Best Multi-Day Trips

The trips on this page run from two days to a month and fall into two groups that look similar but are priced very differently. The first group is fixed-programme packages with flights, hotel and group tours in one price. The second is private itineraries with your own guide and van in each region, where the hotel is often booked separately so you can choose your own standard. Reading the inclusions on each tour page before comparing prices saves a lot of confusion.

Packages with flights and hotel

These are the easiest to compare because the price per person already covers domestic flights, one or more hotel nights, transfers and guided tours with lunch. The 2-Day Cappadocia Tour from Istanbul with Flights & Hotel starts at $450 per person. The 2-Day Ephesus & Pamukkale Tour with Flights is $675 per person with a night in Pamukkale, entrance fees and lunches. For three regions in one go, the 5 Days Cappadocia, Ephesus & Pamukkale Tour is $1,280 per person with four hotel nights, four breakfasts and four lunches.

What they leave out matters as much: dinners, drinks and the balloon flight in Cappadocia are extra on all of them. The daily tours are shared with other travellers, not private.

Private itineraries

The private trips give you a local guide and a private van in each region and domestic flights between them, but most list hotel bookings as "available upon request". That suits travellers who already have hotel points, a favourite cave hotel or a strict budget. The 7 Day Private Turkey Tour covers Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale; the 2-Day Private Gallipoli & Troy Tour starts at $235 per person and is the shortest private overnight trip from Istanbul by road. At the long end, the 21 Days Highlights of Turkey Private Tour reaches Mount Nemrut, Van, Kars and the Black Sea. Prices for the longer private routes depend on dates, group size and hotels, so they are quoted per enquiry.

How to choose the length

• 2 days: one region only. Cappadocia, Ephesus with Pamukkale, or Gallipoli with Troy.
• 4 to 6 days: two or three regions, with at least one early flight. The 4 Days Ephesus, Pamukkale, Cappadocia route is the fastest way to see all three.
• 7 to 10 days: Istanbul plus the classic triangle at a pace where you still have free evenings.
• 12 days and more: Hattusa, Konya, the southeast or the coast get added. These are mostly for second visits.

A common mistake is fitting Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale into five days. It can be done, but you spend a large share of it at airports. If you only have five days, drop one region.

Seasons, flights and combinations

Cappadocia balloons fly on most mornings from spring to autumn but are cancelled on windy days, so a two-night stay gives you a second chance; a one-night package gives you one. Pamukkale and Ephesus are hot in July and August; both are open-air sites with little shade, and the early slot is the one to ask for. Domestic flight times are fixed by the airlines, which is why the first and last day of a flying trip are usually short on sightseeing.

Many guests start with two or three days in Istanbul on a city tour from our city tours list, then leave for one of these trips. If the coast interests you more than ruins, a gulet week from our blue cruise tours can replace the Aegean leg. For a detailed look at the most booked region, read Cappadocia tour from Istanbul: 1 to 3 days, and see the Goreme Open-Air Museum guide for what you will visit there.