5 Days Istanbul, Ephesus & Antalya Tour

Arrive at any hour you like. Whether you land at Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW), a member of our team will be waiting at the exit of the international arrivals hall with a sign showing your name. From there it's a private transfer to your hotel, roughly 45 to 60 minutes from IST and up to 90 minutes from SAW in heavy traffic.

The rest of the day is yours. If your room isn't ready, most of our hotels will hold your bags at reception so you can walk out and find lunch. Sultanahmet and Taksim are both easy first walks, and a simple lahmacun or a fish sandwich at Eminönü costs very little.

If you'd rather not sit still, you can add the optional Night Cruise on the Bosphorus Strait with dinner and a show. It runs about four hours and isn't part of your package price, so just ask us in advance.

Pack light shoes for tomorrow, since Day 2 is a long walking day on marble and cobblestones. Bring a scarf or shawl if you plan to enter mosques. No meals are included today.

• Overnight in Istanbul.
• Included Meal(s): None

After breakfast, around 8:30 AM, you'll be picked up from your hotel to start the full-day tour with your guide and a small group. Everything today sits in Sultanahmet, so you'll do more walking than driving. Expect roughly 4 to 5 miles on foot over the course of the day.

You'll begin at Hagia Sophia, finished in 537 AD under Justinian and used as a church, then a mosque, then a museum, and a mosque again since 2020. Next comes the Blue Mosque, built between 1609 and 1616 and lined with Iznik tiles. Then you'll walk the Byzantine Hippodrome, where the Obelisk of Theodosius and the Serpent Column still stand in the old chariot track.

Lunch is included at a local restaurant nearby, usually a set menu with a grill plate or a vegetarian option. Drinks other than water aren't included. Afternoon brings Topkapi Palace, home to Ottoman sultans for about 400 years, and the Grand Bazaar with its 60-odd covered streets.

You'll be back at your hotel around 5:30 to 6 PM. Wear closed shoes, cover shoulders and knees for the mosque, and women should carry a headscarf. Summer afternoons in Sultanahmet get hot with little shade, so bring a refillable water bottle. Tonight, get to bed early: tomorrow's pickup is before dawn.

• Overnight in Istanbul.
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch

It's an early start: pickup from your hotel is around 4:30 AM for the transfer to the domestic terminal. Your flight to Izmir departs between roughly 6:00 and 7:30 AM and takes about an hour. The hotel will pack a breakfast box or serve early breakfast where possible.

A driver meets you in Izmir for the hour-long drive south to Selçuk, where you'll meet your guide. First stop is the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, now reduced to a single reassembled column and foundations. Then you'll spend about two and a half hours in the Ephesus Ancient City Ruins, walking downhill along Curetes Street past the Temple of Hadrian, the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre.

Lunch is included at a local restaurant near the site. Afterwards you'll drive up Bülbül Mountain to the House of the Virgin Mary, a small stone chapel respected by Christians and Muslims alike. Keep voices low here. Next is the Isa Bey Mosque of 1375, then about an hour of free time in Sirince Village, an old Greek hill village known for fruit wines and small shops.

Late afternoon you'll transfer back to Izmir Airport for the evening flight to Antalya, connecting via Istanbul. A representative with your name sign meets you at Antalya Airport and drives you to your hotel, about 20 minutes to the old town. Expect a late arrival, often after 11 PM. Wear a hat and good walking shoes, since Ephesus has almost no shade and the marble is slippery when polished.

• Overnight in Antalya.
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch

Breakfast at the hotel, then pickup around 8:00 AM for a full day east along the coast. Your first stop is Perge, about 30 minutes from Antalya. Settled in the Hittite era and later one of the main cities of Pamphylia, it still has its stadium, colonnaded street and the Roman Baths.

Next you'll drive roughly 40 minutes to the Aspendos Theater, built in the 2nd century AD and still seating about 15,000 for summer concerts. The acoustics are the point here, so try the old trick of standing on the stage floor while your group sits up top.

Lunch is included at a riverside restaurant, usually grilled trout or chicken with mezes. Then it's on to Side (say "SEE-deh"), a Roman port town that once ran a large slave market. You'll see the theatre, the baths and the seafront Temple of Apollo, with an hour free for the beach or a coffee.

On the way back you'll stop at Manavgat Waterfall, a wide, low falls on the Manavgat River. You'll reach your Antalya hotel around 6:30 to 7 PM. It's a long day in the van with a lot of sun-exposed walking, so bring sunscreen, a hat and swimwear if you want to dip at Side.

• Overnight in Antalya.
• Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch

Have breakfast at the hotel and check out by noon. Your pickup time is set by your flight, usually about three hours before departure, and the drive to Antalya Airport takes 20 to 30 minutes from Kaleiçi.

The flight to Istanbul takes just over an hour. Depending on availability when your ticket was issued, you'll land at Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW). If you need a specific airport, email us before booking, since changes after confirmation cost extra.

Your transfer from the Istanbul airport into the city is not part of this package. Taxis, the HAVAIST and HAVABUS shuttles and the M11 metro from IST all run frequently, and your guide can explain the options the day before.

If your international flight home leaves the same day, allow a solid buffer between the domestic arrival and the international check-in. Have your baggage tags and passport handy. END OF OUR SERVICE AND TOURS

• Included Meal(s): Breakfast