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Private 7-Day Istanbul, Cappadocia & Ephesus Tour

Istanbul (3 nights) ✈ Cappadocia (2 nights) ✈ Izmir → kusadasi (1 night) → Izmir ✈ Istanbul · flights included

From €1,619 pp

€3,238 for 2 travellers

Flights, hotels & guided days included

Reserve with a 40% deposit by card: €1,295.20 for 2

Cancellation charges from 25% · Free date change up to 21 days before · Full schedule

  • 7 days · 6 nights

  • 3 flights includedIstanbul → Cappadocia → Izmir → Istanbul

  • Hotels & breakfast6 nights · istanbul & cappadocia & kusadasi

  • Private tripOnly your party

Next available: Wed 4 Nov · WhatsApp reply in ~1 h

Overview

Explore Istanbul, Cappadocia and Ephesus over 7 days with private guides and vehicles, domestic flights and six hotel nights. Start at Istanbul Airport and visit the Old City, Cappadocia and Ephesus.

Highlights

  • Walk through the Hippodrome and see the Blue Mosque
  • Visit Paşabağ, Zelve and Devrent Valley
  • Walk Ihlara Valley and explore Kaymaklı
  • See Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary
  • Visit carpet, onyx and leather workshops; no obligation to buy

Itinerary

7 days · Istanbul (3 nights) ✈ Cappadocia (2 nights) ✈ Izmir → kusadasi (1 night) → Izmir ✈ Istanbul

  1. Day 1Arrival at Istanbul Airport, Private TransferEvening at Sultanahmet Square
    Your private tour begins at Istanbul Airport (IST), where you land on your own international flight. Once you have cleared passport control and collected your bags, your private driver meets you in the arrivals hall and drives you to your hotel on the historic peninsula. No sightseeing is planned today, which leaves room to rest after the journey or take a first stroll towards Sultanahmet. Your private guide collects you from the hotel tomorrow morning for the Old City day.

    1. Meet your private driver at IST arrivals

      After customs, look for your driver holding a TurkeyVia sign in the arrivals hall. The meeting time is set from the flight details you give us when booking.

      Tip: Tell us about any change to your flight as early as possible.

    2. Airport to the old city

      Time here: about 1 hour

      Istanbul Airport lies on the city's northern edge, so the drive to the historic center usually takes about an hour and longer in rush-hour traffic.

    3. Check-in: central 3★ hotel in Istanbul

      The first of your three nights in Istanbul, in a double room with breakfast.

    4. Evening at Sultanahmet Square

      If you still have energy, the square between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia is a good place to get your bearings before tomorrow's tour.

      Tip: Dinner is not included tonight.

    Private air-conditioned vehicle with driver

    Overnight: Istanbul — central 3★ hotel

  2. Day 2Old City with Your Own Guide: Hippodrome to BazaarHippodrome and its monuments · Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) · Hagia Sophia upper gallery
    With a private licensed guide, you trace fifteen centuries of Istanbul on foot across the Sultanahmet district. The day starts at the Hippodrome, where Byzantine crowds once watched chariot races, and continues to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, the former cathedral of Emperor Justinian. After an included lunch, Topkapı Palace shows how the Ottoman court lived, and the Grand Bazaar closes the day. Your guide orders the visits around opening hours and prayer times. Tickets for Hagia Sophia's upper gallery and for Topkapı Palace with the Harem are not included in this tour.

    1. Hippodrome and its monuments

      Time here: about 30 min

      Now Sultanahmet Square, the old racecourse still holds the Obelisk of Theodosius, first raised for Pharaoh Thutmose III, and the bronze Serpent Column that Constantine brought from Delphi.

    2. Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)

      Time here: about 30 min

      Built between 1609 and 1617 for Sultan Ahmed I, the mosque owes its nickname to more than 20,000 İznik tiles inside. Entry is free.

      Tip: Cover shoulders and knees; women need a headscarf, and shoes come off at the entrance.

