8-Day Turkey Tour: Istanbul, Gallipoli, Troy, Pergamon, Ephesus & Cappadocia

Your tour begins when your flight lands in Istanbul, at either Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW). Our representative will be waiting at the international arrivals exit, holding a sign with our agency code so you can spot us easily. After a quick hello, you'll be driven to your hotel for check-in.

The rest of the day is yours. If the flight was long, there's no pressure to do anything but sleep it off. If you'd rather get moving, the city is easy to walk, so put on comfortable shoes and see where you end up.

You're staying in Istanbul tonight, which means you're within reach of the old city on foot or by tram. Nothing is scheduled, so you set the pace. Keep a light layer handy, since evenings near the water can turn cool.

There's also an optional Night Cruise on the Bosphorus with dinner and a show, available at extra cost if you'd like to book it. It makes for a relaxed first evening on the water, with entertainment and a meal on board.

No meals are included today. If you skip the cruise, you can pick a local restaurant near your hotel for dinner at your own expense.

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

After breakfast, you'll be picked up from your hotel at around 8:30 AM to start a full day with your guide across Istanbul's Byzantine and Ottoman landmarks. First up is Hagia Sophia, built as a cathedral and later used as a mosque. Your guide will point out the Christian mosaics and Islamic calligraphy sharing the same walls.

Next is the Blue Mosque, known for its blue İznik tiles and six minarets. It's still an active place of worship, so shoulders and knees should be covered, and women should bring a scarf for their heads. On Fridays, sightseeing visits at the mosque begin after 2:30 PM; this tour retains an exterior-only visit. From there you'll walk over to the Byzantine Hippodrome, once the chariot-racing ground, where the Obelisk of Theodosius, Serpent Column and German Fountain still stand.

Lunch is included at a local restaurant, with traditional Turkish dishes and a chance to sit down for a bit. Afterward you'll visit Topkapi Palace, home to Ottoman sultans for nearly 400 years, with its courtyards and treasury rooms. The Harem is an optional add-on inside the palace. Topkapi closes on Tuesdays, and on those days it's replaced by the Basilica Cistern.

The last stop is the Grand Bazaar, a covered market with more than 4,000 shops selling carpets, jewelry, ceramics and spices. It's closed on Sundays and during religious holidays. Expect several hours on your feet today, much of it on uneven marble and cobblestones, so wear comfortable shoes and carry water.

You'll be back at your hotel around 5:00 PM, and the rest of the evening is yours. Dinner isn't included, so you're free to pick a local restaurant near your hotel at your own expense. Tonight you stay in Istanbul.

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

Your day starts early, with pickup from your Istanbul hotel at around 6:30 AM. The drive west to Eceabat takes about five hours, so settle in and watch the countryside roll past. Lunch is served on arrival and it's included, so you'll start the afternoon fed.

At around 1:00 PM your fully guided tour of the Gallipoli battlefields begins. You'll start along the coast at Brighton Beach and Beach Cemetery, then walk the shingle at Anzac Cove. Ari Burnu Cemetery, the ANZAC Commemorative Site and the Respect to Mehmetcik Statue follow, each one tied to a specific moment in the 1915 campaign.

The road then climbs into the ridges. You'll stop at the Lone Pine Australian Memorial and at Johnston's Jolly, where Turkish and Allied trenches and tunnels sit just yards apart. Next come the Turkish 57th Infantry Regiment Cemetery, The Nek, and finally the Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial up on the high ground.

There's a fair bit of walking today, much of it on uneven paths and slopes, so wear comfortable shoes and bring water. The peninsula is open and exposed, which means sun in summer and wind in cooler months. The tour wraps up around 4:30 PM, and you'll be driven to your hotel in Çanakkale for check-in and the night.

Your evening in Çanakkale is free. Dinner isn't included, so you're welcome to pick a local spot near the waterfront at your own expense.

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

After breakfast, you'll be picked up from your Çanakkale hotel at around 8:30 AM for a fully guided day at Troy and Pergamon. The tour starts at the Trojan Horse, then moves on to the Sacrificial Altars and the 3,700-year-old city walls.

From there you'll walk through the Houses of Troy I (roughly 3000 to 2500 B.C.), the Bouleuterion, which served as the senate building, and the Odeon, the concert hall. Your guide will also point out remains from the layered settlements known as Troy I through Troy IX. The ground is uneven and shade is limited, so wear comfortable shoes and bring a hat.

The Troy visit wraps up around 10:30 AM, and then you'll drive south to Bergama, arriving about 1:30 PM. Lunch is served there and it's included in your tour price. Afterward, the guided tour of the Pergamon Acropolis begins.

You'll see the Library, which once held 200,000 books, the Temple of Athena, the Temple of Trajan, and the Altar of Zeus, whose reliefs are now in Berlin. The Gymnasium sits on terraces, and below it you'll find the Lower Agora, the Temple of Dionysus, and the steep Hellenistic Theater, built for about 10,000 spectators. Expect a fair amount of walking on slopes and steps here.

