Luxury Private Turkey Tours

Yes — six days is the shortest comfortable version of this trip, and the one we are asked for most. It gives you three days in Istanbul and two full days in Cappadocia, with the flying done in the morning and at midday so you never lose a whole day to travel. Anything shorter means cutting either the Old City or the balloon flight, and neither is worth cutting.

We fly. The drive is around ten hours each way and would cost you two days of your trip. The domestic flights are included in your quote, and we handle the booking, the transfers at both ends and the timing, so the two cities join up without you thinking about it.

You get the money back. Balloon flights in Cappadocia are grounded by the civil aviation authority whenever the wind or weather is unsuitable, and no operator can override that. If it happens we will try to put you on the following morning where your schedule allows, and if there is no second chance before you fly out we refund the price of the balloon flight in full. The rest of your trip runs exactly as planned.

On day four you choose one: a quad-bike ride through the valleys, a jeep safari, horseback riding among the fairy chimneys, or the Goreme Open-Air Museum and its Byzantine rock-cut churches. Families and first-time visitors usually take the museum, while more active groups take the quad bikes or the horses. Tell us who is travelling and we will suggest the one that suits you best.

We choose them around your budget, from characterful boutique properties to cave hotels in Cappadocia and ultra-luxury addresses in Istanbul. Whatever the level, you can be confident it is the best available at that price. We name every hotel in your quote before you commit to anything.

Both. This is a private, custom-made journey, not a fixed departure. Add a night in Istanbul at the end, extend into Ephesus or Pamukkale, swap the food tour for the Two Continents tour, or move a day to suit your international flights. Send us your dates and we will build it around them.

Yes. Turkey welcomes tens of millions of international visitors a year, and the areas you travel through on our itineraries — central Istanbul and the Cappadocia valleys — are thoroughly used to looking after foreign guests. Travelling privately adds a further layer of ease, because you are met at the airport, driven door to door and accompanied by a licensed local guide throughout. For the official position, always check the current advice from your own government before you travel: the US State Department, Global Affairs Canada, Smartraveller in Australia or SafeTravel in New Zealand.

Yes. Every guide we work with is licensed by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and speaks fluent English. We work almost entirely with English-speaking travellers from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland, so the history comes with the context that makes it land.

Because the day belongs to you. A private tour moves at your pace and changes whenever you want it to. If jet lag hits on the first morning we start later; if a mosque holds your attention for an hour we stay. We are not the cheapest way to see Turkey and we do not try to be — what we offer is comfort, time and the expertise of people who live here.

Yes. Our tours and journeys are priced and quoted in US dollars, and we accept credit cards (Visa and Mastercard), bank transfer and cash. Every quote is confirmed in writing before you travel, with no hidden costs and nothing to pay locally.

No. US ordinary passport holders are exempt from visa requirements for tourism in Turkey for stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period, and entry is recorded electronically at the border. Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passport holders currently enjoy visa-free tourist entry as well. Rules do change, so confirm your own position directly with your government or the Turkish embassy before you fly.

Earlier than most people expect, particularly for spring and autumn. Cappadocia has a limited number of hot-air balloon places each morning and a limited number of good cave hotel rooms, and both are taken well in advance in April, May, September and October. If your dates are fixed, tell us as soon as you have them and we will hold the pieces that sell out first.