10-Day Highlights of Turkey Private Tour from Istanbul

My husband and I booked a private tour with Turkey Private Tours and were so impressed. We had the most amazing time exploring and learning about all of the top sites in Turkey. Ertunga and Mari are very professional and highly responsive. He organized the perfect tour for us. From the airport pickups to the hotels everything was flawless. We loved our very comfortable and air conditioned van. Our guides and driver were top notch. If you can request Veggie was our driver and our guides were Ozgar and Mehmet. If you are considering a private tour in Turkey I can highly recommend this company.

From the beginning, they answered probably 15-20 emails back and forth. Their communication was always superb pre-trip and during the trip. Mari always was available by WhatsApp for questions and was always patient. Turkey is a wonderful country. It is diverse in food and rich in history. We literally saw places that spanned thousands of years and many empires. Also, the food varies greatly by region and is always fantastic. I personally think it is the best food country that I have ever been to. The 10 day tour included a few days in Istanbul seeing all of the major sits. Our guide Mert was caring and attentive and rich in knowledge. Then we proceeded to Cappadocia, where are guide Nela (sp?) was knowledgeable and patient when we wanted to take breaks or do a bit of souvenir shopping. Then underground caves were particularly interesting. And I would book the balloon trip; it is spectacular. I also ate the best meal I have ever had while there. See previous review. Then we went to Izmir/Ephesus/Selcuk. This was incredible for Greco-Roman influences and ruins. We loved our hotel in Seljuk particularly Ayasoluk Boutique Hotel. The management were so nice. It felt like home. There was a hotel cat and dog that roamed the grounds. Loved that! Also, got to watch a little bit of World Cup with the manager. Also, the hotel is witching walking distance of many restaurants and stores. Even when are flight was late on one leg, everything was known and communicated. Would come back to Turkey again in a second!

MARI THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ORGANIZING A WONDERFUL - 14 DAY TRIP TO TURKEY. THIS WAS A BIRTHDAY PRESENT FROM MY SON WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE EXCELLENT. I WAS LITERALLY THROWN INTO A COUNTRY THAT I DIDNT KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT BUT WITH THIS TOUR I THOUROUGHLY ENJOYED IT. THE CO-ORDINATION, AND THE SCHEDULES MADE IT EASY AND STRESS FREE . YUNUS THE GUIDE IN ISTANBUL, OZZY THE GUIDE IN CAPPODOCA AND VOLKAN IN KUSADASI WERE ABSOLUTELY GREAT, ALSO NOT FORGETTING THE DRIVERS. THE GUIDES AND THE DRIVERS ALWAYS HELPED IN AND OUT OF THE VANS AND AT EVERY INSTANCE. MARI KEPT IN CONSTANT TOUCH TO SEE TO MY WELL BEING AND IF I HAD ANY PROBLEMS. (THERE WERE ZERO PROBLEMS) IF ANYONE IS THINKING OF GOING TO TURKEY THEN GET IN TOUCH WITH THIS COMPANY. I FULLY 100% RECOMMEND IT AND I WILL CERTAINLY TRAVEL AGAIN WITH THEM. MARI AND TEAM THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR A WONDERFUL AND MEMORABLE VISIT - I WILL BE COMING AGAIN IN 2027 WITH MY SON FOR YOUR LONGER TOUR - PROBABLY 28 DAYS. THANK YOU AGAIN ROMA TORONTO CANADA MY TRIP WAS JULY 2025

We are very pleased with overall results and arrangements of our tour by this company and would like to recommend to everyone want to see this country (Turkey) and explore the history of it.

Highly recommend Felicity Travel! I recently returned from a Bible trip to Turkey with my mom and son, and it was a truly beautiful and transformative experience for all of us. From the beginning, Ertunga and Mari were exceptional. They helped us plan an itinerary that included meaningful biblical sites while also allowing enough time to fully enjoy each place. Once we arrived, every aspect of the trip, from accommodations to transportation, far exceeded our expectations. Our tour guide Özgür was outstanding. He was warm, knowledgeable, and generous in sharing both historical context and his personal testimony. His insights brought each location to life, especially places like Ephesus and Cappadocia which also included the most amazing hot air balloon ride experience over the sites. One of the most powerful moments of the trip was reading from the book of Revelation at each site of the seven churches. The spiritual atmosphere created during those visits was deeply moving. The food and culture were another highlight. We enjoyed a wide variety of traditional Turkish dishes, and each meal reflected the warmth and hospitality of the Turkish people. Mealtimes quickly became a favorite part of our daily routine. The hotels were also wonderful, chosen with care for both comfort and cultural charm, offering peaceful and inviting places to rest each evening. From ancient ruins to breathtaking landscapes, every stop left a lasting impression and deepened our connection to the biblical stories. This trip was a beautiful blend of spiritual reflection and cultural discovery. Felicity Travel created an experience we will always treasure. I wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone looking to explore the roots of the Bible and Christianity in Anatolia/Türkiye in a meaningful and unforgettable way.

