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Travel from Istanbul by plane on this efficient 2-Day Ephesus and Pamukkale Tour, combining two of Turkey’s most important ancient and natural sites with guided sightseeing. After an early hotel pickup, fly to Izmir and explore Ephesus, including the Temple of Hadrian, Great Theater, Trajan Fountain, the House of the Virgin Mary, the site of the Temple of Artemis, and Isa Bey Mosque. After a night in Kusadasi, continue to Pamukkale for a guided visit to the white Pamukkale Cotton Cliffs and the ancient city of Hierapolis, including its theater and Roman Baths, before your evening flight back to Istanbul.
Around 4:00 AM, you'll be picked up from your Istanbul hotel and driven to Istanbul Airport for a morning flight to Izmir, leaving sometime between 6:00 and 8:00 AM. The hop is about 75 minutes in the air.
Once you land, you'll transfer to Selçuk (roughly an hour's drive) and meet your guide for a full day at the Ephesus Ancient City Ruins. You'll walk the marble main street past the Temple of Hadrian at Ephesus, the Great Theatre Ephesus that seated about 25,000 people, and the Trajan Fountain. Wear comfortable shoes; the stones are uneven and there's little shade.
Lunch is included at a local restaurant. Afterward you'll drive up the hill to the House of the Virgin Mary, the small stone chapel where many believe Mary spent her last years. You'll also see the single standing column that marks the Temple of Artemis, once one of the Seven Wonders, and the 14th-century Isa Bey Mosque.
The tour wraps up around 4:00 PM. You'll then be driven to your hotel in Kusadasi (about 20 minutes) to check in. The rest of the evening is yours to rest or wander the harbor. This is a small-group tour, so pace stays relaxed and your guide has time for questions.
After breakfast, around 7:30 AM, you'll be picked up from your Kusadasi hotel and taken to the meeting point in Selçuk, where the full group gathers. At 8:30 AM you'll start the drive to Pamukkale, about three hours, with a short restroom stop after roughly 90 minutes.
You'll reach Pamukkale near 11:45 AM and sit down for an included lunch first. Around 1:00 PM your guided walk begins with a licensed guide. You'll see the white Cotton Cliffs, terraces built up over centuries from calcium-rich thermal water, and the ruins of the ancient City of Hierapolis, including its theater and the Pamukkale Roman Baths.
You'll walk barefoot on the travertines, since shoes aren't allowed on the white surface. Bring flip-flops for after, plus sunscreen and a hat. After the guided part, you'll have free time on your own. For an extra fee paid on-site, you can swim in the Cleopatra Antique Pools among submerged Roman columns. Bring your own towel and swimsuit if you plan to go in.
The tour ends around 4:00 PM. You'll then transfer to Denizli or Izmir Airport for an evening flight back to Istanbul, departing between 7:00 and 10:00 PM. We'll confirm the exact time once tickets are booked after payment. Transfer from Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gökçen back to your hotel is not included. END OF OUR SERVICE AND TOURS.
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Book online or by email. We ask for a deposit or full payment to confirm, then send your confirmation and details. Flight tickets are issued after payment, which is why return times are confirmed at that point.
Book as early as you can, especially around public holidays and festivals. You can book up to 2 days before the start date (Istanbul time) if seats remain. Inside 2 days, contact us for a last-minute availability check.
No. The two sites are about 200 km apart, roughly a 3-hour drive, so a single day isn't practical on standard schedules. That's why this tour splits them across two days with a night in Kusadasi.
Ephesus, near Selçuk in Izmir Province, sits about 200 km from Pamukkale, around a 3-hour drive. This tour handles the distance for you with an overnight stay in between.
Yes. Flights to Izmir make Ephesus reachable as a long day. This 2-day version pairs it with Pamukkale so you see both without rushing everything into one exhausting day.
Yes, one day covers the highlights: the travertine terraces and the ruins of Hierapolis with its theater and baths. You'll also have free time and the option to swim in the antique pools.
Spring (April to June) and fall (September to November) are ideal. The weather is mild and crowds are smaller than in peak summer, which makes walking the terraces more comfortable.
A fair amount on both days over uneven ancient stone, plus a barefoot stretch across the travertines at Pamukkale. Comfortable shoes and a reasonable fitness level make a big difference.
