Epic Turkey Trip

İstanbul, Türkiye

ST
SGA Travel
  • Email address verified
7 reviews
Duration: 8 days
Group size: 2 - 12
Epic Turkey Trip
İstanbul, Türkiye

SGA Travel
  • Email address verified
7 reviews

Duration: 8 days
Group size: 2 - 12

About this trip

This journey packs lots in just eight days. Start in Istanbul and marvel at the Hagia Sophia before navigating the warrens of the Grand Bazaar. Then, discover the fairytale landscape of Cappadocia, where hot air balloons dot the skyline and dwellings are cut into the cliffs. Catch the overnight train to Aegean, discover the gems of Izmir. Enjoy your guided tour of Ephesus, magnificent ancient city in Selcuk, before you finish your tour in Izmir. 

What’s included

  • 6 nights accomodation
    4 star level boutique hotels
  • 1 night on sleeper train
    Mavi Konya: sleeping couchettes are two-berth and have excellent facilities including a washbasin, small fridge and plenty of luggage storage. Fresh bedding is supplied.
  • Arrival transfer
    Private arrival transfer in Istanbul
  • Tour guide
    English speaking tour guide throughout the tour
  • Transportation
    Transport during the tour with a private AC vehicle
  • Meals
    7 breakfasts and 2 lunches

What’s not included

  • International Tax
    International airport departure tax
  • Departure transfer
    Departure airport transfer
  • Any visas required
  • Late check out at hotel
  • Meals and drinks
    Meals and drinks not mentioned in the itinerary
  • Drinks
    Drinks with included lunches and dinners
  • Tipping
    Tips for leaders, guide and driver
  • Personal Insurance
  • Optional activities

Available Packages

Trip Price
$995
Deposit: $200

Itinerary

Day 1
Welcome to Istanbul!

Arrival to Istanbul airport, transfer to your hotel. Free day. Overnight in Istanbul.  


 Accommodation: The Haze Hotel or similar. 

Your Organizer


ST
SGA Travel
7 reviews
Joined in February 2022
See profile

Reviews

Çağlar organized a 6 days trip in Istanbul and Cappadocia for my husband and I. From the communication, transportation, day trips, the hot air balloon experience, the sunset cruise as well as the drivers and the guides (Mr. Ali and Mr. Sefa) everything was great. We had a minor setback and Çağlar went above and beyond to help us mend the situation and find a proper and promptly solution. Overall it was an amazing experience. Highly recommended.
By Margaret G for Tour of Turkey - 6 days on Apr 10, 2024
Our trip to Turkey could not have been any better. Caglar and the team at SGA Travel did a fantastic job putting together the perfect itinerary for our 9-day trip to Turkey. We wanted to get a good feel for Istanbul as we were there for 3 full days and 4 nights. We then wanted to travel to Cappadocia to explore the cave cities and of course enjoy a hot air balloon ride, but we also wanted to include a trip to Ephesus to see the magnificent ruins. I was putting together the trip and couldn’t figure out the best way to accomplish everything without moving hotels way too much or having too many super early mornings. SGA Travel nailed it! In Istanbul we did a sunset cruise on the Bosphorus on a small yacht with about 25-30 people. The company they selected was great with a wonderful captain/guide. We spent two days exploring the major sites - Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, Dolmabahçe Palace, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar and the Rustem Pasha Mosque. We even did a street tasting one evening exploring the Karakoy district in the late afternoon. Our guide was good and set a nice pace for us - he just wasn’t quite as good as the other two guides we ended up having. After our time in Istanbul, we headed out on Wednesday morning for a flight to Kayseri airport where we were met by our tour guide – the highlight of our trip. Sevda was an excellent guide and her love for her home was demonstrated in her enthusiasm and the great time we had together. We were with Sevda for only a day and half, but our time was so full of information, fun and great food it seemed much longer – Ozkonak underground city, an amazing pottery center, Turkish coffee at sunset overlooking one of the valleys, Uchisar Castle, wine tasting in a cave cellar and so much more. We packed a ton in but never felt rushed or like we had to cut anything short. One extra special highlight is that SGA had arranged for us to have lunch with a local family. Wow, what a treat. The Uz family were phenomenal hosts – we felt just like family and the food was delicious! With only a half day remaining in Cappadocia, we tearfully said goodbye to Sevda. Our last morning in the area we had a beautiful hike through the Red Valley with Ali who we nicknamed “Wikipedia” because he knew so much! It was great. He was a wonderful guide and the best part was that after the hike he escorted us to our hotel, on to the airport and flew with us to Izmir. It was great having a local navigating the flights with us, and he was able to tell us all about Izmir as we traveled to the hotel and then had a yummy Turkish tavern dinner in a local meyhane. Ali was very accommodating as we discussed our itinerary for the next day. To make sure we didn’t miss anything we wanted to see, we got a up a little bit earlier than scheduled and headed out to explore Ephesus and the Şirince village where we had a wonderful lunch overlooking the small village before heading to the airport where we all flew back to Istanbul together. Ali made sure we got checked in at the hotel (not too close but not too far from the airport) and he was off to work with his next lucky group. SGA you did a great job, thank you!
By Melinda N for Tour of Turkey for Melinda and Bill on Oct 22, 2023
The hotel was in an excellent location for seeing the sites in the historical part of town. It was easy to walk to most places, including restaurants that we enjoyed. The metro was also reasonably accessible for places that were not within easy walking distance. Hotel reception and housekeeping staff were very warm and welcoming. The hotel itself is in need of updating. It feels old and a bit on the shabby side - considerably different than the images posted on the website. While our room with two twin beds was on the small side (we expected it to be small), there was a very limited view outside of our one small window making the room appear even tinier. Breakfast is excellent with availability of a wide variety of Mediterranean dishes, breads, fruit, etc. The space was always filled to the brim with other hotel occupants and the staff were a bit overly enthusiastic about taking our plates before we finished our meals. It was a bit difficult to relax during the meal. Overall, there is value to staying in this hotel for location, kind reception and housekeeping, and the breakfast buffet. An update, however, would make this hotel outstanding.
By Joan D for For Joan - 2 nights at Dosso Dossi Hotel on Oct 17, 2023
Easy to coordinate and always prompt and on time.
By Candice M for Transfers in Istanbul on Oct 02, 2023
We had an amazing private tour with our incredibly knowledgeable , caring, thoughtful and passionate guide Fatih. The inclusions in the package were perfect. Accommodation apart from 1 stay was amazing, especially in Cappadocia. I cant recommend this tour company enough. From the planning to the delivery of the product was well organised, adaptable and nothing was too much trouble. Thank you for showing us your amazing country, the beautiful people and increible sights. We will be back Turkey !
By Tanya B for A Week in Turkey on Aug 22, 2023
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