# 5-Day Cappadocia, Ephesus & Pamukkale Group Tour — Red & Green Tours
Canonical: https://turkeyvia.com/tours/cappadocia-ephesus-pamukkale-5-day-tour-from-istanbul-by-plane
Updated: 2026-10-25

## Key facts
- Price: From €999 per person (based on 2 travellers)
- Tour type: Shared group tour
- Duration: 5 Days
- Included: Flights, hotels & guided days included.
- Pickup / meeting point: Istanbul hotel pickup included. Your driver will meet you at the lobby at 05:00 AM.
- Payment: Reserve online with a 40% deposit by card (at least the cost of the flights), the balance in cash on arrival.
- Cancellation: Cancellation charges from 25% · see the schedule

## Overview
Fly from Istanbul for 5 days of group tours through Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale, with domestic flights and four hotel nights. Visit Paşabağ, Zelve, Ihlara Valley, Ephesus and Hierapolis. Day 1 is a Cappadocia Red Tour after the early flight from Istanbul, followed by a night in a cave hotel. On day 2, the Green Tour visits Kaymaklı and Ihlara before an evening flight to İzmir and a transfer to Kuşadası, where you stay two nights. Day 3 is Ephesus; day 4 brings you to Hierapolis and Pamukkale for the night. Day 5 is free in Pamukkale before the flight back to Istanbul. The tour includes the first visit to Pamukkale and Hierapolis; a new ticket is needed for another visit to the travertines or Cleopatra’s Pool, and neither is included. The Ihlara walk is about 3.5–4 km, and the Pamukkale terraces are walked barefoot on the marked path. Workshop stops are part of the programme: day 1 carpet; day 2 onyx and leather; day 3 carpet. Each visit is about 30–45 minutes, with no obligation to buy.

## Highlights
- See Paşabağ, Zelve and Devrent Valley
- Walk in Ihlara Valley and visit Kaymaklı
- Explore Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary
- Walk the Pamukkale terraces and visit Hierapolis

## Itinerary
### Early flight and the Red Tour of Cappadocia

Your five-day trip opens with a 05:00 pickup from the Istanbul hotel lobby and an early flight into central Anatolia. At the airport you join other travelers on the shared Red Tour, which starts right away and runs about 8 hours. You see Devrent Valley and Paşabağ, stop in Avanos for a pottery demonstration and lunch, visit a carpet workshop and finish among the cave houses of Zelve. The walking adds up to roughly 2.5 km, some of it on cobbles and loose tuff. The day ends with check-in at your cave hotel. Stops: Devrent Valley, Paşabağ (Monks Valley), Avanos pottery workshop, Carpet Weaving Education Center (about 30–45 min), Zelve Open-Air Museum.

### Ihlara Valley Green Tour and the flight to İzmir

The shared Green Tour collects you after breakfast, between 09:30 and 10:20, so check out beforehand. It is a full day of about 9 hours, around 2¾ of them driving, through the southwest of Cappadocia. Explore Kaymaklı Underground City, walk the Ihlara Valley along the Melendiz stream, have lunch at Belisırma and see Selime Monastery, followed by onyx and leather workshops. In the evening you transfer to the airport for the flight to İzmir, then drive to Kuşadası, where you spend the next two nights. Stops: Göreme panorama, Kaymaklı Underground City, Ihlara Valley walk, Selime Monastery, Onyx workshop (about 30–45 min), Leather workshop (about 30–45 min).

### Ephesus Shared Tour and Second Night in Kuşadası

Day three of your five-day trip is devoted to Ephesus. The shared group collects you from your hotel in Kuşadası, and a licensed guide takes you through the ancient city; tickets for Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary are included, as is lunch in Selçuk. The afternoon adds a carpet weaving center, the House of the Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artemis. You return to Kuşadası for the night, and tomorrow the tour continues inland to Pamukkale, where you stay overnight. Stops: Ephesus, Carpet Weaving Education Center (about 30–45 min), House of the Virgin Mary, Temple of Artemis.

### Hierapolis Through the Centuries, Night in Pamukkale

Check out of your Kuşadası hotel and ride inland with the shared group for about three hours to Pamukkale. Your guide traces Hierapolis from its Hellenistic beginnings through the earthquakes of AD 17 and 60, the Roman rebuilding in marble and the early Christian town that honored the apostle Philip. After lunch you walk barefoot down the white travertines, and the group then drops you at your hotel for the night. There is no airport rush today: the evening is yours to rest, or to soak in the hotel's thermal pool if it has one. Stops: Hierapolis ancient city, Hierapolis theatre, Pamukkale travertine terraces.

