Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Women-only Turkey: Istanbul, Cappadocia and Ephesus
10 days for women only with a woman See Sight Tours guide: a slow first evening and three nights in old Istanbul, three in a Cappadocia cave hotel with the balloon flight included, two beside Ephesus and a last night in Karaköy with a women-only hamam.
10 days · Round trip from Istanbul · up to 12 guests
Balloons at sunrise over Cappadocia. Photo: Daniela Cuevas danielacuevas, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cappadocia,_Turkey,_2015-06-09_(Unsplash).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 10 days, 9 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 on cobbles, stairs and uneven ancient paving, with two valley walks of about 2 hours and some early starts for sunrise.
- Meals included
- 9 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 5 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 700 (estimated price)
- Season
- Spring and autumn
Highlights
Why this trip
- A slow first evening: tea and an honest briefing with your guide, then dinner a short walk from the hotel
- Topkapi and the Harem at opening, with the story of the Ottoman women who ran the palace
- Tea and börek at home with an Istanbul woman, where we confirm a host for your dates
- A sunrise hot air balloon flight over Cappadocia, included, with a spare morning if the weather stops it
- Cooking with the women of a Cappadocia village family, then dinner at their table
- Ephesus from the upper gate at opening, with the Terrace Houses included
- A women-only hamam in Istanbul on the last afternoon, included
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 700 (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, a slow first evening
Istanbul airport to your hotel in Sultanahmet
- 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. The ride from IST takes about an hour.
Afternoon
Nothing is planned until about 6:30 pm, so arrive by mid-afternoon if you can, rest and take a shower first. Your See Sight Tours guide then meets the group over tea at the hotel. She introduces everyone and gives an honest briefing: what to wear in mosques and villages, how the bazaars work and how to say no, taxis, tipping, photographing people, and how the ten days run.
Evening
Dinner is together at about 7:30 pm, a short walk from the hotel. On the way back, anyone who wants can stop in Sultanahmet Park to see Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque lit up, or go straight to bed.
Included
- Pick-up at Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW)
- Welcome tea and briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Afternoon free to rest before the group meets
Activity: A short, flat walk to dinner and back.
Old Istanbul and the women of the palace
On foot in Sultanahmet
- Breakfast
- Stay in Istanbul
At about 8:15 your guide walks the group through the Hippodrome, where the chariot track of Byzantine Constantinople ran, past the Egyptian obelisk while the square is still quiet. We are at the gates of Topkapi Palace when it opens. A licensed Istanbul guide, a woman where we can book one, leads the visit, and your ticket includes the Harem. Its rooms tell the story of the period historians call the Sultanate of Women, when mothers and wives of the sultans, among them Hürrem and Kösem, shaped the empire's politics from inside these walls.
Afternoon
After lunch on your own, we go into Hagia Sophia, finished in 537, through the gallery entrance foreign visitors now use, and then the Blue Mosque, timed between prayers. In the late afternoon, where we confirm a host for your dates, an Istanbul woman welcomes the group into her home for tea and börek, a flaky pastry, and an hour of conversation.
Included
- Early walk through the Hippodrome
- Topkapi Palace entry with the Harem, with a licensed local guide
- Hagia Sophia gallery entry for foreign visitors
- Blue Mosque visit between prayer times
- Tea and börek in a local woman's home, where a host is confirmed
Free time: Lunch on your own; evening free
Activity: About 4 hours on foot, with cobbles and stairs. Topkapi is closed on Tuesdays, so this day never falls on one. Shoulders, knees and hair covered in the mosques.
