Turkish Delight
From CAD $2135
Guarantee
Group Tour
Easy
Rating
(10 reviews)
Welcome to Turkey, a diverse cultural mecca where relics of the ancient world blend seamlessly with lively local markets and palm-fringed promenades. In 11 days you'll visit the UNESCO-listed city of Troy and underground city complexes at Cappadocia, tick off one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World at Ephesus, visit a local village for traditional crafts & afternoon tea, have the chance to bathe in healing mineral waters at Pamukkale, and bring back a suitcase full of Turkish treasures.
Highlights
Dining Summary
- 7 Dinner (D)
- 10 Breakfast (B)
- 1 Lunch (L)
FAQs
- Istanbul: Why is Turkey also referred to as ‘Türkiye’? At the end of 2021 the Republic of Turkey officially changed its English name to 'The Republic of Türkiye' (pronounced “Tur-key-yeah”), which is how it is both spelt and pronounced in Turkish.
Included Experience
- Istanbul: Get on foot, and explore the vibrant corners of Istanbul. We'll check out the spice market, the epic blue mosque, Hippodrome, and even the Grand Bazaar.
- Gallipoli: See the infamous site of the ANZAC troop landings at the battle of Gallipoli in WWI.
- Gallipoli: Brush up on your history knowledge with a visit to WWI battle sites: Lone Pine Cemetery and Chunuk Bair Gallipoli
- Izmir: Magnificent mosques meet palm-lined beach resorts at this glitzy Turkish port city. It’s also the birthplace of Homer (the Greek poet; not the doughnut-eating Simpson).
- Ephesus: Grab your camera, it’s time for some bucket list ticking. See the Temple of Artemis and finally understand what all the fuss is about.
- Cappadocia: Take a trip to the Middle Ages, checking out a series of churches built into volcanic rock. Trust us when we say, it's simply sublime.
- Cappadocia: Stay at this special hotel, carved out of 19th century rocks in Cappadocia.
- Cappadocia: You'll have to see it to believe it... but luckily for you, you're about to! (Just mind your head...)
- Cappadocia: On this unique experience, we'll get to know a local family and take a guided tour of their cave house.
- Cappadocia: And Pasa Baglari too! Cameras at the ready, folks. We've got more marvellous rock-formations-turned-buildings in store for you here.
Trip Details
Product Code: 18935
Tour Type: Group Tour
Accommodation: Deluxe
Transport: Private
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles:
18 - 35 Year Olds Only
Tour Operator:
Contiki (CA)
Supplier Code: 283.2023B
Starts: Istanbul, Turkey
Finishes: Istanbul, Turkey
Duration: 11 days
Departures: Not Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Easy
Includes
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $2135 ($194 /day)
Itinerary
The countdown is finally over, global roamers! We're here in Istanbul and all geared up to uncover fabulous Turkey. No better way to kickstart this journey than a delightful Turkish dinner, after which you'll have some free time to explore this wonderful city on your own.
Accommodation: Hotel Centrum (or similar)
Meals: Dinner
20,000 hand painted tiles fill the stunning Blue Mosque; millions of trinkets line the kilometres of the Grand Bazaar; and over 1,500 years of history sit within the walls of the Hagia Sophia. This is just some of the exotic magnificence that will keep us glued to Istanbul today with a walking tour (guided by an local expert, of course!). Seal the day of sightseeing with an optional Turkish bath and a belly dancing Turkish evening. Day two and we're already up to our eyeballs in experiences.
Accommodation: Hotel Centrum (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast
Out of exotic Istanbul we make our way to Canakkale, taking a sobering stop at the World War I site of Gallipoli. Visiting ANZAC Cove, Chunuk Bair & Lone Pine Cemetery today we are gifted with a special opportunity to pay tribute to the heroes of World War I right here where part of the battle took place. Afterwards, we'll brighten the mood with a drive along the Sea of Marmara en route to Canakkale. Shortly after ferrying across the Dardanelles (casually crossing continents) we'll arrive in the sparkling town of Canakkale. Today we discover that "Troy" means more than just a Hollywood blockbuster; so much more. Unravel the historical layers of a ten year war & what is now a mythical excavation site, and sign up for an in-depth look at the ancient ruins of the region. Tonight is yours to unwind and relax with your squad.
