Cappadocia Dream: 2-Days Tour from Istanbul & Balloon Ride Option
Istanbul, Turkey
- 2 days (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Although many cross-country tours in Turkey only allocate a day to Cappadocia’s preternatural landscape and innovative architecture, most travelers find that a two-day tour strikes the right balance between seeing the region’s highlights and sacrificing time elsewhere in the country. See all of the highlights of Cappadocia comfortably during this two-day tour departing from Istanbul. Don’t risk running out of time to see all of the region’s unique natural heritage; instead, make sure you get to experience all of Cappadocia’s surreal landscapes, its cave churches, and the underground city.
- Transport, tour guides and accommodation are all pre-arranged for you
- Spend less time waiting in lines, and more time exploring Cappadocia
- Breathe easy: get around comfortably in a non-smoking vehicle
- Enjoy a memorable scenic sunrise flight by Hot Air Balloon
What's Included
- Breakfast
- Roundtrip domestic flight tickets (Istanbul–Cappadocia–Istanbul)
- 1-night accommodation in a Cappadocia Boutique Hotel
- Hot Air Balloon ride (if 'Superior' or 'Optimal' package selected)
- Semi-private guided tours (Maximum 10 guests per group)
- Professional licensed tour guide (Ministry of Culture and Tourism)
- All entrance fees for museums and ruins listed in itinerary
- Airport transfers in both Istanbul and Cappadocia
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Istanbul and Cappadocia
- Two local lunches including traditional Testi Kebab
- Breakfast at the hotel on day 2
- Air-conditioned, non-smoking transport
- Lunch (2)Lunch
- Dinner
- Drinks
- Gratuities for guides and drivers
- Additional luggage fees (over 15kg limit)
- Personal travel insurance
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.
Operating hours.4:00 am
Itinerary
Day 1
Flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia (Included Flight Tickets) - Semi-Private Cappadocia Tour - Overnight at Cappadocia
12 Stops
1
Istanbul
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
2
Cappadocia
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
3
Urgup
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Goreme National Park
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Goreme Open Air Museum
1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
6
TokalI Church
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
7
Ortahisar
40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
8
Avanos Oren Yeri
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
9
Uchisar Castle
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
10
Devrent Valley
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Fairy Chimneys (Pass By)
11
Cappadocia
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Accommodation: Included: When booking the tour, you have right to select your desired hotel category from a range of available choices.
Meals: Lunch
Day 2
Hot Air Balloon Ride (Optional) - Semi-Private Cappadocia Tour - Flight Back to Istanbul (Included Flight Tickets)
8 Stops
1
Cappadocia Balloon Tours
3 hours • Admission Ticket Included
2
Keslik Monastery
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
3
Sobesos Ancient City
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
Uchisar
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
5
Pigeon Valley
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Kaymakli Underground City
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
7
Cappadocia
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
8
Istanbul
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Accommodation: Not included
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infants must sit on laps
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Not recommended for travelers who has claustrophobia
- The local tour operator can request your some passport details for the bookings of your flight tickets. If you do not share the details, your domestic flight tickets can not bookable.
- The local tour operator will send e-tickets of your domestic flights at three days before your departure date. You will not need the print out copies of the tickets for domestic flights. Your passport and reservation number on the tickets will be enough for check-in to plane. Please note that, the local tour operator will not do check-in because of the personal preferences of the guests.
- You will have 15kg luggage + 8kg hand bag quota per person for each domestic flight. If you will need more luggage capacity, please inform that to the local tour operator. There could be some extra fee for luggage quotas more than 15kg.
- If you do connect any flight which arranged by your own to departure/return flight of this travel package, you may have a risk about miss one of them. This risk is about the delay/cancellation by airlines companies. We do not suggest that to safety of your booking. If there is any glitch because of this type arrangments by you, the local tour operator is not going to be responsible.
- The check-in time of the hotels is 02.00pm. If hotel rooms will be available for early check-in on first day of your trip, hotel managment and the local tour operator will provide early check-in to room for you.
- The prices of package are valid for accommodation at the double or triple room. If you would like add accommodation on single room(s) to your booking, there could be supplement cost. There are not going to be any extra cost for bookings of single / solo travelers. They will already accommodate at single room.
- CAVE HOTEL ACCOMMODATION EXPERIENCES : The pre-planned hotels are "Yunak Evleri Hotel", "Zeydem Suites Cave Hotel" and "Misty Cave Hotel" for your accommodation on this travel package. You may choose one of them while booking. If these hotels (which you preferred) are not available for standard/superior rooms on your travel dates, the local tour operator can replace it with an equivalent hotel.
