Best Day Tours

A day tour on this list is one guided outing that starts and ends on the same day, usually between 7 and 12 hours. Some stay inside Istanbul, some leave the city by road or ferry, and a few fly out in the morning and back at night. The list also includes day trips that start in Antalya, Cappadocia, Trabzon and the cruise ports, so check the start point on each card before you compare prices.

Inside Istanbul or out of the city

For a first full day in the city, the Istanbul Private Full-Day City Tour starts at $180 per person: eight hours with a licensed guide who collects you at your hotel and walks you through Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. Museum tickets, lunch and a car are not part of that price. If you have already seen the old city, the Istanbul Asian Side Private Tour with Beylerbeyi Palace costs more ($450 per person) because it runs by private van between Uskudar, Kuzguncuk, Camlica Hill and the palace, a side of Istanbul most first-time visitors skip.

Leaving the city costs hours on the road more than money. The group Bursa Full-Day Tour with Cable Car & Lunch is $75 per person and already includes the Marmara ferry, the Uludag cable car and lunch. The group Troy Ancient City Tour with Lunch & Ferry Ride is $175 per person with the Troy ticket and a Dardanelles crossing, but most of the day is spent in the vehicle. The Private Edirne Day Trip with Selimiye Mosque starts at $370 per person for 12 hours; entrance fees are included, lunch is not.

Day trips by plane

Pamukkale, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Gobeklitepe are too far to reach by road and come back the same day, so these tours fly. The Pamukkale Day Trip from Istanbul by Plane is $499 per person with round-trip flights to Denizli, hotel and airport transfers, a licensed guide, entrance tickets and lunch; only Cleopatra's Antique Pool is extra. The private flight day trips to Cappadocia and Gobeklitepe are priced for your date, because domestic fares move with the season.

The downside of a flying day trip is the schedule: an early flight out and a late one back make a long day, and in Cappadocia you cannot be in the air at sunrise for a balloon flight. If you have the time, a two-day trip from our multi-day trips list gives you more hours on site for a smaller jump in price.

Who a day tour suits

• Travellers who want one hotel for the whole stay and no packing between cities.
• Families and friends who want a private guide: only your own group takes part, and the day follows your pace.
• Anyone who has three or more days in Istanbul and wants one day outside the city walls.

A day tour is a poor fit if you want to see a place in the evening light or stay for dinner in a village. Bursa, Edirne and Troy all feel rushed after 4pm because the drive back has to start.

Practical tips and combinations

The cheapest day on the list is the Private Princes' Islands Day Trip, from $48.33 per person with a private guide and public ferry tickets; transfers between your hotel and the pier are not included. On summer weekends the island ferries fill with Istanbul families, so a weekday is calmer. Read more about the islands on our Princes' Islands guide.

A full day on foot or in a van leaves most people tired but free after 6pm. That is a good slot for something from our night tours and shows, such as a dinner cruise with hotel pick-up. For a side-by-side comparison of travel times and prices, see Istanbul day trips compared.