9 DAYS in

TÜRKIYE

ISTANBUL >>> CAPPADOCIA

Join us on the Journey of a lifetime

Mosques and Harems and Hammams oh my

Türkiye sits at the crossroads of the Balkans, Caucasus, Middle East, and Eastern Mediterranean.

Istanbul is rich in cultural heritage, in fact, the entire historic peninsula is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Some landmarks date back to Roman times, and the city is steeped in the history of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.

Our founder, Jocelyn, first visited Istanbul as a single mother traveling alone with her young daughter.

She was awestruck by the majesty of the mosques and the aching beauty of the calls to prayer. The sights and smells of the Egyptian Spice Market, and the pulsing nightlife of Beyoglu. The culture and history run so deep here, it is impossible not to be enchanted.

But it is ultimately the world-renowned hospitality of the Turks that will win your heart.

As a mother traveling alone, she had a healthy amount of anxiety. But the Turkish people are so kind and welcoming (and truly adore children), she quickly felt completely safe and at home.

We invite you to come with us.

Come see and feel and hear this magical land with a small group of like-minded women.

We promise a journey you will never forget.

sample itinerary*

DAY 1

• Welcome to the home of Medusa - an ancient and modern Feminist Icon

• Settle in & relax at our home base
  at the world renowned 5 star Pera Palace Hotel

• Welcome dinner

• Evening walk with new friends
  ~ There is nothing quite like an evening walk in a new place. Things look so different at night, more magical, more ethereal somehow

  ~ Istanbul has the added charm of about one million adorable (ok sometimes grubby but still adorable) stray cats to pet. Turks love their strays so much the city even has recycling machines where you drop a can and receive a handful of cat food in return. We recommend the documentary Kedi if you’re interested in such things.

meals: welcome dinner

DAY 2

• A new day in a grand place

• Learn the easy and clean public transportation (painless, I promise)

• Private guided tour with our local guide to:

• Hagia Sophia

• Lunch

• Topkapi Palace + Harem

• The Basilica Underground Cistern

• Evening Free

meals: breakfast, lunch

DAY 3

• Private guided tour with our local guide to:

• Suleymaniye Mosque

• The Egyptian Spice Bazaar

• Pics at the Galata Tower

• Lunch in arty and quirky Beyoglu

• Free time to explore
  ~Maybe do some vintage shopping while we’re in Beyoglu? It’s the best

• Evening Hammam at an almost 300 year old world famous Turkish Bath, Cagaloglu Hamami - it’s on the list of 1,000 things to see before you die

meals: breakfast, lunch

DAY 4

• Take the Ferry to Asia for a day in Kadikoy

• Exploring and immersing in this hip and delightful neighborhood

• Lunch Together

• Ferry home at your leisure

• Evening Free - Maybe go see the Whirling Dervish? It’s truly a beautiful experience from this Sufi Order founded by the poet and mystic Rumi.

meals: breakfast, lunch

DAY 5

• Free Day!! ~

  • Maybe do some vintage shopping in Beyoglu

  • or read a book in Gulhane Park

  • or take yourself on a shopping trip through the Grand Bazaar

  • maybe sit at your new favorite cafe and drink some Turkish tea while you journal with a kitten in your lap

  • Take time to rest and just be

• Dinner together for our last night in Istanbul

meals: breakfast, dinner

DAY 6

• Fly to Cappadocia

• Check into our luxury cave hotel

• Afternoon free to Explore Cappadocia ~ everything from shopping to hiking to ATVs and of course fairy chimneys galore

• Dinner together

DAY 7

Road Trip through the Cappadocia countryside

Optional Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride Add On
~ for those of you with no regard for your own mortality. I will wait patiently for your return from the Ground on Solid Earth where I Belong.

• Breakfast then Road Trip!

• See the Carpet Makers

• Goreme National Park & Pigeon Valley - a Unesco World Heritage Site

• Derinkuyu - The famed underground city

• Ihlara Valley

• Lunch in the valley along/in the River

• Selime Monastery

• Evening Free

Day 8
Free Day!

• *You will have a second opportunity to try hot air balloons if it was cancelled for weather, which does occasionally happen

• Hot air balloon rides are always at sunrise to the rest of the day is yours to relax

• If you’d like to venture out though there is plenty to do

  • Hiking

  • Day tour to the North

  • Dirt Bikes??? ATVs

  • Try a cooking class with some local women

  • Do some last minute shopping in Goreme

  • Or maybe just relax at our favorite female owned cafe, Sunshine Cafe, in the center of town

• Farewell Dinner Together

meals: breakfast, dinner

Day 9

Fond Farewells

• Breakfast

• Fond Farewells

Türkiye will miss you
and so will we :(
Til we meet again!

AVALON WOMEN’S TRAVEL

is pleased to partner with

ONE TREE PLANTED

We take our environmental impact seriously.

To us “sustainability” is not just a trending keyword.
AWT pledges a full 5% of our profits to reforestation efforts all over the globe. The largest profit percentage in the travel industry.
Read more about our partnership with One Tree Planted here

And read about our travel philosophy here

What is Included?

• An experienced solo-female AWT tour leader ready to show you the adventure of a lifetime

• Your in-country flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia
  *your international flights to and from Turkiye are not included

• All Accommodations

• All Breakfasts

• Lunch or Dinner every day (Half Board)

• Luxury Spa Hammam

• Local female guides for all private local tours

  • Cappadocia

  • Sultanahmet

  • Beyoglu

  • Kadikoy

• All entry fees to all itinerary sites and museums

  • Hagia Sophia

  • The Basilica Cistern

  • Topkapi Palace & Harem

  • Goreme National Park

  • Ihlara Valley

  • Selime Monastery

  • Derinkuyu

  • Bazaars and Mosques (non-museum) are always free

• Tips & Gratuities for all local guides and included meals

• All transportation for itinerary sites

• An Istanbul Kart pre-loaded for your public transport

• Memories to last a lifetime and some amazing new friends! Also some very cool pictures :)

What is not included?

• Your flights to and from Turkiye

• Travelers Insurance is required - Here is a handy dandy insurance search tool

• Tour start and end Airport Transfers - feel free to book in advance here (note: airport transfers for our in-country Istanbul to Cappadocia flight are included)

• Alcoholic beverages at meals

• Meals not listed on our itinerary

• Tips & gratuities for housekeeping, portage, hammam, AWT tour leaders - all at your discretion

• Hotel room service, mini-bar or hotel add-ons beyond the night’s accommodation

• Any required visas

• Anything else not listed on the IS INCLUDED list