Turkey Highlights Private Tour, 21 Days
Overview
Turkey Highlights Private Tour, 21 Days
Set off on an extraordinary 21-day journey through the heart of Turkey, where East meets West and history comes alive. Discover the Ottoman history of Istanbul, relax at the hot springs of Pamukkale, explore the ruins of Ephesus and the otherworldly landscapes of Cappadocia.
Nemrut, Gobeklitepe and Eastern Turkey
The route goes much further: watch the sunrise from Mount Nemrut, uncover the secrets of Gobeklitepe and follow the Silk Road to the remarkable sites of Van, Kars and Erzurum.
Private transport and local experts make the journey comfortable, while the landscapes along the way are simply unforgettable.
All Transfers and Private Guides
Designed for travellers who want an authentic experience, the package includes excellent service, all transfers and private guided tours throughout. From the splendour of Topkapi Palace and a balloon flight over Cappadocia to the busy bazaars of Sanliurfa and Diyarbakir, it has everything for a trip of a lifetime.
There is nothing else to plan: you simply enjoy Turkey while we take care of the details.
Tour Info
Itinerary
Day 1 - Welcome to Istanbul
Our representative meets you at Istanbul Airport with a name sign and takes you to your hotel by private van.
After check-in the rest of the day is free to explore Istanbul on your own. Overnight in Istanbul.
*A member of our office team meets you on your first day to go through your tour details and hand over your documents. You can also make the balance payment to them.
Day 2 - Istanbul Old City Tour
Your guide meets you in your hotel lobby or at the cruise port to begin the Old City tour:
- Highlights of Topkapi Palace Museum
- Hippodrome / Sultanahmet Square
- Hagia Sophia
- Blue Mosque
- Grand Bazaar
At the end of the tour your guide accompanies you back to your hotel.
*If one of the mosques cannot be visited, the Basilica Cistern is visited instead.
Day 3 - Istanbul Bosphorus Region Tour
Your guide meets you in your hotel lobby or at the cruise port to begin the Bosphorus tour:
- Spice Market
- Bosphorus Cruise: by public ferry between the European and Asian shores, passing Galata Tower, Dolmabahce Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, Rumeli Fortress, old Ottoman mansions, the Bosphorus Bridge and waterfront mosques.
- Dolmabahce Palace
- Taksim Square
- Cicek Passage
- Istiklal Street
*Please let us know if you would prefer a private yacht for the Bosphorus cruise.
At the end of the tour your guide accompanies you back to your hotel.
Day 4 - Istanbul Golden Horn Tour
Your guide meets you in your hotel lobby or at the cruise port to begin the Golden Horn tour. You will visit:
- Suleymaniye Mosque
- Fener
- Balat
- St. Stephen Church
- Pierre Loti Hill and the cable car (enjoy a Turkish coffee or tea with a view of the Golden Horn)
- Chora Church (Kariye Mosque)
After the tour you are transferred to Istanbul Airport for your flight to Denizli. Our representative meets you on arrival with a name sign and takes you to your Denizli hotel by private van. Overnight in Denizli.
Day 5 - Pamukkale Tour
At 9:00 am your private guide and driver pick you up for the Pamukkale tour, home to the natural calcium pools formed by thermal water. Your local guide tells you about the sites on the way.
You will visit:
- The calcium pools
- Necropolis
- Roman Baths
- Domitian Gate
- Latrina
- Frontinus Street
- Agora
- Byzantium Gate
- Triton Fountain
- Cathedral
- Temple of Apollo
- Plutonium (explained from outside because of ongoing excavations)
- Theater
- Hierapolis
(Optional, extra cost) If time allows, you can swim in the Cleopatra Pool.
After the tour your guide and driver take you to your hotel in Kusadasi. Overnight in Kusadasi.
Day 6 - Pergamon Tour
At 9:00 am your private guide and driver pick you up for Pergamon and the Asclepion. You will visit:
- Pergamon Ancient City
- The Altar of Zeus
- The Acropolis
- The Asclepion
After the tour you are driven back to your hotel in Kusadasi. Overnight in Kusadasi.
Day 7 - Ephesus Tour
Your guide picks you up from your Kusadasi hotel and introduces the history of Ephesus before you explore the ancient city. With your guide's explanations you will visit:
- Great Theater
- Celsus Library
- Temple of Hadrian
- Harbor Street
- Terrace Houses
- House of the Virgin Mary
- Isa Bey Mosque
After the tour you are transferred to Izmir Airport for your flight to Kayseri. Our representative meets you on arrival with a name sign and takes you to your Cappadocia hotel by private van. Overnight in Cappadocia.
