Best of Turkey Tour
Nine days to explore the best of Turkey’s main attractions and historical sites including the Roman ruins of Ephesus, the centre of old Constantinople, and the fairy chimney landscape of Cappadocia. Swim in the pool of Cleopatra at Pamukkale and enjoy the tranquillity of the house of the virgin Mary.
Small Group Tours (Usually 8 to 12)
Boutique Hotels
Flights Only (No Long Bus Trips)
Highlights
Nine days to explore the best of Turkey’s main attractions and historical sites including the Roman ruins of Ephesus, the centre of old Constantinople, and the fairy chimney landscape of Cappadocia. Swim in the pool of Cleopatra at Pamukkale and enjoy the tranquillity of the house of the virgin Mary.
Tour Itinerary
Pick up from the airport (or cruise port) and transfer to your hotel by private car. Overnight stay in Istanbul.
Pick up from your hotel & visit Haghia Sophia, Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, Grand Bazaar and Topkapi Palace (Harem not included). Overnight stay in Istanbul.
Pick up from your hotel & visit the Spice Bazaar, enjoy the Bosphorus by Boat, Beylerbeyi Palace, Bosphorus Bridge and Camlica Hill. Overnight stay in Istanbul.
Pick up from your hotel in Istanbul & morning flight to Pamukkale, then lunch. In the afternoon, tour the 'Cotton Castle.' Bring swimwear as you may have time to swim in the Antique Pool (extra fee applies.) Also visit the ancient ruins of the City of Hierapolis with its theatre and Necropolis. After the tour, transfer to your hotel in Kusadasi to visit Ephesus the next day. Overnight in Kusadasi.
Pick up from your hotel & visit the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. Then visit Ephesus Ancient City, the best-preserved Greco-Roman city in the world. Here you will explore the Agora, Odeon, Celsius Library, Hadrian Temple, Roman Baths, Grand Theatre & Marble Street. After a lunch break, visit the House of Virgin Mary, where she is thought to have spent her final years. Overnight stay in Kusadasi.
Pick up from your hotel & transfer to the airport & flight to Cappadocia (maybe via Istanbul). Transfer to your hotel on arrival to Cappadocia. Overnight in a cave hotel in Cappadocia.
05:00 Hot air balloon flight over Cappadocia (Optional Extra - please contact us for price) Hotel pickup, then a quick snack and safety briefing. Watching the balloon inflate, then you're off! Soaring over fairy chimneys, and dipping low to skim cave dwellings. This may be your favourite part of your Turkey trip - it will certainly be unforgettable. Celebrate a soft landing with a quick drink, and return to your hotel for breakfast around 8.30am. Full Day Cappadocia Tour - (North) Pick up from your hotel & tour start from Devrent Valley (Imagination Valley), spectacular fairy chimneys and beautiful and scapes. After Devrent valley, we will visit Pasabag (known as Monk valley) where we will see double and triple headed rock formations. Lunch at Avanos, famous for pottery and Redriver (Kızılırmak). After lunch, you will visit Goreme open air museum which is in the heart of Cappadocia. Open air museum famous for wall painting, dates back to 10th century describing the life of Jesus Christ and monks. The last stop will be the Uchisar castle, natural and one of the biggest mass fairy chimney of the region. Overnight stay in Cappadocia.
Full Day Cappadocia Tour - (South) Pick up from your hotel & tour starts with Red valley. Explore the famous rock-cut churches and hike through the colourful and breath taking fairy chimneys. After 4 kms hiking, you will visit Cavusin (Greek village), famous for rock cut churches. After lunch, you will visit the one of the magical places of the region, the largest underground city of Cappadocia. After the underground city, you will visit the pigeon valley famous for dovecotes. The last stop is Ortahisar castle, one of the biggest mass fairy chimney of Cappadocia. After the tour, transfer to airport for your flight back to Istanbul. Overnight stay in Istanbul.
Pick up from the hotel according to your flight (or cruise) schedule and transfer to the airport (or cruise port).
You can customize this trip with additional days! Slow the pace with rest days in locations of your choice, or add additional sightseeing days along the route.
Tour Map
Tour Details
Hotels
We only work with hand-selected hotels. Our hotels go through stringent testing to ensure quality, comfort and service. We are one of the a few travel agencies in Istanbul who provide our customers with a mobile number accessible 24 hours a day, in case of emergicencies
Departure Date
DAILY GUARANTEED DEPARTURES
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Start DateFinish DateDay / Days / Every Day
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Start Date: 01.01.2024Finish Date: 31.12.2024Day / Days / Every Day: Every Day
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Start Date: 01.01.2025Finish Date: 31.12.2025Day / Days / Every Day: Every Day
Price List
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StartFinishSingleDouble/Twin PPTriple PP
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Start: 01.01.2024Finish: 31.12.2024Single: 4,198 AUDDouble/Twin PP: 3,187 AUDTriple PP: 3,018 AUD
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Start: 01.01.2025Finish: 31.12.2025Single: 4,535 AUDDouble/Twin PP: 3,321 AUDTriple PP: 3,153 AUD
Book Now / Enquiry
If you are traveling with children, please send us an enquiry through the below form for costing and further information.
Reviews
Christine McTaggart
Australia
I would like to thank Turkey Travel tours for a brilliant tour around Turkey. They were very helpful and even when things did not go to plan, they quickly sorted out all the issues. I would recommend this company highly to anyone who wishes to travel to Turkey. i want to pick another one of their tours soon.
