Turkey Vacation Packages from Los Angeles: 8 to 15 Days, LAX Nonstop, Prices

Turkey vacation packages from Los Angeles start at $2,250 per person for eight days and $2,800 per person for ten days, with hotels, domestic flights, licensed guides and entrance tickets included. The flight is booked separately: Turkish Airlines flies nonstop from LAX to Istanbul in roughly 13 hours, and because of that distance we suggest at least ten days on the ground. Our Grand Turkey package covers Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale in ten days; the 8-day Istanbul and Cappadocia package from $2,400 per person suits a shorter vacation.

The long flight: what to expect from LAX

Turkish Airlines has flown nonstop between Los Angeles and Istanbul since 2011. Published times for the route run from about 12 hours 40 minutes eastbound to around 13 to 14 hours on the way back, since the westbound flight fights the jet stream. Check the airline's timetable for your date; the departure time and aircraft change between the summer and winter schedules, and sources we found disagree on the exact hour and frequency.

You leave Los Angeles on one calendar day and land in Istanbul on the next. Our packages start when you land: a driver meets you at arrivals at Istanbul Airport, and nothing is scheduled for the rest of that day. A nonstop flight is also the reason we do not recommend seven-day Turkey trips from California, since roughly 27 hours of flying and an eleven-hour time change eat the first and last days.

If the nonstop does not suit your dates, a one-stop itinerary through Europe is usually longer overall. Our flights to Istanbul from the USA page lists the cities served and what fares usually look like. See also our page: Turkey vacation packages from Denver.

A jet lag plan for Pacific time

Istanbul stays on UTC+3 all year. That makes it 10 hours ahead of Los Angeles in summer and 11 hours ahead in winter, so the body clock needs a few days. Here is how we build the first days of every package for travellers from California:

1. Arrival day: private transfer, check in, a short walk in daylight, dinner at a normal hour and bed early. No tours.
2. Day 2: a late start is possible; the Old City tour begins at a time you choose, and the guide keeps the pace gentle.
3. Day 3 onward: the usual programme. By then most people sleep through the night.

On the way home the time change works for you. The flight home lands on the same calendar day you leave, so the trip ends with a night in your own bed. If you work remotely or have a big meeting on the Monday after, add one buffer day.

Which package for a Los Angeles vacation

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

A fully private 12-day Best of Turkey route is also on the site, priced on request. Our multi-city packages page lists everything with its inclusions.

For Los Angeles travellers our advice is simple. With nine or ten days of leave, take the ten-day Istanbul and Cappadocia package, or the Grand Turkey if Ephesus is on your list. With two weeks or more, add the Aegean and the coast. A six-day package from California makes sense only if you arrange the flight days around a weekend.

Ten days in Istanbul and Cappadocia, day by day

The 10-day Istanbul and Cappadocia package spends five nights in Istanbul and four in Cappadocia. The final order follows your flight times, but this is a typical order of days:

1. Day 1: airport transfer, free day.
2. Day 2: the Old City tour with a licensed guide: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, Topkapı Palace and the Grand Bazaar.
3. Day 3: a private city tour by car, then a hammam and spa visit.
4. Day 4: the Istanbul food tour, and a Bosphorus cruise.
5. Day 5: a free day, with the Bosphorus dinner cruise and shows in the evening.
6. Day 6: flight to Cappadocia, transfer to the hotel, free afternoon.
7. Day 7: the Red Tour, with lunch.
8. Day 8: the Green Tour: an underground city, the Ihlara Valley and Selime Monastery, with lunch.
9. Day 9: horse riding in the valleys and a Turkish night dinner show.
10. Day 10: flight to Istanbul and onward connection home.

The optional balloon flight at sunrise is not in the package price. A standard flight is $199 per person, and four nights give you a second chance if the morning is windy. See our Cappadocia balloon guide.

Adding the Aegean: Ephesus and Pamukkale

Grand Turkey adds three nights on the Kuşadası coast. Ephesus, with the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre, is the best-preserved Roman city in the Aegean, and the House of the Virgin Mary sits on the hill above it. Pamukkale's white travertine terraces and Hierapolis are about three hours inland by road, which makes it a long day.

Grand Turkey uses a private guide for the Istanbul Old City tour and a group guide on regional tours, and includes a hammam, a Bosphorus cruise with lunch and a Turkish Night show with dinner. The Best of Turkey: Timeless Journey package costs more because the guided tours are private throughout, but it leaves out dinner programmes. Our 10-day Turkey tour package from the USA page compares the two in more detail.

Fitting Turkey into the Los Angeles school calendar

Dates reported for the Los Angeles Unified School District in 2026-27 are below; other districts differ, so check yours.

• Winter recess, 21 December 2026 to 8 January 2027: the longest break and the best fit for ten days or more. Istanbul is cold and often wet, Cappadocia can have snow, and hotels are dearer over New Year.
• Spring recess, 22 to 26 March 2027: nine days with the weekends. Cool, changeable weather and more balloon cancellations.
• Thanksgiving week: a good time for eight nights, with cool but dry weather and small crowds at the sites.
• Summer: the hottest and busiest months. If you go, keep afternoons for the hotel pool and sightsee in the morning.

Adults without school calendars should consider late April to May or mid-September to October. Our best time to visit Turkey page goes month by month.

Visa, passport and entry

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Turkish consulate in Los Angeles state that US ordinary passport holders are exempt from a tourist visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period (checked 9 November 2026). 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. Always confirm with the Turkish Consulate General in Los Angeles or on the travel requirements for US citizens page before you book.

What the package does not cover, and what to budget

Beyond the package price, expect to pay for the LAX flight, dinners, tips for guides and drivers, the balloon if you choose it, and spending money. Our Turkey trip cost from the USA page shows a worked budget. For routes beyond Istanbul, Cappadocia and the Aegean, our sister site Get Türkiye Tours lists more of the country.

How to book

Send us your dates, the number of travellers and whether you want Cappadocia, Ephesus or Istanbul only. We reply with a day-by-day plan and a written price, then organise hotels, transfers, internal flights, guides and tickets. Families with children, honeymooners and travellers needing wheelchair-accessible vehicles are planned for individually, and guides in other languages cost $199 to $250 per day depending on language and season (English $199). Compare all routes on Turkey tour packages from the USA.

Frequently Asked Questions