Bazaars, Sinan and the Bosphorus
Old city on foot, then a Bosphorus cruise from Eminönü
- Breakfast
- Stay in Istanbul
- By boat
We go down into the Basilica Cistern when it opens, before the queue builds: a 6th-century underground reservoir held up by 336 columns, two of them standing on carved Medusa heads. Then the Grand Bazaar, with about sixty streets under its vaults. Your guide shows you how it is laid out, how bargaining works and how to walk away, then leaves you time to browse; we take you to no shops and take no commissions. Up the hill, the Süleymaniye Mosque, built by the architect Sinan in the 1550s, has a garden terrace over the Golden Horn. Süleyman's wife Hürrem endowed her own complex across the city in Haseki, and your guide points out the women patrons behind several of the city's buildings.
Afternoon
We walk down to the Spice Bazaar, and in the late afternoon a boat for our group takes you up the Bosphorus past Dolmabahçe Palace and the Rumeli Hisarı fortress, in the best light of the day.
Included
- Basilica Cistern entry at opening
- Guided walk through the Grand Bazaar
- Süleymaniye Mosque and its terrace
- Rüstem Pasha Mosque and the Spice Bazaar
- Two-hour Bosphorus cruise in the late afternoon
Optional experiences
- Whirling dervish ceremony in the evening
Free time: Time to browse the Grand Bazaar; lunch on your own
Activity: The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays, so this day never falls on one.
Fly to Cappadocia
Istanbul to Kayseri or Nevşehir by air, then Göreme
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Göreme
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
A short morning flight, about an hour and a quarter, replaces the long road and rail days other trips use to cross Anatolia. We fly from Istanbul to Kayseri or Nevşehir, whichever has the better time that day, and drive to your cave hotel in Göreme or Uçhisar, home for three nights. After you settle in, we climb Uçhisar Castle, a tall rock riddled with old rooms and the highest point in the area, for a first look over the fairy chimneys towards the cone of Mount Erciyes, snow-capped in spring. Below it, Pigeon Valley is lined with dovecotes cut into the rock.
Evening
In the late afternoon we walk the Rose and Red valleys, past small rock-cut churches, and reach the Kızılçukur ridge as the tuff turns pink at sunset. Dinner is together in Göreme, a short drive or walk from the hotel, so nobody has to find a table alone on the first night in a small town.
Included
- Flight from Istanbul to Kayseri or Nevşehir
- Transfer to your cave hotel
- Uçhisar Castle entry
- Pigeon Valley viewpoint
- Guided sunset walk in the Rose and Red valleys
- Dinner in Göreme
Easier option: Drive round to the Kızılçukur viewpoint instead of the walk
Activity: The valley walk is about 2 hours on dirt paths with some short climbs.
Balloon at sunrise
Göreme, Kaymaklı and Avanos
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Göreme
- Drive about 1.5 h
The balloon flight is in the price.
Morning
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 clears the horizon and lights up the valleys around Göreme. Civil aviation decides each morning whether balloons may fly; if today is cancelled, we try again tomorrow, which is why we spend three nights here. After breakfast and a rest, we visit the underground city of Kaymaklı, carved into soft tuff, where narrow passages lead down past stables, kitchens and chapels; four of its levels are open.
Afternoon
Lunch is in Avanos, on the Kızılırmak, Turkey's longest river, followed by an hour at a potter's wheel using the river's red clay, a craft made here for thousands of years. The late afternoon is free.
Included
- Sunrise hot air balloon flight of about an hour
- Kaymaklı Underground City entry
- Lunch in Avanos
- Hands-on pottery session in Avanos
Your choice: Sunrise balloon flight, about an hour / Watch the balloons rise from a sunrise viewpoint with your guide Included in the price.
Free time: Late afternoon free
Activity: Kaymaklı has low, narrow passages and steep steps; skip it if you dislike tight spaces.
Rock churches and a village kitchen
Göreme Open Air Museum and Love Valley
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Göreme
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
This is the spare balloon morning: if yesterday's flight was cancelled, you fly today. If not, sleep in, or come with your guide to Lover's Hill above Göreme to watch the balloons rise out of the valleys. We are at the Göreme Open Air Museum when it opens, about 8 am, before the tour coaches arrive at mid-morning. Monks cut these churches and refectories into the rock between the 10th and 12th centuries, and the Dark Church, which your ticket includes, keeps its frescoes bright because so little light gets in.
