on your feet for 3 to 4 hours at a time on cobbles, stairs and uneven ancient paving, with two valley walks in Cappadocia of about 4 km and 2 hours, a barefoot walk on the Pamukkale terraces and three road days of four and a half to five and a half hours (days 4, 5 and 8). Any walk can be shortened or sat out.
- Meals included
- 13 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,020 (estimated price)
- Season
- Spring and autumn
Highlights
Why this trip
- Topkapı Palace at opening with the Harem, and the Hagia Sophia gallery, both included
- Anzac Cove and Chunuk Bair at Gallipoli, then the ferry across the Dardanelles to Çanakkale
- Troy at opening, then a seafood and olive-oil lunch in Ayvalık
- Ephesus from the upper gate at 8 am, with the Terrace Houses included
- Pamukkale's white terraces at sunset, after the day-trip coaches have left
- A boat day from Kaş over the sunken ruins of Kekova, with lunch cooked on board
- Three nights in a Cappadocia cave hotel, with a sunrise balloon option and two valley walks
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 1,020 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Istanbul
Istanbul airport to your hotel in Sultanahmet
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Istanbul
- Drive about 1 h
We meet you at Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW), whatever time you land, and drive you to your hotel in Sultanahmet, the old city on the peninsula between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara.
Evening
The ride from IST takes about an hour in normal traffic, so land by mid-afternoon if you want to rest before the evening. The group meets at about 6 pm with your See Sight Tours guide, who stays with you for all fourteen days. We walk the few minutes to the Hippodrome, where the chariot track of Byzantine Constantinople ran, as the lamps come on and the domes of Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque light up across the park. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner nearby, go through the route from the Dardanelles to Cappadocia, and note any dietary needs for the lunches ahead.
Included
- Pick-up at Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW)
- Evening walk to the Hippodrome with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the group meets at about 6 pm
Sultanahmet: palace, cistern, church and mosque
On foot in old Istanbul
- Breakfast
- Stay in Istanbul
We start at the gates of Topkapı Palace when they open, before the tour groups fill the courtyards. For nearly four centuries the Ottoman sultans ruled from here, and your ticket includes the Harem as well as the treasury and the terraces above the Bosphorus. Next is the Basilica Cistern, a 6th-century underground reservoir held up by 336 columns, two of them resting on carved Medusa heads.
Afternoon
Lunch is your choice in Sultanahmet; your guide points out a few honest places. In the early afternoon we go into Hagia Sophia, finished in 537 for the emperor Justinian, through the upper-gallery entrance and ticket that foreign visitors now use. The Blue Mosque, built between 1609 and 1616 and lined with Iznik tiles, comes last, timed between prayers. By mid-afternoon you are free: rest at the hotel, try a Turkish bath, or walk down to the Marmara shore.
Included
- Topkapı Palace entry at opening, with the Harem
- Basilica Cistern entry
- Hagia Sophia upper-gallery entry for foreign visitors
- Blue Mosque visit between prayer times
Optional experiences
- A Turkish bath (hamam) in Sultanahmet (extra, price shown at booking)
Free time: Lunch on your own; mid-afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 4 hours on foot with cobbles and stairs. Topkapı is closed on Tuesdays, so this day never falls on one. Dress for mosques: shoulders and knees covered, a scarf for women.
Bazaars, Süleymaniye and the Bosphorus
Grand Bazaar to Süleymaniye and Eminönü on foot, then a Bosphorus boat
- Breakfast
- Stay in Istanbul
- By boat
Your guide walks you into the Grand Bazaar soon after it opens, while the shopkeepers are still setting out lamps and carpets. With about sixty covered streets it is easy to get lost, so we show you how it is laid out and then leave you time to browse; we have no shops we take you to and earn no commissions. Up the hill, the Süleymaniye Mosque, built by the architect Sinan for Süleyman the Magnificent in the 1550s, has a garden terrace looking over the Golden Horn.
