Marvels of Turkey: 11-Day Private Tour
Home / Private Turkey Tours / Marvels of Turkey
OVERVIEW
A Journey Through Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus & Bodrum
Marvels of Turkey is an 11-day, 10-night private guided tour from Istanbul and back, covering Istanbul, Cappadocia, Kuşadası and Ephesus, and Bodrum, with three internal flights included. You travel with your own guide and driver for the whole trip, not as part of a shared group, and pricing starts from 2,230 USD per person for parties of 10 or more.
11 Days / 10 Nights
Duration
Istanbul
Departure
Istanbul
Return
Private, guided
Style
✓ 100% private tour, no joining a group
✓ Licensed local guides
✓ Flexible dates & group sizes
✓ Free, no-obligation quote
FROM
$2,230 per person
For groups of 10 or more. See the full price table below.
Tailored to your dates and group size
WHAT’S INCLUDED
What the Price Covers
Here is what the price includes, and what it does not.
What's Included
10 nights of accommodation at selected hotels (see Where You’ll Stay)
11 breakfasts and 5 dinners at the hotels, as marked B and D in the itinerary
Admission fees, tax and service charges
Complete program of tours as specified in the day-by-day itinerary
Professional English-speaking guide licensed by the Turkish Ministry of Tourism
Private chauffeur-driven deluxe van with air conditioning
All transfers and touring from arrival to departure
Airfare for the flights Istanbul to Kayseri, Kayseri to Izmir and Bodrum to Istanbul
The guide’s flights on the same routes, and the guide’s and driver’s hotel and meals
VAT
What's Not Included
International airfare and related taxes
Customary end-of-tour gratuities to the guide and drivers
Bottled beverages and alcohol
Travel insurance, visas, laundry and personal items
Final pricing depends on season, group size and hotel category.
DAY BY DAY
Eleven days and ten nights from Istanbul and back, across Istanbul, Cappadocia, the Aegean coast and Bodrum.
Day 1: Arrival in Istanbul
Arrival Day
Welcome to Istanbul. After clearing customs and immigration, your guide meets you at the airport and helps you transfer to your hotel. After check-in, the afternoon is at leisure. You can rest in your room or take a walk around the hotel.
Day 2: Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque
Guided Day
After leaving your hotel, you first visit Topkapı Palace, where you see the kitchens, which display the second largest porcelain collection in the world, as well as the Council Hall, the Treasury and the pavilions. Your guide helps you find lunch. Next is Hagia Sophia, the largest church of its era when it was built in 537 A.D. under Emperor Justinian. Opposite it stands the Blue Mosque, with its beautiful İznik tiles. At the Hippodrome you see the Obelisk from Egypt, the Serpentine Column from Greece, the Byzantine column and the Kaiser Wilhelm Fountain. Your guide then takes you into the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, which has a remarkable collection of artifacts. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 3: Spice Market, Bosphorus Cruise and the Asian Side
Guided Day
This morning you visit the Spice Market and the Rüstem Pasha Mosque, known for its famous İznik tiles. The Bosphorus cruise is one of the highlights of the city. You sail on a local boat past the wooden houses called “yalı” along the Bosphorus. After the cruise you have lunch at the fish restaurants of Sarıyer, near the Black Sea. There you join your driver and cross to the Asian side to climb Çamlıca Hill, the highest point, and visit Beylerbeyi Palace on the shore of the Bosphorus. You then cross the Bosphorus Bridge back to your hotel.
Day 4: Golden Horn, Chora Church and Taksim
Guided Day
After breakfast you drive to the Golden Horn, passing the ancient city walls on the way. You visit the Chora Church (Saint Saviour in Chora), covered in golden mosaics inspired by the Bible and the life of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. Next is the Eyüp Mosque, where you can see the religious life and ritual visits to the tomb of a beloved companion of the Prophet Muhammad. You then climb the hill for a view over the Golden Horn from the Pierre Loti Café. After lunch you see the everyday life of Istanbul’s citizens in Taksim, which gives you a different perspective on this fabulous city.
Day 5: Istanbul to Cappadocia
Travel + Guided Day
After breakfast you check out and transfer to Istanbul Airport for your flight to Kayseri. On arrival you start to discover the wonders of Cappadocia. You visit Uçhisar, the highest point of the region, with views over the valleys, rock dwellings, vineyards and pigeon houses, then walk through the village with its volcanic houses. After lunch you visit the Göreme Open Air Museum, with frescoes dating from the 4th to the 13th centuries, and then Pigeon Valley for its views. Later you may visit local villages and craftspeople, possibly including a traditional rug workshop.
Day 6: Underground City, Ihlara Valley and Avanos
Guided Day · Optional Balloon
Optional: a hot air balloon ride in the early morning, which includes a one-hour flight, a glass of champagne, transfer and a flight certificate. Floating over the rock formations of Cappadocia’s valleys is a peaceful experience unlike any other flight. Today you first visit the underground city of Kaymaklı or Derinkuyu in the south of the region. After a one-hour drive you reach Ihlara Valley, with its flowers, birds, a branch of the longest river in Turkey and frescoed churches. On request you can hike about two hours in the valley and visit some of the frescoed churches. Lunch is by the Melendiz River in the middle of the valley. After lunch you drive to Avanos, a pottery village, to visit a workshop and see local crafts made by Turkish masters. On the way back to the hotel you explore the volcanic tufa formations of Devrent Valley, carved into churches, a refectory and dwellings in the Christian era, and walk through the vineyards.