Afternoon
Mid-morning we walk into Love Valley, and the early afternoon is yours to rest on the hotel terrace.
Evening
At about 4 pm we drive to a village where, if we confirm a host for your dates, the women of a local family show the group how they roll dough for gözleme or fold mantı dumplings, and we eat dinner together at their table.
Included
- Spare balloon morning if day 5 was cancelled
- Göreme Open Air Museum entry at opening, with the Dark Church
- Guided walk in Love Valley
- Cooking with the women of a village family, where a host is confirmed
- Dinner in their home
Optional experiences
- Sunrise balloon flight, already in the price, only if day 5's flight was cancelled (the same booking moves to this morning)
Free time: Early afternoon free
Activity: In the village, loose clothes that cover shoulders and knees are polite.
To the Aegean and Şirince
Cappadocia to Izmir by air, then Selçuk and Şirince
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Selçuk
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
After breakfast we fly from Kayseri or Nevşehir to Izmir on the Aegean coast; ops choose a direct flight where one runs, or a short connection in Istanbul. From Izmir Airport it is about an hour's drive south through olive country to Selçuk, the small town beside Ephesus, where we stay two nights.
Afternoon
In the afternoon we walk up Ayasuluk Hill to the ruins of the Basilica of St John, built by Justinian over the saint's traditional tomb, and look down on the 14th-century İsa Bey Mosque. Late in the day we drive about 8 km into the hills to Şirince, a village of white stone and timber houses that was Greek until the 1920s and is now known for its fruit wines.
Evening
We taste a few, watch the light go off the valley and eat dinner together in the village.
Included
- Flight from Kayseri or Nevşehir to Izmir
- Transfer to Selçuk
- Basilica of St John entry
- Wine tasting in Şirince
- Dinner in Şirince
Ephesus at opening
Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary and Selçuk
- 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, long before the cruise-ship coaches reach it in mid-morning. A licensed site guide, a woman where we can book one, leads the walk. From the gate the old city runs downhill, so it is easy on the legs: past the Odeon and the Temple of Hadrian on Curetes Street, to the Library of Celsus, whose two-storey facade from the early 2nd century AD faces the morning sun. The Terrace Houses, Roman homes with mosaics and wall paintings under a protective roof, are included, and they show more of daily family life than any other part of the site. After the walk we drive up to the House of the Virgin Mary on the wooded hill above.
Afternoon
Lunch is in Selçuk, in a kitchen run by women where ops confirm one, followed by a short look at the Ephesus Museum and its statues of Artemis. The afternoon is free.
Included
- Ephesus entry at opening, with a licensed site guide
- Terrace Houses entry
- House of the Virgin Mary
- Lunch in Selçuk, in a women-run kitchen where one is confirmed
- Ephesus Museum entry
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: About 3 hours on foot over uneven marble paving, downhill; bring a hat, there is little shade.
Back to Istanbul and a women-only hamam
Selçuk to Izmir, fly to Istanbul, Karaköy
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Istanbul
- Drive about 2 h
On the way to the airport we stop at the site of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, of which a single rebuilt column now stands in the marsh. The flight from Izmir to Istanbul takes about an hour and ten minutes, and we drive you to your last hotel in Karaköy, the old port district below the Galata Tower.
Afternoon
In the afternoon the group goes to a historic hamam for a women-only session, in a women's section or during women's hours: warm marble, a scrub with a rough mitt, a foam wash, then rest with tea. You keep on as much as you like, and you can skip it for a quiet afternoon in Karaköy's cafes and galleries instead.
Evening
We meet at sunset on the Galata Bridge, where anglers line the rail and the mosques of the old city stand dark against the sky, and end with a farewell dinner together.
