6 Days Turkey Budget Pack Tour with Istanbul and Cappadocia by Bus

Day 1  Istanbul: Arrival & Transfer to Hotel

Upon your arrival in Istanbul, you will be met with our company representative in the arrivals area of the airport who will be holding a signboard with your name on it. After meet and greet, you will then be transferred from the airport to your hotel in Istanbul. After hotel check-in, the rest of the day is at leisure on your own.

Day 2 Istanbul: Full-Day Istanbul Byzantine & Ottoman History Tour - Overnight Bus to Cappadocia
(Included Meals: Breakfast & Lunch)

• Breakfast at hotel
• Picked up from your hotel for Full Day Tour
• Visiting Sites: Hagia Sophia, Byzantine, Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace
• 13:00 Lunch
• After the tour transfer you to Istanbul main bus station
• Overnight bus travel duration will be 11 hours
• Overnight bus to Cappadocia

Hagia Sophia: This ancient basilica, built by Constantine the Great in the 4th century and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, is one of the architectural marvels of all time.

Sultanahmet Mosque: Across from St. Sophia built in the 16th century by the architect Mehmet, is known as the Blue Mosque because of its magnificent interior decoration of blue Iznik tiles.

Hippodrome: Ancient Hippodrome, the scene of chariot races, with the three monuments; the Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine.

Grand Cover Bazaar: In this labyrinth of streets and passages are more then 4,000 shops with each trade having its own area: the goldsmiths' street, the carpet sellers, Turkish arts and crafts, such as handpainted ceramic plates, hand-honed copperware, brassware and trays, water ewers, onyx-ware and meerschaum pipes.

Topkapi Palace: The great palace of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th centuries housing an exquisite collection of cyrstal, silver, and Chinese porcelain, robes worn by the sultans and their families, the famous jewels of the Imperial Treasury, miniatures, the Holy Mantle; enshrining relics of the Prophet Mohammed.

– Overnight bus to Cappadocia

Day 3 Cappadocia: North Cappadocia Tour
(Included Meals: Breakfast & Lunch)

• Breakfast at hotel
• Picked up from your hotel for full day tour
• Visiting Sites: Devrent Valley, Pasabag Monk’s Valley, Avanos, Open-air Museum of Goreme, Castles of Uchisar
• 13:00 Lunch
• After the tour, transfer back to hotel
• Stay Overnight in Cappadocia

Upon your arrival at the Goreme bus station in Cappadocia, you will be met at the bus station and transferred to your Cappadocia hotel. At the hotel, you can have your breakfast and be ready to meet your tour guide.

DEVRENT VALLEY: Devrent is situated on the northern slopes of Aktepe, 1km from Pasabaglari (Monks’ Valley) and 5 km from Avanos. The ruins at Devrent are spread over three valleys, which also house several pointed fairy chimneys with large stems.

MONKS VALLEY: The best place to see three-headed fairy chimneys. Pasabag, the Pasha’s Vineyard, is surrounded by incredible natural rock formations; a spectacular scene.

AVANOS: A center of terra cotta work of art since 3000 BC, it is a town where you will be invited to visit a traditional pottery workshop, which is possibly set deep into the hillsides. The clay, which comes from the Red River passing through the town, gives life both to the land and to the local economy.

GOREME OPEN AIR MUSEUM: Goreme was an important Christian center in the early years of the Middle Ages, was a bishopric administered by Mokissos near Aksaray in the 11th and 13th centuries. Despite the vast number of monasteries, churches and chapels in the vicinity of Göreme, there are not many inscriptions bearing dates. For this reason, these religious buildings are mainly dated according to the iconography or architectural features.

UCHISAR: Uchisar is a troglodyte town situated right in the middle of Cappadocia. It is named after the enormous piece of rock in the center of the town, which was once used as a castle. This extraordinary rock is the highest peak of the area with the view of whole Cappadocia and Erciyes (Argeus) Mountain.

After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel.

Day 4 Cappadocia: South Cappadocia Tour - Overnight Bus to Istanbul
(Included Meals: Breakfast & Lunch)

• Breakfast at hotel
• Picked up from your hotel for full day tour
• Visiting Sites: Red Valley, Rose Valley, Cavusin Village, Pigeon Valley, Hospital Monastery, Kaymakli Underground city
• 13:00 Lunch
• After the tour transfer you to Cappadocia main bus station
• Overnight bus travel duration will be 11 hours
• Overnight bus to Istanbul

After breakfast at the hotel around 9:30  you will be picked up and met by your tour guide to begin your full-day tour of South Cappadocia. Your tour guide will brief you on the day’s activities. Your tour will begin with a visit to the Red Valley where you will be able to explore the famous rock-cut churches and hike approximately 5 km through the Güllüdere (Rose) Valley.

CAVUSIN: One of the oldest settlements in the area, Cavusin is situated 2km from Goreme, on the Göreme-Avanos road. The Church of St.John the Baptist offers a panoramic view of the village. This church and its paintings date back to the 5th century, making the oldest church in the region. It also has a large courtyard which is unusual for Cappadocia, however, much of it has eroded away.

