Egypt and Turkey tours

Two great cities in one journey

Cairo and Istanbul tell two very different stories. In Cairo you stand at the beginning of monumental building, on the Giza Plateau beside the pyramids and the Great Sphinx, and walk the medieval lanes around Al-Muizz Street and Khan el-Khalili. In Istanbul the story moves to Byzantium and the Ottomans, with Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace a short walk apart in the old city.

Our six Egypt and Turkey trips all begin with that pairing. You spend three nights in Cairo, fly to Istanbul, and see the old city and Topkapi Palace with the Basilica Cistern over two guided days. From there each trip goes its own way: more time in Istanbul, the valleys of Cappadocia, the ancient city of Ephesus, the terraces of Pamukkale or the Mediterranean at Antalya. Two trips also add a Nile cruise before you leave Egypt.

The six routes at a glance

The 9-day Cairo and Istanbul tour is the simplest: three nights in Cairo and five in Istanbul, with no internal flights in either country and a free last day.

The 11-day Pyramids, Istanbul and Cappadocia tour adds three nights in Cappadocia. The 12-day Cairo, Istanbul and Ephesus tour spends two nights in Kusadasi for a full day at Ephesus.

The 13-day Nile Cruise and Istanbul tour sails three nights on the Nile before five nights in Istanbul. The 14-day Istanbul, Cappadocia and Pamukkale tour is a grand loop through Turkey's landscapes. The 16-day Luxury Egypt and Turkey tour joins a four-night Nile cruise with Istanbul, Cappadocia and Antalya, paced for comfort.

Cairo and the Nile

Every trip spends its first three nights in Cairo. After an airport meeting on arrival, your second day covers the Giza pyramids, the Great Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum, and your third the historic city.

Two trips then head south. The 13-day tour flies to Aswan and sails three nights north past Kom Ombo and Edfu to the temples and tombs of Luxor, with Karnak, Luxor Temple and the Valley of the Kings. The 16-day tour sails four nights from Luxor to Aswan, with Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae. On both, an Egyptologist leads the visits in Egypt, and a hotel night in Cairo separates the cruise from the flight to Turkey. The 16-day quotation names the hotels and the cruise ship.

Flights: what your quotation states

The Egypt and Turkey trips word their flights a little differently from our other combinations, so here is exactly what each says. International airfare is not included in any of them. Beyond that, your quotation states which flights are part of your trip.

On the 9-day tour the quotation states whether the Cairo to Istanbul flight is included, and there are no internal flights in either country. On the 13-day tour it states whether the flights within Egypt and from Cairo to Istanbul are included. On the 11-day tour it states which of the Cairo, Istanbul and Cappadocia flights are included, and on the 12-day tour which of the Cairo, Istanbul and Izmir flights. On the 14-day tour it covers the flights and transfers between Cairo, Istanbul, Cappadocia and Pamukkale, and on the 16-day tour the flights within Egypt and Turkey and between them. Read that part of the quotation before you agree to it.

Istanbul

Istanbul is the second home of every trip. One guided day covers Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the old city; another covers Topkapi Palace, the Basilica Cistern and the stories of the city. Four trips add a day on the Bosphorus and in the Grand Bazaar, and three keep a slower free day in Istanbul near the end.

The time you spend there varies: five nights on the 9-day and 13-day tours, three plus three on the 12-day tour, four plus a final night on the 14-day tour, three plus a final night on the 11-day tour and three on the 16-day tour. Optional admissions such as the Topkapi harem are not included unless your quotation lists them.

Cappadocia

Three trips fly on to Cappadocia and settle into its valleys. The 11-day and 14-day tours spend three nights there, with a day in Göreme among the rock-cut landscapes and a day kept for an optional, weather-dependent balloon window and a flexible afternoon. The 16-day tour spends two nights, with the Göreme day.

The hot-air-balloon flight itself is not included unless it is arranged and confirmed separately. Transfers in Cappadocia named in the program are included. On the 11-day tour a last night in Istanbul protects your flight home.

Ephesus, Pamukkale and Antalya

The 12-day tour flies to Izmir and continues to the Ephesus region for two nights in Kusadasi, so the Greco-Roman city gets a full, unhurried day rather than a rushed stop. Separately ticketed areas such as the Terrace Houses are not included unless listed.

The 14-day tour travels from Cappadocia toward Pamukkale for two nights, with a day for the white travertine terraces and ancient Hierapolis. The Antique Pool at Hierapolis is ticketed separately and not included unless listed.

The 16-day tour travels from Cappadocia to Antalya for two nights on the Mediterranean, with a day for the old town and the coast. It is the only Egypt and Turkey trip that ends outside Istanbul, with meet and assist on departure from Antalya.

What is included and what is not

Each trip includes meet and assist on arrival in Cairo and in Istanbul and on departure, the airport and hotel transfers named in the day-by-day program, the hotel nights listed for that trip and the guided visits named in the itinerary. A local guide leads the visits in each country, and on the two Nile cruise trips an Egyptologist leads them in Egypt. Meals are those listed in your confirmed quotation.

Not included on any of the six: international airfare, entry visas for Egypt and Turkey, meals not listed in your quotation, optional admissions such as pyramid interiors, gratuities for guides and drivers, travel insurance and personal expenses.

How to request a quote

Choose a trip, or tell us your dates and whether you lean toward cities, landscapes or the Nile, and request a quote. A planner replies within 24 hours with your hotels, your meals and the list of flights your quotation includes. For the two cruise trips, the planner first matches your dates to a real sailing.