About this trip
This 11-day trip runs from Istanbul to Antalya, cutting through eastern Turkey's lesser-visited corners rather than sticking to the coast. Expect ancient ruins, working villages and a fair bit of history most people have never heard of.
You'll spend time in Sanliurfa and Mardin, two old towns with very different characters, and work your way through sites that stretch back to the dawn of settled civilisation. There's a home-cooked meal at a guesthouse along the way and a cruise on the Euphrates to break things up.
It's a guided group trip built around covering ground, so some days are long. The trade-off is a proper spread of history and landscape between the two big cities at either end.
What you'll do
- Watch golden hour from the summit of Mt Nemrut
- Explore the ancient towns of Sanliurfa and Mardin
- Walk the archaeological sites of Gobekli Tepe and Catalhoyuk
- Cruise a stretch of the Euphrates
- Eat a home-cooked meal at Nahil Guesthouse
- Follow a tasting trail through baklava's birthplace
- Some long travel days between stops, though there's plenty to see en route to break them up
- Time in Istanbul and Antalya is limited at either end of the trip, so worth asking about extending your stay if you want longer there
The same-vibe trips, side by side — price, value per day, and how each is moving. Only we can lay two operators' trips out honestly.
Sorted by fit — never by who paid. Price moves and availability come from our own daily tracking.
Departing in Aug is cheapest — from £1,710, about 48% below the priciest month (Oct).
Getting there
Opens Trip.com, pre-filled — one-way so you can book your return whenever. Prices & booking shown there.
Where to stay
A night before your tour in Istanbul · 21 Aug – 22 Aug
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