Western Turkey: 7-day private tour

About this tour

• Walk the white terraces of Pamukkale and the ruins of Hierapolis
• Explore Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis site with your own guide
• Climb to the Acropolis of Pergamum and see the wooden horse replica at Troy
• Visit ANZAC Cove, Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair on the Gallipoli peninsula
• A free day in Istanbul, with an optional private Old City tour

Pick a start date to see the dates of each day.

1. 1Day 1 Arrival in Istanbul Istanbul

   

   Our driver meets you at the arrivals exit of Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) and takes you to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to rest after the flight.

2. 2Day 2 Fly to Pamukkale, private tour, drive to Kusadasi Kusadasi Flight

   

   An early start: depending on your flight time, our driver collects you from your hotel between 04:00 and 05:30 for the flight to Pamukkale (Denizli), which takes about an hour. We send you the flight details with your itinerary after booking, so you can check in yourself at the airport. Our team waits for you at the domestic arrivals exit with a sign bearing your name, and the drive to the site takes about an hour.

   Pamukkale means "cotton castle": white terraces of travertine formed by warm mineral springs. People have come here to bathe since the 2nd century BC.

   Your guide shows you the terraces and the ruins of Hierapolis, the Roman spa city built beside them. Afterwards you have free time to walk barefoot in the terrace pools or swim in the Antique Pool (also called Cleopatra's Pool), where marble columns from the Temple of Apollo lie under the water (the pool charges its own entrance fee, about 50 Turkish lira per person at the time of writing). There is a break for lunch (not included).

   Afterwards you drive about three hours to Kusadasi, arriving at your hotel around 18:30 to 19:30.

3. 3Day 3 Private tour of Ephesus Kusadasi Breakfast

   

   After breakfast you meet your guide at reception around 09:00. With your guide you visit the ancient city of Ephesus, one of the great open-air sites of the ancient world, along with the Ephesus Archaeological Museum, the site of the Temple of Artemis and the Isa Bey Mosque. There is a break for lunch (not included). If you would like to see local crafts, your guide can suggest a few workshops; the stop is up to you. At the end of the tour you are taken back to your hotel in Kusadasi.

4. 4Day 4 Pergamum and Troy Canakkale Breakfast

   

   After breakfast, around 08:00, you drive about three hours north from Kusadasi to Pergamum. Your guide takes you up to its Acropolis, home to one of the steepest theatres of the classical world. There is a break for lunch (not included) before you continue to Troy.

   The legend of Troy and Homer's poems came back to life when the site was rediscovered in 1863. Excavations have revealed nine cities, built one on top of the other, going back to 3000 BC. You walk through the ruins with your guide and see the replica of the wooden horse that, as the story goes, hid the Achaean soldiers who sacked the city. From Troy it is about two more hours to your hotel in Canakkale.

5. 5Day 5 Gallipoli and ANZAC Cove, drive to Istanbul Istanbul Breakfast

   

   You meet your guide at reception around 08:00 for a day on the Gallipoli peninsula, where the First World War battlefields are marked by memorials and cemeteries. You visit ANZAC Cove, the Lone Pine Memorial and cemetery, the Chunuk Bair Memorial and cemetery, The Nek and Johnston's Jolly, along with trenches that are still clearly visible in the scrub. Your guide explains what happened at each place and what it means today.

   At the end of the tour you drive about four hours to Istanbul, arriving before midnight, and are taken to your hotel.

6. 6Day 6 Free day in Istanbul Istanbul Breakfast

   

   A day to explore Istanbul at your own pace, or with a guide on our private Old City tour.

   Optional: Istanbul Old City private tour (from $150 per person for 2, less for larger groups)AddAdded

7. 7Day 7 Departure Breakfast

   At a time that suits your flight home, our driver takes you to Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW).

Prices per person

Children: 0–3 years 70% off, 4–6 years 40% off, 7+ years adult price. Your exact total for your date and group is shown in the price calculator.

Groups of 5 or more travellers: 10% off the tour price (extras not included).

Where you stay

Hotels depend on availability: we confirm one of these or a hotel of the same standard after booking.

What's included

• 1 domestic flight from Istanbul to Pamukkale (15 kg checked bag + 8 kg cabin bag)
• 6 nights in your chosen hotels
• Breakfast at the hotel (vegetarian, vegan or halal on request)
• All airport and hotel transfers in an air-conditioned private vehicle
• Licensed private guide on every sightseeing day
• Entrance tickets for the sites in the itinerary

Not included: lunches and dinners, personal expenses and tips, international flights.

Make it your own

Add an extra and its price is added to your total in the calculator, for everyone in your group.

• Hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia (standard)$350 per person AddAdded
• Hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia (deluxe)price on request AddAdded
• Istanbul Old City private tourfrom $150 per person for 2, less for larger groups AddAdded
• Bosphorus cruise in Istanbulfrom $150 per person for 2, less for larger groups AddAdded
• Turkish night show with dinner$125 per person AddAdded
• Whirling dervishes ceremony$100 per person AddAdded

What travellers say about our guides

5.0/5 · 10,500+ reviews · Best Turkey Tour

Excerpts from recent Tripadvisor reviews of our team's guided tours. Customized Turkey Tours and Best Turkey Tour are both run by Iglesias Tour Turkey.