Flying Carpet 15-Day Tour from Istanbul

I have just had the best experience travelling through Turkey with Turgay. I have learnt so much. I have eaten so well. The accommodation was excellent. The tour could have been ordinary, but Turgay made it special, informative, not too tiring. He looked after us very very well. Thank you Turgay, until we meet again!

Our tour guide Can Kurtulay was extremely knowledgeable about Turkish history, archeology, architecture and geology. He tailored every every day to meet our interests and preferences as well as taking us to experience local local cuisines and home style cooking - I even tried to bake bread on the sides of an outdoor Turkish oven! We had so many days when we had one ‘WOW!’experience followed by another! The ancient sites sites were amazing even more so with Can’s detailed understanding of history. We also enjoyed a genuine an authentic Dervish ceremonial dance, an island hopping boat cruise and capoed then my first ever ballooning experience over the incredible landscapes of Cappadocia. Our driver Sadik was very obliging and was available day and night to ensure we saw as much of Turkiye as possible in 15 days. We will never forget our fantastic time in Turkiye and the wonderful people we met thanks to our amazing tour guide.

We had a blast on this tour. Our group was fantastic with 4 Australians and 4 kiwis and a great mix of ages and personalities. Our guide Fatih K and driver Murat were amazing. Fatih is proud of his country and loves to share his knowledge and the history of Turkey with the group. Murat quietly and skilfully drove us around. There are some long days but on the whole it wasn’t too taxing. Personally I would have liked to have spent a night in Ankara as the drive from Cappadocia to Istanbul was hard going.

We had the most amazing time in Turkey. This tour covers all of the activities and places that should be on your wish list but also so much more. Our guide Fahti Karci was incredibly knowledgeable about Turkey and its people. He also gave us a great perspective of his country. We travelled far and wide along amazing roads (thanks in part to our driver Genghis), saw wonderful ruins, buildings and landscapes. We ate incredible local food and met some lovely people. Turkey embraces tourists and makes you feel so welcome. If you want to see the best of Turkey and its people then this is the tour for you.

What a wonderful experience I had when travelling with a small group of people, 8 fantastic souls, on the Flying Carpet Tour. Our guide Fatih Karci shared his love of antiquity, his knowledge and the highlights of his country and our driver,Murat, was great, he greeted us each day with a smile and “good morning“. Our very early balloon flight over Cappadocia was magical and gazing at the Terraces at Pamukkale was inspiring. The “Wow” factor was apparent at each and every ancient city we visited. The only disappointment would be the visits to the leather, carpet and jewellery shops. I think these visits would be better as optional tours. At each shop I felt pressured into buying an item, whether it was a carpet, bag or coat or a piece of jewellery. We were also informed that the leather bags were genuine but the reality was that they are not. They are in fact good quality replicas. Saying “no thanks” was not an option. Maybe a visit to a local school could be an alternative, we met some lovely school children who were quite willing to expand their English. The conversations around visiting these stores should be more open and explanatory. Even the visit to a “traditional Turkish family home” for dinner was actually a cafe/ restaurant that was in a section of the family home. Again wording on the itinerary should be clearer. However it was a great night, helping with the cooking and picking and eating strawberries straight from the garden. The majority of our accommodation were excellent. The cave hotel at Cappadocia, the Ruin Adalia Hotel, Aden Pira Hotel and the Hilton Double Tree were lovely. The Marine Hotel and the Dedeman Hotel were quite disappointing, the former being situated in a working ship yard and the latter having black mould in the bathroom and an unlockable balcony door. The hotel in Konya, the Hilton, was subsituted with another hotel some distance from the city. It was surrounded by shops, cafes and restaurants catering to the University students that lived there. Overall, I had a great holiday. I saw some awe inspiring sites and met a great bunch of people. Thank you Fez Travel

The tour was amazing, such an adventure! We were lucky and had a small group of 8 people. Our guide Fatih Karci’s passion and knowledge for his culture, history and ruins really enhanced the sites visited. The highlight of the trip was Gallipolli and Cappadocia. Our hot air balloon ride and the cave hotel was amazing. We ate at local restaurants as well as some dinners at the hotels. The majority of hotels were great with a good location. The dinner with the host family was brilliant. The only negative for the tour was the inclusion of a visit to the Luxury brands factory for leather goods. They blatantly lie about making handbags for Prada, Hermes, Chanel etc. you are put under considerable pressure to purchase a bag or jacket. Otherwise we had a fantastic holiday with a great group of people. It’s a shame that tourism here will be impacted by the current conflict in the Middle East.

A wonderful experience had by me and all other people on this wonderful adventure learning about the history of Turkey by our passionate, educated and knowledgeable guide Halil Esen, who made every aspect of the tour mesmerising. His caring and attention to detail was extraordinary, always made sure everyone felt special. His lunch stops were an insight to the real Turkey cuisine. Our driver Genghiz Khan was professional and considerate and very proud of his bus and driving. To Fez travel your tour was well organised, a great trip.

I would highly recommend this tour for those interested in history, culture and the finest things Turkey has to offer in accommodation and day tours. Our tour guide Halil was amazing, without his knowledge and the passion he showed for his country our Turkey experience would not have been the same. He constantly made sure everyone was happy and content and did his best to make sure things ran smoothly. Our driver Genghis was also very professional and a great guy. I would highly recommend Fez as a competent and well organised tour operator based on our experience. Thanks Halil and Fez for making our holiday memorable. ❤️

Our tour guide Tamer and our driver Murat were very professional and knowledgeable and we felt very supported by them. Tamer helped with booking into the hotels, deciphering lunch menus and assisted us with all requests. We were all enjoying the beautiful landscapes of Turkey. Anzac Cove was very special and each day there was new cultural experiences. Turkey is a beautiful place and you should put it on your list! I would recommend these 2 to everyone. 5+ stars

It was our first trip to Türkiye and looking forward to a good history lesson. Our guide Tamer was the best. His knowledge of the history made it easy to understand all the places we visited Tamer also introduced us to Türkiye home cooking and lunches were special He also made sure we were safe and looked after each inch of the way and made our trip very enjoyable. Murat our driver did live up to the magic carpet ride and any location we went to was easy safe and to the front door Both Tamer and Murat made our journey unforgettable and I thank them very much for making our holiday the best The trip and locations and port of call were the correct mix of old and new and I have a new understanding of Türkiye its history its family life and the friendly people I would encourage travellers to go on this journey and ask for Tamer and Murat 5 plus star trip Shane