No. Getting from Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gökçen back to your hotel on the final evening is not included in the price. You can arrange your own taxi or transfer, or ask us to add one.
If you need to cancel your tour or change your travel dates, please notify us at least 5 days before the tour start date. As this tour includes domestic flights and bus tickets, which are non-refundable, the cost of these tickets will be deducted from your payment and the remaining balance refunded to you. For cancellations or date changes made less than 5 days before the start date, no refund will be issued and the booking will be treated under our no-show policy.
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We had a great two day program with One Nation Tour, and our tour guide Nizam may it very special! Would definitely use them again. Thank you!
The highlight of the trip was the seamless coordination with Can Berber. I was met at the airport by the designated people, though there was some amount of waiting involved before being transferred. I guess that is expected in a group tour.
The best travel agency in Turkey I ever had the pleasure to do business with. I highly recommend this agency.
1)I took the 2 day Ephesus and Pamukkale tour by Flight from Istanbul. It went on perfectly as planned. There was a representative waiting for me at Izmir airport on my arrival who promptly transferred me via a bus to a location where I met our guide for the day. There were 6 of us for that tour including me. The guide explained intricate details about the various place all throughout the tour adding a bit of humor in between which was fun. There was not much crowd to the places we went, also the weather was bright and sunny with clear skies which was apt for taking ideal Photos which may end up being facebook profile pics , ha ha .There was an advertising shop which we went during the tour which was regarding Cosmetics (Olive oil etc ) and Sweets which I believe its upto us if we need to buy stuff or not.
2)For the second day, I was picked up from the Hotel in Kusadesi (Derici hotel) and we headed towards Pamukkale after picking up everyone from their individual hotels (It did not take much time ). There were 9 of us. Once we reached Pamukkale we explored the places like Hierapolis and the Travertines which again was explained in detail by the guide. the amphitheatre at Hierapolis is far more nice than the one at Ephesus even thought its 1/3rd its size. There was an advertising promotion shop which we visited about exotic stones and a leather jacket store, which I feel again its upto us if we need to buy anything. Its just cool to watch and stroll by if you are not buying anything.
3) The good thing about this tour which I took was that I did not have to worry about anything. The communication with regards to the tour is constant through email and whats app. Also there were less crowds everywhere since I believe I went during the offseason in November, the tour group was small too (below 10 people) on both the Ephesus and the Pamukkale tour. And the most important thing was that it was reasonably priced and value for money as compared to the others tour operators which I noticed while checking the prices on tripadvisor and the websites before booking the tour.For me being a solo traveler, I will definitely recommend this tour whether its for family or for anyone who was travelling alone like me. Kudos to the One Nation Team !
I really really recommend this trip to everyone! We had such a lovely time visiting both Ephesus and Pamukkale. Beautiful sites! The Derici hotel in Kusadasi is spectacular I wish we could have stayed another day! Both our guides were very knowledgable about these two places and they made sure we stopped to take pictures of the beautiful landscapes. Very good experience will always try to book through allistanbultours.com in future….
My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this trip. Ephesus was impressive, but Pamukkale, especially was amazing, even more extraordinary than we had hoped. The hotel for the overnight was very nice! Would definitely recommend this tour.
We had a tour of Ephesus and Pamukkale with our children from US. All Istanbul Tours arranged things very nicely And took good care of us. The Guide Nizam was very helpful and took good care of us.
Ephesus and Pamukkale are amazing places to visit. The tour run smoothly and close to schedule. The tour guides were friendly, nice and very informative.
Wonderful tour of Ephesus and Pamukkale! Tour tour guides (Nizam and Ayse) gave us a lot of useful information about the history and culture of those two places, and we got a lot of time to explore them on our own.
Thank you very much for the trip.. everything was perfect.. really really worth it.. A very beutifull culture enriched with friendly and kind people.. We are very happy to choose one nation tour to be our guide!
Best regards for Nizam a hilarious, friendly and funny that make the trip even better saying every single detail of the history in a simple and compact way.. … And Gabriel for the friendly and good knowledge..
thank you very much!
we will recomend to our friends ( we already submited a 5 stars review on the site)
I just wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude for the excellent tours I recently enjoyed in Ephesus and Pamukkale. They were fun, well paced, informative and my guides where thoroughly professional. Recommend to anyone.