- SEMI-PRIVATE TOURS : The guided daily tours of this trip package, limited to a maximum of 10 guests per group, provide an in-depth exploration of Cappadocia’s ancient sites and breathtaking landscapes.
- MONEY BACK GUARANTEE ! : Hot air ballooning is a fully weather-dependent activity and the Civil Aviation Authority determines whether the flight will be held. If your flight is cancelled due to inclement weather conditions, you are entitled to a partial refund. In such a case, your refund will be processed by the day after of that trip. Your refund rate will be the difference between options of "Standard Package" and "Optimal Package" for the cancellations of the hot air balloon ride.
- Hot Air Balloon Ride will be in “Standard Category”. This category ride has an One-hour approximately flight duration with 20 to 28 people capacity basket. The flight duration could be 50-55 minutes or 65-70 minutes. This situation depend the weather conditions before landing, and pilots are decide to that within the safety rules of Civil Aviation Authority. Total activity duration is approximately 3 hours.
- If you did not add Hot Air Balloon Ride to your booking for this trip package, you can not get any service for hot air balloon ride which advertised/offered at the paragpraph of the descriptions.
- If your return hotel is different than pick-up hotel, please inform that detail immediately. If you inform that detail after organised your flight tickets, the local tour operator can request extra cost because of the distances between the airports and some hotels. If you inform this type changes on service day (last day of your trip), the local tour operator do not confirm this last minute amending and drop you to your pick-up hotel.
- If your pick-up / drop-off hotels are inside of airports (IST and SAW airports) the local tour operator do not provide any hotel pick-up / drop-off service in Istanbul.
- If you do not use any service or give up join to activities / tours / airport transfers, that's meaning is going to be last minute cancellation. Because of that, there is not going to be any refund for that.
- If you would like change your scheduled domestic flight(s) after organised them, the local tour operator can request new flight ticket cost. The flight tickets can not refundable after organized.
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults. If you will be 1 adult + 1 child, the local tour operator can request & charge the amount of 2 adults.
- The children who 5 years old and under are not allowed to balloon tours.
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required.
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 3 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.3
based on 240 reviews
Marcy_F, May 2026
We absolutely loved everything about this trip. It was unlike any place we have ever been. The Cliff dwellings were incredible and the hot air balloon ride absolutely breathtaking. The food was true local cuisine and delicious. The Cliff dwelling hotel was quaint and very comfortable.
Kristen_H, Apr 2026
The best experience a person could do while in Turkey. It was thoughtful throughly, the lunches amazing we learned so much and "Bush" our tour guide made everything better. Also the hot air balloon ride well worth the upgrade. Im happy we picked the cave hotel too. Everything was such a treasure.
Nancy_G, Apr 2026
The 2 days were amazing. We were somewhat concerned about safety as we were 4 senior women traveling alone. But a Viator representative picked us up at our hotel in Istanbul, took us to the airport, another representative met us there and took us to our amazing cave hotel in Cappadocia. Our tour guide and driver met us there and made sure we had the experience of a lifetime. The hot air balloon ride was incredible, the food was outstanding, and having a private tour for the 4 of us was so much more personal than the tours provided by the cruise ships.
Jenny_C, Jan 2026
Viator Online Chat was extremely helpful and timely in planning and booking this trip.
Unfortunately, the Itinerary is not accurate. A lot of time was spent at an expensive Ceramics shop, Jewelry shop, and Leather shop but was NOT disclosed in the itinerary. Had I known that shopping was involved in this trip, I would have opted for a different trip option for my limited time in Cappadocia.
Also, it is very suspicious that another reviewer noted that their lunch was delayed for hours so the time at the expensive Ceramics shop was extended --- this is what also what "coincidentally" happened to my group. Very sketchy especially since our Guide said that the Ceramics shop was his family- a little self-serving for my taste. The one bright light was that lunch though - phenomenal food.
Ryan_L, Nov 2025
Busra was an excellent guide she was very helping. Full of great recommendations along with lots of fun facts about the area and their traditions/history.
Scott_G, Nov 2025
It was a great time and I would recommend it to everyone looking for fun and adventure in Turkey. The guide was very informed.
Reginald_K, Nov 2025
The breathtaking panorama and diverse history of Cappadocia makes it a unique must see and do experience when visiting Turkey. Activities range from sunrise balloon rides over ancient volcanic formations to exploring ruins from civilizations over 4000 years old. Like shopping? Cappadocia has world class carpet, ceramic and leather factories. You can learn how these items are made while sipping delicious local tea and the famous Turkish Coffee. Like rustic hotels? Stay in a wide range of rooms that are cites on USNESCOs list of world treasures. A marvelous departure from Istanbul.
