Small Group · Maximum Ten Guests
Istanbul & Cappadocia in Eight Days
Fixed departures, capped at ten. Five-star and cave hotels, a yacht of your own on the Bosphorus, and two days in Cappadocia with nothing scheduled at all.
What is this trip?
An eight-day journey through Istanbul and Cappadocia on set dates, with a hard cap of ten guests. One price per person covers seven nights in five-star and cave hotels, the Turkish Airlines flights between the two cities, every transfer, three days of private guided sightseeing, a Bosphorus yacht chartered for your group alone, and the hot-air balloon flight at dawn.
It is not a coach tour and it is not a budget alternative to traveling privately. It is the same standard of guiding, hotels and logistics we give our private guests, on fixed dates, shared with a handful of other people — which is why it suits couples and solo travelers who would rather not eat dinner alone every night. If you would prefer the whole thing to yourselves on your own dates, we build private Turkey journeys instead.
Two places that could not be less alike: a city of fifteen centuries and two empires, and a valley of soft volcanic rock where people carved their homes and churches into the stone. Eight days is enough to do both without hurrying either.
Most of our guests fly in from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and by the time they land the work is already done. Someone is waiting at arrivals. The vehicle is private, the guide is licensed and speaks fluent English, and the internal flights, the hotels and the timings were settled months before.
Fixed Departures
Dates & Availability
One price per person, based on two sharing
Everything listed above is covered by a single figure, quoted and confirmed in US dollars, in writing, before you commit to anything — with no hidden costs and nothing to settle while you are in Turkey. Tell us which departure suits you and we will send it the same day.
Traveling solo? A room of your own for the week is quoted alongside it, so you can see both figures together.
- Max 10 guests
May 24–31, 2027
Late spring — warm days and long light on the Bosphorus
- Max 10 guests
September 6–13, 2027
Early autumn — the clearest balloon mornings of the year
Both departures run Monday to Monday, which makes the international flights straightforward at either end. Tell us which one you want and how many of you there are, and we will confirm availability the same day. There are only two departures a year, and each one closes as soon as the tenth place goes.
Day By Day
The Eight Days
Three days of guiding, one flight, and two days in Cappadocia with nothing in them at all. The balloon sits on the morning of day five rather than later in the week, which leaves two further mornings in reserve if the weather grounds the flight.
- Day1
Arrival in Istanbul
We meet you at the airport and drive you privately to the hotel in Karakoy. The afternoon is yours to sleep off the flight or walk down to the water. That evening the group meets properly for the first time over a welcome dinner, with the skyline and the Bosphorus in front of you.
- Day2
The Old City, and time in the Bazaar
A full guided day on the historic peninsula: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern and the Hippodrome, with lunch along the way. The afternoon ends in the Grand Bazaar, and you get real time there rather than a march through it — long enough to look properly, ask what something is worth and buy if you want to. The Spice Bazaar is close by if the day runs to it. The evening is free.
- Day3
The Bosphorus, slowly
A slow morning, and then the yacht is yours alone for the afternoon — no other passengers, no fixed route, drinks and light bites on board as you pass the fortresses, palaces and wooden waterfront mansions between two continents. Afterwards the day opens up again, and the evening is yours for a rooftop table or dinner on the water.
- Day4
Fly to Cappadocia
Breakfast, check out, and a Turkish Airlines flight to Cappadocia. A private transfer takes you up to the cave hotel in Uchisar, and then deliberately nothing is scheduled. You settle in, you look at the view, you find dinner when you feel like it. The landscape does the work on the first day.
- Day5
Balloons at dawn, then nothing at all
Up before the sun for the hot-air balloon flight — an hour in the air as the light comes across the valleys, and the reason most people come to Cappadocia. You are back at the hotel for breakfast by eight, and the rest of the day is genuinely empty. Sleep again, book the hammam or the spa, wander down into Goreme, or sit on the terrace and do nothing. There is no group activity and none is expected of you.
- Day6
A free day, and horses at golden hour
A second unscheduled day, for whatever the first one did not cover. In the late afternoon, for those who want it, horses are brought out among the fairy chimneys for a photoshoot in the last hour of light — Cappadocia means "the land of beautiful horses," and this is the picture people come home with. Dinner together afterwards for anyone who would like it.