Day 8 - North Cappadocia Tour
Early in the morning you are picked up for a one-hour hot air balloon flight over the valleys of Cappadocia. After landing there is a small celebration in the valley and a flight certificate ceremony, and then you are taken back to your hotel for breakfast.
At 10:00 am your private guide and driver pick you up for the North Cappadocia tour, which includes:
- Uchisar Castle
- Goreme Open Air Museum
- Avanos
- Valley of Monks (Pasabag)
- Devrent Valley
After the tour your guide and driver drop you off at your hotel. Overnight in Cappadocia.
Day 9 - South Cappadocia Tour
Your private guide and driver meet you at your hotel at 10:00 am for the South Cappadocia tour. With your guide's explanations you will visit:
- Kaymakli Underground City
- Rose Valley
- Love Valley
- Pigeon Valley
- Ortahisar Castle
- Mustafapasa (Sinasos)
After the tour your guide and driver drop you off at your hotel. Overnight in Cappadocia.
Day 10 - Transfer to Adiyaman via Kayseri
At 9:00 am your private guide and driver pick you up for a drive across Turkey's heartland, along the ancient Silk Road via Kayseri.
On the way you visit the Karatay Caravanserai before arriving in Adiyaman. Overnight in Adiyaman.
Day 11 - Mount Nemrut Tour
Your private guide and driver pick you up early in the morning to climb Mount Nemrut and watch the sunrise over Mesopotamia.
During the tour you visit:
- Mount Nemrut, a testament to the ancient kings' wish to live on after death
- The Ataturk Dam on the mighty Euphrates
- Sanliurfa, the ancient city of prophets such as Abraham, and its famous sacred pool
After the tour you are taken to your hotel. Overnight in Sanliurfa.
Day 12 - Gobeklitepe Tour
At 9:00 am your private guide and driver pick you up for the drive to the ongoing excavations at Gobeklitepe.
The day includes:
- Gobeklitepe
- Diyarbakir
- The ancient city walls of Diyarbakir, said to be the longest continuous defensive walls in the world after the Great Wall of China
Overnight in Diyarbakir.
Day 13 - Mardin City Tour
At 9:00 am your private guide and driver pick you up for the drive from Diyarbakir to Mardin, set on a high hill above the plains of southeastern Anatolia.
During the tour you visit:
- Deyrulzafaran (the Saffron Monastery), once the seat of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate
- Hasankeyf on the Tigris River
- The town of Tatvan
Overnight in Tatvan.
Day 14 - Akdamar Island Tour
At 9:00 am your private guide and driver pick you up for the drive to Van via Akdamar Island, where you visit:
- The Armenian Church of the Holy Cross (Surp Khach)
- The city of Van
Overnight in Van.
Day 15 - Hosap Castle Tour
At 9:00 am your private guide and driver pick you up for a drive to the south. During the tour you visit:
- The Silk Road (Ipek Yolu)
- Hosap Castle
- The 3,000-year-old Citadel of Van
- Lake Van
Overnight in Van.
Day 16 - Dogubayazit Tour
At 9:00 am your private guide and driver pick you up for the drive to Dogubayazit. The day includes:
- The city of Agri
- Muradiye and the Bendimahi Falls
- Ishak Pasha Palace
- Mount Ararat, with your guide's explanations
Overnight in Kars.
Day 17 - Ani Ruins Tour
At 9:00 am your private guide and driver pick you up to spend the morning at Ani, the former capital of the great medieval Armenian kingdom.
You visit:
- The Citadel of Ani
- The mosque and the long, well-preserved defensive walls
Overnight in Kars.
Day 18 - Sarikamis Tour
At 9:00 am your private guide and driver pick you up to follow the Aras River west through the First World War battlefield of Sarikamis.
During the tour you visit:
- The Sarikamis region
- The Aras River
- Cobandede Bridge
- The city of Erzurum
Overnight in Erzurum.
Day 19 - Transfer to Trabzon / Sumela Monastery Tour
At 9:00 am your private guide and driver pick you up for the drive from Erzurum to Trabzon.
On the way you see:
- The Pontic Alps
- The Karasu River
- Askale
- The Kop Pass
- The Coruh Valley
- Sumela Monastery, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and a monastic site since the 4th century AD
- Altindere Valley National Park
Overnight in Trabzon.
Day 20 - Flight from Trabzon to Istanbul
You are taken from your hotel to Trabzon Airport for your flight to Istanbul. Our representative meets you at Istanbul Airport with a name sign and takes you to your hotel by private van. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 21 - Departure from Istanbul
A free day in Istanbul to explore the city at your own pace. You are transferred to Istanbul Airport in time for your international flight.
