15 Ancient Sites and Ruins in Istanbul to Build a Day Around

Troy: Full-Day Tour from Istanbul - The early pickup and long road south

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 312 reviews · 18 hours · from $169Our pick

Is Troy worth an 18-hour day from Istanbul? See ancient walls, layered cities, the Trojan horse, lunch, and a Dardanelles ferry crossing.

“for a single day trip of that distance through traffic, I feel it's a great value! It is a tough day of riding in a small bus but it allowed me to see answers to things I've wondered about for 47 years since first reading the Illiad. I stood where Priam, Hector, and Paris conducted the defense of Troia from. My only disappointment was not getting to stand out on the plain just south of the city walls where the battles occurred. Supposedly that was also where the duel between Achilles and Hector was fought. I realize those are private farmers fields, but a small pathway to look up to…”

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Istanbul to Gallipoli, Canakkale and Troy. 2 Day Tour with Hotel

2.Istanbul to Gallipoli, Canakkale and Troy. 2 Day Tour with Hotel

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 144 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $387Top rated

Explore Gallipoli, Çanakkale and Troy on a two-day tour from Istanbul with guides, meals, hotel stay and return transfers.

“Very well organized trip thank you, great accommodation. What else can I say, very informative guides. I learned a lot.”

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4 Days Turkey Tour – Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale Tour

3.4 Days Turkey Tour – Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 138 reviews · 4 days (approx.) · from $1,571

Explore Cappadocia, Ephesus, and Pamukkale in four fast-paced days with flights, hotels, meals, guides, and small-group transport.

“Encantada con la organización, fueron muy puntuales al momento de recogernos El guía YIGIT Pamukkale y Efeso muy amable, simpático , agradable, paciente, una exlecente persona Estamos muy contentos por haber contratado Tour Flame, por medio de Viator Gracias nos vemos pronto !!!!”

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Istanbul to Truva Troy Guided Day Tour with Lunch and Transfers

4.Istanbul to Truva Troy Guided Day Tour with Lunch and Transfers

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 134 reviews · 17 hours (approx.) · from $172

Review of Istanbul to Troy day tour with lunch, guides, ferry crossings, hotel transfers, ancient ruins, and practical advice on the long journey.

“My partner and I were based out of Istanbul with no rented card, so this was definitely the best way to experience Troy! It was a very long ride in the van (I get motion sickness, so... Glad I made it!). I agree it's kind of unavoidable, but there is a ferry that goes from Istanbul direct to the location. Surprised we don't use that...? However, the guide was wonderful and it was nice to get extra flavor text on the ruins and the area's history. This trip included a stop for souvineers, which was much appreciated. For the money and time, this is definitely worth it, specifically when you…”

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Full-Day Troy Tour From Istanbul

5.Full-Day Troy Tour From Istanbul

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 123 reviews · 15 hours · from $176

Review of the full-day Troy tour from Istanbul, including ferry crossings, lunch, ruins, guides, travel time, price, and practical tips.

“Cindy is very knowledgeable and gave a good background of the stories and myths to put everything in perspective!”

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Istanbul: Troy Guided Bus Tour with Ferry Tickets & Lunch

6.Troy Guided Bus Tour with Ferry Tickets & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 119 reviews · 16 hours · from $148Best value

Review of Istanbul’s 16-hour Troy bus tour with ferry rides, lunch, guided ruins, Trojan Horse, costs, timing, and practical tips.

“Beyza ànd the team were very professional, knowledgeable and efficient. It was a wonderful trip. Very educational. I would highly recommend it.”

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6-Day Experiences, Ancient Sites and Ruins, Ancient Sites and Ruins in Istanbul, Istanbul Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

6 Days Turkey Tour Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Ephesus, Gallipoli Troy

7.6 Days Turkey Tour Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Ephesus, Gallipoli Troy

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 109 reviews · 6 days (approx.) · from $2,122

Six days across Turkey, from Gallipoli and Ephesus to Cappadocia, with flights, hotels, meals, guides, and small-group transport included.

“What an incredible experience. From start to finish everything i needed was taken care off. Airport and hotel transfer, even when my flight was delayed, went smoothly. The customer service was fantastic and they arranged for me to get my covid test to get back to the us. On top of that the sites were incredible and my guides at each location were so knowledgeable and went out of their way to make the trip special”

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From Istanbul: 2-Day Tour to Gallipoli & Troy

8.2-Day Tour to Gallipoli & Troy

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 98 reviews · 2 days · from $378

Review of the 2-day Gallipoli and Troy tour from Istanbul, with battlefields, ancient ruins, hotel stay, transport, guides, and value advice.