Wai_L, Nov 2025
The two days Cappadocia Dream: 2-Days Tour from Istanbul & Balloon Ride Option is Great. The Balloon Ride was incredible. The one drawback was on the second day, there is not enough activities. We were left at the hotel for 3-4 hours to wait for the Shuttle bus to take us to the airport. It would be better for the tour to ether book us an earlier flight or fill the gaps with more activities. I would recommend this experience to my friend with some reservations.
Jere_R, Nov 2025
Jam-packed itinerary with great guides. We saw more in two days then some in three for less money. Highly recommend
William_P, Nov 2025
Coming back to Istanbul the directions were not clear where to be picked up. Other than that the whole experience was fun. Great hotel, excellent transportation. The guide was good. There was a high pressure effort to try to get us to buy carpets, jewelry, lamb skin clothes, and pottery. They could dial that back a notch. I would suggest adding the option for riding the quads. Overall the real highlight was the Hotel air balloon ride.
Jawed_A, Nov 2025
The overall trip was excellent. Though I found the tour guide to be rude at times and rushed. The rudeness could be because of language barrier.
The trip itself was amazing and we enjoyed all the site visits. They could probably pick us up earlier for the balloon ride as we were racing against time to reach in order to not miss the sunrise view. None the less the hotair balloon ride was the highlight of the trip
Nuzhet_M, Oct 2025
Loved this tour. Our tour guide Busra was friendly and extremely knowledgeable. She taught us not only about Cappadocia but many aspects of Turkey. The parts of the tour involving the history were fabulous, and I got incredible photos of the natural landscape of the region! Zeydem Hotel, gorgeous location, and I slept like a log in the darkness of the cave room. The drivers we had are very talented! We unfortunately did not get to the balloon ride due to weather, but received a swift refund. We also learned about many products made in the region such as ceramic and carpets. My only concern is that I went to stores and bought products which I didn't have much opportunity to research in advance and I wish I had so I could have haggled better. You may find similar, although not identical, products in stores in Cappadocia and in Istanbul. I likely paid a tourist price even with haggling. However, I want to tell people that the store owners stated repeatedly that we only had to look at buying if we were interested and our guide asked if we wanted to check out places before we went. We skipped the leather goods and it was no pressure. I loved learning about how the products were made. Overall, I enjoyed the tour. If I did this again, I would probably go back for the balloon ride, do a hiking tour of Cappadocia with our lovely guide, and stay another night at the Zeydem Hotel.
Tim_K, Oct 2025
Really interesting trip to sites I had known very little about. Ruins at Sobesus and underground tunnels at Kaymakli truly fascinating. Yasser was very knowledgeable, friendly and made the trip a great success. Now want to come back with my son!
Peter_W, Oct 2025
The tour was very good. Unfortunately, our balloon ride got canceled due to weather. Our guide bush was very knowledgeable and energetic.It's a wonderful must do experience.When you're in turkey
Jorge_R, Oct 2025
Great tour, great service and excellent tour guide! Cappadocia it’s a great place and this tour cover the best places in two days!
Nancy_S, Oct 2025
Through Viator we booked the 2 day Cappodoccia and it was handled trough “Travel Experts Cappodoccia” Agency. Booked the Superior experience and it was five star all the way. From booking, to travel updates from the agency, taxi transfers, hotel, good, tour guide, excursions and of course the hot air balloon company. Days were 6 hrs each approx not including the 2-3 hours for ballon ride. Wow, wow, wow class act from the minute we were picked up to the minute we were dropped off. The agency was also excellent with replies to questions on What’s App and provided very thorough itineraries, as well as daily follow ups with scheduled times.
Samantha_S, Oct 2025
Cappadocia is beautiful. The ballon ride was amazing. Lovely hotel that we stayed in. The only downside, was visiting the carpet, leather, pottery and jewellery shops which were part of the tour. We did not come back to Istanbul after but headed to Antayla, so ended up staying an extra night. The company were very good at accomodating this request and transferring us to the airport.
Sergio_G, Sep 2025
Viator is a platform that works with local tour operators so we have to deal with local people that probably do not have the same standards, rude operators, don’t communicate properly, make mistakes and do t take responsibility for their actions, nothing against Viator however I believe that Viator should really have very high quality standards to avoid tour operators that don’t perform well
DianeElizabeth_K, Sep 2025
My guide Yasar Eroglu and Driver Muhareem were both very professional and obviously love their job.
