Get an insider’s view of Cappadocia’s most iconic spots on a trip from Istanbul. Walk in the land of fairy chimneys. Hear commentary from your guide along the way about fascinating sites like Goreme Open Air Museum, Avanos Village, Uchisar, Avanos, Underground Cities, Ortahisar, and Pasabag. Day 1: Flight to Kayseri and Fairy Chimneys of Cappadocia Catch your domestic flight to Kayseri. Start with a visit to the Goreme Open Air Museum, a cave city in the Goreme Valley. See rock-cut churches, kitchens, and wineries left by Anatolian Christians. Gaze at Byzantine frescos at this UNESCO World Heritage Site and learn about its history. Next, make your way to Devrent Valley, famous for its animal-shaped rocks. See a rock pillar that looks like the Virgin Mary, holding Jesus Christ. Continue to Pasabagi Valley or Monks Valley to enjoy the wonderful landscape. Make your way to Avanos Village, the region known for its pottery, silk, wool, and carpet weaving, wine cultivation, and agriculture. See the natural as well as human-made masterpieces of this charming old town. Savor a typical Turkish lunch. Experience pottery-making with local experts. After treating yourself to a hearty lunch, continue to Goreme Panorama, for views of fairy chimneys, which are tall rock formations with caps on top. Make the most of your time in Cappadocia by visiting Uchisar. Get to the top of the rock castle in the center of the town, the highest point of the region, a perfect vantage point for a panoramic view of the stunning Cappadocian landscape. After sightseeing, be driven to your hotel. Spend the night in Cappadocia in a special-class cave hotel. Day 2: Underground Cities Of Cappadocia and Flight to Istanbul Start your day with breakfast at the hotel. After check-out, embark on a full-day tour. Visit Rose and Red Valley, an incredibly unique area of Cappadocia with sharp ridges, tinted in pink, especially during sunset. Go off the beaten path to visit Cavusin. See its famous rock churches. Next, enjoy a tour of Pigeon Valley, named after the countless man-made dovecotes or pigeon houses carved into the soft volcanic tuff. Walk through a picturesque maze of rock formations. Then, go down to the world of underground cities. Once a refuge for 15000 Christians, these settlements were of enormous value to the development of Christianity. Witness the ancient bedrooms, church, meeting hall, and food storage rooms in this 8-story city connected by 30 kilometers of corridors and passageways. Continue the tour with Ortahisar, famous for its friendly inhabitants, picturesque stone houses, narrow streets, and lovely churches. See the famous castle-like rock formation standing dominantly over the town. After the tour, be driven to Kayseri Airport for your domestic flight to Istanbul. Upon arrival, be greeted by your driver and return to your hotel.

Start the first day by visiting Devrent Valley, also known as 'Imagination Valley', this is the most surreal-looking landscape. Your next stop will be Pashabagi also called the Monks Valley. Proceed to Avanos the pottery centre of Cappadocia, this village is set on the banks of the Red River. You will have lunch in a local restaurant before continuing to Goreme Open Air Museum. The world’s most important Byzantine cave churches are found in these once remote valleys where monks and nuns pursued monastic life from the 3rd century on. Here you can see the best preserved Byzantine cave wall paintings and frescos from the Iconoclastic period through to the end of Seljuk rule.  Then admire a spectacular view over Goreme, you can see fairy chimneys, rock formations, and cave houses. You have the option of also booking a pre-sunrise hot-air balloon flight for the next morning. While your guides complete the final preparations for your flight, you are served breakfast. Your pilot will show you all the unique beauties of Cappadocia from the Red Valley to Goreme. While witnessing an amazing sunrise up in the air, you will get to see perfect panoramic views of Urgup, Goreme, Ortahisar,Uchisar, Avanos, and Nevsehir. After the landing, a celebration with refreshing drinks (non-alcoholic) will be waiting for you. On the Blue tour you hike along the Red and Rose Valley, the most breathtakingly and mysteriously beautiful valleys in the region. Conclude your hike at the Cavusin Cave Village. Marvel at the rock castle and troglodyte dwellings where people lived until the 20th Century. Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant. Descend towards the center of the earth with a trip to the Underground City of Kaymakli, one of the largest and deepest of Cappadocia’s many such settlements. Discover this underground city and its stables, cellars, storage rooms, refectories, churches, and wineries. Visit the Pigeon Valley. See spectacular view of dovecotes (pigeon or dove houses), old abandoned cave homes, and old Greek houses of Uchisar and Ortshisar Castle, as well as the biggest mass of fairy chimneys in Cappadocia.

Following pickup from your hotel, your first stop is the fantastic viewpoint of Uchisar Castle. Whilst there, receive information about the rich history of Cappadocia and its unique rock formations. Next up is the Kaymaklı Underground City, which was used by early Christians as a shelter to hide themselves against their enemies. Afterwards, take a break for terrific views of Pigeon Valley, where your guide informs you about carved pigeon houses. You are then gifted some time to enjoy lunch. Following lunch, visit the Devrent Valley, where you can take fantastic pictures with the area's animal-shaped rock formations. You then visit Pasabag, commonly known as Monks Valley. There you have the chance to see the famous mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys, as well as the St. Simeon’s Monk Cell carved into the rock. Towards the end of your tour, visit the Goreme Open-Air Museum. There your guide explains the meanings of the frescoes covering the walls of the 1,000-year-old cave churches, as you explore this spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your final stop is then to the Ortahisar Castle, where you conclude your tour with terrific views of the castle and old Greek houses.

