2-Day Mount Nemrut & Gobekli Tepe Tour from Istanbul with Flights

Overview

Day by day itinerary

1. 1Istanbul to Adıyaman: Mount Nemrut & Commagene Sites⌄

   After pickup from your Istanbul hotel, transfer to the airport for the flight to Adıyaman. Meet your guide on arrival and begin the Mount Nemrut route after lunch at a local restaurant. Continue through the Commagene sites before reaching Mount Nemrut for sunset. Flight and pickup times depend on the confirmed schedule and are shared before departure.

   Visit the Karakuş Tumulus, a royal funerary monument commissioned by King Mithridates II of Commagene for Queen Isias and the princesses Antiochis and Aka I. See the surviving columns and the eagle sculpture that gave the site its name, meaning “Black Bird.”

   Stop at Cendere Bridge, one of the best-preserved Roman bridges in the region. Built during the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus, the bridge spans Cendere Creek near ancient Arsemia and offers a striking example of Roman engineering.

   Explore Arsemia, the former summer capital of the Commagene Kingdom. See the famous relief of King Mithridates shaking hands with Heracles and the monumental Greek inscription carved into the rock while your guide explains the history of the site.

   Reach the 2,134-meter summit of Mount Nemrut and explore the East and West Terraces, where colossal statues surround the sanctuary and tomb of King Antiochus I. Watch the sunset over the mountains before transferring to your hotel in Adıyaman for the night.

   Meals: Lunch

   Overnight: 3 star hotel in Kahta Adıyaman

2. 2Şanlıurfa, Göbekli Tepe & Return to Istanbul⌄

   Visit the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum and Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum. Explore important finds from Göbekli Tepe, Harran, and the wider region, including Neolithic artifacts and remarkable mosaics that reveal the area’s long history.

   Explore Göbekli Tepe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back around 12,000 years. Walk among its monumental T-shaped pillars and carved animal reliefs while your guide explains how the site transformed our understanding of early human civilization.

   Visit Abraham’s Cave and Balıklıgöl, the sacred Pool of Fish. Learn the local tradition that identifies the cave as the birthplace of Prophet Abraham and the pool as the place where he was miraculously saved after being cast into the fire.

   Stroll through Şanlıurfa’s historic bazaar and enjoy a local lunch featuring traditional Urfa flavors. After the city visit, transfer to Şanlıurfa Airport for the evening flight to Istanbul, where your driver will meet you and return you to your hotel.

   Meals: Breakfast · Lunch