Included
- Temple of Artemis site
- Flight from Izmir to Istanbul
- Transfer to your hotel in Karaköy
- Women-only hamam session with a scrub and foam wash
- Sunset walk on the Galata Bridge
- Farewell dinner
Easier option: Skip the hamam and rest at the hotel or in Karaköy
Free time: Late afternoon free after the hamam
Activity: Road time is two legs either side of the flight: Selçuk to Izmir airport about 60 km with the Artemis stop, then Istanbul airport to Karaköy about 45 km.
Depart Istanbul
Karaköy to Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gökçen
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
Your trip ends after breakfast, and the morning is yours until we drive you to the airport for your flight home, at whatever time it leaves. If your flight is late, there is time for one more thing. The public ferry from Karaköy to Kadıköy on the Asian shore takes about twenty minutes, with the old city skyline behind you, and Kadıköy's food market is an easy walk from the pier. Dolmabahçe Palace, where the last sultans moved in the 19th century, is a short ride up the Bosphorus shore and is closed on Mondays and Thursdays. Istanbul Modern, the city's art museum, sits on the waterfront in Karaköy itself. Your guide helps you plan the timing so you are back at the hotel for the transfer, and can pair you with others from the group who want company. The drive to Istanbul Airport takes about an hour; for a long-haul flight, plan to leave the hotel about four hours before departure.
Included
- Drop-off at Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW)
Free time: Morning free
- Istanbul3 nights
- Göreme3 nights
- Selçuk2 nights
- Istanbul1 night
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Balloon flights depend on wind and are cancelled on some mornings, more often from December to March. Ephesus has little shade and is hot from June to August. Mosques close to visitors at prayer times and for longer at Friday midday, and some sites keep holiday hours during the Eid festivals, so ops set each day's order per departure.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Women travelling alone who want company and a woman leading
- Friends, sisters, mothers and adult daughters travelling together
- First trips to Turkey
- Early starts for sunrise and the balloon
- Walks of 2 to 3 hours on uneven ground
Not for you if you want
- Mixed groups, partners or men: ask for the private version
- Step-free access
- A beach stay
- Travellers who want Gallipoli in the core trip (ask about an extra day)
Minimum age: 18
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
9 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Istanbul3 nights
- Göreme3 nights
- Selçuk2 nights
- Istanbul1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 9 nights: a hotel in Sultanahmet (3), a cave hotel in Göreme or Uçhisar (3), a small hotel in Selçuk (2) and a hotel in Karaköy (1)
- Share with another woman at no extra cost, or a room of your own for the single supplement
Transport
- Pick-up and drop-off at Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW)
- Flights from Istanbul to Cappadocia, Cappadocia to Izmir and Izmir to Istanbul
- A van with driver for airport transfers, in Cappadocia and between Izmir, Selçuk and Ephesus
- Two-hour Bosphorus cruise on a boat for our group
Your guide
- A woman See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip
- Licensed local guides at Topkapi and Ephesus; we ask for women guides and confirm them with your dates
Activities
- Welcome tea and briefing on dress, mosques, bazaars and conduct in Istanbul
- Topkapi Palace with the Harem, Hagia Sophia gallery, Basilica Cistern and the Blue Mosque
- Grand Bazaar, Süleymaniye Mosque, the Spice Bazaar and the Bosphorus cruise
- Tea and börek in a local woman's home in Istanbul, where a host is confirmed
- Uçhisar Castle, Pigeon Valley and a sunset walk in the Rose and Red valleys
- Sunrise hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia, with a spare morning
- Kaymaklı Underground City and a pottery session in Avanos
- Göreme Open Air Museum with the Dark Church, and a walk in Love Valley
- Cooking with the women of a village family in Cappadocia, where a host is confirmed
- Basilica of St John, and a wine tasting in Şirince
- Ephesus with the Terrace Houses, the House of the Virgin Mary, the Ephesus Museum and the Temple of Artemis site
- Women-only hamam session in Istanbul
Meals
- 9 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 5 dinners, including a dinner with a village family in Cappadocia
Not included
- International flights to and from Istanbul
- Travel insurance
- Turkish e-Visa or visa fees, where your passport needs one
- Lunches and dinners not listed
- Drinks, apart from the Şirince tasting and tea where it is served
- Tips for drivers, local guides, hamam attendants and balloon crew
- Optional activities, such as the whirling dervish ceremony
- Personal expenses and shopping
- Nights before day 1 or after day 10
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 700 (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
Who can join a women-only trip?