- Day7
Cappadocia properly, and a farewell dinner
The one full guided day in the valleys, and we have kept it unhurried. The Goreme Open-Air Museum first, early enough to be ahead of the crowds in the painted rock churches. Then Pasabag and the strange rock forms at Devrent, lunch in Avanos and an hour in a pottery workshop on the river where the clay has been worked for three thousand years. Back up to Uchisar as the light drops, for the viewpoint over the whole region and time to change before an elevated farewell dinner.
- Day8
Departure
Breakfast, check out, and a private transfer to the airport for the flight back to Istanbul, timed around your international departure so you connect with hours in hand rather than minutes.
Where You Stay
Two Hotels, Both Chosen for Where They Are
The Bank Hotel, Istanbul
A converted bank building in Karakoy, and part of Marriott's Autograph Collection. What makes it the right choice is the address: it is a few minutes from the tram and within a comfortable walk of a great deal of what we explore, so you can step out on your free evenings and be somewhere worth being without arranging a car first.
Taskonaklar, Cappadocia
Rooms carved into the rock in Uchisar, looking out across the valleys. We choose Uchisar over Goreme deliberately for a group like this — it is quieter and more refined than the busier center, while staying close enough to reach everything easily. On your free days, the view from the terrace is a reasonable argument for not leaving at all.
The Detail
What Your Journey Covers
Included
In the price
- Seven nights in hand-picked hotels — The Bank Hotel in Istanbul and Taskonaklar in Cappadocia
- Breakfast every morning at your hotel
- Private airport transfers on arrival and departure, and all transfers between destinations
- Turkish Airlines flights between Istanbul and Cappadocia, both ways
- A welcome dinner in Istanbul on your first evening
- Two full days of private guided sightseeing in Istanbul, with dedicated time in the Grand Bazaar
- An exclusive Bosphorus yacht charter for your group, with drinks and light bites on board
- A hot-air balloon flight over the Cappadocia valleys at dawn
- A full day of private guided sightseeing in Cappadocia, including the Avanos pottery workshop
- An elevated farewell dinner in Cappadocia
- Entrance fees to every site on the itinerary
- Licensed English-speaking guides throughout
- A maximum of ten guests, and coordination with your international flights from start to finish
Separately
Yours to arrange
- International flights to and from Turkey
- Travel insurance, which we ask every guest to arrange before departure
- Lunches and dinners other than the welcome and farewell dinners
- The golden-hour horseback photoshoot on day six, booked on request
- Spa, hammam and other hotel services on your free days
- Personal spending, shopping and gratuities
One clear written quote covering everything included, agreed before you travel. No hidden costs, no forced shopping stops, and nothing to pay locally.
Why Ten
Small On Purpose, Not to Save Money
We built our business on private travel and we still believe it is the best way to see Turkey. This departure exists because a lot of people asked for the same standard without the whole trip to themselves — and because at ten guests, almost nothing has to be compromised.
Ten guests, and that is the ceiling
Not "around a dozen" and not "up to sixteen." Ten is the number the whole trip is built on — one vehicle, one guide, one table at dinner, and no microphone or numbered paddle anywhere.
Two days with nothing in them
Most group tours fill every hour to prove their value. We gave you two unscheduled days in Cappadocia on purpose, because the difference between seeing a place and enjoying it is usually time.
The yacht is yours, not shared
The Bosphorus afternoon is a private charter for your group alone. On a larger tour this is a ticketed boat with two hundred strangers on it, and it is not remotely the same afternoon.
Hotels with a sense of place
The Bank Hotel is a Marriott Autograph Collection property in Karakoy; Taskonaklar is a cave hotel looking across the valleys from Uchisar. Both were chosen for where they are, not for a bulk rate.
The same guides as our private guests
Licensed by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, fluent in English, and the same people we send out with families paying for a fully private itinerary. Nothing about the guiding is a lesser tier.
No shopping stops written into the day
The Grand Bazaar and the Avanos pottery workshop are there because they are worth your time. There is no commission stop disguised as sightseeing, and your guide is not paid to steer you anywhere.
Guests Who Traveled Turkey With Us
Istanbul and Cappadocia, In Their Words
5.0 from 34 reviews on TripadvisorPerfectly Planned Istanbul & Cappadocia Family Trip
Our trip to Istanbul and Cappadocia was expertly tailored, ensuring everything proceeded flawlessly. The hotels, tour guides, drivers, and restaurants exceeded our expectations. We enjoyed an unforgettable six-day family adventure.
