There are Turkey tours of various descriptions and length. They can be booked if you are only in a city on a quick business trip, or lazing on the beaches of the beautiful Turquoise Coast. You might want to indulge your whim for adventure by taking Cappadocia balloon tours while you are visiting the cave churches in the Goreme Valley. Or you could do sunset Bosphorus river cruises to see the magnificent city of Istanbul gloriously illuminated at night. Perhaps you want to participate in a sailing trip to the nearby Greek island of Rhodes while you are staying at one of the beach resorts of Marmaris or Fethiye.

You can do a grand tour of Turkey that lasts a couple weeks and touches on many of the major cities and attractions in the country. These are usually vacation packages that include many features. Some of these features can be your fare on airlines to Turkey, airport to hotel transfers on arrival and final transfer to the airport for your flight home, hotel accommodations, some meals, and guided tours of various attractions. Generally, these kinds of Turkey tours should be booked in advance, as the capacity on each departure is limited.

Many religious tours in Turkey are also vacation packages. Religious sites—especially those of significance to Christians and Muslims—are scattered all over the country. Additionally many are actually in or near the other important attractions. For, instance the Basilica of St. John (one of the Seven Churches in the Book of Revelations) is in Ephesus. Other sites that will be important to religious tours in Turkey are in more remote regions. Sardis, for instance, boasts the ruins of a Byzantine church that was another of the Seven Churches.

Turkey Map

Sardis also has Greek ruins from the Kingdom of Lydia, and ancient Sardis had a large and thriving Jewish community. Here is the largest ancient synagogue outside of Israel. Additionally, there has always been a vital Jewish community in Istanbul, and it is possible to book religious tours in Turkey that travel through the Jewish quarter. This quarter is part of the old city of Istanbul where many of the other sight like the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia can be seen. This kind of tour of Turkey should be booked and planned for in advance. However, if you are only visiting the religious sites of Istanbul, it’s possible to book it on the spur of the moment.

Many Turkey tours can be booked directly through your lodging, with the luxury hotels being best able to assist you with more extensive itineraries. Passengers enjoying Mediterranean cruises can also enjoy a tour of Turkey from the ship as it makes its way down the coast from Istanbul and on to Greece. There are Istanbul shore excursions, Ephesus shore excursions, and shore excursions to most every other place of interest within 100 miles or so of the coast. These shore excursions can be booked directly with the cruise line before you ever depart on your vacation, which is recommended if you are traveling during the peak summer season. If you are traveling during the shoulder seasons, it is possible to step off the ship and book directly with a local agency onsite.