Afternoon
We walk down through the old market lanes to the Spice Bazaar beside the New Mosque, and lunch is yours around Eminönü. In the mid-afternoon a boat for our group leaves the Eminönü waterfront for two hours up the Bosphorus, past Dolmabahçe Palace, Ortaköy and the Rumeli Hisarı fortress, under the bridges between Europe and Asia.
Evening
The evening is free; your guide suggests places in Karaköy or Kadıköy.
Included
- Guided walk through the Grand Bazaar
- Süleymaniye Mosque and its terrace
- The Spice Bazaar
- Two-hour Bosphorus cruise on a boat for our group
Optional experiences
- A whirling dervish ceremony in the evening (extra, price shown at booking)
Free time: Time to browse the bazaars; lunch and evening on your own
Activity: The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays, so this day never falls on one.
Gallipoli and across the Dardanelles
Istanbul to the Gallipoli peninsula, then the ferry from Eceabat to Çanakkale
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Çanakkale
- Drive about 4.5 h
Evening
This is one of three longer road days, and the only way to see Gallipoli properly without an extra night. We leave Istanbul at 8 am and drive about four hours west on the motorway through Thrace, with a coffee stop halfway, to the Gallipoli peninsula. Lunch is a sit-down meal in Eceabat before the battlefields. In the 1915 campaign Allied forces, many of them Australian and New Zealand troops, landed here and fought the Ottoman army for eight months. With your guide we visit Anzac Cove and the Ari Burnu cemetery, the Lone Pine memorial, the Turkish 57th Regiment memorial and Chunuk Bair, where the New Zealand memorial and a statue of Mustafa Kemal, later Atatürk, look over both shores. In the late afternoon the car ferry carries us across the Dardanelles to Çanakkale in about 25 minutes. The evening is free on the waterfront, where the wooden horse from the 2004 film Troy stands by the promenade.
Included
- Drive from Istanbul with a coffee stop
- Sit-down lunch in Eceabat
- Gallipoli battlefields with your guide: Anzac Cove, Ari Burnu, Lone Pine, the 57th Regiment memorial and Chunuk Bair
- Car ferry from Eceabat to Çanakkale
Easier option: Stay with the vehicle at the hillside memorials; the cemeteries are short level walks from the road.
Free time: Evening free on the Çanakkale waterfront
Activity: About four and a half hours on the road, split by a coffee stop, lunch and three hours on the peninsula.
Troy at opening, then down the Aegean
Çanakkale to Troy, then Ayvalık and Selçuk
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Selçuk
- Drive about 5.5 h
This is the longest road day of the trip, so it starts gently. Troy is half an hour south of Çanakkale, and we are there when it opens. Listed by UNESCO in 1998, the mound holds at least nine cities built one on top of another over some four thousand years, and your guide shows you how to read them: the sloping walls of Troy VI, the stone ramp of Troy II and the trench Heinrich Schliemann cut through the hill in the 1870s. The Troy Museum by the entrance, opened in 2018, is included and worth an hour.
Afternoon
Then we drive about two and a half hours south around the Gulf of Edremit, with Mount Ida inland and the island of Lesbos across the water, to Ayvalık for a sit-down lunch of olive-oil dishes and fish. The last stretch, about two and a half hours on the motorway past Izmir with a coffee stop, reaches Selçuk, home for two nights, at about 5.30 pm.
Evening
There is no rail or air shortcut on this coast, and a night halfway would cost a night in Selçuk or Cappadocia.
Included
- Troy archaeological site at opening, with your guide
- Troy Museum entry
- Sit-down lunch in Ayvalık
Free time: Evening free in Selçuk
Activity: About 2 hours on foot at Troy on uneven paths with some steps. About five and a half hours on the road in three parts: half an hour to Troy, about two and a half hours to lunch in Ayvalık, and about two and a half hours to Selçuk.