Family Holiday in Istanbul, Cappadocia and Bursa
An incredible job customizing a seven-day trip for my family. We spent four days in Istanbul, three days in Cappadocia, and a day trip to Bursa. Everything was planned, from airfare to accommodations, tours, dinners, a Turkish bath, a marbling workshop, a hot air balloon tour, and even help with shopping. Both hotels were top notch. Thanks to the team, we had an amazing holiday without any hassle. Everything worked perfectly. We highly recommend them.
Turkey Explored
Our trip to Turkey fulfilled all our expectations. We were helped to plan and enjoy an excellent holiday, with everything organized from start to finish. All hotels and transportation were comfortable, convenient, and friendly, and everything went smoothly. I absolutely would recommend this company to anyone.
Before You Book
Questions We Are Asked Most
How many people will be on this tour?
Ten at the very most, and often fewer. That cap covers the whole trip: one vehicle, one guide, one restaurant table and a Bosphorus yacht chartered for your group alone. We do not add guests beyond ten under any circumstances, because the size is the product.
What is included in the price?
Seven nights in five-star and cave hotels with breakfast, all private transfers, Turkish Airlines flights between Istanbul and Cappadocia in both directions, three days of private guided sightseeing, entrance fees, a private Bosphorus yacht charter, the hot-air balloon flight, and both the welcome and farewell dinners. Yours to arrange are your international flights, travel insurance, and the meals beyond the ones listed above.
Is this a private tour or a group tour?
It is a small group departure with fixed dates, which means you travel alongside other guests rather than alone. Everything inside it is run privately — a private guide, a private vehicle, a privately chartered yacht — but the dates are set and the group is shared. If you would rather have the whole itinerary to yourselves on your own dates, we build that as a private journey instead.
Who usually books a trip like this?
Couples and solo travelers, mostly, from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It suits people who want the logistics handled and the standard high, but who also like the idea of eating dinner with a few others rather than alone every night. Groups of friends traveling together book it too, and a group of six or eight can fill most of a departure.
What happens if the balloon flight is canceled?
You get the money back. Balloon flights are grounded by the Turkish civil aviation authority whenever the wind or the weather is unsuitable, and no operator can override that. We schedule the flight for the morning of day five precisely so that days six and seven are still available as second and third attempts. If none of the three mornings works out, we refund the balloon flight in full and the rest of the trip runs exactly as planned.
Are the free days really free?
Yes. Days five and six in Cappadocia have no group program at all beyond the dawn balloon flight and the optional horseback photoshoot. Your guide is reachable and will happily book a hammam, suggest a restaurant or arrange a car if you want to go somewhere, but nothing is expected of you and nobody is counted onto a bus.
Do I need to pay a single supplement if I travel alone?
The price is based on two guests sharing a room. If you are traveling solo and would like a room of your own for the whole week, there is a single supplement, and we will show you both figures side by side when we quote so nothing is a surprise. It covers both hotels for all seven nights, and there is nothing further to pay. Solo travelers make up a good share of every departure, so you will not be the only one.
How fit do I need to be?
Reasonably mobile, but this is not a strenuous trip. The Old City day involves several hours on your feet with breaks, and the Cappadocia valleys involve uneven ground and some gentle slopes. There is no long hiking and no early start apart from the balloon morning. If you have a knee, a hip or anything else we should plan around, tell us and we will adjust the pacing.
Can we add nights before or after?
Easily, and a lot of guests do. An extra night or two in Istanbul at either end is the most common request, and we can add rooms at the same hotel, arrange the transfers and add a private tour of whatever you did not get to. Ephesus and Pamukkale can also be added on the end as a private extension.
Do Americans, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders need a visa?
Currently no. Ordinary passport holders from all four countries enjoy visa-free tourist entry to Turkey for stays within the permitted window, and entry is recorded electronically at the border. Rules do change, so confirm your own position with your government or the Turkish embassy before you fly.
Planning this for clients rather than for yourself? We work with travel advisors on net rates and handle the whole ground program in Turkey — see our travel advisor page.
Begin the Journey
Hold a Place on the Next Departure
Tell us which dates suit you and how many of you are traveling. We will confirm availability, the single supplement if you need one, and the whole cost in writing.