KAYMAKLI: Kaymakli and Derinkuyu underground cities are the two largest and deepest of the 40 others in Cappadocia. They both have eight floors, although not all are open to the public.

HOSPITAL MONASTERY: One of the oldest monasteries in Cappadocia.

PIGEON HOUSE: Visit the pigeon houses and rock formations.

After the tour, you will be transferred to the Cappadocia bus station to board your overnight bus to Istanbul. Your bus will depart around 20:30 from Cappadocia for Istanbul.

Day 5 Istanbul: Arrival Istanbul and Transfer Hotel and Bosphorus Cruise

• Breakfast at hotel
• Picked up from your hotel for Tour
• Visiting Sites: Lunch on the Boat, City Walls, Rumeli Fortress, Golden Horn, Bosphorus Bridge Across to Asia
• After the tour transfer you to hotel
• Stay Overnight in Istanbul.

Upon your arrival at the main bus station in Istanbul between 7:30 - 9:00, you will be transferred to your hotel in Istanbul. Your check-in to the Istanbul hotel will be around 12:00. You will be picked up from your Istanbul hotel around 13:00 to join the half-day afternoon Bosphorus Cruise Tour.

On the half-day afternoon Bosphorus Cruise today, you will be viewing from the boat the following highlights:

Lunch on the Boat After you embark the boat you will have chance to appreciate the rich open buffet season salads delicious hors d'oeuvre, Chicken Shish Kebab, rice and fruit (Drinks are excluded).

Bosphorus By Boat: A traditional excursion by boat along the waterway separating Europe and Asia. The shore is lined with old wooden villas, palaces of marble, fortresses, and small fishing villages. During the excursion, you will pass the magnificent Dolmabahce Palace, and further along, the parks and imperial pavillions of Yildiz Palace. On the coastal edge of this park, is Ciragan Palace, 300 meters of is marble facade faces the shore. At Ortakoy a great variety of artists gather every Sunday to display their work along the street. Ortakoy is a symbol of tolerance with a church, a mosque and a synagogue existing side by side for centuries.

City Walls: City Walls-Were built by Constantine the Great, they have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople. Golden Horn-It has long been a natural harbour of the city and the favoured meeting of the sweet waters.

Drive By Bus To Golden Horn: As natural and extremely secure harbor, the Golden Horn has played an important role in the development of Istanbul. The inlet separates the European shore into two. It is approximately 8 km long, and the widest part is the entrance from the Bosphorus. Two streams drain into this inlet at its far end.

Rumeli Fortress (From The Sea, No Interior Visit) Built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452 prior to the conquest of Istanbul, was completed in only four months to control and protect Bosphorus. It is one of the most beautiful works of military architecture anywhere in the world.

Bosphorus Bridge Across to Asia: Overshadowing Istanbul's traditional architecture is one of the world's largest suspension bridges, linking Europe and Asia.

The Black Sea: Get the best shot where Bosphorus meets Black Sea.

At the end of the tour, you will be transferred back to your Istanbul hotel.

Day 6 Istanbul: Arrival in Istanbul and End of Tour

After breakfast check out from your hotel in Istanbul (before 11:00), then transfer to Istanbul International airport accordingly to your flight details. End of tour and services.

We hope your tour was a memorable one and we look forward to seeing you in the future on one of our tours. Have a safe trip back home and thank you for choosing TOUR BOOK TURKEY

Included: 

• Pick up and drop-off between airport & hotel
• Intercity bus tickets as per the itinerary
• 2 nights in Istanbul at Special Class or 3-Star Hotels including breakfast
• 1 night in Cappadocia at a cave hotel including breakfast
• Professional licensed English speaking guide during the tours
• Meals as per itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch
• Entrance fees mentioned by the itinerary
• Local taxes and service charges

Excluded: 

• International airfare & airport taxes
• Visa to enter Turkey
• Hot Air Balloon Ride
• Any optional tours
• Tips & Personal Items
• Drinks with meals (except the drinks served with breakfast)

• The order of the itinerary is indicative and subject to change, but all visits described will take place
• This is a regular group tour, but if requested at cost can be provided as a private tour
• The regular group tour has shopping stops included in the tour
• Please note that the Blue Mosque is not open for visitation on Fridays as it is closed for religious prayer services. You will only be able to visit the outside of the Blue Mosque area on tours operated on Fridays. No visitation will be allowed inside the Blue Mosque for tourists on Fridays
• St. Sophia is closed on Monday, this will be replaced with the Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnici)
• Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesday, it will be replaced with the Beylerbeyi Palace
• Grand Bazaar is closed on Sunday
• During religious holidays, the spice market and Grand Bazaar are closed
• Travelers using intercity ground or air transportation will not be accompanied by a tour guide. Upon reaching the touring destination, a tour guide from the local area will meet you to start the touring service. Domestic flight and/or bus tickets, as well as transportation to and from the airport and/or bus station, will be arranged by us