The Pergamon tour ends around 5:30 PM, and then it's a long drive down the coast. You'll reach Selçuk at about 8:00 PM and Kuşadası by roughly 8:30 PM, where you'll check in to your hotel for the night. Dinner isn't included, so plan on a simple meal near the hotel at your own expense after a full day.

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

After breakfast, you'll check out of your Kuşadası hotel at around 8:30 AM, then meet your guide and fellow travelers for a full day at Ephesus. It's one of the best-preserved ancient cities anywhere, and it was once a major Greek port and cultural center. You'll start with a walk down Curetes Street, the city's main avenue, which is marble underfoot and uneven in places.

The first main stop is the Temple of Hadrian, with its finely carved reliefs still in place. From there you'll reach the Great Theater, built to hold up to 25,000 people and still known for its acoustics. Your guide will explain how it was used for public gatherings, dramas and contests. You'll also see the Trajan Fountain and how it fit into the city's water system.

Lunch is included at a local restaurant. Afterward you'll drive up to the House of the Virgin Mary, a small stone house on a wooded hillside that's still a pilgrimage site. It's a quiet place, so voices stay low inside.

Next comes the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, though only a column and scattered foundations remain today. Your last stop is the Isa Bey Mosque, a 14th-century Seljuk-era building with a wide courtyard and tilework worth a close look. Expect several hours of walking on stone and packed earth, so wear comfortable shoes and bring a hat, water and sunscreen.

Around 4:00 PM you'll be driven to Izmir Airport for your late evening flight to Kayseri or Nevsehir via Istanbul. On arrival, a representative will be waiting with a sign showing your name and will take you to your cave hotel in Cappadocia. It'll be a late night, so keep your checked bag within the 15 kg domestic allowance and your carry-on under 8 kg.

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

Before the day officially begins, there's an optional early morning hot air balloon ride over the valleys. It's not part of the tour price, so you'd book it separately at extra cost.

After breakfast, you'll be picked up from your Cappadocia hotel at around 9:30 AM for a full day across northern Cappadocia. First stop is Devrent Valley, where wind and water have shaped the soft rock into fairy chimneys and odd animal-like forms. Then it's on to Pasabag Valley (Monks Valley) and its mushroom-shaped pinnacles, some with multiple caps on a single stem.

Next you'll drive to Avanos, the town known for pottery and ceramics made from local red clay. Lunch here is included. Afterward, your guide takes you through the Zelve Open Air Museum, a cave-cut settlement of carved dwellings and old churches that tells the region's monastic story.

The last stop is a quick one: about 15 minutes for wide-angle photos of Uchisar Castle from the outside, since the interior isn't open to visitors. Expect uneven ground and dusty paths at the valleys, so wear closed shoes with grip and bring a hat and water. The tour wraps up around 4:00 PM with a transfer back to your hotel.

The rest of the day is yours to rest or wander the town at your own pace. Optional add-ons at extra cost include a Turkish Night show with dinner, a 2-hour ATV tour, 2 hours of horseback riding through the valleys, or a 1-hour Whirling Dervish show. Dinner isn't included tonight, so you're free to pick a local restaurant at your own expense.

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

After breakfast, you'll check out of your cave hotel and be picked up at around 9:30 AM, where your guide meets you to start a full day in South Cappadocia. Your guide will run through the plan before you set off. First stop is Red Valley, with its rock-cut churches carved into the soft stone.

From there you'll hike roughly 5 km through Rose Valley (Gulludere Vadisi). It's the longest walk of the tour, so wear shoes with grip and bring water, a hat and sunscreen. Next comes Cavusin Village, known for its old houses and churches once used by Christian clergy.

Lunch is included and comes around noon, which is a good point to sit down and rest your legs. Afterward you'll visit Pigeon Valley (Guvercinlik Vadisi), named for the dovecotes cut into the cliffs. In the afternoon, you'll go underground at either Kaymakli Underground City or Ozkonak Underground City, where early Christians took shelter. The passages are narrow and low in places, so keep that in mind if tight spaces bother you.

The tour wraps up around 4:00 PM, and you'll be driven to either Kayseri or Nevsehir airport for your late evening flight to Istanbul. On the domestic flight, checked luggage is limited to 15 kg per person, with one carry-on up to 8 kg. Our representative will meet you on arrival in Istanbul and transfer you to your hotel for the night.

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

After breakfast, you'll have time to finish packing and check out of your Istanbul hotel. Check-out is before 12:00 noon, so plan your morning around that.

Your departure transfer is arranged around your flight details, and the drive takes you straight to Istanbul International Airport. Keep your passport and booking documents handy, and allow plenty of time for check-in and security.

If your flight is later in the day, you can leave your bags with the hotel front desk after check-out and take one last walk through the neighborhood. Comfortable shoes still apply, and so does the city's traffic, which can be slow at almost any hour.

Our tour and services end with your airport transfer. Safe travels home, and thanks for spending these eight days with us across Istanbul, the Aegean coast and Cappadocia.

• Included Meal(s): Breakfast