Accommodation: Tusan Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
A big day sits ahead of us. Down as much breakfast as you can before we jump on the road in search of adventure. Further along the Turkish coastline we arrive at Pergamon. Once a political hotspot, this town is now brimming with history. We'll take a scenic mountain drive and give you the chance to get acquainted with Pergamon's hillside ruins, tapping into the archaeologist that you surely are. After our day's adventures are done, we arrive in Izmir, the birthplace of Homer (no kids, that isn't Homer from Springfield). After we tuck into some Turkish dinner, head out and explore the palm-lined promenades of this town known as the 'Pearl of the Aegean’.
Accommodation: Hotel Anemon (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Cruising out of Izmir after breakfast, we're heading out to marvel at what will probably be one of the most breathtakingly beautiful natural landscapes you have ever seen, but not before a trip to see one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. Did you know Mark Antony and Cleopatra used to hang out here at Ephesus back in the day? And now here we are, walking in their footsteps some 2,000 years later in what is now the best preserved classical city on the Mediterranean. We'll have a chance to see the well-preserved ruins of this ancient port city including the Temple of Artemis and the Library of Celsus before heading back on the road to our next wonder, Pamukkale. Ah yes, there she is. Even more spectacular than Instagram & Pinterest had ever suggested and a UNESCO World Heritage site, Pamukkale's flowing waters of arid ridges and white calcium terraces formed by mineral waters are almost too much. We'll enjoy an included dinner at our hotel tonight, with more time to explore tomorrow.
Accommodation: Hotel Lycus River (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Ready for more magic today? On the agenda is a visit to Hierapolis, one of the antique cities of the Aegean, where you'll have the chance to take a guided tour. Treating yourself to the optional thermal pool experience with all its healing properties is not something you'll want to miss. After lunch we'll drive to our next destination, Konya. The Sufi pilgrimage city of Konya dates back to 3000BC and is home to an elaborate 12th century mosque, narrow market streets, a contemporary university, whirling dervish ceremonies and the burial place of the Islamic poet, Rumi. We'll enjoy an included dinner at our hotel amidst the ancient and modern energy of this 5,000 year old city.
Accommodation: Hotel Anemon (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Waving goodbye to Konya this morning, we have our sights set on another UNESCO World Heritage site, Cappadocia. Here in Cappadocia we'll visit the Goreme Open Air Museum and encounter the vast monastic rock complex this area is famous for, with elaborate cave formations and even entire churches carved into the rockface, complete with colourful wall frescoes. Thoroughly blown away by the countless wonders we're experiencing in Turkey, we'll return to our hotel, for a delicious traditional dinner tonight.
Accommodation: Hotel Yusuf Yiğitoğlu (Or Similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Yesterday might have been a hard act to follow, but with a visit to an underground city and a trip to a local village on the agenda today we have a full day of adventures ahead. First we'll visit Kaymaklı Underground city. Afterwards, we will visit the last traditional cave house that is still in use by a local family in Uchisar Valley and be served coffee and tea.After a full day of culture we will head back to our hotel for a second night where you are free to find yourself some dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel Yusuf Yiğitoğlu (Or Similar)
Meals: Breakfast
We have Ankara in our sights today, but we're not quite done with Cappadocia yet. Departing after breakfast we'll first stop at the Zelve Open Air Museum, a cave town honeycombed with dwellings and a Byzantine-era monastery, followed by a peek at Pasa Baglari, the 'fairy chimneys' this region is known for, before heading on to Turkey's cosmopolitan capital. Ankara awaits us with the historic fortified Kalesi (castle) overlooking the city and a chance to load up on pears, honey, muscat grapes, and angora wool. Here we'll enjoy an included dinner at the hotel with Istanbul ahead of us tomorrow.
Accommodation: Hotel Best (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ankara, it's been short but sweet. Today we're returning to Istanbul, with a chance to visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations and a stop for lunch on the way. Arriving in the afternoon, we'll be amazed at how much we've covered since we last set foot in Istanbul at the start of our adventure. We'll make the most of our time in the 'Paris of the East' with a free night tonight and our final evening together.
