Turkey: Istanbul, Cappadocia and the Mediterranean for three generations

1. Day 1: Arrive in Istanbul

   Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) to Sultanahmet, about 1 hour

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Dinner
   • Stay in Istanbul
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW), ideally by early afternoon. Your See Sight Tours guide or our driver meets the family in arrivals, and the air-conditioned vehicle has child seats or boosters ready for the ages you booked. The drive into Sultanahmet, the old city between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara, takes about an hour. Check in to the hotel for three nights and rest after the flight. In the late afternoon the group meets for a short walk into Sultanahmet Park, a few minutes from the hotel, where the domes of Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque face each other across a fountain and children can run on the grass. The welcome dinner sits down at about 6 pm, nearby, with a short briefing on the ten days, so the youngest guests are in bed on time.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW)
   • Short evening walk in Sultanahmet Park with your guide
   • Welcome dinner at about 6 pm

   Easier option: Rest at the hotel and join the group at dinner.

   Free time: Afternoon free after check-in

   Activity: Land by about 3 pm to join the walk; later arrivals are met and taken to the hotel.

2. Day 2: Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia

   On foot in Sultanahmet

   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Istanbul
   Day 2 details

   We start at about 8:30 with a short walk through the Hippodrome, where Byzantine chariots once raced, past the Egyptian obelisk, carved about 3,500 years ago, and the bronze Serpent Column. We are at the gate of Topkapi Palace when it opens. For nearly four centuries the Ottoman sultans ruled from its courtyards, and the visit includes the Harem's tiled rooms, the treasury with its huge emerald dagger, and terraces over the Bosphorus where grandparents can sit with a view. After about two hours we walk round the corner to Hagia Sophia, finished in 537, through the gallery entrance foreign visitors use, and finish at the Blue Mosque, timed between prayers. Lunch is on your own in Sultanahmet, and from about 1:30 the afternoon is free: a rest at the hotel, the toy and doll museums nearby, or ice cream in the park.

   Included

   • Short guided walk through the Hippodrome
   • Topkapi Palace entry, with the Harem
   • Hagia Sophia gallery entry for foreign visitors
   • Blue Mosque visit between prayer times

   Easier option: Skip the Harem and wait on a terrace bench with a tea while the group goes round.

   More active option: Climb to the Galata Tower in the afternoon for the view over the Golden Horn.

   Free time: Afternoon free from about 1:30 pm

   Activity: About 3 hours on foot on level paving and some stairs, all within a few minutes of the hotel. Topkapi is closed on Tuesdays, so this day never falls on one.

3. Day 3: The Cistern, marbling and the Bosphorus

   Sultanahmet on foot, then a Bosphorus boat from Eminönü

   • Drive about 18 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Istanbul
   Day 3 details

   We go down into the Basilica Cistern when it opens, before the queue builds. It is a 6th-century underground reservoir held up by 336 columns, dimly lit, with walkways over the water, and children hunt for the two carved Medusa heads at the far end. Next comes the hour everyone remembers: an ebru marbling workshop, where a local artist shows how paint floats on thickened water and each guest, grandparents included, combs a pattern and lifts it onto paper to take home. Lunch is together in a local restaurant, then we walk through the Spice Bazaar for Turkish delight and dried fruit, with no shop we take you to and no commissions. After a rest at the hotel, a boat for our group leaves Eminönü at about 4 pm and runs up the Bosphorus between Europe and Asia, past Dolmabahçe Palace and the Rumeli Hisarı fortress, back by about 6. Dinner is on your own; for families who want company, the guide books a table near the hotel for about 6:30 pm.

   Included

   • Basilica Cistern entry at opening
   • Ebru marbling workshop for every guest
   • Lunch in a local restaurant
   • Walk through the Spice Bazaar
   • Two-hour Bosphorus boat for our group

   Easier option: Go back to the hotel by taxi with the guide's help after lunch and join the boat at 4 pm.

   More active option: Walk up to the Süleymaniye Mosque and its terrace over the Golden Horn during the free hours.

   Free time: Rest at the hotel from about 2 to 3:30 pm; dinner on your own after the boat

   Activity: The Cistern has stairs down and up and is cool and dim; the Spice Bazaar is busy, so keep children close.

   

4. Day 4: Fly to Cappadocia

   Istanbul to Kayseri or Nevşehir by air, then Göreme

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Göreme
   Day 4 details

   A short morning flight, about an hour and a quarter, replaces the long road across Anatolia that other family trips use. We fly from Istanbul to Kayseri or Nevşehir, whichever has the better time that day, and drive to the cave hotel in Göreme or Uçhisar, home for three nights, with rooms cut into the soft rock. After lunch on your own and a rest, we drive to Uçhisar Castle, a tall rock riddled with old rooms; whoever wants to climbs to the top for the view over the fairy chimneys, and the rest wait at the café below. Then Pigeon Valley's viewpoint, with dovecotes carved into the cliffs, and the Kızılçukur viewpoint over the Red and Rose valleys, where the rock turns pink as the sun drops. Dinner at about 6 pm is together, near the hotel.

