Cappadocia 1 Week (Private Tour)

Day 1 – Istanbul- Cappadocia 
Take the morning flight from Istanbul Ataturk airport to Nevsehir departure 07:45am or 17:45pm. Arrival and meeting just outside the arrival's gate with a sign bearing your name. Transfer to  Hotel.  
Free afternoon. Some interesting walks can be done in the afternoon, guided (extra) or on own: Walking for about 2- to 5 km in one of the most attractive valleys of Cappadocia : Iceridere valley, Caglak valley near Ayvali, Gomeda Valley or Pigeon valley . Overnight Cappadocia.
PS: There are other flights available out of Kayseri departure at, please ask, it may cost extra. 

Day 2 - Cappadocia  
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:30am 
In the morning, first meeting with the lunar landscape of Cappadocia: unbelievable rock formations  in Devrent Valley valley; a journey in the past with its  troglodyte houses, visit to Pasabag "fairy chimneys" where the voice of  wind mixes with the "songs of fairies" near Zelve . Lunch in Avanos, centre of  terra cotta work of art since 3000 BC. and a demonstration in a traditional pottery  workshop. Afternoon, visit the famous Goreme Open Air Museum and see the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia in rock-cut churches with frescoes and paintings (10th to 13th century). Continue to Uchisar Rock-Castle to have a panoramic view of the valleys of Cappadocia.  Overnight Cappadocia

Day 3 - Cappadocia 
Hot Air ballooning at sunrise (extra) 
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:30am 
Tour to Kaymakli , one of the most interesting underground settlements in Cappadocia. Soganli Valley, an Open Air Museum in a wild natural setting near a typical Cappadocian village with its different style rock-hewn churches and frescoes.The villages in the valleys, surrounded by the "table top" mountains, are spectacular. Lunch and visit of Sahinefendi newly discovered (1st May 2002) mosaic houses & archaeological excavation site. Continue with Keslik Monastery near Cemil, that hides its frescoes behind a very thin smoke layer which we can only see by torch light. Our tour finishes with a visit to Mustafapasa (Sinasos), an old Greek town with its spectacular old Greek houses; very fine examples of late Greek settlements and architecture.  Overnight Cappadocia

Day 4 –  Cappadocia – Konya (Rumi) & Catalhöyük  
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:30am 
Drive to Konya , visit to Sultanhani Caravanseria, a roadside tavern where travellers could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across a network of trade routes of Asia, North Africa and South-Eastern Europe on the legendary Silk Road and the Spice road. In Konya center, visit to Mevlana Sufi temple. Mevlana is the founder of Sufism and whirling Dervishes. Catalhoyuk, 45 km south of Konya,  map of location is a fascinating Neolithic site dating from the eighth  millennium, 8000 B.C. which makes it one of the world's oldest towns. Archaeologists have determined that holes in the roofs of the mud houses were the entrance doors. Ankara's Museum of Anatolian Civilizations houses the famous temple (reconstructed), along with mother-goddess figures and Neolithic frescoes from the original site. Overnight Cappadocia  

Day 5 – Cappadocia 
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:30am 
Drive to Gulsehir and stop at Aciksaray (Open Palace). The village is remarkable for its facades and the odd-looking formations, some resembling huge mushrooms. Visit to St. Jean Church (Karsi Kilise):
The two floor church of St. Jean, found upon entering Gulsehir, houses a church, wine cellar, graves, water channels and living quarters on the lower floor, and a church decorated with Biblical scenes on the upper floor. According to the inscription on the apse, the church dates back to 1212. 
Walking for about 5 km in one of the most attractive valleys of Cappadocia : Red Valley , with its fabulous volcanic rock formations, is in the heart of Cappadocia but far from the madding crowds. Rock-hewn hermit churches with frescoes and paintings fit with the valley's meditative atmosphere, remained intact since the beginning. End the day by the Bayramhaci Hot Spring with Thermal pools. Overnight Cappadocia

Day 6 – Hattusas (Capital of Hittites) 
Meeting at the hotel reception at 08:30am 
Drive to Hattusas, capital of the Hittite empire in the 2nd millennium BC. The ancient city is on the outskirts of present-day Bogazkale, just over 125 miles east of Ankara. The Hittites were the first true empire in the Anatolian area, and is mentioned in texts from other empires outside the area and in The Bible. Lunch and visit the temples and the castles. The two rows meet on the north wall where the most important images in the shrine of Yazilikaya are to be found: The God of Tempests Teshub and the Goddess of the Sun Hepatu. The largest relief in the main gallery however is the one representing King Tudhaliyas IV, thus giving as a date in the second half of the 13th century B.C  . Transfer to your hotel in Cappadocia and overnight.  

Day 7 – Cappadocia – Istanbul 
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:30am 
Drive to Ihlara, visit to Guzelyurt on the way. The ancient name of the town was Gelveri. It is known to be the town of  one of the old church fathers of Cappadocia with the name Gregory of Nazianzus (who is one of the three fathers of Cappadocia next to Greogory of Nysse and St.Basil the Great). Guzelyurt has abandoned cave houses and hidden underground cave monasteries. Walking in Ilhara Canyon, a "mirage" in the Steps of Anatolia up to Belisirma village, the ancient Peristrema: "Valley of the Sky" along the Melendiz River. Rock-cut churches, spread across a wild plantation, surprise you with their successfully painted representations from the Bible. Lunch in Belisirma, a local restaurant by the river. Stop by Selime, a village with cave houses at  the end of the canyon and a "Star Wars" like landscape. Transfer to airport and take a flight to Istanbul. 

Return to your hotel at around 17:30pm. 

 

• Flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia ( Kayseri or Nevşehir airport ) 
• Flight from Kayseri or Nevşehir airport  to Istanbul.
• Transportation by a comfortable A/C non-smoking car/minibus with professional driver
• Professional licensed tour guide during the tours
• Accommodation in a Cave hotel with breakfast
• Entry fees to the sites and museums

• Lunch
• Dinner
• Drinks
• Tips to guide and driver
• Personal expenses and optional tours: