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Spend 2 days and 1 night exploring Cappadocia on this guided group tour that starts in Istanbul and ends in Cappadocia. A one-way flight takes you from Istanbul to the region, where staff meet you at the airport and transfer you to a cave hotel for a relaxed first day.
Day two follows the North Cappadocia route through Devrent Valley, Pasabag Valley, the pottery town of Avanos, and the Zelve Open Air Museum, with a photo stop at Uchisar Castle. Day three covers Red Valley, Rose Valley, Cavusin Village, Pigeon Valley, and a descent into the Kaymakli or Ozkonak Underground City. Flights, two nights with breakfast, transfers, and English-speaking guides are included.
Your day starts with a hotel pickup in Istanbul, timed to your flight. Depending on availability, you'll fly to Kayseri or Nevşehir in the morning, afternoon, or evening. The flight itself runs about 90 minutes. We'll transfer you to the airport in good time to check in.
When you land, our staff will be waiting to meet you at arrivals. From either airport, the drive to your cave hotel in Cappadocia takes roughly 45 minutes to an hour. The road runs through open plateau country, with volcanic hills rising in the distance.
Once you check in, the rest of the day is yours. Pack light layers, since Cappadocia can be warm midday and cool after dark. If you plan to book a sunrise balloon ride for the morning, tell your guide tonight so we can arrange it.
No meals are included today. Plenty of small restaurants sit within walking distance of the cave hotels in Göreme and Uçhisar if you want dinner.
If you'd like, you can add an early morning hot air balloon ride before breakfast, weather permitting. It's an extra cost and lifts off around sunrise for views over the valleys. It's worth doing if the budget allows.
After breakfast, around 9:30 AM, your guide will pick you up from the hotel for a full day across northern Cappadocia. First stop is Devrent Valley, where wind and water have shaped the soft rock into odd, animal-like forms. Next is Pasabag Valley, known for its mushroom-capped fairy chimneys.
Around midday, you'll drive to Avanos, a pottery town on the Kızılırmak River, where lunch is included. After lunch, you'll walk through the Zelve Open Air Museum, a cave village with carved churches and homes lived in until the 1950s. There's some uphill walking on uneven ground here.
Before heading back, you'll stop about 15 minutes for photos of Uçhisar Castle from the outside. The tour wraps around 4:00 PM back at your hotel.
The evening is free. Optional add-ons include a Turkish Night show with dinner, a two-hour ATV ride, a two-hour horseback trip through the valleys, or a one-hour Whirling Dervish ceremony. All cost extra. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water.
After breakfast, check out of the hotel. Around 9:30 AM your guide picks you up for a full day across southern Cappadocia. Store your luggage with us for the day so you can move freely.
You'll start at Red Valley to see the rock-cut churches, then hike about 5 km through Rose Valley (Güllüdere Vadisi), named for the pink tint in the cliffs at certain hours. The walk is moderate but takes a couple of hours, so wear proper shoes.
Next is Çavuşin Village, with old cave houses and a church built into the rock. Around noon you'll stop for an included lunch at a local restaurant. After that, you'll visit Pigeon Valley, where locals carved pigeon houses into the cliffs to collect droppings for fertilizer.
In the afternoon, you'll descend into either Kaymaklı Underground City or Özkonak Underground City, where early Christians sheltered underground. Passages are narrow and low in spots, so it's not ideal if tight spaces bother you.
The tour ends around 4:00 PM. You can finish here in Cappadocia, or we'll transfer you to Kayseri Airport for a domestic flight, or to the main bus station for a coach to Antalya, Pamukkale, Selçuk, İzmir, or Istanbul. END OF OUR SERVICE AND TOURS.
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You can book online or by contacting our team. We take a deposit to confirm your spot, with the balance due before the tour starts. We'll send written confirmation with your flight and hotel details.
Cancellation terms depend on how far ahead you cancel. We'll share the exact schedule when you book. Since a domestic flight is included, some airline fees may be non-refundable close to departure.
Yes, the one-way flight from Istanbul to Kayseri or Nevşehir is included. The return flight to Istanbul is not, so you can continue your travels from Cappadocia if you prefer.
Yes. Tell your guide on Day 1 so we can arrange the balloon for the next morning. It's an extra cost and flies at sunrise, weather permitting. Rides are sometimes cancelled for wind.
You'll stay two nights in a standard cave hotel such as Heaven Cave House, Zula Cave Hotel, or Dedeli Konak Cave Hotel, or a similar property. Rooms are carved into or built from local stone.
Breakfast is included both mornings, and lunch is included on Day 2 and Day 3. Dinners and drinks are not included, but there are plenty of restaurants near the hotels.
There's a fair amount. Day 3 includes a 5 km hike through Rose Valley, and both days involve uneven ground and stairs at the underground city. Comfortable, closed shoes are important.
It runs as a regular small-group tour with an English-speaking guide. If you'd rather have a private tour, we can arrange one at an additional cost.
Yes. On Day 3 we can drop you at Kayseri Airport for a domestic flight, or at the main bus station for a coach to Antalya, Pamukkale, Selçuk, İzmir, or Istanbul.
Spring and fall bring mild days and good balloon conditions. Summer is hot but flies most mornings; winter is cold and snowy, which many find beautiful but harder for hiking.
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Overall, we enjoyed our 2 Days and 1 Night Cappadocia Tour with All Istanbul Tours. The hot air balloon ride was a lot of fun and the views were incredible. The hotel was nice and the meal was good. We would definitely recommend this tour to others.