Turkey holidays,Istanbul to Cappadocia

Turkey sells itself twice. Once in Istanbul, once in Cappadocia, and the two have almost nothing in common.

Istanbul is a city on both sides of the water, and the ferry between them is public transport rather than an excursion. Sultanahmet holds Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapı in one quarter, with the Grand Bazaar in the same old city. You can give it three days and still be finding streets on the last morning.

Cappadocia is a landscape rather than a town. Soft rock cut into valleys and chimneys, villages built into the cliffs around Göreme, hotels carved out of the same stone. People are outside before dawn there, because that is when the balloons go up over the valleys.

What makes it a holiday rather than a tour is the pace. Istanbul rewards walking and going back to the same café twice; Cappadocia rewards early mornings and long, empty afternoons. Booked tightly, you see both and enjoy neither.

This is the strongest Turkey file we have. It has run here for years and books years ahead: two people on a private tour one season, a family group of two dozen travelling on shared dates the next. Turkish Airlines flies Istanbul to Nairobi direct, which is part of why it keeps landing on shortlists in this city.

Where you’ll go

Istanbul. Sultanahmet for the mosques and the palace, the Grand Bazaar for an afternoon, the Bosphorus for the last of the light.

Cappadocia. The rock valleys around Göreme, a cave hotel, and the balloons at first light.

The rest of it. Turkey is far larger than those two stops, and the middle of the trip gets built around your dates. Tell us how long you have and we will tell you what fits.

Practical notes

Draft: awaiting owner verification. Indicative only; confirmed in writing with your quote.

• Ask how the Istanbul–Cappadocia leg is being covered on your dates. It sets the shape of the two days either side of it.
• Balloon flights are weather-dependent and do get cancelled. They are booked as a morning, never as a promise.
• Working mosques ask for covered shoulders and knees, and a headscarf for women.
• Entry requirements are confirmed for your passport before anything is held.
• Private tours and group departures are quoted differently. If your party is large enough for that to matter, ask for both.