Eastern Turkey Tour: 8 Days from Gaziantep to Kars

What Is Listed as Included

The inclusions name round-trip flights in the all-included option only, entrance fees to all sites in the all-included option only, 4 nights half board and 3 nights bed and breakfast, lunches, an English-speaking expert guide, transport by van and coach, and compulsory seat insurance.

The catch is the two-tier structure. A traveller who books the cheaper option pays the site tickets, the Istanbul flight and the airport transfer personally. If you want one number for the whole trip, pick the all-included option and confirm with the operator that it covers the pickup at your Istanbul hotel and the meeting at Gaziantep Airport.

Where the inclusions and the itinerary disagree, trust neither blindly. The itinerary shows boat cruises at Halfeti and Akdamar Island, yet boat tours sit in the not-included list, so budget for them as paid extras. The same applies to the optional Şanlıurfa Traditional Dinner and Dance Show. Ask the operator in writing which option your booking belongs to.

From Gaziantep to Kars

Day one starts with a 20-minute coach ride to the Zeugma Mosaic Museum for a 2-hour visit, then Gaziantep Province and an overnight stay of 12 hours. Day two brings Halfeti with a boat cruise and 2 hours on site, then Kahta for 1 hour and Mount Nemrut for 1.5 hours at sunset, with an 11-hour overnight. Day three is Göbekli Tepe, 2 hours at the site after a 3-hour drive, then 2 hours in Şanlıurfa Province, 1.5 hours at the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum, an optional 3-hour dinner and a 12-hour overnight.

Day four covers Harran Kültür Evi for 1 hour, then 3 hours in Mardin and a 12-hour overnight. Day five takes Kasımiye Madrasah for 45 minutes, Deyrulzafaran Monastery for 1.5 hours, Midyat for 3 hours, Diyarbakır for 3 hours and the Mar Petyun Church for 75 minutes, ending with an overnight in Tatvan. Day six runs Akdamar Island for 2.5 hours with a boat cruise, Van Castle for 1.5 hours, the Van cat house for 45 minutes, Muradiye Waterfall for 45 minutes and an overnight in Doğubayazıt.

Day seven visits the Durupinar visitor centre for 45 minutes, Ishak Pasha Palace for 75 minutes and Tuzluca salt cave for 75 minutes. Day eight gives Ani Ruins 2 hours, then a 1-hour drive to Kars Harakani Airport where the tour ends.

Check These Before You Book

Children under 6, pregnant women, wheelchair users and people with mobility impairments are all named as not suitable on the listing. If your group includes young children, a private day trip from Istanbul by plane is easier to shape around them.

The days are long. Göbekli Tepe follows a 3-hour drive, and some days string together four or five stops. If that pace looks like too much, the Göbekli Tepe and Nemrut tour from Cappadocia covers Göbekli Tepe and Mount Nemrut in 3 days from a different start.

Flights and entrance fees sit only in the all-included option, so the cheapest booking is not the whole trip. If you want one price that plainly covers flights, a hotel night and meals, the 2-day private tour with flights states its inclusions more simply.

The listing carries a 5.0 rating from only 2 reviews, which is a thin base compared with the Göbekli Tepe 2-day private tour and its 99 reviews. Group departures can also be cancelled with a full refund if too few participants book 2 weeks before the date, outside the guaranteed departure months named on the listing, so have a fallback.

Tickets and Hours at Göbekli Tepe

The site sits about 15 to 18 km northeast of Şanlıurfa city centre. The Taş Tepeler project lists summer hours of 08:30 to 19:00 with the ticket office closing at 18:30, and winter hours of 08:30 to 17:00 with the ticket office closing at 16:30, open every day. Foreign visitors pay a euro tariff, about 20 to 22 EUR per secondary sources, and the Ministry tariff lists 22 EUR from 1 April, with MüzeKart accepted, so check muze.gov.tr before you travel. A shuttle bus included in the entrance price runs the final kilometre from the visitor centre, or you can walk it. Visits run about 90 minutes, and this tour allots 2 hours.

On site you follow a wooden walkway, you must stay on it, and touching the monument or trenches is forbidden. The listing also bans flash photography.

Heat and Season

Şanlıurfa's mean daily maximum reaches 35.7 °C in June, 39.5 °C in July and 39.0 °C in August, against 10.6 °C in January. The city's record high is 46.8 °C. Bring a hat, sunglasses, water and warm clothing for the Nemrut and Kars ends of the route, which the listing itself asks for.

Border Proximity and Advice

The FCDO advises against all travel to within 10 km of the border with Syria due to fighting and a heightened risk of terrorism. FCDO also says in-person consular support is severely limited in areas where it advises against travel. Check the current advice for yourself before booking.

Visas and Packing

British citizens may visit Turkey without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period for tourism, with a passport valid at least 150 days after arrival and one blank page. Other nationalities should check their own rules. Pack comfortable shoes, warm clothing, sunglasses, a hat, a camera and water.

For background reading, the Şanlıurfa guide and the Göbekli Tepe tickets page cover the detail.

• Shuttle included in the entrance price, or a 1 km walk
• About 90 minutes for a standard visit
• Summer 08:30 to 19:00, winter 08:30 to 17:00
• Stay on the wooden walkway at all times