Yasar wanted to ensure that I got the most out of my trip and even inquired if their were other areas of interest locally that I would like to learn more about, such as jewelry design, fashion, rug making and stones. The tour was informative and very interesting, and all questions were answered.
Unfortunately, the balloon ride was canceled due to inclement weather, but do understand that this is out of their control and was clearly explained this could potentially occur beforehand.
I am so thankful I had such a knowledgeable tour guide that is willing to share his love of Cappadocia and on his days off he visits archaeological sites to see what is being uncovered from many years ago..
Maria_S, Sep 2025
Yasar was amazing. He was very informative and knowledgeable. He was friendly and kind. My husband and I enjoyed the tour and his company very much. I would highly recommend this tour and Yasar as the guide.
Zofia_P, Aug 2025
The site seeing was good, hotel Misty cave hotel also, lunches very good, you have to pay extra for drinks. We visited carpet, leader, ceramic factories and were encourage to make a purchase. It would be good to know about it beforehand. Also we should have some time for shopping after visiting underground city. Our flight back to Istanbul was delayed.
AbdulHameed_K, Aug 2025
We had a lovely trip to Cappadocia, the service was excellent we couldn’t have asked for better communication! Everything was well planned well organised and our tour guide Yashir was friendly and very knowledgeable. We booked our package with the hot air balloon and it was an unforgettable experience! Again communication was excellent, all of the pilots are well trained and have great experience, there was nothing to worry about despite what is shown online! The Zeydem cave suite hotel exceeded our expectations, rooms were spacious and luxurious. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Overall this trip was worth the money and we are left with priceless memories!
Gss, Jul 2025
The hotel was ok. Our balloon ride was canceled due to bad weather conditions and I think they should have some kind of backup plan for when this happens so as to have something to do in the time you were supposed to be in the balloon.
Cappadocia is lovely and I hope to go back someday.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Dear Guest,
The balloon rides are cancel by Civil Avaition Authorty of Turkish governmet somedays because of the poor weather conditions. We always refund the cost of the balloon ride if it cancelled. The big BACKPLAN should be that. Because the balloon ride organiseat sunrise time (in dark) and there are no any other available activity at this sunrise timing (around 03.00am to 07.00am).
Taylar_F, Jun 2025
The trip was sensational. Our tour guide was incredible and very knowledgeable. The air balloon was a memory I will cherish forever. It was also incredible knowing that every moment of the trip was accounted for so you didn’t have to worry about anything.
Katherine_M, Jun 2025
It was so interesting to learn all about the history of Cappadocia through all the stops we had. Our guide, Yasser was excellent and the personal touch of knowing he used to previously make pottery as well as previously run a balloon company made it that much more interesting too! The balloons ride is very much dependent on the weather, and I lucked out while two others in my group who had tried the day before were unable to go. That was a bucket list experience for me for sure!
GuoTing_W, May 2025
Not bad, but quite expensive, can keep the same tour guide for the whole tour, not suggest to have different tour guides for the 2-day tour
Lucy_B, May 2025
The trip to Capadocia and all the activities were 5 star! Our guide on Day 1 was also a 5 star, but the one on day 2 seemed to not want to be there and didn’t offer too much as far as explanations. My only serious issue is that I had to book the entire package for both my husband and I despite me telling the agent that only myself would be going on the balloon ride. He assured me that portion of the excursion would be refunded, but when I reached out to Viator they said they had no record of that and of course he wouldn’t give it to me in writing. Anyway if you are in the same situation make sure you get assurances in writing. Been using Viator for many years so this was upsetting and disappointing.
Eduardo_M, Apr 2025
Life time experience! Cappadocia is amazing and the hot air balloon is the highlight of it! It is completely worth it to do it. We recommend doing it with a tour agency, and this one we purchased on Viator was amazing! From picking us at the hotel in Istanbul to bring us back, everything was coordinated to the perfection! Communication was clear and response times was almost instantly, regardless of the time of the day. I will definitely recommend this tour to my family and friends! Thank you “Travel Experts”
Nayrobis_T, Apr 2025
I had such a memorable and beautiful experience with this 2 days In Cappadocia, luckily it snowed a bit the night before and I got to see the beauty of the city partially covered with snow, it was cold but manageable, our tour guide Busra Nur was incredible nice and very patience giving us some extra time to have our photos and to look more around the places visited and the driver was great as well. I will definitely book again this trip and recommended 100%
KiritkumarM_P, Mar 2025
Our guide Ilyda was an excellent, knoledgeable and compentent, she enriched us with lots of information and history of Cappadocia, i will give her 5 STARS
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