Ephesus at opening and Şirince
Ephesus, Selçuk and Şirince
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Selçuk
- Drive about 45 min
Morning
We are at the upper gate of Ephesus when it opens, about 8 am, before the cruise-ship coaches arrive from Kuşadası in mid-morning. Listed by UNESCO in 2015, the city runs downhill from here, so the walk is easy on the legs: along Curetes Street past the Odeon and the Temple of Hadrian to the Library of Celsus, whose two-storey facade from the early 2nd century AD catches the morning sun. The Terrace Houses, Roman homes with mosaics and painted walls under a protective roof, are included, and so is the Great Theatre, which held about 25,000 people.
Afternoon
After a sit-down lunch at a family-run restaurant in Selçuk, the Ephesus Museum shows the statues of Artemis found in the city. The afternoon is free to rest through the heat.
Evening
Late in the day we drive about 8 km into the hills to Şirince, a village of stone houses known for its fruit wines, for a walk and a tasting before dinner on your own.
Included
- Ephesus entry at opening, with your guide
- Terrace Houses entry
- Sit-down lunch in Selçuk
- Ephesus Museum entry
- Late-afternoon walk and wine tasting in Şirince
Easier option: The route through Ephesus is downhill; skip the Terrace Houses stairs and wait in the shade by the Library of Celsus.
Free time: Afternoon free; dinner on your own
Activity: About 3 hours on foot over uneven marble paving; bring a hat, there is little shade.
St John's basilica, then Pamukkale at sunset
Selçuk to Pamukkale up the Meander valley
- Breakfast
- Stay in Pamukkale
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
After breakfast we walk up Ayasuluk Hill in Selçuk to the Basilica of St John, built by Justinian over the saint's traditional tomb, below the walls of the Byzantine fortress. On the way out of town we stop at the site of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, where a single rebuilt column stands in the marsh. Then it is about two and a quarter hours east up the Meander valley to Pamukkale.
Afternoon
After check-in and a rest through the heat of the day, we go up to Hierapolis in the late afternoon, when the day-trip coaches have left. Your guide takes you through the Roman spa city, listed with the travertines by UNESCO in 1988: the theatre, the long necropolis and the colonnaded street. We end on the white terraces, barefoot in the warm shallow pools, as the sun goes down over the plain.
Evening
Dinner is on your own.
Included
- Basilica of St John entry
- Temple of Artemis site
- Hierapolis and the Pamukkale travertines in the late afternoon, with your guide
Optional experiences
- A swim in the Antique Pool among fallen Roman columns (extra, paid at the pool)
Easier option: Watch the sunset from the top of the terraces without walking down.
More active option: Walk barefoot down the travertine path to the village at dusk, about 1 km.
Free time: Early afternoon free; dinner on your own
Activity: Shoes come off on the travertines; the calcite is ridged and can be slippery.
Xanthos and the Lycian coast
Pamukkale via Acıpayam and Gölhisar to Xanthos, then Kalkan and Kaş
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Kaş
- Drive about 4.5 h
Afternoon
The last of the three long road days, about four and a half hours in all, takes us from the inland plateau down to the Mediterranean, and it is broken in the middle by Xanthos and lunch. We leave Pamukkale at 8 am and drive south through Acıpayam and Gölhisar, over pine forest and farmland, joining the coast road near Fethiye without going into the town. In the Xanthos valley we stop at Xanthos, the old capital of Lycia, listed by UNESCO with nearby Letoon in 1988: a Roman theatre, pillar tombs raised on tall stone shafts and an acropolis above the river. Lunch is a sit-down meal nearby. The last 45 minutes follow the coast road past Kalkan and the cove of Kaputaş, where the road is cut into the cliff above clear blue water. We reach Kaş, a small harbour town of white houses and bougainvillea, by late afternoon and stay two nights.
Evening
Your guide walks you to the Hellenistic theatre at the edge of town for sunset over the Greek island of Kastellorizo, Meis in Turkish, just offshore.