    3. Hagia Sophia upper gallery

      Time here: about 1 hour

      Dedicated in 537 under Justinian, it served as a church, a mosque, a museum from 1934 and a mosque again from 2020. Foreign visitors use a separate ticketed entrance to the upper gallery and its mosaics (ticket not included).

    4. Lunch near Sultanahmet

      Lunch at a local restaurant is included today; drinks are extra.

    5. Topkapı Palace and the Harem

      Time here: about 2 hours

      The sultans lived and ruled here for nearly four centuries. Walk through its courtyards, the Imperial Treasury and the tiled rooms of the Harem (ticket not included).

      Tip: The palace is closed on Tuesdays.

    6. Grand Bazaar

      Time here: about 1 hour

      Its oldest core was built in the years after the Ottoman conquest of 1453; today around 4,000 shops line its covered streets.

      Tip: The bazaar is closed on Sundays.

    Private vehicle for hotel pickup and return; sightseeing on foot

    Meals: Breakfast, lunchOvernight: Istanbul — central 3★ hotel

  3. Day 3Fly from Istanbul to Cappadocia for a private Red TourDevrent Valley · Paşabağ (Monks Valley) · Avanos pottery workshop
    After two nights in Istanbul, your private driver takes you from the hotel to the airport early for the morning flight to Cappadocia. Your guide meets you at Kayseri or Nevşehir with a TurkeyVia sign, and the private Red Tour begins from there. Where Istanbul was domes and minarets, today is volcanic landscape: Devrent Valley, the monk chimneys of Paşabağ, the pottery town of Avanos and the cave village of Zelve. A carpet workshop is also on the route. You check in at your cave hotel in the late afternoon.

    1. Private transfer to Istanbul Airport

      Your driver collects you from the hotel lobby early for the domestic flight.

    2. Flight to Kayseri or Nevşehir

      Economy seat, checked bag as per the fare; about 90 minutes in the air.

    3. Devrent Valley

      Time here: about 20 min

      Imagination Valley, where soft rock weathered into figures such as a camel and a seal.

    4. Paşabağ (Monks Valley)

      Time here: about 45 min

      The multi-headed chimneys drew hermits in the Byzantine period; one still has a chapel inside. Paşabağ and Zelve share one ticket.

    5. Avanos pottery workshop

      Time here: 30–45 min

      The potters of Avanos use red clay from Turkey’s longest river. Watch, or try the wheel; no obligation to buy.

    6. Lunch in Avanos

      Buffet lunch at a local restaurant; drinks extra.

    7. Zelve Open-Air Museum

      Time here: about 1 hr

      Once a village of cave homes and churches, left in the 1950s after rockfalls, now walked at your own pace.

    8. Carpet Weaving Education Center (about 30–45 min)

      A demonstration of carpet knotting, silk and natural dyes, with tea. No obligation to buy.

    9. Check-in in Cappadocia

      Private drop-off at your cave hotel.

    Domestic flight, private Cappadocia airport transfer, private vehicle with licensed guide

    Meals: Breakfast, lunchOvernight: Cappadocia — Celestial Cave Hotel or similar

  4. Day 4Kaymaklı, Ihlara and Selime on a private Green TourEsentepe panorama · Kaymaklı Underground City · Ihlara Valley walk
    A slower morning: breakfast at the hotel, then your guide collects you between 09:30 and 10:20 for the private Green Tour. It is the longest route in Cappadocia, about 9 hours with roughly 2¾ hours of driving, and having your own vehicle makes those drives easier. Go below ground in Kaymaklı, walk the Ihlara canyon at your pace, have lunch beside the river at Belisırma and explore the cliff monastery of Selime. The onyx and leather workshops come late in the afternoon. You return to the same cave hotel for a second night.

    1. Esentepe panorama

      Time here: about 15 min

      A look over Göreme before heading south.

    2. Kaymaklı Underground City

      Time here: about 45 min

      Carved rooms, air shafts and millstone doors on four open levels.

      Tip: Bring a light layer; it stays cool underground.