*If you would like to skip the last day in Istanbul, we can arrange your flights so that you connect directly to your international flight on arrival. Just let us know and we will adjust the programme to your flight schedule.
This is the end of our service. Thank you for travelling with us; we look forward to welcoming you again.
Inclusions & Exclusions
- ✓Private Tours
- ✓Local Tour Guides
- ✓Domestic Flights (Economy Class)
- ✓Transportation by Private Van
- ✓Airport Transfers (Mentioned)
- ✓1-Hour Hot Air Balloon Ride (Optional)
- ✓Museum Tickets & Attraction Fees
- ✓Toll & Fuel Fees
- ✓Local Taxes
- ✕Optional Activities & Tours
- ✕International Flights
- ✕Hotel Bookings (Available Upon Request)
- ✕Meals & Drinks
- ✕Gratuity (Suggested)
- ✕Travel Insurance
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel free of charge up to 7 days before the tour for a full refund. Cancellations within 7 days of the tour are not refundable. All times are local time.
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Travel guides
Turkey highlights private tour, 21 days: what you need to know
This private three-week journey crosses all of Turkey, from Istanbul and the Aegean to Cappadocia, Mount Nemrut and Gobeklitepe, and on to the far east around Van, Dogubayazit and Kars, and the Black Sea. Highlights include Ephesus, Pergamon and its Asclepion, Pamukkale, Cappadocia, the giant statues of Nemrut, Gobeklitepe and the Ishak Pasha Palace. Economy-class domestic flights, airport transfers, a private van, local guides, museum tickets, tolls, fuel and local taxes are included; a hot air balloon ride can be added. The price depends on your dates and group size, so we quote it on request.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 21 days |
| Price | Quoted on request for your dates and group |
| Type | Fully private, with local guides |
| Route | Istanbul, Aegean, Pamukkale, Cappadocia, Mount Nemrut, Gobeklitepe, Van, Dogubayazit, Kars, Black Sea |
| Included | Domestic flights, transfers, private van, local guides, museum tickets, tolls and fuel, local taxes |
| Optional | Hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia |
Who is a 21-day tour of Turkey for?
Travellers who want to see the whole country, not just the classic west. After the familiar highlights of Istanbul, Ephesus and Cappadocia, the journey continues into regions few visitors reach: the Commagene statues of Nemrut, prehistoric Gobeklitepe, the shores of Lake Van, the Ishak Pasha Palace near Mount Ararat, the city of Kars, and the green mountains of the Black Sea.
What are the highlights?
| Region | Highlights |
|---|---|
| Istanbul and the Aegean | Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Pergamon, the Asclepion, Ephesus, House of the Virgin Mary |
| Pamukkale and Cappadocia | Travertines, Hierapolis, Goreme Open Air Museum, Kaymakli Underground City |
| Southeast | Mount Nemrut, Gobeklitepe |
| Far east | Van, Dogubayazit and the Ishak Pasha Palace, Kars |
| Black Sea | Mountains, tea gardens and coastal towns |
What is the Ishak Pasha Palace?
The Ishak Pasha Palace, near Dogubayazit, is an 18th-century palace complex set on a hillside beneath the mountains close to Mount Ararat, blending Ottoman, Persian and Seljuk architectural styles. Its setting is one of the most dramatic in Turkey.
How does it compare with our other long tours?
| Turkey tour | Length | Focus | Price from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best of Turkey private tour | 14 days | Central and western Turkey | On request |
| Western Turkey private tour | 20 days | The west with a Blue Cruise | On request |
| This tour | 21 days | All of Turkey, east to Kars | On request |
| Ancient civilisations of southeastern Turkey | 9 days | The southeast only | On request |
How much is the Cappadocia balloon?
It is optional; the standard sunrise flight starts at $199 per person.
When is the best time for a full tour of Turkey?
Late May to June and September are ideal: the Nemrut summit and eastern highlands are accessible, and the west is not yet too hot. The east and Kars are very cold in winter, and some mountain roads close.
What should you bring?
Clothing for very different climates, from hot Aegean days to cold mornings on Nemrut and the eastern plateau, comfortable walking shoes, a rain jacket for the Black Sea, modest clothing for religious sites, and your passport for the domestic flights.
How do you book?
Send us your preferred dates and the number of travellers through the form on this page or on WhatsApp. We confirm the price, hotels and full itinerary in writing, and you pay only after confirmation. For more ideas see our Eastern Turkey tours, Gobeklitepe tours and Turkey tour packages.
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