Turkey: 2 week itinerary

Last month, we spent 2 weeks travelling round Turkey and wow, it is a beautiful country! I had been to Turkey before, but only to resorts with my family. This itinerary was a great way to see the country and to have a blend of city break, the amazing Cappadocia, coasts and beaches and hiking.

TRAVEL

• We used plane to get to the different areas of this trip. Start by flying into Istanbul initially (either airport works and are equal distance to the city centre). For Cappadocia, you can fly either into Kayseri or Nevsihr airport, and for your road trip, fly into Antalya then fly home from Izmir airport.

THE ITINERARY:

ISTANBUL

• Where to visit:

  • Hagia Sophia Mosque

  • Blue Mosque

  • Gulhane Park

  • Grand and Egyptian Bazaar

  • Suleymaniye Mosque - and its great terrace views

  • Public ferries across the Bosphorus and Golden Horn - make sure to get one that goes by Maidens tower and do one from kadikoy to Eminonu for sunset!

  • Galata tower and cross Galata bridge

  • Wander the colourful streets of Balat

  • Coastal walk from Kadikoy to Moda

  • Get a cable car up to Pierre Lotti Hill

  • Wander from Besikatus and Dolmabahce Palace Gardens

  • This is a non exhaustive list and there were lots more places to see too which we didn't such as Topkapi Palace and the Basillica Cistern

    
    

• Where to eat:

  • San Sabastian Cheesecake from Bagg Coffee

  • Baklava from Hafiz Mustafa

  • Chicken Skewers and kanafe from Nasip Et Kepab

  • Fresh OJ

  • Sehzade cag kebap

  • Pide

    
    

• Tips:

  • Most places take card but always have cash just in case

  • You can tap onto the trams/buses/ferries/cable cars with a contact less card - you don't necessarily need to go and buy a paper ticket

  • Make sure you have modest dress coverings available for the mosques (notably trousers for men, and long skirt/trousers, shoulder covering top and headscarf for women)

  • Istanbul is hilly!

  • Don't be afraid to barter prices if you are planning on doing some shopping

  • The road traffic in and out of Istanbul is no joke, so make sure to leave extra time when going to /from the airport

  • Where we stayed: Costera Hotel

CAPPADOCIA

• What to do:

  • Get up at sunrise to watch the magical hot air balloons fill the sky

  • Take a hot air balloon (we actually only booked ours the day before and got a good deal as it was last minute)

  • Whilst in Goreme: explore Goreme town and its shops, Goreme open air museum and Goreme fairy chimneys

  • Valleys which can be explored and hiked through from Goreme: Zemi, Rose and Lovers valley

  • Hire a car for the day and explore:

  • Uchisar Castle

  • Pigeon Valley

  • Derinkuyu underground city

  • Devrent Imaginary Valley

  • Pashabag

  • Red Valley for sunset

  
  

• Where to eat:

  • Topdeck cave restaurant - their Mezze plates are amazing

  • Stone House Cave Hotel restaurant - try the pottery Kebab!

  • Kosem doner- for a tasty cheap eat!

  • Try Gozleme (we tried it in a local place close to the underground city)

  
  

• Tips:

  • Public transport isn't really a thing in this region, so to explore anything outside of Goreme (including airport transfers) you either need a car, book a tour or use taxis

  • Where we stayed: Perla Cappadocia - I would highly recommend staying in Goreme when coming to the region!

COASTAL ROAD TRIP

• DAY 1:

  • Pick up rental car in Antalya - if you have more time than 6 days, then we would have loved to actually visit Antalya!

  • Olymos and explore the ruins and the beach

  • Myra Ruins

  • Kas and explore this cute coastal village. Make sure to catch sunset at the Hellenistic theatre

• DAY 2:

  • Kaptus Beach

  • Kalkan

  • Optional: Patara beach (we didn't go here in the end, although it was on our itinerary because it cost 15 euro per person and we were only planning on stopping there for 4t mins - but the dunes are meant to be incredible!)

  • Saklikent gorge: 4km of walking through the 3rd largest gorge in Europe! Make sure to wear water shoes (we rented some for £1 each)

  • Oludeniz for an evening stroll and to set up base for the next couple of days

• DAY 3:

  • Coastal hike from Faralya to Kabak Beach (drive 15 mins to Faralya and park the car beside one of the bus stops. The hike is 12km and took us 4 hours in total. You can then get the bus back!)

  • Stop at butterfly valley viewpoint on the way back

  • Relax on Kabak or Oludeniz beach and walk along the lagoon post hike

• DAY 4:

  • Island boat trip: Our trip included butterfly valley, aquarium island, St Nicholas island, fresh water bay and camel beach

  • Do a short late afternoon walk to the Lycian way Oludeniz likya yolu viewpoint

  • Fethiye for the evening for a short explore and dinner

• DAY 5:

  • Dalyan: take the public boat from Dalyan to Iztuzu Beach. Walk 4km along the beach to the turtle sanctuary. Visit the turtle sanctuary. Get the local bus back to Dalyan from this side of the beach.

  • Optional: drive to the Iztuzu Beach viewpoint for amazing views of the Dalyan river

  • 3 hour drive to the next spot!

  • Travertine of Pamukkale and Heirapolis Ruins: this place is actually much bigger than we expected and is incredible. Ideally get there for 5/6pm as all the tour crowds will have left (closed at 9pm in May 2025). The views of the travertines will be best at golden hour/sunset but getting there earlier means you will have enough time to explore the ruins too. Unfortunately Cleopatara's bath was closed for renovation while we were there, but if it is open when you are there then schedule in time to soak in those thermal hot springs!

• DAY 6:

  • Ephesus Ruins (allow at least 2 hours here)

  • Izmir (whatever time you have left after dropping the rental car back, explore here! We only managed a sunset walk along the promenade and dinner)

  
  

• TIPS:

  • Book a one way hire when you book your hire car

  • Where we stayed along route: Kas Athena Hotel, The Kumsal Hotel, Oludeniz, Arwen Hotel, Melrose House Hotel

Happy Travelling!

Ruth xxx