Included
- Xanthos with your guide
- Sit-down lunch near Xanthos
- Photo stop above Kaputaş
- Sunset walk to the theatre in Kaş
Free time: Evening free in Kaş
Activity: About four and a half hours and 290 km on the road, split by Xanthos and lunch.
A boat day to Kekova
Kaş harbour to Kekova and Kaleköy (Simena) by boat, and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Kaş
- By boat
No driving today.
Morning
A boat for our group leaves Kaş harbour in the morning and heads east along the coast towards Kekova, a protected area of islands and quiet bays. Along the north shore of Kekova Island, the foundations, stairways and walls of an ancient town lie half in the water, toppled by earthquakes in antiquity; swimming over the ruins is not allowed, so the boat drifts past slowly while your guide explains what you are seeing. At Kaleköy, the old Simena, you can climb to a small castle above Lycian sarcophagi, one of them standing in the shallows, for the view across the bay.
Afternoon
Lunch is cooked on board. The boat stops in two or three bays for swimming in water clear to the bottom, then cruises back along the coast to reach Kaş in the late afternoon.
Evening
The evening is free: the harbour has fish restaurants and the old lanes have small shops and bars.
Included
- Full-day boat for our group to Kekova
- The sunken ruins along Kekova Island, seen from the deck
- Simena castle at Kaleköy
- Lunch cooked on board
- Swim stops in two or three bays
Easier option: Stay on deck in the shade at Kaleköy instead of the climb to the castle.
More active option: Swim at every stop and snorkel the rocky shores, away from the protected ruins.
Free time: Evening free in Kaş
Activity: The climb at Kaleköy is about 15 minutes on uneven steps. If the sea is too rough to sail, we spend the day on foot around Kaş instead: the Lycian rock tombs, the theatre and the old harbour.
Myra and the coast road to Antalya
Kaş to Demre (Myra), then the coast road to Antalya
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Antalya
- Drive about 3 h
Morning
We follow the coast east this morning. The first stop, about 45 minutes from Kaş, is Demre, the ancient Myra, where Lycian tombs are cut into the cliff face like house fronts above a Roman theatre. In town, the Church of St Nicholas stands where Nicholas, the 4th-century bishop of Myra behind the Santa Claus story, served and was buried.
Afternoon
After a sit-down lunch in Demre we continue about two hours along the coast road, past Finike and through the pine-covered mountains above Kemer, to Antalya. We stay in or beside Kaleiçi, the walled old town. In the late afternoon your guide walks you through its lanes of restored Ottoman houses, through Hadrian's Gate, built for the emperor's visit in AD 130, past the fluted Yivli Minaret and down to the old harbour below the cliffs.
Evening
The evening is free by the sea.
Included
- Myra rock tombs and theatre
- Church of St Nicholas, Demre
- Sit-down lunch in Demre
- Guided walk in Kaleiçi: Hadrian's Gate, the Yivli Minaret and the old harbour
Free time: Evening free in Kaleiçi
Antalya Museum, then fly to Cappadocia
Antalya to Kayseri or Nevşehir by air, then Göreme
- Breakfast
- Stay in Göreme
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
The morning starts at the Antalya Museum, where the halls of marble gods and emperors excavated at nearby Perge, and the Weary Herakles, whose two halves were reunited here in 2011, are the ones not to miss. Then we drive about half an hour to Antalya Airport for a flight of a little over an hour to Kayseri or Nevşehir, which replaces a drive of about 500 km and six and a half hours across the Taurus Mountains via Konya. We book a direct flight where one runs on your date; if none does, we connect in Istanbul, which makes this a longer travel day, and we tell you before you book. From the airport it is about an hour to Göreme or Uçhisar and your cave hotel, home for three nights, with rooms cut into the soft volcanic tuff.
Afternoon
We arrive in the afternoon with time to settle in.
