Family Adventure Tour: Discovering Turkey
Turkey is a land of contrasts, where ancient history meets breathtaking landscapes, creating the perfect playground for a family adventure. From the bustling bazaars of Istanbul to the sun-soaked beaches and surreal valleys of Cappadocia, Turkey offers experiences that captivate all ages.
TURKEYASIAPLAN IT YOURSELF TRIPS
Clare
5/8/20248 min read
Why Turkey is Perfect for Families
Why Turkey? Turkey is an incredible destination for families because it offers experiences you simply can’t find anywhere else — from floating over fairy chimneys in a hot air balloon, to walking through ancient cities, swimming in thermal pools, and exploring underground cities carved into rock. Add in the warm hospitality, great food, and huge variety of landscapes, and Turkey becomes a trip that feels like adventure, history, and magic all rolled into one for both kids and adults.
Practical Tips for Families when visiting Turkey
Travel Essentials:
Internal flights: 15kg baggage limit.
Weather: Spring: 10°C – 18°C | Summer: 21°C – 32°C | Autumn: 13°C – 24°C | Winter: 4°C – 13°C
Time difference: Turkey is +2 hours from the UK.
Clothing: Comfortable walking shoes, layered clothing, scarves for women (mosques), and modest attire for religious sites.
Currency: Turkish Lira (TL). Carry local cash for street food and some of the sites, though credit cards are widely accepted.
Tipping guide: Tour escort £5/day, local guide £1.50/half day, hotel porter £1/bag, restaurant staff £1 per person.
Electricity: Turkey uses 220V, so UK visitors need European adaptors, US visitors need a converter/transformer.
What to pack? Comfortable walking shoes, layered clothing, jumper or shirt for modesty, pool towels and swim wear for Pummukale
Planning Your Tour: DIY or Guided?
You can explore Turkey independently or via a tour company. We used City of Sultans via Tour Radar, booking 'The Wonders of Turkey Tour' but would 100% do it ourselves rather than pick this option again.
What the tour did offer us was a ready made family-friendly itinerary that included internal flight transfers to reduce long bus journeys and excellent pre-travel customer service via WhatsApp. Airport transfers were hassle free, with little stress as we always had someone on point to collect us. Booking with them made our trip smooth and stress-free, especially when organising triple rooms for a family of three.
Despite this we would recommend do it yourself over booking a tour in Turkey. The hotels were not what we would have picked ourselves, one did not even have air conditioning, for Turkey in summer this is a must. The flight times were poor, they were regular between locations so clearly the cheapest options had just been selected for us. Turkey was safe and easy to travel, so on reflection a 'do it yourself' trip would have been a better option.
Our recommended 10 - 14 day Itinerary
Istanbul - walk the city, explore the famous Blue Mosque, shop at the Grand Bazaar market, sample the street food. Fly Istanbul > Izmir.
Izmir, Ephesus, Pummukkale - Tour Ephesus, Library of Celsus, House of Virgin Mary. Stay in Kusadasi (by the sea). Travel to Pummukkale to see the travertine terraces, Hierapolis, and hot thermal pools. I highly recommend paragliding over the salt fields. Fly Izmir > Cappadocia.
Cappadocia - North & South Cappadocia tours: fairy chimneys, cave churches, underground cities. Optional hot air balloon ride, safe for children over 6, breathtaking views, a highlight for any family, I highly recommend! This was spectacular. Fly back to Istanbul.
From here we travelled down to the Ramada Silveri hotel, extending our trip with some rest time by the pool. Option to travel straight home from Istanbul if you want a shorter trip.
Touring Turkey - Our review
We decided to take the plunge and plan a family trip to Turkey not really knowing what to expect, and it turned out to be one of the most unforgettable holidays we’ve ever had. Over nine incredible days, we travelled through Istanbul, Ephesus, Pamukkale and Cappadocia with our young son year-old, and the mix of history, adventure, culture and downright magical landscapes was just perfect for a family.
We began in Istanbul, a city that feels like it’s been layered with history from every century. Our first few days were spent wandering between the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar, stopping for ice creams, cold drinks and the occasional sit-down whenever little legs needed a break. We stayed at the Recital Hotel, which couldn’t have been better located — everything was within a short walk, the rooms were quiet and comfortable, and the breakfast each morning set us up perfectly for long days of exploring. While Istanbul is fascinating, it’s also full-on with a child, and by the end of the second sightseeing day we were definitely ready for a change of pace. We did a walking tour but to be honest all the sites were free and walkable so a bit of planning and you can do this all yourself. What we did tag on ourselves was a tour of the Basilica Cistern, this is one of the most atmospheric and fascinating places to visit in Istanbul, and a brilliant stop when exploring the city with kids. Hidden beneath the streets near Hagia Sophia, this vast underground cistern is filled with softly lit columns, shallow water and an almost mysterious, echoing calm. The walkways are easy to navigate, the lighting creates a magical, slightly eerie feel that children love, and the famous Medusa heads at the far end are a real highlight. The visit isn’t too long (around 30–45 minutes), making it perfect to slot into a busy sightseeing day without tiring everyone out.