Read MoreSally Sawyer
USA
Michael Thank you so much for all hour help. We had a great time on our trip and will recommend you company to others. Thanks, Sally
Read MoreNeha Joshi
India
Greetings Michael, On behalf of my family, I would like to thank you and your team for making our stay in turkey comfortable and pleasant. And a special thanks for the Turkish night, it was a real delight :).
Read MoreKelly Torez
USA
Three months ago, I emailed Michael Altan requesting a quote as well as more information about his tour company. Michael replied immediately and gave me different tour options. For two months, I emailed him very frequently and asked an array of questions because I was traveling alone. His prompt responses and great professionalism were what made me book his tour company! He worked with my ideas and booked the locations I wanted to visit at an amazing price! Upon arriving in Istanbul, Turkey, my contact travel advisor was Ihsan Dincel (co-operator of Turkey Travel Centre). Ihsan Dincel welcomed me to Turkey via telephone and provided me with his direct cell phone number to call him should anything arise. During my 13-day stay in Turkey, I did not have to worry about a single thing! All my hotel transfers, hotel stay, tour guides and accommodations were taken care of; I almost felt like family. While many other tour groups had to take long 10-12 hr bus rides to their next location, I enjoyed taking 3 domestic flights between cities in Turkey. Turkey Travel Centre really emphasizes their ability to make their guests comfortable during vacation and they do this every step of the way.
Read MoreBronya B.
Australia
We had an incredible adventure in Turkey. Everything was well organised - the hotels were very comfortable and boutique. We were worried about travelling Turkey as vegans, however we were looked after at every meal with plenty of options. We felt we were in safe hands the entire time. We had the best time on the Best of Turkey tour and would recommend it to anyone of any age! Thank you Turkey Travel Centre, we would love to return.
Read MoreLeigh & Carol Treyvaud
Australia
Hello Michael We have now returned to Australia having finished our travels for the time being. We wanted to write to thank you and all concerned for organising our fabulous tour of various parts of Turkey. From the beginning, we were impressed with the quick and appropriate email responses to any queries we had about the itinerary. Needless to say everything went flawlessly due to the planning, organisation and our guides and drivers who looked after us so well. We have also posted on Trip Advisor I hope, a suitable review to endorse our compliments. Regards Leigh & Carol
Read MoreBlogs
Sites to Visit in Ephesus Ancient City
Roman Terrace Houses at Ephesus
Although the ancient ruins of Ephesus have many historical landmarks to boast about, a highlighted and most celebrated of recent years is the Roman terrace houses. Sitting on the Bulbul Mountain slope, they belonged to wealthy citizens who used slaves to clean and maintain their immaculate homes. The interior floor and wall mosaics are why they have taken centre stage, and they are marvellous artefacts depicting how rich people lived.
The Ancient Celsius Library
Sitting at the end of the main street, the majestic Celsius library was one of three sizeable ancient world libraries. Holding 12,000 scrolls, it was a pinnacle point in the social life of philosophers and creative artisans.
Built-to honour the Roman senator of the same name, his tomb was underneath. It is because of extensive restoration work that took place for eight years in the 70s that we can see the library’s front facade because a 3rd-century earthquake demolished it.
Seeing the Celsius library portrays how important wisdom was to Romans, prompting them to store information in public buildings all over their empire. So necessary was knowledge to them that the architecture and foundation were well planned out.
Ephesus City’s State Agora
The 4th-century state agora built under the rule of Alexander the Great was a business capital where state heads converged to discuss business matters. The ruins that stand now are not the original structure but remains of the restored Agora under the efforts of Faustina, the wife of Marcus Aurelius.
Although used for commerce and trade, they found a terra cotta sarcophagus on-site, suggesting that a necropolis existed in the 7th and 6th centuries BC. Aside from a necropolis, a discovered water reservoir supplied water to Ephesus.
Artemis Temple near Ephesus
The 7th century BC Artemis Temple of Artemis, built under King Croesus of Lydia’s reign was a place of worship to Artemis, the Greek goddess of hunt and wilderness, who was also the twin of Apollo.
Except for its roof, the marble temple succeeded the Parthenon’s grandiosity. It was a sanctuary for beautiful pieces of art, much of those were sculptures by the famous Greek artists Kresilas, Phidias and Polyclitus.
The wealthy citizens of Ephesus also donated extravagant pieces of jewellery, silver, and gold to adorn the temple but in 356 BC, a young man named Herostratus, who wanted to gain infamy burned down the magnificent building.
The British Museum now holds fragments and remains found in the early 1900s. Philo of Byzantium, a 3rd-century Greek engineer and writer, wrote…. “I have seen the walls and Hanging Gardens of ancient Babylon, the statue of Olympian Zeus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the mighty work of the high Pyramids and the tomb of Mausolus. However, when I saw the temple at Ephesus rising to the clouds, all these other wonders were put in the shade.”
The Virgin Mary’s House
Devoted Christians should visit the Virgin Mary house, believed to have been her last home before she ascended. Records say Mary was delegated to Saint John the Baptist’s care by Jesus Christ after his resurrection, and John brought Mary to Ephesus where he also planned to spread the teachings of Christ.
The House of Virgin Mary is a humble example of Roman architecture, made from stones. Christian and Muslim pilgrims and tourists visit the House of Virgin Mary to pay tribute, offer prayers and drink from the miraculous springs nearby. You can combine a visit with tours to Ephesus or nearby Selcuk, which also holds such sites like Saint John’s basilica.
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