Danube Express Luxury Train: Turkish Treasures

Turkish Treasures is a 9-day, 8-night journey from Istanbul to Cappadocia. It combines two hotel nights in Istanbul, four nights aboard the Golden Eagle Danube Express across Anatolia, and two hotel nights in Cappadocia before your transfer to the airport.

After two days in Istanbul, the train travels south and east through Anatolia to Izmir and Ephesus, then Denizli for Hierapolis and Laodicea, and on to Ankara, the Turkish capital. The rail journey ends at Kayseri, from where you transfer to Cappadocia.

You are met on arrival and transferred to the five-star Four Seasons Sultanahmet (or similar) for two nights. The first evening includes a welcome reception dinner where you meet your fellow travellers, and extra nights in Istanbul can be arranged on request.

Touring in Istanbul includes the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque with its six minarets and more than 20,000 blue tiles, Hagia Sophia, lunch with Ottoman dishes, and Topkapi Palace, home of the Ottoman sultans. The journey also includes a private cruise on the Bosphorus.

Two classes are offered aboard the Golden Eagle Danube Express for this journey: Deluxe Class and Superior Deluxe Class. A travel specialist can explain the layout of each and check availability for your chosen date.

Fares are quoted in euros per person sharing and depend on the cabin class and departure date. No departures are currently listed on this page, so please contact us and a travel specialist will confirm the current fare and schedule.

Hotels either side of the rail journey, all excursions and every transfer are included, along with meals and beverages on board. The fare also covers cabin attendant service with evening turndown, an experienced tour management team, a UK-registered doctor on board, luggage porterage and all gratuities on and off the train.

On Day 4 the train reaches Izmir, where you visit the Roman-era Agora before continuing to Ephesus, one of the best-preserved classical cities in the Mediterranean. You walk its marble streets past temples, the amphitheatre and the Library of Celsus, then re-board the train.

Hierapolis is a UNESCO World Heritage Greco-Roman city built above hot springs, famous for its white travertine terraces, necropolis and theatre. Laodicea, visited the same day, was a wealthy ancient city known for textiles and important in early Christian history.

In Ankara you visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations, which traces the region from Neolithic settlements to the Hittites, and the hilltop Mausoleum of Ataturk, Turkey's founding father. Lunch is at a historic inn converted into a luxury hotel before re-boarding.

After your final breakfast on board you arrive in Kayseri and transfer to Cappadocia for two hotel nights. Touring includes the Ozkonak Underground City, the fairy chimneys of Pasabag and Devrent valleys, and the Goreme Open Air Museum with its rock-cut churches.

The dawn hot-air balloon flight is optional and available for a supplement. Guests who prefer to stay on the ground can watch the balloons rise over the valleys at sunrise, which makes a memorable setting for photographs.

Arrival and departure transfers are included, but international flights are not. You fly into Istanbul and depart from the Cappadocia region at the end; our travel specialists can help you choose flights that match the arrival and departure days.

Yes. The services of a UK-registered doctor and medical facilities are available on board throughout the rail journey, alongside an experienced tour management team and a dedicated cabin attendant.

A deposit of 30 percent of the tour price confirms your cabin and is non-refundable. The balance is due 125 days before departure, and bookings made within 125 days of departure are payable in full at the time of booking. Your written confirmation shows the exact amounts and the dates they fall due.

Child pricing is set in two bands by age at departure: from 0 up to 5 years, and from 5 up to 12 years. A travel specialist will confirm the fare and cabin arrangements, and advise whether the touring pace suits younger children.

Single occupancy is available on request. No single fare is currently published on this page, so please contact us and a travel specialist will confirm the single price and availability for your preferred date.

The excursions visit large archaeological sites such as Ephesus, Hierapolis and the Goreme Open Air Museum, as well as the Ozkonak Underground City, which involve walking on uneven ground and some steps. Comfortable shoes are recommended; tell us about any mobility needs before booking.

Turkish Treasures focuses on Turkey only, with 9 days from Istanbul to Cappadocia. The Aurelian Odyssey is the longer journey starting in Paris, crossing Central Europe and the Balkans to Istanbul before following a similar route across Anatolia to Cappadocia.

Email travel@palacetours.com, call 786-408-0610, or message us on WhatsApp at https://wa.me/17864080610, where a travel specialist or our AI assistant will reply. When departures are published, the departure list on this page is bookable directly.