Evening
At sunset we drive up to a viewpoint above Göreme for a first look over the fairy chimneys towards the volcanic cone of Mount Erciyes. Dinner is on your own.
Included
- Antalya Museum entry
- Flight from Antalya to Kayseri or Nevşehir
- Transfer to your cave hotel
- Sunset viewpoint above Göreme
Free time: Dinner on your own in Göreme
Balloons, Derinkuyu and Pigeon Valley
Göreme to Derinkuyu and back, then Uçhisar to Göreme on foot
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Göreme
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
If you have booked the optional balloon flight, the operator collects you about an hour before sunrise; you watch the envelopes fill in the half dark and fly for about an hour as the sun lights the valleys. Balloons fly only when the aviation authority allows it that morning, so if today is cancelled you try again tomorrow. If you are not flying, sleep in, or join your guide at a viewpoint above Göreme to watch them rise. Mid-morning we drive about 40 minutes south to Derinkuyu, an underground city cut into the tuff on several levels, with air shafts, stables, chapels and rolling stone doors, where people sheltered from raids.
Afternoon
The early afternoon is free. At about 4 pm we climb Uçhisar Castle, the highest rock in the area, then walk about 4 km down Pigeon Valley to Göreme, past dovecotes cut into the cliffs.
Evening
In the evening we drive to a village for dinner cooked by a local family in their home.
Included
- Derinkuyu Underground City entry
- Uçhisar Castle entry
- Guided walk down Pigeon Valley to Göreme
- Dinner with a local family in a village
Optional experiences
- Sunrise hot air balloon flight of about an hour with a licensed operator (extra, price shown at booking; day 13 is the spare morning)
Easier option: Drive from Uçhisar to the Pigeon Valley viewpoint instead of the walk.
Free time: Early afternoon free
Activity: Derinkuyu has low, narrow passages and steep steps; skip it if you dislike tight spaces. Pigeon Valley is about 4 km, mostly downhill on dirt paths.
Rock churches, Avanos and the Red Valley
Göreme Open Air Museum, Paşabağ and Avanos, then the Rose and Red valleys
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Göreme
- Drive about 1 h
We are at the Göreme Open Air Museum when it opens, about 8 am, before the coaches. Monks cut these churches and refectories into the rock between the 10th and 12th centuries, and the Dark Church, included, keeps its frescoes bright because so little light gets in.
Morning
If your balloon flight moved to this morning, you join us here a little later. Next is Paşabağ, the Monks Valley, where fairy chimneys wear dark basalt caps and a hermit's cell is cut high in one of them.
Afternoon
Lunch is in Avanos on the Kızılırmak, Turkey's longest river, followed by an hour at a potter's wheel with the river's red clay: a lesson, not a sales stop. The afternoon is free at the hotel.
Evening
Late in the day we walk the Rose and Red valleys, about two hours past small rock-cut churches, to the Kızılçukur ridge as the rock turns pink at sunset, and finish with a farewell dinner together.
Included
- Spare balloon morning if day 12 was cancelled
- Göreme Open Air Museum entry at opening, with the Dark Church
- Paşabağ (Monks Valley)
- Lunch in Avanos and a hands-on pottery lesson
- Guided sunset walk in the Rose and Red valleys
- Farewell dinner
Easier option: Drive round to the Kızılçukur viewpoint for sunset instead of the walk.
More active option: Carry on past the ridge to Çavuşin, about 6 km in all.
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: The valley walk is about 2 hours on dirt paths with some short climbs.
Fly to Istanbul and home
Göreme to Kayseri or Nevşehir airport, then fly to Istanbul Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
After a last breakfast on the hotel terrace, often with balloons drifting over the valleys, we drive to Kayseri or Nevşehir airport, about an hour, and fly back to Istanbul, a little over an hour in the air.