Accommodation: Hotel Centrum (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast
This morning, our Turkish Delight ends where it began in Istanbul. It's time to say fond farewells, but we'll always have our photos and memories of this incredible adventure.
Meals: Breakfast
Similar Tours
Tour Operator
Contiki (CA)
Contiki is a New Zealand-based tour company that caters to 18 to 35-year-olds, offering over 350 different tours in over 75 countries in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, North America, South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.[1] It is a subsidiary of The Travel Corporation. Its tours historically had a reputation for partying;[2][3] however, it also operates wellness trips culturally immersive experiences that focus less on alcohol, which are more popular with Generation Z.[4] The company owns lodging facilities in Europe, including the Chateau De Cruix, a 16th century castle in the Beaujolais wine region, and the Gasthof Schoneck in the Austrian Tyrol. The name "Contiki" comes from the portmanteau 'Con' from the word 'Continent' and 'Tiki'; from the Māori referring to the first man, often symbolised as a pendant known as hei-tiki. It can also be attributed to the New Zealand slang 'Tiki-tour' describing taking a longer route to a destination in order to explore.[5]
In Business Since 1931
Reviews
Bhavrith - Traveled, September 2024
This trip is handled by another company, so even though it was a Contiki trip, it lacked the essence of what I have come to expect from Contiki. For example a personalised day song for our group, day sheets with important reminders, times, tips, maps and greetings so we could interact with the locals. Add on activities were only museum outings which we bought from the TM and he led us through each museum and did his own guided tour. Due to the earthquake on 23/4/25 our fancy dinner was cancelled and we never had a formal farewell event at the end. I missed the Contiki glue I am used to. A better itinerary and communication would have made this an outstanding trip for me. I went out on my own to learn about the culture, not part of the trip. Since returning, I was informed that as a Discovery client, my booking should have been done through my credit card for points, not EFT. Better knowledge of staff in this regard would be great.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/20/2024
Savannah - Traveled, October 2024
I can’t tell you incredible our guid was and the tour of course! was definitely the highlight to our tour. He was so knowledgeable and could answer any question we threw at him. The contiki stays where amazing and the food in Turkey exceeds my expectations. Thank you for this great experience! 5 STAR!! Went through flight center.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/21/2024
Alyssia - Traveled, November 2024
There was so many highlights! Troy was amazing and the spring were so beautiful.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/22/2024
Matthew - Traveled, September 2024
The guide was my highlight he absolutely made my trip 100 times better. You need more he is the best.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/19/2024
Frankie - Traveled, December 2024
Türkiye is a huge country and condensing it into a 11-day trip is no mean feat!! It's probably super important to note that this is not your typical Europe style Contiki that has loads of partying. It's a cultural tour with occasional opportunities to party with the group. Türkiye is a predominantly Muslim country and are very conservative when it comes to alcohol. If you just want to party and drink your way through Türkiye this probably isn't the trip for you. Positives - Incredible and breath-taking sights! Goreme, Ephesus and Pamukkale were some of the standouts! - The ANZAC Day Dawn Service at Gallipoli - a very moving and important pilgrimage for (Bus Driver) went above and beyond! Both were dedicated to ensuring we had a safe time exploring Türkiye. I had a pretty serious medical emergency and both men sprang into action to ensure I was able to get treated in a timely manner and not miss out on any of the trip. - It was small group which meant we had comfortable bus rides and were a close knit group by the end. Disappointments - The food - majority of the included meals weren't particularly memorable or authentic. They were heavy on the soups and starches and I don't think demonstrated the unique flavours of the country. - Travel time - There were some very long days spent on the coach getting from each major city. That in itself would be fine if there was then time to explore the destinations on arrival. Often there was only enough time to get to the included activities, then to the hotel where we would have dinner, go to bed and be on the coach by 9am the next day. The trip would greatly benefit from some extra nights in places like Pamukkale, Ankara and Cappadocia (two isn't enough) so that there is more time to explore and enjoy each destination. -The balloons didn't fly in Cappadocia - nothing can be done about this as it's beyond anyone but the Civil Aviation Authority control but it was still a bummer not to see them