    3. Ihlara Valley walk

      Time here: about 2 hr

      About 3.5–4 km on the canyon floor past cave churches, with rest stops chosen by you.

    4. Lunch in Belisırma

      Riverside lunch; drinks extra.

    5. Selime Monastery

      Time here: about 45 min

      A monastery complex cut into the rock at Selime, included at no extra fee.

    6. Onyx workshop (about 30–45 min)

      Onyx carving demonstration and showroom. No obligation to buy.

    7. Leather workshop (about 30–45 min)

      Local leather garments and accessories. No obligation to buy.

    8. Back to your cave hotel

      Private drop-off; the evening is free.

    Private vehicle with a driver and a licensed English-speaking guide

    Meals: Breakfast, lunchOvernight: Cappadocia — Celestial Cave Hotel or similar

  5. Day 5Fly to İzmir and a Free Afternoon in KuşadasıFree time in Kuşadası
    After breakfast at your cave hotel, a private transfer takes you to the airport (Kayseri or Nevşehir) for the flight west to İzmir. Your driver meets you at İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport and follows the motorway south to Kuşadası, a drive of a little over an hour. The rest of the day is yours: walk the marina, cross the causeway to Pigeon Island with its small fortress, or relax at your hotel. Lunch and dinner are not included today, so ask your driver for a restaurant tip.

    1. Cappadocia hotel to airport

      Your private driver collects you from your cave hotel after breakfast.

    2. Cappadocia to İzmir flight

      An economy domestic flight from Kayseri (ASR) or Nevşehir (NAV) to İzmir (ADB).

    3. İzmir Airport to Kuşadası

      A private transfer of a little over an hour to your hotel on the coast.

    4. Free time in Kuşadası

      Stroll the harbor, see the 17th-century caravanserai near the old town, or cross to Pigeon Island (Güvercinada).

    Private airport transfers and domestic flight

    Meals: BreakfastOvernight: Kuşadası — Ephesus Centrum Hotel or similar

  6. Day 6İsa Bey Mosque, Ephesus and a Flight to Istanbulİsa Bey Mosque, Selçuk · Ephesus · Carpet Weaving Education Center (about 30–45 min)
    Your private guide collects you and your luggage from your Kuşadası hotel for a day built around Ephesus. You start in Selçuk at the İsa Bey Mosque, then walk through the ancient city; tickets for Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary are included, as is lunch in Selçuk. Afterwards you visit a carpet weaving center, the House of the Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artemis. Your driver then takes you to İzmir Airport for the evening flight back to Istanbul, where a private driver meets you and takes you to your hotel for the final night.

    1. İsa Bey Mosque, Selçuk

      Built in 1374–75 at the foot of Ayasuluk Hill, the mosque reuses granite columns taken from older buildings nearby.

    2. Ephesus

      Time here: about 2–2.5 hours

      Linger on Curetes Street as long as you like: the Temple of Hadrian, the latrines and the Library of Celsus are the classic stops, and your guide can add the Terrace Houses if you buy the extra ticket.

    3. Lunch in Selçuk

      Lunch at a local restaurant in Selçuk.

    4. Carpet Weaving Education Center (about 30–45 min)

      Tea and a demonstration of hand-knotting on the loom. No obligation to buy.

    5. House of the Virgin Mary

      Up on Bülbüldağı the air is cooler; visit the chapel, then the wishing wall below.

    6. Temple of Artemis

      A short look at the site of the Wonder, on the edge of Selçuk.

    7. İzmir to Istanbul flight

      Your private driver takes you to ADB for the evening economy flight to Istanbul.

    8. Private transfer to your Istanbul hotel

      Time here: about 1 hour

      Your driver waits in the arrivals hall with a TurkeyVia sign.