Make the most of your time in Turkey with this all-inclusive trip. Explore iconic landmarks of Istanbul like Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, and Grand Bazaar. Over the next 2 days, lose yourself in Cappadocia’s fairytale landscape with guided visits to Goreme Open Air Museum, Avanos, Pasabag, Uchisar, Pigeon Valley, Ortahisar, and more. Day 1 City Highlights Tour See the Byzantine mosaics and minarets of Hagia Sophia. Then, retrace the footsteps of Ottoman sultans and courtiers at Topkapi Palace. Continue to Hippodrome and admire its granite Egyptian obelisk. Learn about its significance during the Roman period as the civil center for the people of the city. Move onward to the most famous landmark of the old city, the Blue Mosque. Marvel at its minarets and magnificent dome. End the day tour at the Grand Bazaar. Stroll through its many colorful alleys, buzzing with shop owners and craftspeople. After sightseeing, catch your domestic flight to Cappadocia. Upon your arrival to Cappadocia, check in to a cave hotel. Day 2 Fairy Chimneys of Cappadocia After breakfast at the hotel, embark on a full-day tour of Cappadocia. Walk in the land of fairy chimneys. Visit Goreme Open Air Museum, Red River, Devrent Valley, and Pasabag. Make your way to Avanos Village for a traditional lunch and pottery experience. Head to Goreme Panorama for views of fairy chimneys. Get to the top of the Uchisar Castle, the highest point of the region, a perfect vantage point for a panoramic view of the stunning Cappadocian landscape. After sightseeing, be driven to your hotel. Spend the night in Cappadocia. Day 3 Underground Cities of Cappadocia Have a hearty breakfast and meet your guide for another day of exploration. See the Rose and Red Valley, known for sharp ridges that get painted in a riot of pink hues at sunset. Go off the beaten path to visit Cavusin. See its famous rock churches. Then, enjoy a tour of Pigeon Valley, named after the countless man-made dovecotes or pigeon houses carved into the soft volcanic tuff. Walk through a picturesque maze of rock formations. Next, go down to the world of underground cities. Once a refuge for 15000 Christians, these settlements were of great value to the development of Christianity. See the bedrooms, church, meeting hall, and storage rooms in this 8-story city connected by 30 kilometers of corridors and passageways. Continue the tour with Ortahisar, famous for its friendly inhabitants, picturesque stone houses, narrow streets, and lovely churches. See the famous castle-like rock formation standing dominantly over the town. At the end of the tour, be driven back to your hotel. Day 4 Flight to Istanbul After breakfast and check out, be driven to Kayseri Airport for your domestic flight to Istanbul.

You’ll be picked up 45 minutes before the sun sets and head to the Red Valley viewpoint to get the best spots. This popular hiking area features sandstone rocks that turn a gorgeous shade of red as the sun sets. If Red Valley is crowded, you can also head to Devrent Valley, which features towering rock formations that can be interpreted to form animal shapes. After watching the sun coat the sky with a multitude of brilliant colors, you’ll stop by Ortahisar Panorama, Pigeon Valley Panorama, Uchisar Castle, Goreme Esentepe Panorama, and Cavusin to take some photos and capture the beauty of these landscapes at night. End the evening with a light show at Zelve Open Air Museum. This unique show uses computers with mapping software which are then projected onto the caves and rock formations at the Zelve Valley. The 30-minute exhibition depicts the story and history of the human race, specifically the Assyrian, Hittite, Persian, and Alexandria civilizations up until the development of the modern republic of Turkey. If the weather does not permit a light show, you’ll head to a local restaurant and dine on delicious local fare with some live music entertainment.

See Istanbul, Cappadocia, Izmir, Ephesus, Pamukkale, and Hierapolis. Enjoy pre-selected hotels, with breakfast and lunch included. Choose your own spot for supper and explore a bit on your own. Day 1: Istanbul To Cappadocia by Plane; Full-Day Tour of Southern CappadociaEnjoy pick-up from your hotel to the airport for a one-hour flight to Cappadocia. Upon arrival at Cappadocia, meet your guide at the airport who will have your name on a sign. Relax while your guide transfers you to the tour office in Goreme. Next, depart for a full-day tour of Southern Cappadocia. See Pidgeon Valley, the Underground City of Kaymakli, the continue along the countryside to the Kızılcukur Valley. Visit Selime Monastery before returning to your hotel.  Day 2: Cappadocia To Izmir; North TourBe picked up from your hotel after breakfast and depart for a full-day exploration of North Cappadocia. Visit Goreme Open Air Museum, Cavusin Vallage, Monsk Valley, Devrent, and the towns of Urgup, Ortahisar and Avanos. Return to your hotel in Cappadocia before leaving for your transfer to the airport for the flight to Izmir. Upon arrival in Izmir, you will be met at the airport once again with your name and you will be delivered to the next hotel in Kusadası. Day 3: Full-day Ephesus TourLeave your hotel after breakfast and depart for Ephesus. See the Temple of Artemis, one of the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World. Visit the biggest amphitheater and the Celsius Library. Tour around ruins left from the ancient city, and see the House of the Virgin Mary, thought to be her last dwelling. At the end of the tour enjoy a transfer back to the hotel. Relax and explore Kusadasi at your own pace with free time in the evening. Day 4: Tour of Pamukkale and The Ancient City of Hierapolis; Flight Back To IstanbulBe picked up from your hotel after breakfast and depart for a full-day Pamukkale and Hierapolis tour. Visit the Old Gates, the cemetery, and the theatre of Hierapolis (part of the James Bond film shoot).  Take in the waterfall known as Travertines, and swim in the calcified pools made famous by Cleopatra. At the end of the tour sit back as you are delivered to the airport for a short flight back to Istanbul.