Best of Turkey

15 Days | Coastal cruising to city choosing – get to know a Turkish way of life.

4.6 out of 5 based on 81 reviews submitted.
Explorer
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USD $2,130
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Get your Turkish delights on a 15-day Istanbul round-trip adventure. It’s a mix of ancient ruins and modern cities, Islamic mysticism and Ottoman influence, inland discoveries and coastal cruising, and everything in between. Discover Gallipoli on a guided tour that will teach you about its significance during the First World War, unlock the secrets of the ancient city of Ephesus, admire Oludeniz’s Blue Lagoon from high up on a mountain hike, and swim and snorkel in the Mediterranean on a traditional gulet cruise from Kas. From the winding laneways of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar to the to the bizarre landscapes of Cappadocia, take the plunge and discover a new way of experiencing Turkey.

Trip overview

Map of Best Of Turkey including Turkey
Start
Istanbul, Turkey
Finish
Istanbul, Turkey
Theme
Explorer
Destinations
Turkey
Physical rating
Indicates how physically exerting a trip is, and how fit you will need to be to enjoy it. More info on physical ratings
Style
Original
Ages
Min 15
Group size
Min 1 - Max 16
Trip code
ERSI
This trip generates 40.96 kg of CO2-e per person per day.
We offset these emissions on your behalf. But we know that is not enough, so we also have a carbon reduction target.

Why you'll love this trip
  • Discover the incredible ancient and modern history of Turkey as you explore thousands of years of history hidden within the remarkable ruins of Ephesus and discover Gallipoli on a guided tour that will teach you about the significant events that took place in this area
  • Take in the dizzying diversity of this epic landscape with a visit to the stunning natural hot springs of Pamukkale, a cruise along the picture-perfect Turkish coast over Sunken Cities, and an optional hot-air balloon ride over the fairy-tale land of Cappadocia.
  • Get to know the friendly locals with fruit wine tasting in the serene village of Sirince and a home-cooked dinner at a local cave home in Cappadocia, plus get treated to a Turkish BBQ feast by your local hosts in Kayakoy
  • Pull on your walking shoes and set out on a half-day trek along a section of rugged coastline, following part of the ancient walking trail of the Lycian Way and explore the exotic landscape of Cappadocia on a short hike in the valley.
  • Travel and stay a little differently – and come home with memories to last a lifetime – from taking local buses and trains, to enjoying a traditional gulet (boat) trip, to staying in one of the cave hotels that Cappadocia is famed for.
  • By travelling on this trip, you’ll directly support our Intrepid Foundation partner, CYDD (Çağdaş Yaşamı Destekleme Derneği). Donations help them provide scholarships and educational programs for economically disadvantaged youth in Turkey.

Is this trip right for you?
  • This trip includes a memorable night on a boat cruising the southern coast of Turkey. Cabins and bathroom facilities are shared and not air-conditioned. Our travellers will grab the mattress, blankets and pillows and sleep on the deck under a bed of Mediterranean stars.
  • This trip uses a combination of public and private transport, and all vehicles are modern and have air-conditioning and most are fitted with seat belts. Some journeys can be long in order to maximise the areas visited, but this gives you a chance to interact with the local community and see more of the country. You'll also be pleasantly surprised to find most Turkish buses have wi-fi and serve coffee and cake! Please note that you'll have to carry your own luggage on and off the bus, so make sure it doesn’t exceed our weight and size recommendations. You can find specifics under ‘Packing’ in the ‘Essential Trip Information’ section.

Itinerary

Map of Best Of Turkey including Turkey

Inclusions

Meals

14 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners

Transport

Private Bus, Public Bus, Train, Dolmus, Gulet (boat), Plane

Accommodation

Hotel (10 nights), Guest house (3 nights), Overnight boat (1 night)