My wife and I visited Turkey for the first time in early June (2025), including 5 nights in Istanbul followed by a 10-day driving tour of western Turkey and then over to Konya/Cappadocia. We used Felicity Travel (Ertunga Ecir and his wife Maria) to organize most of our tour based on multiple excellent Tripadvisor reviews and they exceeded our expectations. They were incredibly easy to work with, knowledgable, and professional. Pre-trip communications were clear, timely, and really couldn’t have been any better. They were always flexible to our needs. While they have “standard” tour packages, we had specific requests for itinerary and they easily incorporated all of them, giving us information on choices/options and allowing us to make final decisions. We received a detailed itinerary (visible as a webpage) with comprehensive information, which was updated as trip planning evolved. They booked excellent hotels for us, some of which were quite memorable, and all of which had excellent included breakfasts, including adapting to my special dietary needs (gluten intolerant, no-seafood). All airline and shuttle transportations which they arranged were seamless and smooth. The lunches which they provided as part of our tour were outstanding and copious, again always catering to our preferences. Some elements of our trip Ertunga contracted to 3rd parties (boat trips and one airport shuttle), and these too were all well-chosen, professional, and of high-quality.. For the majority of our trip, Ertunga was our personal guide, and he really was amazing. I tend to ask a lot of questions and he was incredibly knowledgable about the history, the archeology, the culture, and the politics of his country. He was always positive, enthusiastic, and attentive to us and our needs, making our experience relaxed, comfortable, and most enjoyable. There were never any problems on our trip, but at one hotel, Ertunga noticed that we were initially assigned to a room which he thought was inferior, and he immediately got us upgraded to a beautiful suite. We spent all day with him for almost 10days and there is no better way to get a real feel for and understanding of a country/culture than being able to experience it with a native who can explain and interpret. I truly cannot say enough good things about Ertunga, as a guide, as a historian, as an organizer, as a businessman, as a professional, and as a human. He exceeded our expectations in every way. We were sad to say goodbye when our trip was over. We would most definitely hire Ertunga again when we return to Turkey. If you are still looking for a guide in Turkey, you really should stop looking and book with Ertunga…

We spent two days in Istanbul, three days around Capdocia and four days in Izmir. We had a separate guide at each location which was great because we could tailor the days activities as we went. The whole trip was fabulous, especially exploring the ruins, but I can’t say enough about our guides (and our drivers). They were so knowledgeable about the sites and history and were able to answer all of our questions. The whole week was handled professionally, our rides weee always on time and there were no problems with any of our reservations.

Felicity Tours is a family owned small business that provided us a great experience ,compared to the larger tour groups

Ertunga and our driver were amazing! We went with our four children ages 12, 11, 9, and 3 and were fully able to enjoy all of the awesome sites Turkey has to offer. We’ve travelled a lot around the world and Ertunga was the best guide we have ever had! The itinerary was detailed and also allowed for us to tailor our experience to our interests and needs as a 6 person family. He was reliable, trustworthy, kind, great with kids, intelligent, and understood the nooks and crannies of Turkey! We never felt rushed and he was so flexible with the schedule. We left with a lifelong friend and wonderful memories. There was WiFi in the van, easy payment links, and so many surprises along the way that put smiles on our faces and created a beautiful trip. We would give them 10 stars if we could. Just go and enjoy Turkey knowing Felicity Travel will take care of you!

Very well planned and implemented tour with high professional competence. We visited Cappadocia, Kusadasi (Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Pamukkale) and Istanbul. Hotels were well located, food varieties were excellent and vehicles were more than comfortable. Guides and drivers were very professional. All the three Guides (Gorkan, Ertunga and Tuna) were very knowledgeable, narrated history with ease and answered all our queries so well. Maria managed the whole tour remotely with continuous support. They were so helpful all the way through. We were so enriched with Turkish history and geography. It was a dream vacation for us.