Discover Cappadocia on a 2-day tour from Istanbul that includes round-trip flights and an overnight stay at a boutique hotel. See the fascinating Göreme Open Air Museum, watch a pottery demonstration, and marvel at the dainty Urgup fairy chimneys. Day 1Begin with a pre-dawn pickup at your Istanbul hotel and head to the airport for an early flight to Cappadocia. After landing in Cappadocia, drive to your boutique hotel before beginning your tour of Cappadocia. First, stop at the Uçhisar Castle viewpoint for 360-degree views of the valleys below. Spot Mt. Erciyes and the eerie cave dwellings in Uchisar Valley. Continue to the famous Göreme Open Air Museum to visit the ancient villages and monasteries cut into the rock itself. Next, head to the rock city of Love Valley, and explore the fascinating buildings built into the rock. Stop in Avonos for lunch (included) before watching the experts at work at a pottery demonstration. Drive by the delicate fairy chimneys made of rock in PaşabağıValley before turning into Devrent Valley. Finish your day with a visit to Urgup to see its fairy chimneys and to visit a carpet factory before spending the night in your hotel. Day 2 Start your day before dawn with a pickup from your hotel to your hot-air balloon experience. Board a hot-air balloon and marvel at the valleys and rock formations below as the sun rises. Around 8:00 A.M., return to your hotel for a break before heading out for your day tour. Begin with a panoramic view of Göreme, followed by a visit to the mysterious Derinkugu Underground City, constructed as a temporary shelter against invasions and raids. Next, enjoy a short hike in the picturesque Ihlara Valley, followed by a lunch break (included) in Belisirma village. After lunch, stop at the Yaprakhisar viewpoint for a stunning view of Selime Monastery before heading to Pigeon Valley for an onyx demonstration. In the evening, return to Kayseri Airport for your return flight back to Istanbul and your hotel there.

Your guide will meet you at your hotel between 08:00 and 08:30. Visit the Istanbul old city area which includes Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazaar and Topkapi Palace. Have lunch during the tour. The average duration of this tour is 8-hours. At the end of the tour, your guide will leave you back at your hotel. On the second day, your guide will meet you in the hotel lobby between 08:00 and 08:30. During this tour, you will visit the Golden Horn, the old city walls of Istanbul, the Spice Market and Dolmabahce Palace or Chora Museum. There will be a lunch stop during the tour. The tour will end at around 17:00. Please do not forget to take your luggage in the morning. After the tour, you will be transferred to airport for your flight to Cappadocia. Once you arrive in Cappadocia, you will have organized transfer from the airport to your hotel.  On your third day, your guide will meet you in the lobby of your hotel at around 09:00. You will enjoy a tour of southern Cappadocia, also known as the Green Tour, which will include the following sites: Derinkuyu Underground City (the largest underground city in the area with 7 floors 85 meters deep; not recommended for claustrophobic guests) and Ihlara Valley (1.5-hour trekking). Have a lunch stop in the village of Bellisirma. Afterwards, you will visit Piegon Valley (panoramic visit), Selime Monastery and Esentepe (panoramic view). After the tour, you will be dropped back off at your hotel. On the fourth and last day, your guide will meet you in the hotel lobby at around 09:00 and take you on a tour of northern Cappadocia, known as the Red Tour, to Rose Valley, Goreme Open Air Museum (important early Christianity center), Monks Valley, Cavusin village (one of the oldest settlements in the area), Avanos village (with stop at a traditional pottery workshop), Uchisar Castle and Dervent Valley. The average tour duration will be 8-hours. After the tour, you will be transferred back to the airport for your return flight to Istanbul.

