Turkey Honeymoon: Istanbul, Cappadocia Balloons & the Coast

Today you explore romantic Istanbul together with your expert guide. You stand beneath the immense dome of Hagia Sophia, gaze up at the blue tiles of the Blue Mosque, and wander the opulent courtyards and treasury of Topkapi Palace, seat of the Ottoman sultans. You lose yourselves in the colour of the Grand Bazaar, browsing carpets, lamps and jewellery, and pause for tea and Turkish delight. As evening falls, you board a private sunset cruise on the Bosphorus, gliding past illuminated palaces, waterside mansions and fortresses with the city glittering on both shores, a magical romantic experience. The grandeur, colour and romance are captivating. As the day ends, you return to your hotel, having fallen for Istanbul together. This evening, dine on meze and fresh fish in an atmospheric meyhane. Rest well, for tomorrow you fly to surreal, romantic Cappadocia.

Today you fly to central Anatolia and the surreal, romantic landscapes of Cappadocia. After a short domestic flight, you are met and settle into your beautiful boutique cave hotel, carved into the rock with elegant rooms and terraces overlooking the fairy chimneys. Together you begin exploring one of the most extraordinary landscapes on earth, visiting the rock-cut churches of the Goreme Open-Air Museum with their vivid Byzantine frescoes, and taking in spectacular viewpoints over valleys of fairy chimneys at Uchisar and Pigeon Valley as the golden light plays across the surreal terrain. As the sun sets, you watch the fairy chimneys glow from a romantic hilltop. As the day ends, you return to your cave hotel. This evening, enjoy a romantic Cappadocian dinner and Cappadocian wine on your terrace. Rest well, and consider an early start tomorrow for a magical dawn balloon flight together.

Today, for many couples, brings the magical highlight of the honeymoon. Before dawn, you can take an optional hot-air balloon flight, rising together into a sky slowly filling with colour and floating silently over the fairy chimneys and valleys as hundreds of balloons glow in the morning light and the sunrise turns the landscape gold and pink, celebrated with a champagne toast on landing, an unforgettable romantic experience. Later, you explore more of surreal Cappadocia, descending into an astonishing underground city, walking amid the fairy chimneys, and visiting a traditional pottery or carpet workshop. You browse craft studios and sip Cappadocian wine on your terrace. The wonder and romance are magical. As the day ends, you return to your cave hotel. This evening, savour the surreal, romantic Cappadocian night. Rest well, for tomorrow you fly to the beautiful Mediterranean coast.

Today you fly south to the beautiful Mediterranean coast and the Turkish Riviera. After a short domestic flight to Antalya, you are met and transferred to your stylish seaside resort, set on a coast of turquoise water, pine-clad mountains and elegant hotels. Together you relax after your travels, swimming in the pool and the warm Mediterranean and soaking up the sunshine and beautiful setting. In the golden late afternoon, you might explore the charming old town of Kaleici, wandering its cobbled lanes of Ottoman houses, past the Roman Hadrian's Gate to the pretty old harbour, browsing boutiques and pausing for tea with a sea view. The beauty and bliss are perfect. As the day ends, you return to your resort. This evening, dine on fresh Mediterranean seafood by the water as the sun sets. Rest well amid the beauty of the Turkish Riviera.

Today you enjoy the beautiful Mediterranean coast together at a blissful, relaxed pace. You board a boat for a romantic cruise along the turquoise coast, gliding past pine-clad cliffs, tumbling waterfalls and hidden coves, dropping anchor to swim and snorkel in the warm, clear sea, and sunbathing on deck as the beautiful coastline slips by. Back on shore, you might relax at your resort, unwind together with a spa treatment or a traditional hammam, or explore more of charming Kaleici and its harbour. The turquoise sea, sunshine and romance are perfect. As the day ends, you return to your resort, glowing from a day on the water. This evening, enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner by the Mediterranean, toasting your honeymoon and the beautiful journey you have shared. Rest well amid the beauty of the Turkish Riviera, savouring your last full day together in Turkey.

Today you enjoy a final, flexible day of bliss on the beautiful Mediterranean coast. You might relax entirely at your resort, lingering by the pool and the sea, indulging in a couples spa treatment or a lazy long lunch, or you could explore a little more of the coast, visiting the spectacular ancient theatre of Aspendos or the ruins of Perge, wandering the old town and harbour of Kaleici once more, or browsing for keepsakes of your honeymoon. This flexible day lets you simply enjoy being together and savour the beauty and romance of Turkey. As the day ends, you gather your memories of this extraordinary journey. This evening, enjoy a final romantic dinner by the Mediterranean, reflecting on Istanbul, Cappadocia and the coast you have shared. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow, carrying warm memories of your Turkish honeymoon.

After a final morning on the beautiful Mediterranean coast, perhaps a last swim in the turquoise sea or a lazy breakfast by the water, you are transferred to Antalya Airport for your onward departure, connecting via Istanbul as needed. You leave having shared the very best of romantic Turkey, imperial Istanbul with its magnificent monuments and sunset Bosphorus cruise, the surreal fairy chimneys, cave hotel and dawn balloons of Cappadocia, and the turquoise sea, charming old town and coastal cruises of the Mediterranean coast, all warmed by legendary Turkish hospitality. The images stay vivid long after you land, the balloons rising over the fairy chimneys at sunrise, the Bosphorus glittering at dusk, and the turquoise coves of the Turkish Riviera. Turkey offers romance, wonder, beauty and genuine warmth in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to this extraordinary land, forever bound to your honeymoon together.