Afternoon
Your guide travels with you and sees you through arrivals at Istanbul Airport (IST) around midday, where the trip ends. Book your flight home from IST after about 4 pm; we confirm the domestic flight time with your final itinerary, and if it changes we tell you before you book anything onward. If you would like to stay on in Istanbul, we can book extra nights in the city and a transfer from the airport at cost. If you land at Sabiha Gökçen instead because of the flight schedule on your date, we drive you across the city to IST, about an hour and a half.
Included
- Transfer to Kayseri or Nevşehir airport
- Flight to Istanbul with your guide
Optional experiences
- Extra nights in Istanbul with an airport transfer (extra, price shown at booking)
Activity: Book a flight home from Istanbul Airport (IST) leaving after about 4 pm.
- Istanbul3 nights
- Çanakkale1 night
- Selçuk2 nights
- Pamukkale1 night
- Kaş2 nights
- Antalya1 night
- Göreme3 nights
- Istanbulend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Spring and autumn are mild on the coast and cool on the Cappadocian plateau at about 1,100 m, where balloon mornings are cold. Summer is very hot at Ephesus and Pamukkale, so we visit early and late. Balloon flights are cancelled on some mornings for wind. The Kekova boat runs from about April to October and depends on the sea; the water is cool for swimming before June.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- First-time visitors who want Istanbul, the ancient sites, the coast and Cappadocia in one trip
- Travellers who want entries and most sights paid up front, with no shopping stops
- A mix of guided mornings and free afternoons, with two or three nights in most places
- Solo travellers who want a fixed single supplement shown before booking
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: old Istanbul, Ephesus, Troy and the Cappadocia valleys mean cobbles, stairs and uneven paths
- A beach holiday: the coast is two nights in Kaş and one in Antalya
- Travellers who want every evening meal arranged
- Anyone who wants to avoid early starts entirely; the best light and the empty sites come early
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
13 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Istanbul3 nights
- Çanakkale1 night
- Selçuk2 nights
- Pamukkale1 night
- Kaş2 nights
- Antalya1 night
- Göreme3 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 13 nights: 3 in Istanbul (Sultanahmet), 1 in Çanakkale, 2 in Selçuk, 1 in Pamukkale, 2 in Kaş, 1 in Antalya (Kaleiçi), 3 in a cave hotel in Göreme or Uçhisar
- Central hotels of at least 3-star-plus standard, named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on day 1, whatever your flight time
- Our own air-conditioned vehicle and driver from Istanbul to Antalya, and in Cappadocia
- Car ferry from Eceabat to Çanakkale across the Dardanelles
- Two-hour Bosphorus cruise on a boat for our group
- Full-day boat for our group from Kaş to Kekova
- Flight from Antalya to Kayseri or Nevşehir
- Flight from Kayseri or Nevşehir to Istanbul, ending at Istanbul Airport
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for all 14 days, including both flights
- Licensed local guides where a site or the law requires one
Activities
- Istanbul: Topkapı Palace with the Harem, the Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sophia upper gallery, the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, Süleymaniye Mosque, the Spice Bazaar, Bosphorus cruise
- Gallipoli: Anzac Cove, Ari Burnu, Lone Pine, the 57th Regiment memorial and Chunuk Bair
- Troy: the archaeological site and the Troy Museum
- Selçuk: Ephesus with the Terrace Houses, the Ephesus Museum, the Basilica of St John, the Temple of Artemis site, a wine tasting in Şirince
- Pamukkale: Hierapolis and the travertines
- Lycian coast: Xanthos, the Kekova boat day, Simena castle, Myra and the Church of St Nicholas
- Antalya: Kaleiçi walk and the Antalya Museum
- Cappadocia: Derinkuyu Underground City, Uçhisar Castle, Pigeon Valley walk, Göreme Open Air Museum with the Dark Church, Paşabağ, a pottery lesson in Avanos, Rose and Red valleys sunset walk
Meals
- 13 breakfasts
- 7 sit-down lunches: Eceabat, Ayvalık, Selçuk, near Xanthos, on the Kekova boat, Demre and Avanos
- 3 dinners: welcome dinner in Istanbul, dinner with a family in a Cappadocia village, farewell dinner in Cappadocia
Not included
- International flights to and from Istanbul
- Visa or e-Visa fees, if your passport needs one
- Travel insurance
- Lunches and dinners not listed above
- Drinks
- Tips for your guide and driver
- Optional activities: the balloon flight, a Turkish bath, a whirling dervish ceremony and the Antique Pool at Pamukkale
- Extra nights and transfers if you stay on in Istanbul
- Excess baggage on the domestic flights
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,020 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Thirteen nights in central hotels and a Cappadocia cave hotel, 13 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 3 dinners, airport pick-up, our own vehicle and driver, two domestic flights, the Bosphorus and Kekova boats, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every entry in the day plan, including the Topkapı Harem, the Hagia Sophia gallery and the Ephesus Terrace Houses. The balloon flight is an option.