Day 7: Cappadocia to Kuşadası and Ephesus
Travel + Guided Day
After breakfast you check out and transfer to Kayseri Airport for your flight to Izmir, then continue to Kuşadası. You visit the ancient city of Ephesus and learn about its monuments, including the Library of Celsus, the Agora, the Trojan Fountain, Hadrian’s Gate, the Temple of Domitian and the Theater. Next is the House of the Virgin Mary, where she spent her last years. After lunch you take a short walk in the village of Şirince, with its wooden houses and green countryside, and taste local wine. Finally you see the Church of St. John, whose burial chamber lies on a hill overlooking the Artemis temple, the Isa Bey Mosque and the Aegean Sea. Overnight in Kuşadası.
Day 8: Kuşadası to Bodrum via Priene and Didyma
Travel Day
This morning you drive to Bodrum. The first stop is Priene, once a strategic port and trading center, which today holds many examples of Hellenistic art and architecture. Then you drive to Didyma, an ancient Ionian sanctuary and temple known as one of the most renowned oracles of the Hellenistic world. After lunch you continue south to Bodrum, a holiday paradise with sandy beaches, lush forests and rocky hills, and arrive at your hotel. Overnight in Bodrum.
Day 9: Bodrum, the Mausoleum and St. Peter’s Castle
Guided Day
This morning your guide meets you and drives you to the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. After the archaeological visit you go to the Castle of St. Peter, built by the Knights of St. John with five towers representing the nationalities of its inhabitants. Today the castle houses the Museum of Underwater Archaeology. You are then free to explore the city on your own. Overnight in Bodrum.
Day 10: Bodrum to Istanbul
Travel + Guided Day
After breakfast you check out and transfer to Izmir Airport for your flight to Istanbul. On arrival you visit the Süleymaniye Mosque, with the burial chamber of Süleyman and his wife Roxelana. After lunch you see the Grand Bazaar, with its jewelry, silver, leather and kilim shops. You return to your hotel for an evening at leisure. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 11: Departure from Istanbul
Departure Day
This morning your guide meets you at the hotel and transfers you to the airport. End of our services.
TOUR MAP
Where This Tour Takes You
The route of the Marvels of Turkey on the map.
HIGHLIGHTS
Popular Attractions on This Route
The stops guests remember most from this itinerary, each visited with your private guide on the day shown.
Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque
UNESCO Site · Day 2
The palace kitchens and treasury, the largest church of its era, the İznik-tiled Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome, all in the Historic Peninsula.
Bosphorus Cruise and the Asian Side
Istanbul · Day 3
A sail past the wooden “yalı” houses of the Bosphorus, lunch in Sarıyer, then Çamlıca Hill and Beylerbeyi Palace.
Cappadocia’s Valleys and Göreme
UNESCO Site · Day 5
Uçhisar, Pigeon Valley and the Göreme Open Air Museum, with frescoes dating from the 4th to the 13th centuries.
Hot Air Balloon Ride
Optional · Day 6
An early-morning one-hour flight over Cappadocia’s rock formations, with champagne and a flight certificate.
Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary
Aegean Coast · Day 7
The Library of Celsus, Hadrian’s Gate and the Theater, then the house where the Virgin Mary spent her last years.
Bodrum and St. Peter’s Castle
Aegean Coast · Day 9
The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and the castle built by the Knights of St. John, now an underwater archaeology museum.
PHOTO GALLERY
Moments From the Route
Cappadocia’s balloons, the Blue Mosque, Ephesus and Bodrum, the places this tour passes through.
ACCOMMODATION
Where You’ll Stay
The hotels named for this route. Your exact rooms depend on your dates and availability.
Sultanhan Boutique Hotel
Istanbul · Nights 1 to 4
A museum hotel in Istanbul’s Historic Peninsula, built to preserve its historical architecture and texture.
Argos Cave Boutique Hotel
Cappadocia · Nights 5 and 6
A boutique hotel in Cappadocia, set in the region’s landscape of volcanic tuff shaped by wind, snow and rain.
Hotel Charisma
Kuşadası · Night 7
A five-star hotel in Kuşadası, the base for your visit to Ephesus.
Hotel Marmara Bodrum
Bodrum · Nights 8 and 9
An adult-only five-star retreat close to Bodrum’s city center, Bodrum Castle and the marina.
PRICING
Prices
2 Participants
$4,190
4 Participants
$2,950
6 Participants
$2,550
8 Participants
$2,300
10+ Participants · Best Value
$2,230
Prices change with the season and the month of travel. Please ask for the real price valid for the time you are planning to travel.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Quick answers about what is included, how the days run and how to adjust this trip to you.
What is included in the Marvels of Turkey tour?
The package covers ten nights in premium hotels, daily breakfast with several dinners, all admission fees, and a licensed English-speaking guide throughout. Local travel runs by private A/C van, and the three internal flights are included.
Does the tour include domestic flights?
Yes, the internal flights from Istanbul to Kayseri, Kayseri to Izmir, and Bodrum to Istanbul are part of the price. Your guide’s flights on the same routes are covered too.
Are hotels included in the package?
Yes, ten nights of accommodation are included at named hotels such as the Sultanhan Boutique Hotel in Istanbul, the Argos Cave Boutique Hotel in Cappadocia, and five-star properties in Kuşadası and Bodrum.
Can the itinerary be customized?
Yes, the day-by-day plan is a starting point and can be reshaped around your interests, so stops can be added, dropped, or reordered. The trip runs privately for your group.
Is airport transfer included?
Yes, your guide meets you at the airport on arrival and transfers you to your hotel, with a return transfer on departure day. Every transfer from arrival to departure is part of the package.
Ready to See the Marvels of Turkey Your Way?
A private guide and driver, your own pace for all 11 days. Tell us your dates and group size and we’ll send a tailored quote.