Anyone who identifies as a woman and is 18 or over. The group is women only and is led by a woman See Sight Tours guide. Drivers, balloon crews, hotel staff and some licensed site guides will often be men, as most are in Turkey, and we say so plainly.
What does the Turkey women-only trip include?
9 nights in hotels, three of them in a Cappadocia cave hotel, 9 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 5 dinners, three domestic flights, airport transfers at both ends, a woman See Sight Tours guide throughout, the sunrise balloon flight, the women-only hamam, the Bosphorus cruise and every entry in the day plan, from Topkapi and its Harem to the Terrace Houses at Ephesus.
I am travelling alone. Do I pay a single supplement?
Only if you want a room of your own. Tell us when you request to book and we pair you with another woman in the group at no extra cost. A room of your own is from CAD 700 more. If no roommate is found, we tell you before you pay anything.
What should a woman wear in Turkey?
In Istanbul, what you would wear in any European city is fine. In mosques, cover shoulders and knees and cover your hair; bring a light scarf. For the village dinner in Cappadocia, loose clothes that cover shoulders and knees are polite. Comfortable closed shoes matter more than anything at Ephesus and in the valleys.
Is Turkey safe for women travelling in a group?
For most women, yes. The main nuisance is persistent sellers and friendly strangers in Sultanahmet who steer you to a carpet shop. Your guide briefs the group on the first evening and walks with you in the busy areas, and a polite 'hayır, teşekkürler' handles most situations.
What is the women-only hamam like?
A session in a historic Istanbul hamam, in its women's section or during women's hours: warm marble, a scrub with a rough mitt, a foam wash, then rest with tea. You can wear swimwear or underwear and keep on as much as you like, or skip it and rest instead.
Is the balloon flight really included, and what if it is cancelled?
Yes, it is in the price. Turkish civil aviation decides each morning whether balloons may fly, so we keep day 6 as a spare morning. If neither morning flies, the cancellation and refund terms for the flight are confirmed with you before you book. If you would rather not fly, you can watch the launch from a viewpoint with your guide.
How fit do I need to be?
You should be happy on your feet for 3 to 4 hours on cobbles, stairs and uneven ancient paving, with two valley walks of about 2 hours and some early starts. Kaymaklı has low passages and steep steps, and every walk has a way to sit part of it out.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 women. That fits one van, keeps the bazaar walks manageable and means the whole group can sit at one table for dinner or in one family's home in Cappadocia.
When is the best time to go?
April to early June and September to October: mild days, balloons fly on most mornings and Ephesus is not too hot. July and August are hot and crowded; winter brings snow to Cappadocia and more balloon cancellations. If your dates fall on a religious holiday, we tell you what changes.
Do I need a visa for Turkey?
It depends on your passport. Some nationalities enter Turkey without a visa for short stays and others must buy an e-Visa online before they fly. Turkey asks for a passport valid at least 150 days beyond your arrival, and some airlines ask for more, so check your airline's rule too. We confirm the entry rule for every guest when we confirm the trip.
How much does it cost and how do I book?
The small group starts from CAD 3,620 per person sharing, taxes included, and a room of your own is from CAD 700 more. Send your preferred dates as an enquiry. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. For your own dates, or a party with partners or men, ask for the private trip from CAD 6,515.
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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