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Private 3-Day Cappadocia Tour from IstanbulRed, South & Green

Istanbul ✈ Cappadocia (2 nights) ✈ Istanbul · flights included

From €759 pp

€1,518 for 2 travellers

Flights, hotel & guided days included

Reserve with a 40% deposit by card: €607.20 for 2

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

  • 3 days · 2 nightsRed, South & Green

  • 2 flights includedIstanbul ⇄ Cappadocia

  • Cave hotel2 nights · breakfast

  • Private tripOnly your party

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

Overview

Take a private 3-day Cappadocia tour from Istanbul across the Red, South and Green routes. Visit Devrent, Paşabağ, Avanos, Zelve, Çavuşin, Özkonak, Ihlara Valley, Kaymaklı and Selime, with your own guide and vehicle in Cappadocia.

Highlights

  • See Devrent Valley, Paşabağ and Zelve
  • Visit Avanos on the Red route
  • Explore Çavuşin, Özkonak and Ortahisar
  • Walk through Ihlara Valley
  • Tour Cappadocia with your own guide and vehicle

Itinerary

3 days · Istanbul ✈ Cappadocia (2 nights) ✈ Istanbul

  1. Day 1Red Tour at your own pace after the morning flightDevrent Valley · Paşabağ (Monks Valley) · Avanos pottery workshop
    A private transfer takes you from your Istanbul hotel to the airport before dawn, and your own guide and driver wait at arrivals in Kayseri or Nevşehir. From there the Red Tour belongs to your party alone: longer at the chimneys if you are photographers, a quicker lunch if you prefer more time walking. The day links Devrent Valley, Paşabağ, Avanos and Zelve, with a pottery demonstration and a carpet workshop on the way. About 2.5 km of walking over uneven ground. Your guide drops you at the cave hotel in the late afternoon.

    1. Private pickup from your Istanbul hotel

      Your driver meets you in the lobby at the time given with your booking and drives you to the departure airport.

    2. Domestic flight to Cappadocia

      Economy flight to Kayseri (ASR) or Nevşehir Kapadokya (NAV); from Kayseri it is about an hour by road to the first stop.

    3. Devrent Valley

      Time here: about 30 min

      A lunar-looking hollow where erosion shaped rocks into animals, the camel being the one everyone looks for. With your own vehicle you can stop at the quieter end.

    4. Paşabağ (Monks Valley)

      Time here: about 45 min

      Hermits once lived inside these mushroom-capped cones; one three-headed chimney hides a small chapel tied to St Simeon Stylites. The site shares one ticket with Zelve.

    5. Avanos pottery workshop

      Time here: 30–45 min

      Watch a bowl rise on a kick wheel and ask to try it yourself; the clay comes from the banks of the Kızılırmak, the longest river in Turkey. No obligation to buy.

    6. Lunch in Avanos

      Open buffet at a local restaurant, at a time that suits your party. Drinks not included.

    7. Zelve Open-Air Museum

      Time here: about 1 hr

      A whole cave village across three valleys, with rock-cut churches, homes and a mosque, left empty in the 1950s. Your guide can pick the route to match your energy.

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

      A demonstration of hand-knotting on the loom, silk taken from cocoons and wool colored with natural dyes, with tea. Viewing only if you wish; no obligation to buy.

    9. Check-in in Cappadocia

      Private drop-off at your cave hotel; the evening is free.

    Private air-conditioned vehicle with driver and licensed guide

    Meals: LunchOvernight: Cappadocia — Celestial Cave Hotel or similar

  2. Day 2South Tour for your party: Çavuşin and ÖzkonakÇavuşin old village · Özkonak Underground City · Onyx workshop (about 30–45 min)
    Your guide collects you at the hotel between 09:30 and 10:20; the exact time is confirmed the evening before. With a private vehicle the South Tour runs at your pace, which matters on the uphill walk into old Çavuşin, where you can take the steep parts slowly or skip them. Özkonak Underground City is less visited than the big southern sites, so you usually have its tunnels almost to yourselves. Viewpoints over Ortahisar and Pigeon Valley, lunch, and onyx and leather workshops complete a day of about 8 hours and 3 km on foot.

    1. Çavuşin old village

      Time here: 30–45 min

      Houses and an early church dedicated to St John the Baptist are cut into a crumbling cliff that villagers left in the early 1960s. Your guide explains the Red Valley view from the top.

      Tip: Wear shoes with grip for the loose sections.

    2. Özkonak Underground City

      Time here: about 45 min

      A local farmer found it in 1972; four of its ten floors are open. Ceiling holes over the corridors were used to drop hot sand on attackers, a defense you rarely see elsewhere.

    3. Lunch

      Open buffet at a local restaurant; ask your guide to shift the time if you would rather eat early or late.

    4. Onyx workshop (about 30–45 min)

      A craftsman turns a rough block into a thin, glowing bowl on the lathe, and the finished pieces fill the next room. There is no obligation to buy.

    5. Ortahisar rock castle viewpoint

      Time here: about 30 min

      The tall rock castle of Ortahisar honeycombed with rooms, with Pigeon Valley and its carved dovecotes on the same stretch of road.