   Included

   • Flight from Istanbul to Kayseri or Nevşehir
   • Transfer to the cave hotel
   • Uçhisar Castle entry
   • Pigeon Valley and Kızılçukur viewpoints
   • Dinner at about 6 pm

   Easier option: Stay at the café below Uçhisar Castle; the viewpoints are a few steps from the vehicle.

   More active option: Walk down into the Red Valley with the guide for about 45 minutes and meet the vehicle at the viewpoint.

   Free time: Early afternoon free at the hotel

   Activity: The climb inside Uçhisar Castle is steep and uneven; everything else today is close to the vehicle.

   

5. Day 5: Balloons at sunrise, tunnels and clay

   Göreme, Kaymaklı and Avanos

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Göreme
   Day 5 details

   The balloon flight is in the price. The operator collects you about an hour before sunrise, you watch the envelopes fill in the half dark, and the flight lasts about an hour as the sun lights the valleys. Turkish civil aviation decides each morning whether balloons may fly; if today is cancelled we try again tomorrow. Children below the operator's age or height limit, and anyone who would rather not fly, watch the launch from a viewpoint with the guide, or simply sleep in. Back at the hotel by about 8:30 for breakfast, then a rest until 10:30. We drive about 30 minutes to Kaymaklı Underground City, where four levels of tunnels lead past stables, kitchens and a chapel; the upper level is enough for anyone who prefers it. Lunch is in Avanos on the Kızılırmak river, then an hour at a potter's wheel for those who want it, while the driver takes anyone ready to rest back to the hotel, 15 minutes away. Everyone is back by about 3:30 pm.

   Included

   • Sunrise hot air balloon flight of about an hour, or the launch from a viewpoint
   • Kaymaklı Underground City entry
   • Lunch in Avanos
   • Pottery lesson in Avanos, optional on the day

   Your choice: Sunrise balloon flight, about an hour / Watch the balloons rise from a sunrise viewpoint with your guide Included in the price.

   Easier option: Sleep in or watch the balloons from the viewpoint; see Kaymaklı's upper level only; after lunch the driver takes you back to the hotel instead of the pottery lesson.

   Free time: Free from about 2 pm for those who skip the pottery, about 3:30 pm for the rest

   Activity: Kaymaklı has low, narrow passages and steep steps; anyone uneasy in tight spaces can stay at the top level.

6. Day 6: Rock churches and a village dinner

   Göreme Open Air Museum and Love Valley

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Göreme
   Day 6 details

   This is the spare balloon morning: if yesterday's flight was cancelled, you fly today. If not, sleep in, or come with your guide at dawn to a viewpoint above Göreme to watch the balloons rise. We are at the Göreme Open Air Museum when it opens, at about 8 am, before the coaches arrive; if the balloon flies today, the flight lands around 8 and we go to the museum after breakfast instead, at about 10:30. Monks cut these churches and refectories into the rock between the 10th and 12th centuries, and the paths between them are short, with benches in the shade. Mid-morning we drive to the rim of Love Valley for its tall, smooth stone pillars; a short level path follows the rim, and the vehicle waits at both ends. From about 12:30 (about 1:30 on a flying morning) the day is free: the hotel pool where there is one, a nap, or a ride on the gentle horses at a stable near Göreme. In the evening we drive to a village for dinner at about 6 pm, cooked by a local family in their home.

   Included

   • Spare balloon morning if day 5 was cancelled
   • Göreme Open Air Museum entry at opening, or late morning on a flying day
   • Short walk on the rim of Love Valley
   • Dinner with a local family at about 6 pm

   Optional experiences

   • Horse ride with a local stable near Göreme

   Easier option: See the museum's lower churches and wait at the café; view Love Valley from the vehicle.

   More active option: Walk down into Love Valley with the guide, about an hour, and meet the vehicle at the bottom.

   Free time: Afternoon free from about 12:30 pm, or about 1:30 pm if the balloon flies today

7. Day 7: Fly to Antalya and the sea

   Kayseri or Nevşehir to Antalya by air, then the hotel

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Antalya
   Day 7 details

   After breakfast we drive to the airport and fly south over the Taurus Mountains to Antalya, about an hour and ten minutes where a direct flight runs that season; otherwise we connect in Istanbul, which makes this a longer travel day, and we tell you which when we confirm your dates. Other family trips cross this distance by road in a full day. Our driver meets the flight, and the hotel by the sea, home for three nights, is about 20 minutes from Antalya Airport. The afternoon is for the pool, the beach or a nap. In the early evening, once it cools, the guide takes anyone who wants to go on a short stroll into Kaleiçi, the walled old town above the harbour, through Hadrian's Gate, built in 130 AD for the emperor's visit. Dinner tonight is on your own; the guide books a table for 6 pm for families who want one.

