Istanbul, Cappadocia & Antalya, 7 Nights

A private transfer from the airport to the hotel; traffic can make it an hour or more. The rest of the day is free so that a delayed flight does not matter. If you arrive in the afternoon, take a stroll to the Galata Tower area for a first look at the Golden Horn and the ferries at dusk. Dinner on a rooftop or by the water is easy to arrange, and we can give vegetarian suggestions.

Sultanahmet with a guide. Hagia Sophia first, since it pauses for prayers through the day and on Fridays at midday; foreign visitors take the upper-gallery route and cover shoulders and knees. Then the Blue Mosque, with its six minarets, and the Basilica Cistern, where the water-stained columns stand in dim light. Topkapi Palace in the afternoon, closed on Tuesdays. With three nights here there is no need to rush: lunch is a long one and you will not be on your feet from morning to night.

A softer day. Dolmabahce Palace, the nineteenth-century residence of the last sultans on the European shore, with its crystal staircase; it is closed on at least one weekday (Mondays), so we confirm the day and swap if needed. A Bosphorus boat follows, with the fortresses and waterside mansions, then the Galata Tower area and Istiklal Caddesi, a long pedestrian street of shops and old tram. The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays and is offered as an optional stop on other days.

A flight to Kayseri or Nevsehir, with a road transfer of around an hour or more to Goreme. By early afternoon you are in a cave-style hotel. The first outing is Uchisar, where a rock fortress with a honeycomb of rooms stands over the valleys; go up for sunset. Cappadocia is high, around 1,000 metres, so evenings are cool and a light jacket is useful even in summer. An early night helps if you plan to fly in a balloon.

One full day. Goreme Open Air Museum at opening, 8 am, with rock-cut churches painted by monks; it closes earlier in winter (about 5 pm) than in summer (about 7 pm), so we confirm the hours when you book. Then Pasabag and its chimneys, and after lunch an underground city such as Kaymakli, with low passages and stairs. A dawn balloon flight is an optional extra, booked for this morning and weather dependent. Because there is only one full day, the plan is focused on the best-known sights.

From Cappadocia to the Mediterranean coast. A direct Kayseri to Antalya flight has operated on some schedules (about an hour and twenty minutes) but does not run every day or season; we check your dates and otherwise route via Istanbul, which takes most of the day. Arrival is mid-afternoon at best. In the evening, walk Kaleici, the old town inside Roman and Ottoman walls, down to the old harbour, where cliff-side restaurants overlook the bay and the Taurus mountains beyond.

In the morning, a drive to the Lower Duden waterfall, where the river plunges off a cliff straight into the sea, best seen from the park above or by a short boat trip. Then a beach afternoon, at Konyaalti or Lara, with sunbeds and calm water in the warmer months. Aspendos and Perge, Roman sites east of the city, are possible as an optional half day instead of the beach and cost extra. Dinner in Antalya's old town.

Breakfast and a morning at the hotel pool or beach if your flight is late. The transfer to Antalya airport takes about half an hour, but give yourself time in the peak summer months, when queues build. Your flight home, probably through Istanbul, is not included. If you leave early, there is no sightseeing, and a late departure leaves time for a last walk in Kaleici's lanes.