9-Day Cappadocia to Istanbul Grand Tour

Day by day

Your itinerary

1. Day1

   Arrival in Kayseri and Cappadocia

   On arrival in Kayseri, visit the Hunat Hatun complex, a masterpiece of 13th-century Seljuk architecture built for a sultan's wife. Then drive into Cappadocia for dinner at your hotel and a first night among the fairy chimneys.

   Overnight in Cappadocia

2. Day2

   Cappadocia

   Start at dawn, if you like, with an optional hot-air balloon flight. After breakfast, go underground in the eight levels of Kaymaklı Underground City, look out over Pigeon Valley, and see the painted rock churches of the Göreme Open-Air Museum. End the day with the castle rock of Uçhisar and the potters of Avanos, on the banks of the Red River.

   Overnight in Cappadocia

3. Day3

   Cappadocia to Antalya via Konya

   A long and rewarding travel day along the old caravan routes. Stop at a 13th-century Seljuk caravanserai, where merchants once rested with their camels, then visit Konya and the Mausoleum of Mevlana Rumi, the great Sufi poet. Cross the Taurus Mountains and arrive in Antalya in the evening.

   Overnight in Antalya

4. Day4

   Antalya and Aspendos

   Discover Antalya on foot: Hadrian's Gate, the Clock Tower, Republic Square with its views across the bay to the Olympos mountains, the Broken Minaret and the lanes of the old town. See the Düden Waterfalls tumble towards the sea, then visit Aspendos and its magnificent Roman theatre.

   Overnight in Antalya

5. Day5

   Termessos and Pamukkale

   Climb into the mountains to Termessos, an ancient city so well hidden that even Alexander the Great could not take it. Continue to Pamukkale, where you walk on the white travertine terraces and explore the ancient spa city of Hierapolis and its vast necropolis.

   Overnight in Pamukkale

6. Day6

   Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary

   Drive west to the Aegean. Visit the House of the Virgin Mary in the hills, walk the marble streets of Ephesus to the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre, and see the lone column of the Temple of Artemis, once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Continue to Kuşadası on the coast.

   Overnight in Kuşadası

7. Day7

   Pergamon and Troy

   Head north to Pergamon, where you visit the ancient healing centre of the Asclepion and the dramatic Acropolis high above the town. After lunch, walk among the layered walls of Troy, the city of Homer's Iliad, and arrive in Çanakkale on the Dardanelles.

   Overnight in Çanakkale

8. Day8

   Çanakkale to Istanbul

   Cross the Dardanelles and drive through Thrace, with a stop in Tekirdağ, to Istanbul. In the afternoon, discover the heart of the old city: Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome and the Grand Bazaar.

   Overnight in Istanbul

9. Day9

   Departure

   Breakfast at the hotel and free time to enjoy Istanbul at leisure, then a transfer to the airport for your flight home.