Activities
  • Istanbul - Orientation Walk
  • Gallipoli - Fully guided Gallipoli tour & visit to the Commonwealth graveyards
  • Selcuk - Leader-led orientation walk
  • Troy - Archaeological site visit
  • Ephesus - Archaeological site visit
  • Selcuk - Gozleme making demonstration and lunch
  • Sirince - Village visit and fruit wine tasting
  • Pamukkale - Hierapolis and Travertines National Park
  • Kayakoy - Village visit
  • Lycian Way - Hike from Kayakoy to Oludeniz Beach
  • Kayakoy - Home-cooked Turkish BBQ dinner
  • Kas - Leader led orientation walk
  • Kas - Handicraft market
  • Kekova - Turkish Coast Cruising & Sunken Cities
  • Konya - Mevlana Museum
  • Cappadocia - Dinner at Local Family Home
  • Goreme - Valley walk
Add on activities
  • Istanbul - Hagia Sophia - Free
  • Istanbul - Whirling Dervish show - TRY900
  • Istanbul - Topkapi Palace and Hagia Irine (Excluding Harem) - TRY750
  • Istanbul - Archaeology Museum - TRY340
  • Istanbul - Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts - TRY200
  • Istanbul - Turkish Hamam (inc. massage) - EUR100
  • Selcuk - Basilica of St John - TRY100
  • Selcuk - Ephesus Archaeological Museum - TRY100
  • Ephesus - Terrace Houses entry - TRY170
  • Selcuk - Meryemana (Mary's House) entrance fee - TRY200
  • Selcuk - Sultankoy Village Carpet Weaving - Free
  • Pamukkale - Hierapolis Museum - TRY400
  • Pamukkale - Cleopatra Ancient Pool - TRY100
  • Antalya - Antalya Museum - TRY200
  • Konya - Karatay Museum - TRY20
  • Goreme - Hot Air Balloon, Cappadocia Deluxe Flight - EUR410
  • Goreme - Hot Air Balloon, Cappadocia Regular Flight - EUR300
  • Cappadocia - Goreme - Open Air Museum - TRY300
  • Goreme - Underground city - TRY60

Dates and availability

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Important notes

1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement exclude days 8 (Overnight Boat) where you will be in shared accommodation and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2. This trip starts in Istanbul on Day 1 at 1.00 pm. This allows time after the joining meeting to explore Istanbul with your Leader.
3. There is an internal flight on this trip and most internal flights in Turkey have a luggage restriction of 15kg checked and 8kg cabin.

Essential Trip Information

Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.

Read Essential Trip Information

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 based on 81 reviews submitted.
While we try our best to display all reviews, removal may be due to the following: privacy concerns, profanity/inappropriate content or it is unrelated to this trip. We welcome honest feedback and will directly respond to negative reviews.

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Kristine · Traveled August 2023
Best of Turkey was an amazing experience, one which I will never forget. So many highlights but my favourite was the hot air ballooning in Cappadocia. Our tour leader, Oz, was exceptional, funny, caring and took the stress out of our trip. 100% recommend this tour
Review submitted 01 Sep 2023

Susanne · Traveled August 2023
Fantastic trip to Türkiye, great tour leader Barbaros,loved every minute with this group
Review submitted 30 Aug 2023

Alexander · Traveled August 2023
An excellent trip, with lots of siteseeing, activities, sunshine and delicious food, great way to explore Turkiye! Barboros is an excellent tour leader, very knowledgeable, approachable and supportive, energetic, well organised, and with a good sense of humour. We had a lot of fun as a group during the trip!
Review submitted 28 Aug 2023

Alyssa · Traveled July 2023
The Best of Turkey trip far exceeded my expectations. There was not one aspect of the trip that I did not enjoy. Everything was always so well organised and communicated by our guide Ahmet so that we always knew what to expect each day. Ahmet was so knowledgeable and passionate that I feel he could answer any question put to him about Turkey. There was a great balance of activities, with plenty of opportunities to explore different historical sites, shop, swim as well we time to relax at the accommodation. I couldn’t recommend this trip more!
Review submitted 18 Aug 2023

Eugene · Traveled July 2023
Intrepid “Best of Turkey” was a magical tour, the places we visited, the accommodation and activities were all wonderful and curated perfectly to see and experience as much as possible. Our tour guide Ahmet made sure our group had a great time and was so knowledgeable of each destination and surprised us as well which made it even more special.
Review submitted 18 Aug 2023
Best of Turkey
From
USD $2,130