   Included

   • Flight from Kayseri or Nevşehir to Antalya
   • Transfer to the hotel by the sea
   • Evening stroll in Kaleiçi and through Hadrian's Gate

   Easier option: Stay at the hotel pool and skip the evening stroll.

   Free time: Afternoon free at the pool or beach

   Activity: If no direct flight runs, the connection in Istanbul adds about 3 hours.

   

8. Day 8: A boat to the Düden waterfall

   Kaleiçi harbour by boat to the Lower Düden falls, then the beach

   • Drive about 18 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Antalya
   Day 8 details

   We drive about 15 minutes into the old town and walk down the lanes of Kaleiçi to the old Roman harbour, where a boat for our group is waiting. The trip runs east along the cliffs to the Lower Düden waterfall, where the river drops straight off the cliff edge into the sea; the boat goes close enough for the spray on a breezy day, and children like to count the cormorants on the rocks. The crew sets a short swim stop when the sea is warm enough, with life jackets for children. We are back at the harbour by late morning, and lunch is together in a restaurant inside the old walls. The afternoon is free from about 2 pm: the hotel pool, Konyaaltı beach below the cliffs, or the Antalya Aquarium, which has a walk-through tunnel and is a short taxi ride from most hotels.

   Included

   • Walk through Kaleiçi to the old harbour
   • Boat for our group to the Lower Düden waterfall, with a swim stop in season
   • Lunch in Kaleiçi

   Optional experiences

   • Antalya Aquarium

   Easier option: Sit on the boat's shaded deck and skip the swim; the vehicle waits at the top of the harbour steps.

   More active option: Swim from the boat at the stop, with the crew watching.

   Free time: Afternoon free from about 2 pm

   Activity: The harbour lanes are steep cobbles with steps; the vehicle can drop slower walkers at the top of the harbour.

   

9. Day 9: Aspendos and the Upper Düden falls

   Antalya to Aspendos, the Upper Düden falls and back

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Antalya
   Day 9 details

   We leave at about 8 am for the 45-minute drive east to Aspendos, and arrive when it opens, before the heat and the day coaches. Its Roman theatre, built in the 2nd century AD, is one of the best preserved anywhere, with the stage wall still standing to its full height and seats for several thousand. Children test the acoustics by whispering from the stage while the rest of the family listens from the top rows; grandparents can watch from the lower seats without the climb. On the way back we stop for lunch in a garden restaurant and then at the Upper Düden falls, a shady park on the edge of the city where a path leads behind the curtain of water, cool on a warm day. We are back at the hotel by about 2:30 pm for a last swim, and the farewell dinner sits down at about 6 pm.

   Included

   • Aspendos theatre entry at opening
   • Lunch near Aspendos
   • Upper Düden waterfall park entry
   • Farewell dinner at about 6 pm

   Easier option: Watch from the theatre's lower rows; at Düden, stay on the level paths by the falls.

   More active option: Climb to the top row of the theatre and walk up to the ruins of the aqueduct behind it.

   Free time: Afternoon free from about 2:30 pm

   Activity: The theatre rows are high stone steps without rails; the path behind the Düden falls is damp and has steps.

   

10. Day 10: Depart Antalya

    Hotel to Antalya Airport (AYT), about 20 minutes

    • Drive about 18 min
    • Breakfast
    Day 10 details

    The trip ends after breakfast. The morning is free for a last swim or a walk along the seafront, and our driver takes the family to Antalya Airport (AYT), about 20 minutes away, at whatever time your flight leaves. Antalya has direct international flights to many European cities, and frequent flights to Istanbul for long-haul connections home; we can book the Antalya to Istanbul leg with the trip if you ask. Allow at least two hours at the airport before an international departure, as Antalya is busy in season, and if you connect in Istanbul, leave three hours or more between flights. If your flight is late in the day, the hotel can usually keep your bags, and the guide will suggest a short outing nearby that fits the time you have before the transfer. Families who want more beach days can add nights at the same hotel.

    Included

    • Drop-off at Antalya Airport (AYT)

    Free time: Morning free

    Activity: Book flights home leaving after about 11 am, or later if you connect in Istanbul.

Wildlife and weather: Spring and autumn bring mild days in Istanbul and Cappadocia, roughly 15 to 25°C, with cold early mornings in Cappadocia, which sits at about 1,000 to 1,300 m. Antalya is warmer, about 22 to 30°C; the sea is cool for swimming until late May and warm in September and October. Balloon flights depend on the wind and are cancelled on some mornings, which is why we keep a spare morning.

• Istanbul3 nights
• Göreme3 nights
• Antalya3 nights