Istanbul & Cappadocia 2026-27 "Prestige"

Departure for Kayseri on scheduled Turkish Airlines flights – on arrival, transfer to the hotel in Cappadocia - dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure – tour leader on hand - overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – full day devoted to discovering the region of Cappadocia, counted among the wonders of the world for its natural landscapes sculpted by the elements and for the treasures of Byzantine art it safeguards - on this semi-desert plateau of central Anatolia, intense erosion has produced highly unusual geological formations, creating columns, cones, towers, pyramids and spires up to 30 metres tall, known as the “fairy chimneys” – visit to the Göreme Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, almost at the centre of rock-hewn Cappadocia, distinguished by cones and rock faces riddled with openings, which preserves, in a kind of vast open-air museum, one of the most evocative monastic complexes in the entire region – continue with a visit to the Paşabağ Valley, where tall tuff pinnacles paint a fairy-tale panorama: they are a legacy of volcanic activity, as are the stone cones christened “fairy chimneys”, sculpted over the millennia by wind, rain and watercourses - visit to the Avcılar Valley to admire the troglodyte valley - visit to the village of Esentepe, set in a breathtaking valley with a superb view over the region - lunch at a restaurant - return to the hotel in the evening – dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure - tour leader on hand – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel - full day devoted to visits in Cappadocia – visit to the underground city of Kaymaklı, on the surface a village much like any other, but which conceals beneath it a gigantic underground city of impressive size (the living quarters were spread over seven levels), probably excavated between the 6th and 10th centuries – continue to Mustafapaşa, ancient Sinasos, home to buildings carved out of the rock: churches, schools and libraries. The village is known for its grand mansions, which boast intricately carved doors and window frames. In the centre of the village, the church built in honour of Saints Constantine and Helena has imposing columns – in the afternoon, visit to places that are emblems of Cappadocia: the village of Avanos, on the banks of Turkey's longest river, an ancient town that was the centre of Hittite pottery and where today the same red and white clay from the surrounding hills is used to create the famous ceramics, and Uçhisar, the village whose enormous tuff peak, pierced by a thousand cavities, makes it one of the most fascinating places in Cappadocia - lunch at a restaurant - return to the hotel - dinner at the hotel - evening at leisure - tour leader on hand – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel - departure for Ankara - brief scenic stop at the Salt Lake, the second largest in the world – arrival in Ankara – lunch at a restaurant – in the afternoon, guided tour of Ankara (the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations, unique in the world for its prehistoric archaeological finds, and the Mausoleum of Atatürk, founder of modern Turkey) – dinner at the hotel in Ankara – evening at leisure – tour leader on hand - overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – departure by coach for Istanbul - fish lunch at a restaurant on the Golden Horn – in the afternoon, visit to the historic areas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site - visit to the Roman Hippodrome and the Blue Mosque, with no fewer than six minarets and its blue tiles, and the magnificent Hagia Sophia Mosque, built in the 6th century by Justinian and regarded as the masterpiece of Byzantine art - arrival at the hotel – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, Istanbul by night: a stroll with the tour leader through Sultanahmet, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a magnificent view of the illuminated Blue Mosque – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel - full day devoted to visiting the city – panoramic tour of the Golden Horn, the Spice Bazaar, the Byzantine walls and the old quarters of Fener and Balat, the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, built by the famous architect Sinan, and a boat trip on the Bosphorus, along whose shores you can admire villas, gardens and Ottoman palaces of the 1800s - lunch at a restaurant – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, Istanbul by night: excursion by private coach with the tour leader to the Galata district and Taksim Square – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel - full day devoted to a guided tour of the city and its historic areas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site - the Yerebatan Underground Cistern and Topkapı Palace, residence of the Ottoman Sultans for 400 years after the conquest of Constantinople, a visit that also includes the Harem section - lunch at a restaurant – in the afternoon, visit to the Grand Bazaar, a historic, lively and entertaining setting and a symbol of Istanbul, and free time for shopping – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, Istanbul by night: excursion by private coach with the tour leader to Galataport, Istanbul's new harbour – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – free time for shopping – tour leader on hand – transfer to the airport - departure on scheduled Turkish Airlines flights for the return to Italy.

N.B. In Cappadocia an optional hot-air balloon excursion at dawn is available. Whether the activity takes place depends on weather conditions and on the decisions of the local authorities responsible for flight safety. Participation must therefore be confirmed directly on site during the tour, with no prior guarantee from Guiness that it will go ahead.