Turkey Itinerary from France 2027: 10-Day and 7-Day Routes, Flights and Budget

A well-built 10-day Turkey itinerary comes down to one formula: 3 nights in Istanbul, 3 in Cappadocia and 3 on the Aegean coast, with two domestic flights linking Istanbul, Cappadocia and Izmir, the base for Ephesus and Pamukkale. In 7 days the same route still works if you accept a single full day per stop. We sell this plan ready-made among our multi-city Turkey packages: the 10-day Grand Turkey starts at $2,800 per person (about €2,505), with hotels, domestic flights, guides and site entry. Message us on WhatsApp with your dates: we often reply the same day, and airport pick-up is included.

We are an Istanbul agency, TÜRSAB A-group licence no. 15751, running private trips since 2010, with French-speaking guides in Istanbul. Below you will find the day-by-day plan, the short 7-day version, a budget built on our real prices and the practical points for travellers leaving from Paris, Lyon, Nice, Marseille, Toulouse or Bordeaux. Every option is on our Turkey tour packages page.

Days 1 to 4: Istanbul, the Old City and the Bosphorus

Day 1. Arrival at Istanbul Airport, where our team meets you for the private transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is free. If you land before 15:00, walk down from Galata Tower to the bridge and cross to Eminönü at sunset. Leave the museums for the next morning: the Hagia Sophia queue is easier after a night's sleep.

Day 2. The Old City with a private guide, modelled on our classic private Istanbul tour, sold on its own from $200: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, Topkapı Palace and the Grand Bazaar, lunch included. Our guides start early, because by about 10:30 the Hagia Sophia queue reaches back to the fountain. The Hagia Sophia ticket costs foreign visitors €25 in 2026; it is included in the 10-day package.

Day 3. A free morning, then a Bosphorus cruise with lunch on board: Dolmabahçe Palace, Ortaköy Mosque, Rumeli Fortress and wooden waterfront mansions on both shores. In the evening, a traditional hammam. It is the quietest day of the stay, and it comes at the right moment after the previous day's walking.

Day 4. A private car with driver waits for you at 09:00: Balat and Fener for the colourful houses, Karaköy, Ortaköy and a Bosphorus viewpoint, at your own pace. In the evening, a transfer to the airport and a flight of about 1 h 30 to Cappadocia, arriving around 22:30. If you want longer in the city, our Istanbul tours also include private days with a French-speaking guide.

Days 5 and 6: Cappadocia, its valleys and the balloons

Day 5. The Green Tour in southern Cappadocia: the underground city of Kaymaklı, the walk through the Ihlara Valley beside the river, the rock-cut Selime Monastery and then Pigeon Valley, lunch included. Late in the day, an optional horse or ATV ride at sunset. Bring good shoes: you reach the Ihlara floor by a long flight of steps.

Day 6. An alarm around 05:00 for the optional hot air balloon flight, from $199 in a standard basket. The flight depends on the wind: the authorities sometimes cancel it under a clear sky, which is why we plan three nights here, not two. After breakfast, the Red Tour: Göreme Open-Air Museum, Uçhisar Castle, the fairy chimneys of Paşabağ and Devrent Valley. In the evening, a Turkish folk dance dinner show in a hall carved into the rock.

Balloons are often fully booked in April, May, September and October, so reserve yours at the same time as the package. All our activities on the spot, from sunrise flights to hikes, are listed in our Cappadocia tours.

Days 7 to 9: Kuşadası, Ephesus and Pamukkale

Day 7. A flight from Cappadocia to Izmir in the early afternoon, about 1 h 30, then an hour by road to Kuşadası. The end of the day is free by the Aegean. From June to September you can swim; in November, a walk along the seafront is enough.

Day 8. Ephesus in the morning, before the worst of the heat: Curetes Street, the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre, with lunch nearby. In the afternoon, the House of the Virgin Mary on Bülbüldağı hill, a place of pilgrimage for Christians and Muslims alike. You are back at the hotel around 17:00.

Şirince village is not included by default: ask for it, as it is a quarter of an hour by road from Selçuk. Blackberry and pomegranate wines are sold in every lane, often too sweet for our taste. Other combinations with the Aegean coast are on our Turkey tour packages page.

Day 9. A day at Pamukkale, about 2 h 30 by road from Kuşadası. You walk barefoot across the white travertine pools, then visit Hierapolis and its Roman theatre; a swim in the Antique Pool, known as Cleopatra's Pool, is optional and paid separately. In summer the white limestone throws back the sun, so sunglasses and a hat are essential.