in the sky! Considerations - More free time - as I mentioned above the trip could be drastically improve with a few additional days in selected locations. It felt like it was go go go and I would have loved some time to explore. Perhaps 15 days instead of 11. - Assume you're doing all the optional extras - there isn't really an alternative to not doing the optional extras other than just sitting on the bus. That being said I do think all the optional extras are worth doing! -The cost of everything - It's also important to note that Türkiye in in the grips of a major inflation crisis and things are no longer as cheap as they once were. I paid AUD$25plus for a glass of Rose wine in some places. Overall I had a great time and the natural beauty of Türkiye speaks for itself and outweighed every single other negative on the trip! I booked my trip through trusted travel agent so my experience was great! I booked this trip with the intention of attending the ANZAC Dawn Service at Gallipoli so I knew ahead of time that I would be involved in that. With that being said I was a little disappointed that the plan for my involvement in that wasn't made more clear and reflected on the itinerary. I do appreciate however that I was able to talk to someone on the Contiki Chat feature that was able to answer my questions.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/18/2024
Anonymous - Traveled, June 2025
Same as above and were great. Gave us an excellent trip and we made some great memories. Highlights included Cappadocia is a super knowledgeable and personable guide, and a super great side kick. and Istanbul.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/31/2024
Anonymous - Traveled, March 2024
Trip was good and varied. A lot of activities were moved around because of Anzac dawn service. Hot air balloons in Cappadocia had to be cancelled because of bad weather. An extra day in Ankara could've been nice. Group was 12 people which was perfect. Be aware, that you risk having a much larger group when booking this tour. Received required information. Information on Anzac dawn service could have been clearer.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 03/30/2024
Anonymous - Traveled, September 2024
Not impressed with the tour - has lots of room for improvement. One of the only positive aspects was our tour manager. This was my third Contiki and to be honest might be my last. There were a lot of good aspects to the trip, but they were definitely outweighed by the bad. Firstly, almost all of the hotels were horrible (except for the cave hotel in Cappadocia). They were old, many smelled like smoke, were basic and many had dirty bathrooms. Every dinner was included and catered by the hotels we stayed at; the food was pretty bad on the whole. Next, we spent 4-6 hours on the bus (almost) daily. Very fast-paced and had very little free time. The trip might've benefitted from some inter-country flights where possible. Finally, there were a lot of roadside/gas station lunches - very dicey in terms of quality and a number of people got food poisoning. In terms of the good, our tour manager was amazing. He was incredibly knowledgeable, caring and hilarious. He helped us make the best out of the trip circumstances. Next, we really got a good sense of the history and culture of Turkey was a wealth of knowledge and we learned a lot. The cost of the add-ons were really reasonable a well. Lastly, Cappadocia was INCREDIBLE and so beautiful. The hotel was fantastic, we could've spent much more time there enjoying the area. Turkey on the whole is beautiful, not too expensive and interesting for anyone into history/art/culture, however I don't think it was well showcased with this trip.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/29/2024
Anonymous - Traveled, August 2024
Cappadocia was amazing! The hotel was the best by far and a brilliant location. The activities were really good especially the hot air balloon. There is too much coach time. We spent 4 plus hours a day on a coach, with only two days not with a long coach journey. The longest day is 8 hours of coach time. The sights are amazing but it just takes so long to get to them. Some hotels are brilliant (Cappadocia) whilst others leave space for improvement (Istanbul). Was an amazing tour guide! Really took care of us and knew so much!! He was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/25/2024
Annabel - Traveled, July 2025
I absolutely loved my experience with Contiki on the Turkish Delight Tour. Our tour guide Ahmet was incredibly experienced, teaching us so much about the many wonders found in Turkey. He was extremely accommodating to everyone on the trip, ensuring every person was happy and healthy. He also assisted in organising additional activities for us at the best price going above and beyond my expectations. I highly recommend this trip - Turkey is truely an amazing country. Booking the Contiki trip was super straightforward and easy. My friend and I were also assisted in requesting to be together in a shared room. Customer service was quick and easy.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/26/2025
Download a personalized trip brochure!