### Free Day in Pamukkale and Flight Back to Istanbul

After breakfast the day is unscheduled until your airport transfer, so plan it around your flight time. You might walk into Pamukkale village, take a short ride to the red iron-rich springs at Karahayıt, or simply use the hotel's facilities. Going back onto the travertines or into Cleopatra's Pool needs a new ticket, which is not included, and lunch today is on your own. Later in the day the transfer takes you to Denizli Çardak Airport for the domestic flight to Istanbul. Stops: Free time in Pamukkale, Karahayıt red springs (on your own).

## Included
- Licensed English-speaking guide
- Air-conditioned sightseeing transport, Istanbul hotel-to-airport transfer, return Cappadocia airport–hotel transfers, İzmir Airport-to-Kuşadası transfer, and Pamukkale-to-Denizli Airport transfer
- Entrance tickets: Paşabağ and Zelve (one ticket), Ihlara Valley and Selime, Kaymaklı Underground City, Ephesus, House of the Virgin Mary, Hierapolis and Pamukkale
- Lunch on days 1 and 2 in Cappadocia, day 3 in Selçuk and day 4 in Pamukkale
- 1 night in Cappadocia: Celestial Cave Hotel or similar, double room with breakfast
- 2 nights in Kusadasi: Ephesus Centrum Hotel or similar, double room with breakfast
- 1 night in Pamukkale: Lycus River Thermal Hotel or similar, double room with breakfast
- Flight Istanbul → Cappadocia on day 1 (economy class; checked bag as per the ticket fare)
- Flight Cappadocia → Izmir on day 2 (economy class; checked bag as per the ticket fare)
- Flight Izmir → Istanbul (economy class; checked bag as per the ticket fare)

## Not included
- Tips (optional)
- Personal purchases
- Drinks with meals
- Dinner
- Lunch on days 5
- Cleopatra’s Pool admission

## Good to know
- Workshop stops: a carpet weaving centre, a leather workshop, an onyx workshop and a pottery workshop. Part of the programme, no obligation to buy.
- Domestic flights are economy class. Your baggage allowance follows the ticket fare, and we confirm it with your tickets.
- Travel with the passport you booked with: airlines check the name on the ticket against it.
- Wear comfortable walking shoes: the valleys and rock-cut sites have uneven ground and steps, and the underground city has low, narrow passages.
- Bring a hat and sunscreen in summer and a warm layer in spring, autumn and winter: mornings in Cappadocia are cool, and the underground city stays cool all year.
- Vegetarian, vegan or other dietary needs at lunch: tell us when you book and we let the restaurant know.
- Mobility needs or travelling with small children? Tell us before you book, and we tell you honestly which parts of the day suit you.
- We send your final programme, hotel names and pickup times before departure, and you can reach us on WhatsApp during the trip.

## FAQ
### What is included on day 5 of the 5-day group tour?

Breakfast at your Pamukkale hotel, the transfer to Denizli Çardak Airport and the flight to Istanbul. Lunch, any new entry to the travertines and the ride from the Istanbul airport to your hotel are not included.

### Can I join the shared 5-day Cappadocia, Ephesus & Pamukkale tour without your flights?

Yes. If you travel on your own flight tickets, remove the flights option and we meet you at the Cappadocia airport on day 1 and at İzmir airport on day 2. For Istanbul airport rides, look at our /airport-transfers page.

### Where do we stay on the 5-day Cappadocia, Ephesus & Pamukkale tour?

One night at the Celestial Cave Hotel or similar in Cappadocia, two nights at the Ephesus Centrum Hotel or similar in Kuşadası, and one night at the Lycus River Thermal Hotel or similar near Pamukkale, all with breakfast.

### Which days of the 5-day tour include workshop stops?

Day 1 (Avanos pottery and carpet), day 2 (onyx and leather) and day 3 (carpet). Each visit lasts about 30–45 minutes and there is no obligation to buy. Days 4 and 5 have none.

### Is Kaymaklı Underground City a problem for claustrophobic travelers?

It can be. The passages are low and narrow, and some sections require stooping. If you are uneasy in tight spaces, tell your guide and wait outside.

### What should I bring for the Pamukkale day and the night there?

Sunglasses, sunscreen, a bag for your shoes on the barefoot terraces and swimwear, which is useful if your hotel has thermal pools or you buy a Cleopatra's Pool ticket.

## Book
Book on the tour page: https://turkeyvia.com/tours/cappadocia-ephesus-pamukkale-5-day-tour-from-istanbul-by-plane. Questions: WhatsApp +90 507 357 58 94