An early morning flight took us to Izmir, where we headed straight to Ephesus, and honestly, walking through such a vast and well-preserved ancient city was like stepping into a history book. Seeing the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre in real life made the whole experience feel much more real for our son than any museum ever could. After a long but fascinating day, we made our way to the coast and checked into the Efe Boutique Hotel in Kusadasi, which was a welcome chance to slow down and recharge.
The next day brought us to Pamukkale, and this was one of the most surreal places we’ve ever visited. The bright white terraces looked like frozen waterfalls, and paddling through the warm mineral pools was both fun and strangely relaxing. We also decided to be brave and try paragliding over Pamukkale, and it ended up being one of the highlights of the whole trip — especially for our son, who still talks about it now. As we were on a tour the pools were VERY busy! If we did this ourselves we would have stayed closer and gone when the pools opened to avoid the crowds. Pamukkale was a couple of hours drive from Kusadasi and therefore not an ideal location for navigating the crowds. The trip ended up quite rushed, I would not recommend wasting your money on Cleopatra's pool, this was overcrowded and filled with algae.
From there, we flew to Cappadocia, and this is the place that completely stole our hearts. Staying in a cave hotel felt like an adventure in itself, and over the next two days we explored fairy chimneys, underground cities, cave churches and valleys that looked like something from another planet. Although the cave hotel was a novelty in reality what it meant was no air conditioning and no windows, so in the summer months I wouldn't recommend this as the best option.
And then came the big moment: the hot air balloon ride at sunrise. I won’t pretend I wasn’t nervous beforehand, but it was incredibly smooth, extremely well organised, and absolutely breathtaking. Watching the sun rise over the valleys while floating silently through the sky is something we’ll never forget, and our son still says it was the best part of the entire holiday. We booked this independently of the tour as we got a much better price. I also decided to go on a balloon watching tour the next day (two very early morning starts, but worth it for the amazing views for the sky and the ground).
At the end of the tour, we flew back to Istanbul but instead of heading straight home, we extended our trip with a few days by the beach, which was exactly what we needed after such a busy and adventure-filled itinerary. We stayed at the Ramada Silivri, which was perfect for families, with multiple pools, great food options, and plenty of space to properly relax.
Looking back, this trip was the perfect balance of education, adventure and fun, and it completely changed our view of Turkey as a family destination. It’s a country that welcomes children, offers incredible value, and delivers experiences you simply can’t get anywhere else. If you’re considering a family trip to Turkey, I honestly couldn’t recommend it more — it’s the kind of journey that stays with you long after you’ve unpacked your suitcase..
What we booked
For ease I have linked the exact tours we booked before we went
Frequently asked questions about Pammukule in Turkey
How much does paragliding over Pammukkale Turkey cost? Was it worth it?
It was £60-70 a person. This was the price whatever your age. If you wanted the photo package this was an additional 40 euros but worth it. The pilot will transfer the photos directly to your phone after the flight. It wasn’t cheap but it was well worth the experience, everyone of the family loved it. So if you can try and include this as part of your budget when visiting Pammukkale!
How much is entry to Cleopatras pool in Pammukkale Turkey? Was it worth it?
200 lira per adult (<£6). Children under 6 were free. I would say it was not worth it. It was very very busy, the water was filled with algae and the rocks throughout the pool were very slippy. There were arm bands available for young children and the water was not overly deep. However, as there were rocks through out I did find it quite dangerous and our 6 year old banged his toes a number of times.
Note. there were lockers but these are only accessible if you have purchased a pool ticket. They take a deposit for the locker key but this refundable. There are also changing rooms available.
Can I take my belongings when paragliding in Pummukkale Turkey?
Yes but only a few, phone, wallet etc. There is a small pouch on your gear that allows you to keep these items with you. This included my flip flops which were not suitable for the flight. They provided me a pair of trainers in my size.
Is paragliding over Pammukkale suitable for young children?
This depends on the tour operator. Our tour operator accepted children over 7 years old. Although originally quite nervous once he understood what the experience would entail he was more excited than nervous. Actually he was sat on the chair seat while the pilot walked off the cliff so all Joshua had to do was sit back and enjoy the ride. He absolutely loved it! Landing was also easy for him as he kept his legs up and the pilot did all the work.
How long does the flight take when paragliding in Pummukkale Turkey?
The whole experience takes 45 minutes of which around 20 minutes is spent in the air.
