2-Day Cappadocia Tour from Istanbul by Flight

Q: Are flights between Istanbul and Cappadocia included in this tour?

Yes. The tour includes round-trip domestic flights between Istanbul and Kayseri or Nevsehir. Your outbound flight departs between 6:00 and 7:30 AM on day one, and the return flight departs between 7:00 and 10:00 PM on day two, depending on flight availability. The return flight takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Q: What time does the tour start on the first day?

Pick-up from your Istanbul hotel is around 4:00 AM, followed by a transfer to Istanbul Airport for your morning flight to Kayseri or Nevsehir. On arrival, a representative greets you at the airport for the roughly one-hour drive into Cappadocia, where your guide is waiting to begin the North Cappadocia tour.

Q: What will I see on each day of the tour?

Day one covers North Cappadocia: Devrent Valley, Pasabag Monks Valley, the pottery town of Avanos on the Kızılırmak River, the Zelve Open Air Museum, a pass through Göreme, and panoramic views at Uchisar. Day two turns south, with the Red Valley, a 5 km hike through the Rose Valley, Cavusin Village, Pigeon Valley, and a descent into the Kaymakli Underground City or Ozkonak Underground City before your evening flight back to Istanbul.

Q: Is the hot air balloon ride included in the price?

No, the hot air balloon ride is an optional activity available at additional cost. If you choose to book it, the balloon flight takes place early in the morning of day two, before the South Cappadocia tour begins, offering sweeping aerial views of the valleys.

Q: What optional evening activities are available in Cappadocia?

On the evening of day one, you can add one optional activity at extra cost: a traditional Cappadocian Turkish Night Show with dinner, a two-hour ATV tour, a two-hour horseback riding excursion through the valleys, or a one-hour Whirling Dervish show. Due to time constraints, guests may choose only one activity per person.

Q: Where will I stay overnight, and are meals included?

You spend one night in a Cappadocia cave hotel, with check-in around 4:00 PM on day one and the evening at leisure. The tour includes lunch at a local restaurant on day one, breakfast at the hotel on day two, and a lunch break during the South Cappadocia tour.

Q: How difficult is the Rose Valley hike?

On day two, the tour includes a 5 km hike through the Rose Valley, starting from the Red Valley where you explore rock-cut churches with your guide. The route then continues to Cavusin Village, known for its historic houses and churches.

Q: Is drop-off at my Istanbul hotel included after the return flight?

No. Drop-off transportation from Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) to your hotel in Istanbul is not included in the tour price. The tour service ends when you land in Istanbul, so plan your own onward transfer from the airport.

Q: How is the tour priced, and do children pay a reduced rate?

The deposit or full-payment requirement, currency, balance due date and any disclosed payment-processing charge vary by booking and are stated on the current booking page and in the written confirmation before payment. Flight and bus tickets are issued only under the confirmed booking terms and, once issued, are non-refundable. If you need to cancel or change your travel dates, notify One Nation Travel at least 5 days before the tour starts. For requests received at least 5 days before the tour starts, the cost of all non-refundable flight and bus tickets will be deducted from your paid balance. For requests received less than 5 days before the tour starts, and for no-shows, the full amount paid is non-refundable.

Q: Will I be part of a group, and how large is it?

Yes, this is a guided tour where you join fellow travelers in Cappadocia. Group size is not fixed; it varies by product, departure, destination and date, and it is disclosed before booking. Guide, vehicle and provider assignments may also vary by day or tour segment.

Overview

Itinerary

Included

FAQs

Overview

Itinerary

Included

FAQs

Overview

Northern valleys one day, southern trails the next: two full days in Cappadocia, with round-trip domestic flights from Istanbul, hotel pick-up on the European side, and an overnight cave hotel arranged in advance. Day one follows the north, from the animal-shaped rock forms of Devrent Valley and the mushroom-topped pinnacles of Pasabag Monks Valley to the riverside pottery workshops of Avanos, the rock-cut churches of the Zelve Open Air Museum, and wide valley views from Uchisar Castle.

Attention turns south when an English-speaking guide leads a 5 km walk from Red Valley through Rose Valley to Cavusin Village, continuing to Pigeon Valley and the carved levels of the Kaymakli or Ozkonak Underground City. Cappadocia airport transfers, entrance fees, breakfast and two lunches are included, with a sunrise hot air balloon flight available at extra cost.

Trip Highlights

Fly round-trip to central Anatolia for two guided days
Spot animal-shaped rock forms across Devrent Valley
Stand beneath mushroom-capped fairy chimneys at Pasabag Monks Valley
Watch potters shape red river clay in Avanos
Explore cave churches carved into Zelve Open Air Museum
Take in panoramic valley views from Uchisar Castle
Walk 5 km through Red Valley and Rose Valley
Descend into the tunnels of a Cappadocia Underground City

Day 1 :

Fly to Kayseri/Nevsehir from Istanbul – North Cappadocia Tour

Your journey begins with an early pick-up from your Istanbul hotel around 4:00 AM and a transfer to Istanbul Airport for a domestic flight to Kayseri or Nevşehir, departing between 6:00 and 7:30 AM. On arrival, a representative greets you at the airport for the roughly one-hour drive into Cappadocia, where your guide and fellow travelers are waiting to start a full day in North Cappadocia.

The first stop is Devrent Valley, often called Imagination Valley, where wind and rain have carved the soft volcanic rock into striking animal shapes and Fairy Chimneys. From there, continue to Pasabag Monks Valley, where towering mushroom-shaped pinnacles rise from the valley floor — some once used as hermit dwellings by early monks. The group then visits Avanos, a town on the Kızılırmak River known for its centuries-old pottery tradition; watch local artisans shape red clay on the wheel, and try it yourself if time permits.

After lunch at a local restaurant, explore the Zelve Open Air Museum, an abandoned rock-cut settlement of ancient cave churches, dwellings, and a mosque carved directly into the stone — a vivid window into Cappadocia's monastic past. You pass through Göreme, which sits at the heart of the region surrounded by hundreds of fairy chimneys and historic landmarks, before ending the day at Uchisar for panoramic photographs of the sweeping valleys and rock formations below.

Around 4:00 PM, transfer to your hotel in Cappadocia for check-in, with the evening at leisure. Optional activities are available at additional cost — a traditional Cappadocian Turkish Night Show with dinner, a two-hour ATV tour, a two-hour horseback riding excursion through the valleys, or a one-hour Whirling Dervish show (one activity per person due to time constraints). Overnight in Cappadocia.

8 hoursOvernight in CappadociaLunch

Day 2 :

South Cappadocia Tour – Fly back to Istanbul

The day can begin before sunrise if you choose to book an optional early morning hot air balloon ride, available at additional cost, for sweeping aerial views of the valleys. Otherwise, enjoy breakfast at the hotel before your tour guide picks you up around 9:30 AM for a full day exploring South Cappadocia.

The tour opens at the Red Valley, where you explore rock-cut churches before setting out on a 5 km hike through the Rose Valley. From there, continue to Cavusin Village, known for its historic houses and churches.

After a lunch break, the route continues to Pigeon Valley. In the afternoon, descend into the Kaymakli Underground City or Ozkonak Underground City, remarkable subterranean settlements where early Christians once lived.

Around 4:00 PM, you are transferred to Kayseri or Nevsehir Airport for your return flight to Istanbul, departing between 7:00 and 10:00 PM; the flight takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, depending on flight availability. This marks the end of our service and tours.

Please note that drop-off transportation from Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) to your hotel in Istanbul is not included in the tour price.

7 hoursBreakfast + Lunch