From the ancient Grand Bazaar with over 3,000 shops selling everything from carpets to jewelry, to ceramics and leather goods; to the Spice Bazaar with its incredible smell from almost every spice imaginable, as well as dried fruits and nuts, sweets and the ubiquitous Turkish Delight; it is mind blowing to the first time visitor. This is not helped by the traders shouting out and tempting you in with various offers, many of which will be quickly forgotten should you venture inside. This is a part of Turkish culture and trade, and very common in other countries where negotiating and barter is the norm. To the Westerner who is not used to this, it can be quite a daunting prospect and visitors sometimes fall prey to the more unscrupulous traders. To prevent this and to ensure a pleasurable and happy shopping experience your guide will bring you to the right places to make your purchases. Many of these can only be found on the backs streets outside the two bazaars, in places you would likely never find or enter by yourself. The whole Turkish culture and tradition of buying from recommended traders is still observed. You will be encouraged to: · sit and drink huge quantities of tea · talk about yourself · ask questions · look at a huge array of merchandise · negotiate, as no trader is happy if you just accept their first price This is part of the whole process, one where making friends is as important as the purchase itself. The one secret to negotiating is not trying to drive the price down to the absolute lowest possible point, as you have no idea what that is. Each trader will assess each customer differently on any given day. Mood will play its part as will how much they like you and get on with you, hence the reason for going through the sociable elements before buying. If you can’t agree on a price you are free to walk away but if you do you will leave with the comfort of knowing your purchase is genuine and not some back street fake. What to Buy Carpets/Kilim The Turkish carpet/kilim has a long history dating back hundreds of years. An original Turkish carpet is handmade using only natural fibres and dyes from plant extract. The process is long and slow and obviously the time taken to make one depends on how big it is. Smaller carpets, with their bright colours are quite often used to hang on walls just as you would with a picture. There are many different characteristics to the Turkish carpet, depending on where the material is from and this also influences the design and price. The carpet shops recommended by your guide will take time to explain everything to you and offer advice on what might be your best choice. Ceramics The production of Turkish ceramics dates back to the 15th Century and developed from the appreciation of Chinese porcelain by the Ottoman Sultans. Being unable to produce porcelain they manufactured fritware, which is a low-fired body comprised mainly of silica and glass. These ceramics are more commonly referred to as Iznik Pottery after the region where they were first produced and the real collector’s items are hand painted. Consequently no two pieces are ever the same. Your guide will only take you to the shops and markets selling authentic pieces. Jewellery With 500 years of Ottoman Rule and their desire for opulent jewelry, a whole industry is devoted to keeping the traditions alive with craftsmen passing their knowledge and skills on from one generation to another. The result is an abundance of unique pieces both for design and the gems which adorn them. On your tour you can have confidence in the designers and craftsmen, who will work with you in finding or creating your own unique family heirloom. Leather Turkey has a thriving leather industry offering bags, jackets, coats and trousers, but you have to be very careful as there are so many fakes on the market. That said you can buy exceptional quality leather goods at prices which are usually way below what you would normally pay in your home country. Your guide will only take you to the leather stores and factory outlets, which have a reputation for honest trading and no fakes.

Experience Cappadocia and see the fairy chimneys in Devrent Valley, the UNESCO Göreme Open Air Museum, and its carved-rock churches, and take in views from the highest point in Cappadocia on this day trip from Istanbul. Be picked up bright and early from your hotel and head to the airport. Arrive in Cappadocia and begin by exploring the Göreme Open Air Museum, a UNESCO sight featuring incredible rock-cut churches dating back to the 10th century. Admire the colorful frescoes in the Dark Church and Apple Church. Next, visit Devrent Valley, also known as the imagination valley. Walk around the uniquely shaped rock formations and try to spot the different animal shapes such as dolphins, seals, and a camel. Stop in Avanos, for lunch so you'll have the chance to taste the local cuisine. Then, learn to make pottery with local experts at a pottery shop. Take in the best views of the fairy chimneys from the Göreme Panorama viewpoint and snap some stunning photos. From here, head to Uchisar Castle, a centuries-old citadel carved out of rock. Marvel at the magnificent landscape below from the highest point in Cappadocia. Finally, drive back to the airport for your return flight to Istanbul where your driver will greet you and take you back to your hotel.