Day 10, and the 7-day version

Day 10. A transfer to Izmir Airport, a flight to Istanbul (arriving around 14:15) and your connection to France. This is exactly the programme of our 10-day Grand Turkey package; an extra night in Istanbul can be added if your flight home leaves the next day.

In 7 days, the simplest solution is two days in Istanbul followed by our 5-day Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Ephesus tour, from $1,280 per person (about €1,146), with domestic flights, 4 hotel nights, breakfasts and lunches. Day 3: fly to Cappadocia. Day 4: the valleys. Day 5: fly to Denizli and spend the evening at Pamukkale. Day 6: Pamukkale in the morning, Ephesus in the afternoon. Day 7: fly from Izmir to Istanbul and home to France.

The seventh day is tight: the Izmir to Istanbul flight has to land early enough for the connection to Paris, which we check before booking. In winter another version works better: 4 days in Istanbul and 3 in Cappadocia, skipping the coast, where the sea is too cold from December to March.

How much does 10 days in Turkey cost?

The budget below uses only our published prices and two outside costs we checked. Euro conversions use the European Central Bank reference rate of 30 October 2026: €1 = $1.1172. The other options, from 8 to 15 days, are on the multi-city Turkey packages page.

Prices vary by season, hotel category and what is included: ask us for today's price for your dates. Not included are dinners (except the dinner show in Cappadocia), drinks, tips and the balloon flight. During the French spring holidays and the Toussaint break it is mainly the flights from France that climb, so fix the flight first and the package second.

For comparison, our private 8-day package follows the same route at a quicker pace, from $2,250 (≈ €2,014), and the more upmarket 10-day Best of Turkey starts at $3,299 (≈ €2,953) per person.

Flights from France, ID card and time difference

Flights. Turkish Airlines flies direct to Istanbul from Paris Charles de Gaulle, Lyon, Nice, Marseille, Toulouse and Bordeaux; Air France also flies direct from Roissy, and Pegasus serves Sabiha Gökçen airport from Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Nice. Allow about 3 h 30 from Paris and a little under 3 hours from Lyon or Nice. From Brussels, Geneva, Zurich and Montreal, Turkish Airlines also offers nonstop flights.

Documents. According to the France Diplomatie advice page for Turkey (checked October 2026), French citizens need no visa for a tourist stay of 90 days in any 180, travelling with a national identity card or a passport valid for at least 150 days after entry and in good condition. Cards issued between 2004 and 2013, extended by five years with no physical marking, are officially accepted by Turkey, but the ministry then recommends travelling with a valid passport. Belgian, Swiss and Québécois readers: check the rule for your own country before booking.

Money and time. You pay in Turkish lira; bank cards work almost everywhere, but keep some cash for the bazaars and small tips. Turkey stays on UTC+3 all year: in winter it is two hours ahead of Paris, in summer one hour. For the rest of the paperwork, see our page on Turkey tour packages from France.

When to go: French school holidays 2027, May bridges and Toussaint

The best months for this route are April, May, September and October: Istanbul is mild, the balloons fly often and the heat stays bearable at Ephesus and Pamukkale. In 2027 the French spring school holidays run from 3 to 19 April for zone C, 10 to 26 April for zone A and 17 April to 3 May for zone B: the 10-day itinerary fits inside them completely.

May 2027 is less generous with long weekends, since 1 May and 8 May both fall on a Saturday. That leaves Ascension, Thursday 6 May, with a bridge to Sunday 9 May, then Whit Monday on 17 May. The Toussaint 2027 break runs from 23 October to 8 November for all zones: the best window of the autumn, with afternoons often close to 20°C on the Aegean coast.

July and August are the most expensive and the busiest months: longer queues at Topkapı and more than 35°C at Pamukkale in the afternoon. If you travel then, visit early in the morning and keep the afternoons for the beach at Kuşadası. In winter Cappadocia under snow is beautiful, but some balloons stay grounded for several days in a row.

Take this itinerary as a private package with a French-speaking guide

Independent travel works well in Istanbul, with the tram and the ferries. It gets harder after that: Cappadocia and Pamukkale are about 600 km apart, and without a car you lose a day to night buses and connections.

Take this plan as a package. Our 10-day Grand Turkey follows the exact order of this page, from the airport welcome to the flight back from Izmir, from $2,800 per person; every variation from 8 to 15 days is in our multi-city Turkey packages. In Istanbul your guide can be French-speaking; in Cappadocia and Ephesus a French-speaking guide is confirmed on request, subject to availability. For a single day with a guide in French, see our private Istanbul tours.

Cancellation is free up to 7 days before departure. Book from the package page or our contact page, or message us on WhatsApp: we reply in French or English, build the programme around your dates and confirm hotels and domestic flights before any payment.

Frequently Asked Questions