    Private air-conditioned vehicle, domestic flight and private Istanbul airport transfer

    Optional activities

    • Ephesus Terrace Houses (separate ticket) · Not included

    Meals: Breakfast, lunchOvernight: Istanbul — central 3★ hotel

  7. Day 7Departure: Private Transfer to Istanbul AirportFree morning in the old city
    Your seven days end in Istanbul, the city where they began. After breakfast at the hotel, the time until your transfer is free; how much of it you have depends on your international flight. Check out, ask the hotel whether it can hold your bags, and use the morning for a last walk or a coffee near Sultanahmet. At the agreed time your private driver collects you from the hotel lobby and takes you to Istanbul Airport. Lunch is not included today.

    1. Breakfast at the hotel

      Your last breakfast in Istanbul is included before check-out.

    2. Free morning in the old city

      With a later flight, there may be time to revisit a favorite corner or pick up something from the Grand Bazaar (closed on Sundays).

    3. Private transfer to Istanbul Airport (IST)

      Time here: about 1 hour

      Your driver meets you in the hotel lobby at a pickup time worked out from your flight.

      Tip: Plan to be at the airport around three hours before an international departure.

    Private vehicle with driver

    Meals: Breakfast

Download the day-by-day PDF

Flights and hotel

Flights

  • Istanbul → Cappadocia · day 3
  • Cappadocia → Izmir · day 5
  • Izmir → Istanbul · day 6

Economy class, checked bag as per the ticket fare. Have your own flights? Remove them when you book — the price updates.

Hotel

  • 3 nights in Istanbul: central 3★ hotel, double room with breakfast
  • 2 nights in Cappadocia: Celestial Cave Hotel or similar, double room with breakfast
  • 1 night in Kusadasi: Ephesus Centrum Hotel or similar, double room with breakfast

Pickup and route

Pickup
Istanbul Airport pickup included. Your driver will meet you at arrivals.
Route of Private 7-Day Istanbul, Cappadocia & Ephesus Tour1Istanbul Old City2Cappadocia3Ephesus
Route map is schematic — exact pickup and meeting points are in your confirmation.

What's included

Included

  • Private licensed English-speaking guide
  • Private sightseeing transport, all Istanbul airport–hotel transfers (including the domestic flight days), return Cappadocia airport–hotel transfers, and return İzmir Airport–Kuşadası transfers
  • Entrance tickets: Paşabağ and Zelve (one ticket), Ihlara Valley and Selime, Kaymaklı Underground City, Ephesus, House of the Virgin Mary
  • Lunch on day 2 in Istanbul, days 3 and 4 in Cappadocia and day 6 in Selçuk
  • 3 nights in Istanbul: central 3★ hotel, double room with breakfast
  • 2 nights in Cappadocia: Celestial Cave Hotel or similar, double room with breakfast
  • 1 night in Kusadasi: Ephesus Centrum Hotel or similar, double room with breakfast
  • Flight Istanbul → Cappadocia on day 3 (economy class; checked bag as per the ticket fare)
  • Flight Cappadocia → Izmir on day 5 (economy class; checked bag as per the ticket fare)
  • Flight Izmir → Istanbul on day 6 (economy class; checked bag as per the ticket fare)

Not included

  • Tips (optional)
  • Personal purchases
  • Drinks with meals
  • Dinner
  • Lunch on days 1, 5 and 7
  • Entrance tickets: Hagia Sophia (upper gallery), Topkapı Palace incl. Harem

Optional extras

  • Hotel nights (6 nights)
  • Domestic flights

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.

Where you'll stay

Cappadocia

Celestial Cave hotel or similar

Before you go

  • 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.

