One-day tours
Day trips from Istanbul and Trabzon in a private car with an English-speaking driver: from the snows of Uludağ and Lake Sapanca to Uzungöl and Sümela Monastery. Choose the trip that suits your family, and we arrange pickup from your hotel and return to it.
Day trips are the easiest way to see more than one face of Turkey while staying in a single hotel. From Istanbul you can reach Bursa and Mount Uludağ in one day, or Lake Sapanca and the forests of Maşukiye, or stay in the city among the Princes' Islands, the Bosphorus and the old city. Every tour starts at your hotel door and ends there, so you don't need to carry bags or change where you stay.
And from Trabzon you set off to Lake Uzungöl, or to the Ayder Plateau and the tea plantations of Rize, or to Sümela Monastery hanging on the mountain. We arrange every tour in a private car for you and your family, so you control the pace, the number of stops, and prayer and meal times. In the north in particular, distances between valleys, lakes and plateaus are long, and a driver who knows the mountain roads makes a clear difference to your day.
The durations given are approximate and change with traffic, weather and how long you stay at each stop. Entrance tickets, cable cars and optional activities are paid separately unless stated in the quote, and we tell you about them in advance as far as possible. If your trip is in winter, we suggest the tours best suited to the weather and road conditions.
Options
A car for you and your family only with an English-speaking driver, and a flexible plan in which you adjust the stops during the day.
For museums and historic sites such as Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace and Sümela Monastery, we add a licensed guide on request.
Combine several tours with the hotel and pickup in one program, such as the 5-day Istanbul program or the 7-day Trabzon and Uzungöl program.
Tours
Tour durations are approximate and include travel in a private car with an English-speaking driver.
You take the cable car up Uludağ, where there is snow in winter and forests in summer, then come down to old Bursa with its early Ottoman mosques and bazaars. We recommend setting off early, because the drive takes about two to three hours each way depending on traffic.
A calm green day on the shores of Lake Sapanca, then lunch beside the streams in Maşukiye among the forests. It suits families and nature lovers in every season, and activities such as ATVs and ziplines are optional at an extra cost.
A day away from the noise of cars on Büyükada island, with its old wooden houses and hills overlooking the sea. Private cars do not go onto the islands, so the driver takes you to the ferry pier and waits for you on your return.
You sail between two continents and see the Ottoman palaces, fortresses and wooden waterside houses from an angle you can't get from land. You can choose a daytime tour or an evening dinner cruise, or a private yacht for the family, subject to availability.
The historic heart of Istanbul in one day, where Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the palace of the Ottoman sultans stand steps from one another. We recommend adding a licensed guide for those who enjoy the stories and details inside the museums.
The Black Sea coast about two hours from Istanbul, with its little castle, old lighthouse and sandy beaches. Then the village of Ağva between the two rivers and the forests, with lunch on the riverbank and an optional boat ride.
Half a day in a green village on the Asian side founded by Polish immigrants in the 19th century, known for its village breakfast and quiet forests. A comfortable choice for anyone who wants nature without a long drive, and it can be combined with a tour of the Asian shore of the Bosphorus.
The most famous destination in Turkey's Black Sea region: a calm lake beside a small mosque, wooden houses and mist-covered mountains. The drive from Trabzon takes about an hour and a half to two hours each way, and we arrange rest stops in the right places.
A long trip to the Ayder Plateau among green peaks, passing the tea plantations of Rize and the Fırtına Valley with its old stone bridges. Best from spring to autumn, because roads and services on the plateau may be affected by snow in winter.
Sümela Monastery is built on the edge of a rocky cliff in a dense forest, and is one of the best-known historic landmarks of the Black Sea region. On the way back you stop in the village of Hamsiköy to taste sütlaç (rice pudding), for which it is famous.
How it works
Choose one or more trips from the list, and send us the date, number of passengers and your hotel address.
We send you the departure time, the type of car, what the quote includes and what is paid separately.
The driver picks you up from the hotel, you spend your day in the order that suits you, and you return in the evening.
Book Now
Fill in the form and WhatsApp will open with a ready-made message, and you will receive a written quote before any payment.
Questions & answers
Sapanca and Maşukiye are a comfortable choice for most families thanks to the nature and the riverside restaurants, and Bursa and Uludağ suit anyone who wants snow in winter. For a shorter drive, the Princes' Islands or Polonezköy are a calmer choice.
Yes, one day is enough to see the lake, Maşukiye and lunch by the river. If you want to stay overnight among the forests, we recommend a program with two nights there, such as the 8-day Istanbul, Sapanca and Bursa program.
Yes, the drive is about an hour and a half to two hours each way, and the full tour takes about 10 hours. If you want to enjoy the lake in the morning and evening, it is better to stay one or two nights there.
Usually not: the tour includes the car and driver, while museum tickets, cable cars, boats and activities are paid separately. We explain in the quote what is included and what is not.
We arrange the tours in a private car for you and your family or group only, with an English-speaking driver. This gives you freedom with timing and the number of stops, instead of sticking to a group bus program.
Snow usually covers Uludağ from about December to March, and this varies from season to season. We check the road and cable car conditions before the day of the trip.
From the OYA guide
A practical plan for five days in Istanbul that combines the historic sights, the Bosphorus and a day trip to Bursa or Sapanca, with advice on where to stay and tips that save time and effort.
A practical guide to the most popular day trips from Istanbul: Sapanca and Maşukiye, Bursa and Uludağ, the Princes' Islands, and Şile and Ağva, with a comparison table and tips for choosing between a day trip and an overnight stay.
Instead of generic numbers that don't fit your trip, we explain the components of travel costs in Turkey and what raises and lowers them, with a simple way to calculate a one-week budget and practical saving tips.
Personal service from start to finish
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