How big is the group?
Seven to twelve guests, and never more. We do not merge groups, so the number you see when you book is the number you travel with. Everyone fits in one vehicle and around one table at lunch, and a small group gets into sites and back on the road quickly.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group for all fourteen days, including both flights, and stays with you from the first evening in Istanbul to the airport at the end. Where a site or Turkish law requires a licensed local guide, one joins us there. We name your guide when we confirm your departure.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderately fit. You should be comfortable on your feet for 3 to 4 hours on cobbles, stairs and uneven ancient paving. The Cappadocia valley walks are about 4 km and 2 hours each, and three road days run to four and a half to five and a half hours. Every walk has an easier option or can be sat out.
I'm travelling solo. What does a single room cost?
A room of your own is from CAD 1,020 extra for the whole trip, shown before you book, with no surprise at checkout. Solo travellers get the same seat, the same meals and the same guide as everyone else. If you would like to share, ask when you book and we tell you whether a roommate match is possible on your departure.
When is the best time to go?
April to early June and September to October. The coast is warm enough to swim from late May, Ephesus and Pamukkale are comfortable to walk, and Cappadocia mornings are cool and clear for balloons. July and August are very hot inland. We avoid the week around Anzac Day, 25 April, when Gallipoli access is restricted.
How does booking work?
Choose your departure and send a request to book. We confirm availability, hotels and the domestic flights within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes, and start from CAD 6,000 for the small group.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The private version is for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle, from CAD 10,800 per person sharing. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, send us an inquiry from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, drivers, boats and flights for you.
Do I need a visa for Turkey?
It depends on your passport. Both the visa rule and the passport-validity rule vary by nationality, so check the official Turkish e-Visa site before you book. When we confirm your trip, we confirm the current visa and passport-validity rule for your passport, and if you need an e-Visa you apply online before you fly.
Is the hot air balloon flight included?
No, it is the one big option, and its price is shown when you book so you can decide at home rather than on the bus. We keep two mornings free in Cappadocia, so if the first flight is cancelled for wind you can fly the next day. If you do not fly, you can watch the balloons rise with your guide.
How long are the drives?
Most days have under four hours on the road. Three are longer, each split by a site and a sit-down lunch: Istanbul to Gallipoli and Çanakkale (about 4.5 hours), Troy to Selçuk (about 5.5 hours, the longest, with no rail or air shortcut) and Pamukkale to Kaş (about 4.5). Two short flights replace the longest stretches, Antalya to Cappadocia and Cappadocia to Istanbul.
How is this different from your 10-day Turkey trip?
The 10-day trip covers Istanbul, Cappadocia and Ephesus with three flights and the balloon included. This 14-day trip adds Gallipoli and Troy, Pamukkale, two nights on the Lycian coast with a Kekova boat day, and Antalya, travelling by road along the Aegean and the coast, with the balloon as an option.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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