Payment and cancellation

Today
€1,295.20 deposit by card (3-D Secure), for 2 travellers.
On arrival
€1,780.90 in cash, in euros, with the 5% cash saving on the total already taken off.
  • 91 days or more: The 25% administrative fee is charged. 61–90 days: 55% of the total is charged (30% + the 25% administrative fee). 31–60 days: 65% of the total is charged (40% + the 25% administrative fee). 16–30 days: 95% of the total is charged (70% + the 25% administrative fee). 15 days or less or no-show: 100% of the total is charged. Charges are percentages of the total booking value and include the 25% administrative fee retained on every cancellation; non-refundable flight, hotel or entrance tickets already bought are added, up to 100% of the total. Your deposit is applied to the charge: if the charge is higher than your deposit, you pay us the difference; anything we hold above the charge is refunded within 14 days.
  • If a hotel in your package is booked on a non-refundable rate, we tell you before you pay and that night's cost is retained on cancellation.
  • Request cancellation in writing, by email or WhatsApp; the cancellation date is the day we receive your message. Refunds go back the way you paid, within 14 days: card payments to the same card. Shore excursions are paid on the day, so nothing is collected in advance.
  • If unavoidable extraordinary circumstances at the destination make the trip impossible, you receive a full refund, less any mandatory taxes and genuinely non-refundable third-party payments, itemised for you.
  • Date changes are free when requested at least 72 hours before a day tour, 24 hours before a shore excursion, or 21 days before a package or a day trip by plane, subject to availability. For these, a date change 14–20 days before departure costs €50 per booking; under 14 days it depends on availability, and any airline or hotel change fees are charged at cost. Name changes (passing your booking to someone else at least 7 days before departure) are free except for any airline name-change fee, charged at cost.
  • If TurkeyVia cancels, including because the minimum group size is not met, you can choose a full refund or an alternative.

If we can’t book your flights or hotel for your dates, that counts as our cancellation: a full refund to your card within 14 days, or another date if you prefer.

Full cancellation policy

Your contract is with İlke Seyahat Turizm Ticaret Gıda Orman Ürünleri Gemi Acenteliği İthalat İhracat Sanayi Limited Şirketi, Turgut Ozal Bulvari 67/1, Kusadasi, Aydin 09400, Turkey — the company behind TurkeyVia. Terms

Frequently asked questions

Who meets me at Istanbul Airport on the 7-day private tour?

Your private driver waits in the IST arrivals hall with a TurkeyVia sign after you clear customs, then takes you to your hotel. The meeting time follows the flight details you send us. If you land at Sabiha Gökçen or want another airport transfer, it can be arranged through our /airport-transfers page.

Can I use my own domestic flights on the 7-day private tour?

Yes. Remove the domestic flights option when booking and we meet you at the airport or your hotel instead, with the meeting time confirmed with your booking. The default flights are Istanbul to Cappadocia, Cappadocia to İzmir and İzmir back to Istanbul, all in economy class.

Which entrance tickets are not included in the 7-day private tour?

Hagia Sophia's upper gallery and Topkapı Palace with the Harem are not included; you buy those tickets at the sites on your Istanbul day. Paşabağ and Zelve (one ticket), Ihlara Valley with Selime, Kaymaklı Underground City, Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary are included.

What should I wear on the Istanbul, Cappadocia and Ephesus days?

For mosques, cover shoulders and knees; women need a headscarf, and shoes come off inside. Bring flat shoes with grip for Cappadocia's valleys and the worn marble of Ephesus, a layer for the cooler underground city, and sun protection for the open sites.

Does the 7-day private tour include workshop visits?

Yes: an Avanos pottery workshop and a carpet workshop on day 3 in Cappadocia, onyx and leather workshops on day 4, and a carpet workshop on day 6 near Ephesus. Each lasts about 30–45 minutes, there is no obligation to buy, and your guide may shorten a stop when time is tight.

Which lunches come with the 7-day private tour?

Lunch is included on day 2 in Istanbul, days 3 and 4 in Cappadocia and day 6 in Selçuk; dinners and drinks are not. Breakfast is served at every hotel. Tell us about vegetarian, allergy or other dietary needs when booking so each lunch can be arranged.

  • Your guided days are run by our own local team
  • On WhatsApp within about 1 hour, 09:00–18:00 Turkey time
  • Download the day-by-day PDF
  • Sold by İlke Seyahat Turizm Ticaret Gıda Orman Ürünleri Gemi Acenteliği İthalat İhracat Sanayi Limited Şirketi

Next available: Wed 4 Nov · WhatsApp reply in ~1 h

Planning guide

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