14-Day Private Grand Tour of Turkey: Istanbul, Gallipoli, Ephesus, Antalya & Cappadocia

Highlights

• Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar
• Anzac Cove and the Gallipoli memorials, and a ferry across the Dardanelles
• Troy and its nine layers of settlement
• Lunch with local women in a village near Troy
• Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary
• Hierapolis and the white terraces of Pamukkale
• Two nights in Antalya, with its Roman harbor and Kaleiçi old town
• The Roman theater of Aspendos and the Mevlana Museum in Konya
• Cappadocia's underground city, Göreme Open Air Museum and fairy chimneys
• The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations and Atatürk's mausoleum in Ankara

1. Day 1Arrive in Istanbul

   Your driver meets you at the airport and takes you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to rest after the flight or take a first walk through the neighborhood. In the evening, your guide stops by to go over the route and answer questions about the two weeks ahead. Send us your flight details when you book so the pickup matches your arrival.

   Istanbul Meals: None

2. Day 2Istanbul's Old City

   Start at the Hippodrome, heart of Byzantine Constantinople, where an Egyptian obelisk has stood since the 4th century. See the Blue Mosque and its minarets and step inside Hagia Sophia, nearly 1,500 years old. Spend the late morning in Topkapı Palace, where the Ottoman sultans lived and governed, then lose yourself in the covered lanes of the Grand Bazaar.

   Istanbul Meals: B

3. Day 3Gallipoli and the Dardanelles

   Drive west along the Sea of Marmara to the Gallipoli peninsula, where the 1915 campaign shaped the national stories of Turkey, Australia and New Zealand. Walk down to Anzac Cove and visit the Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair memorials with your guide. In the late afternoon, take the ferry from Eceabat across the Dardanelles to Çanakkale.

   Çanakkale Meals: B

4. Day 4Troy and a Village Lunch, on to İzmir

   Explore Troy, where excavations have uncovered nine cities built one on top of another, and see the replica of the wooden horse. Continue to a village in the hills for lunch with local women, who bake bread and cook with produce from their own gardens. Drive south to İzmir and check in to your hotel by the sea.

   İzmir Meals: B, L

5. Day 5Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary

   Walk through Ephesus, one of the great cities of the Roman Mediterranean, past the facade of the Library of Celsus and down the marble street toward its old harbor. Visit the House of the Virgin Mary on Mount Koressos, revered as Mary's last home. The afternoon is free. In the evening, try İzmir's seafood restaurants along the bay.

   İzmir Meals: B

6. Day 6Drive to Pamukkale

   Leave the coast and drive inland, about three hours, to Pamukkale. Check in to your hotel, where thermal pools fed by the same springs that formed the white terraces are yours to enjoy for the rest of the day. The afternoon is free to rest and swim.

   Pamukkale Meals: B

7. Day 7Hierapolis and Pamukkale, on to Antalya

   Walk through Hierapolis, the Roman spa city where the ancients came to bathe and heal, and see its theater and necropolis. Then go barefoot on the white travertine terraces of Pamukkale, the "Cotton Castle." Drive south to Antalya on the Mediterranean. (The Antalya Archaeological Museum is closed for renovation as of October 2026; if it has reopened by your travel date, your guide can add a visit.)

   Antalya Meals: B

8. Day 8Free Day in Antalya

   A day at your own pace on the Turkish Riviera. Wander the winding lanes of Kaleiçi, the old town, with its Ottoman houses and Roman harbor, swim at Konyaaltı or Lara beach, or relax at the hotel. If you would like to see more, we can arrange an optional boat trip along the coast or a guided walk of the old town.

   Antalya Meals: B

9. Day 9Aspendos and Konya

   Start at Aspendos, one of the best-preserved Roman theaters anywhere, still used for concerts today. Drive north over the Taurus Mountains to Konya. Visit the Mevlana Museum, the shrine of the poet Rumi whose followers became the whirling dervishes, and the Karatay Madrasa, now a tile museum beneath a dome of Seljuk tiles.

   Konya Meals: B

10. Day 10Sultanhanı and the Underground City, Cappadocia

    Stop at Sultanhanı, a 13th-century caravanserai where traders on the Silk Road once rested with their camels. Continue into Cappadocia and go below ground at Saratlı, a smaller underground city with tunnels and rooms carved into the rock. Check in to your cave hotel, with views over the valleys and the rock castle of Ortahisar.

    Cappadocia (cave hotel) Meals: B

11. Day 11Göreme, Paşabağ and Avanos

    If you booked the optional balloon flight, you rise before dawn to watch the valleys from above. After breakfast, visit the Göreme Open Air Museum and its frescoed rock churches, then walk among the multi-capped fairy chimneys of Paşabağ. In Avanos, watch potters shape red river clay on the wheel. A whirling dervish ceremony can be added in the evening.

    Cappadocia (cave hotel) Meals: B

12. Day 12Ankara

    Drive to Ankara, Turkey's capital. Visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, with finds from the Hittites to the Romans, and Anıtkabir, the monumental mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Republic. The evening is free to explore the old quarter around Ankara Castle.

    Ankara Meals: B

13. Day 13Return to Istanbul

    Drive back to Istanbul, arriving in the afternoon. The rest of the day is yours. You can take a ferry on the Bosphorus between Europe and Asia, or arrange an optional private boat cruise, then enjoy a final dinner in the city.

    Istanbul Meals: B

14. Day 14Departure

    After breakfast, your driver takes you to the airport in time for your flight home. Let us know your flight time in advance so we can plan the transfer with a comfortable margin for Istanbul traffic.

    None Meals: B

Optional extras

• Upgrade to 5-star hotels for every night of the tour
• Hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia (morning of Day 11)
• Whirling dervish ceremony in Cappadocia
• Private Bosphorus cruise in Istanbul (Day 13)
• Boat trip or guided old-town walk in Antalya (Day 8)

Hotels (or similar)

• Istanbul, Çanakkale, İzmir, Pamukkale, Antalya, Konya and Ankara: 4-star hotels
• Cappadocia: 4-star cave hotel

Price per person (USD)

The price depends on how many people travel together, because your guide and vehicle are private. Children 0 to 1 travel free; children 2 to 6 pay the child price and count toward group size.

Prices valid as of October 15, 2026. Bookings close 10 days before the start date: book today and the earliest start date is October 25, 2026.

• Upgrade to 5-star hotels: +$730 per adult for the whole tour.
• Guide in English is included. Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Chinese or Japanese: +$790 for the whole group, shared between the travelers (Chinese and Japanese on request).

Good to know

• Several days include drives of four to six hours; your driver stops whenever you need a break.
• Mosques require modest dress: shoulders and knees covered, and a headscarf for women.
• Topkapı Palace closes on Tuesdays and the Grand Bazaar on Sundays; your guide adjusts the order of visits.
• Underground cities have low, narrow passages. Tell your guide if you prefer to skip them.
• Bookings close 10 days before the start date. Reserve with a 30% deposit; cancellation is free up to 30 days before travel.

FAQ