Turkey Vacation Packages from Chicago: 8 to 15 Days, O'Hare Nonstop, Prices

Turkey vacation packages for travellers from Chicago run from 8 to 15 days, starting at $2,250 per person for eight days with hotels, domestic flights, guides and entrance tickets. You book the flight yourself: Turkish Airlines flies nonstop from O'Hare to Istanbul in roughly 10 to 11 hours. Our most-booked route for Chicago travellers is the 8-day Istanbul and Cappadocia package from $2,400 per person, and the full classic loop is the Grand Turkey package at 10 days from $2,800 per person.

What "package" means here, and what it does not

Many Chicago agencies sell Turkey as air plus land in one price. Ours start on the ground in Istanbul. Hotels, airport transfers, flights between cities, licensed guides, entrance tickets to the listed sites and lunch on tour days are in the price. The ticket from O'Hare is not, which lets you use miles, choose your own dates and book the cheapest fare of the week.

The one exception is our New Year in Istanbul and Cappadocia package, eight days from $1,800 per person, which includes round-trip international flights from selected US airports. It runs over the holiday dates only, and the written quote tells you whether Chicago is on the list for your departure.

We are a licensed Istanbul agency (TÜRSAB A-group, no. 15751, operating since 2010), so the people planning your trip are the same people who run the tours. Everything on the ground, including hotels, transfers, guides and the internal flights, is organised by us. See also our page: Turkey vacation packages from Washington, DC.

Packages from 6 to 15 days, with prices

Prices are "from", per person, as shown on each package page on 9 November 2026, and include middle-class hotels with breakfast. They change with season and hotel category, so ask us for the figure for your dates.

A fully private 12-day Best of Turkey route is also available, priced on request. The whole range is on our multi-city packages page.

Flying from O'Hare to Istanbul

Turkish Airlines operates nonstop flights between Chicago O'Hare and Istanbul Airport; listed flight times run about 10 to 11 hours eastbound and around 11 hours back, depending on the season and the aircraft. The eastbound flight has been listed as leaving in the evening and landing the following day, so you give up one night of sleep and one calendar day. Check the airline's timetable for your date, because schedules change between the summer and winter seasons.

Our package starts when you land. A driver meets you at arrivals at Istanbul Airport and takes you to the hotel; nothing is scheduled on the first day. On the way home, the clock helps: the flight back is a daytime or morning departure that lands the same calendar day in Chicago, so you get most of the day back (check the timetable for your date).

Our page on flights to Istanbul from the USA covers fares and the cheaper months, and the Istanbul airport arrival guide explains passport control, baggage and the SIM card counters.

Day by day: the 8-day Istanbul and Cappadocia package

This is the route most Chicago couples and families choose. The order of days follows the flight times, so the final schedule is confirmed with your dates, but the structure is this:

1. Day 1: arrival at Istanbul Airport, private transfer to the hotel, rest.
2. Day 2: the Old City tour with a licensed guide: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, Topkapı Palace and the Grand Bazaar, with lunch.
3. Day 3: a private city tour with a driver and guide, then a Bosphorus dinner cruise in the evening.
4. Day 4: flight to Cappadocia, transfer to a cave or boutique hotel.
5. Day 5: the Green Tour: Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı underground city, the Ihlara Valley, Selime Monastery, with lunch.
6. Day 6: the Red Tour: Göreme Open Air Museum, Uçhisar Castle, Paşabağ and Devrent, with lunch. The optional balloon flight takes place at dawn.
7. Day 7: a Turkish night with a dinner show; the rest of the day is free.
8. Day 8: flight back to Istanbul and onward connection home.

The balloon is the only item not covered by the package price, because flights are cancelled on windy mornings. A standard sunrise flight costs $199 per person; four nights in Cappadocia leave room for a second try. Our Cappadocia balloon page shows how that works.

Adding Ephesus and Pamukkale: the 10-day loop

If you have ten days, the Aegean coast is worth the time. The Grand Turkey package spends three nights each in Istanbul, Cappadocia and Kuşadası, with the Old City tour, a Bosphorus cruise with lunch, a hammam, a Turkish Night show with dinner, the Red and Green Tours, Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary and Pamukkale. It involves two flights inside Turkey and a very long Pamukkale day, which suits couples and friends more than small children.

A fully private option is the Best of Turkey: Timeless Journey package at $3,299 per person, with private guided tours throughout instead of a group guide on regional days. For a side-by-side look at ten-day routes, our 10-day Turkey tour package from the USA page compares them.

Fitting Turkey into the Chicago calendar

Chicago families usually plan around school breaks. These are the Chicago Public Schools dates reported for 2026-27; suburban districts and private schools differ, so check yours:

• Winter break, 21 December 2026 to 1 January 2027: enough for an 8-day package with the flight days. Istanbul is cold and often wet, Cappadocia can be snowy, and hotels cost more over New Year.
• Spring break, 22 to 26 March 2027: a week plus two weekends gives nine days. Expect cool, changeable weather and more balloon cancellations.
• Memorial Day weekend, 31 May 2027: a long weekend is too short on its own, but it helps stretch one week of leave into nine days. Late May is excellent in Cappadocia and at Ephesus.
• Summer, from mid-June 2027: the busiest and hottest period. Mornings at the sites are the only comfortable hours.

For adults without school calendars, mid-September to mid-October is our favourite: warm days, cooler nights, shorter queues. Our best time to visit Turkey page covers each month.

Jet lag from Central time

Istanbul stays on UTC+3 all year. The gap with Chicago is 8 hours in summer and 9 hours in winter, which is a lot to absorb after an overnight flight. Three habits help: get daylight in the first afternoon, avoid a long nap, and go to bed at local bedtime. We keep day 1 free for that reason, and the first tour starts in the morning of day 2 when you have had one night of sleep.

The Old City tour involves several hours on foot, much of it on old stone, so it is better to do it rested than on arrival day.

Visa, passport and other entry details

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Turkish consulate in Los Angeles state that US ordinary passport holders are exempt from a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period (checked 9 November 2026), for tourism and business. Sources differ on the minimum passport validity (figures from 60 days beyond your stay up to six months are quoted), so carry a passport valid for at least six months from arrival and confirm the current rule with the Turkish Consulate General in Chicago. Also read our Turkey travel requirements for US citizens page before you book.

What to budget besides the package

Beyond the package price, plan for the O'Hare flight, dinners (most dinners are not included), tips for guides and drivers, the balloon flight if you choose it, and spending money. Our Turkey trip cost from the USA page has a worked budget. For wider routes in the country, including the Mediterranean and the Aegean, see our sister site Get Türkiye Tours.

How to book

Send us your dates, the number of travellers and whether you want Cappadocia, Ephesus or Istanbul only. We reply with a written, day-by-day plan and price, then organise the hotels, transfers, internal flights, guides and tickets. Families with children, honeymooners and travellers who need wheelchair-accessible vehicles are all planned for individually, and we can arrange guides in other languages on request. Compare the full list on Turkey tour packages from the USA.

Frequently Asked Questions