    6. Leather workshop (about 30–45 min)

      See how jackets are cut and finished from lamb leather, then the showroom. Take it as a look at a local trade; no obligation to buy.

    7. Return to your hotel

      Private drop-off in the late afternoon.

    Private air-conditioned vehicle with driver and licensed guide

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

  3. Day 3Your own Green Tour, then the flight to IstanbulEsentepe viewpoint over Göreme · Kaymaklı Underground City · Ihlara Valley walk to Belisırma
    On the last day you check out and set off between 09:30 and 10:20 with your own guide and driver, heading southwest for the longest of the Cappadocia routes. Kaymaklı Underground City, the Ihlara Valley walk and the rock-cut monastery at Selime take about 9 hours with roughly 2¾ hours of driving. A private vehicle means your luggage can stay on board all day and you choose where to linger. In the evening your driver takes you to the airport for the flight to Istanbul, where the package ends.

    1. Esentepe viewpoint over Göreme

      Time here: about 15 min

      A first look at the valleys around Göreme from the ridge above town.

    2. Kaymaklı Underground City

      Time here: about 45 min

      Several levels of rooms, ventilation shafts and stone doors hewn into soft tuff, where villagers could shelter with their animals and food stores.

      Tip: Stooping is needed in several passages.

    3. Ihlara Valley walk to Belisırma

      Time here: about 2 hr

      A walk of about 3.5–4 km on the floor of a canyon up to 150 m deep, past frescoed churches such as Ağaçaltı and Kokar. Set your own pace; there is no group to keep up with.

    4. Riverside lunch in Belisırma

      Tables by the stream in the village at the end of the walk. Drinks are extra.

    5. Selime Monastery

      Time here: about 45 min

      At the northern end of the valley, this complex of church, halls and stables carved into the cliff at Selime village is included at no extra fee.

      Tip: The upper rooms need a short scramble.

    6. Private transfer to the airport

      Your driver takes you and your bags straight from the last stop to Kayseri or Nevşehir airport.

    7. Flight to Istanbul

      Economy evening flight. The tour ends at Istanbul airport, and a private hotel transfer is available from our airport transfers service.

    Private air-conditioned vehicle, airport transfer and domestic flight

    Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Download the day-by-day PDF

Flights and hotel

Flights

  • Istanbul → Cappadocia · day 1
  • Cappadocia → Istanbul · day 3

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

Hotel

  • 2 nights in Cappadocia: Celestial Cave Hotel or similar, double room with breakfast

Pickup and route

Route of Private 3-Day Cappadocia Tour from Istanbul — Red, South & Green1Cappadocia2Istanbul Old City
Route map is schematic — exact pickup and meeting points are in your confirmation.

What's included

Included

  • Private licensed English-speaking guide
  • Private air-conditioned sightseeing transport, Istanbul hotel pickup to the airport, and Cappadocia airport arrival and departure transfers
  • Entrance tickets: Paşabağ and Zelve (one ticket), Özkonak Underground City, Ihlara Valley and Selime, Kaymaklı Underground City
  • Lunch on days 1–3 in Cappadocia
  • 2 nights in Cappadocia: Celestial Cave Hotel or similar, double room with breakfast
  • Flight Istanbul → Cappadocia on day 1 (economy class; checked bag as per the ticket fare)
  • Flight Cappadocia → Istanbul on day 3 (economy class; checked bag as per the ticket fare)

Not included

  • Tips (optional)
  • Personal purchases
  • Drinks with meals
  • Dinner

Optional extras

  • Hotel nights (2 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
€607.20 deposit by card (3-D Secure), for 2 travellers.
On arrival
€834.90 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

How does the private 3-day Cappadocia tour differ from the group version?

The route is the same Red, South and Green days, but your party has its own licensed guide and vehicle. You set the pace at each stop, choose when to eat lunch and can keep luggage in the car on the last day.

Can we fly into Cappadocia on our own tickets for the private tour?

Yes. Remove the flights option when booking and tell us your flight numbers; your guide meets you at Kayseri or Nevşehir airport. A late landing shortens the first day, since sightseeing starts when you arrive.

Is the private Cappadocia tour suitable for children or older travelers?

Mostly, because the guide adapts the walking. Two parts need care: the steep climb in old Çavuşin on day 2, and on day 3 the low tunnels of Kaymaklı plus a canyon walk of several kilometers in Ihlara.

What should we wear in Cappadocia on the private tour?

Walking shoes with good grip, a hat and sunscreen for the open valleys, and a light layer for the underground cities, which stay cool all year.

Are there workshop visits on the private 3-day itinerary?

Yes: pottery in Avanos and the Carpet Weaving Education Center on day 1, and onyx and leather workshops on day 2, each about 30–45 minutes, with no obligation to buy.

Do we get a transfer to our hotel back in Istanbul?

The package ends at Istanbul airport after the evening flight on day 3. For the ride to your hotel, book a private car through our airport transfers page.

  • 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

Page updated

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Questions before you book? Message us on WhatsApp.

Tell us your dates, your ship or the tour you like. We reply on WhatsApp within about 1 hour, 09:00–18:00 Turkey time, and in the evening whenever we can.

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