“Our guide Hassan was an absolute asset to this trip. He bought the Gallipoli experience alive. His photo resources added immensely to the experience. His knowledge is extensive and he gave both sides of the story. As a history teacher I found his insights invaluable and will add them to my teaching of the topic. The final touch of listening to the song 'And the band played Waltzing Matilda' really finished of the emotion- filled day.”

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Daily Ephesus & House of Virgin Mary from Istanbul – Small Group

9.Daily Ephesus & House of Virgin Mary from Istanbul – Small Group

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 95 reviews · 15 hours (approx.) · from $860

Review of the Ephesus day trip from Istanbul, covering flights, ancient ruins, Virgin Mary’s House, lunch, costs, timing, and tradeoffs.

“Al was the best tour guide we have ever had. Very knowledgeable and presented the information with an entertaining flair.”

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5-Day Aegean Tour – Gallipoli, Troy, Ephesus, Kusadasi, Pamukkale

10.5-Day Aegean Tour – Gallipoli, Troy, Ephesus, Kusadasi, Pamukkale

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 86 reviews · 5 days (approx.) · from $1,543

Review of a 5-day Aegean tour from Istanbul covering Gallipoli, Troy, Ephesus, Kusadasi, and Pamukkale with hotels and flights included.

“The heritage sites, Ephesus, Troy and definitely Pamakule. Our tour guide Ege was the absolute best ! Would definitely recommend”

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Istanbul, Ephesus, Pamukkale and Cappadocia 8 Day Package

11.Istanbul, Ephesus, Pamukkale and Cappadocia 8 Day Package

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 83 reviews · 8 days (approx.) · from $1,050

Review of an 8-day Turkey tour covering Istanbul, Ephesus, Pamukkale, and Cappadocia, with flights, hotels, guides, meals, and transfers.

“The trip covered most highlights, and ran smoothly once on land. The hotels, and breakfast were very nice, especially Fresco Cave in Capadoccia. Communication is excellent when it has to do with questions about a tour, with reminders ahead of each day's adventure: what to expect, added cost. The flights were booked with Turkish Airlines, we had delays (Including 1 cancelled flight) on all but one flight. The tour company, ours was Tour Altinkum, will not help at all with rebooking a cancelled flight so you have to fight with the agents to get you into the next flight. The flight connection from istanbul to Izmir was too short, and…”

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Private 4 Days Turkey Tour from Istanbul to Cappadocia, Ephesus, Pamukkale

12.Private 4 Days Turkey Tour from Istanbul to Cappadocia, Ephesus, Pamukkale

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 80 reviews · 4 days (approx.) · from $1,900

Review of a private four-day Turkey tour covering Cappadocia, Ephesus, and Pamukkale, with flights, guides, lunches, and transfers explained.

“We decide to go to Turkey for our wedding anniversary.”

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Istanbul to Ephesus Full Day Guided Tour, Flight and Lunch incl.

13.Istanbul to Ephesus Full Day Guided Tour, Flight and Lunch incl.

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 66 reviews · 14 to 17 hours (approx.) · from $476

Review of Istanbul to Ephesus by flight, including House of Mary, ancient ruins, Şirince, lunch, transfers, and practical booking advice.

“This was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime for me...it just never happened. I wrote to them two days before the tour to confirm pickup time and location and heard nothing back. The morning before the tour I wrote them again for confirmation and heard nothing. I had just gotten into bed at 9 pm (as I was going to be picked up at 430 am for the trip) and got a cancellation via viator email that it was canceled due to weather. About 45 mins later they finally wrote me back in the app and just said "this trip has been canceled". I do not believe it…”

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2 Days Ephesus and Pamukkale Tours from Istanbul

14.2 Days Ephesus and Pamukkale Tours from Istanbul

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 65 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $820

Review of the 2-day Ephesus and Pamukkale tour from Istanbul, covering flights, ruins, thermal pools, hotels, meals, timing, and value.

“My husband and I were excited to explore Ephesus and Pamukkale after we had done a tour of Cappadocia. The tour manager maintained good communication for the coordination of the trip. We flew to Izmir from Istanbul and met the driver who drove us to Ephesus. Our tour guide was very pleasant and knowledgeable. She took us to the House of Mary and the Ephesus ruins. We had a delicious lunch. After lunch however, we drove by some sites that were under repair. I felt like the tour was misleading and could have updated their schedule to include some other sites. The last part of the day, we went to…”

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