ITINERARY TURKEY

Turkey has a lot of interesting places to see. I went to Turkey in winter so I didn’t add to my itinerary any place of the Aegean Coast. If you go to Turkey during the summer time, it would be worthy to spend some days exploring the Turkish coastline.

DAY 1: ARRIVAL ISTANBUL

DAY 2: FLIGHT FROM ISTANBUL TO KAYSERI, CAPADOCCIA. AT KAYSERI AIRPORT, TAKE A SHUTTLE TO GOREME. ALTERNATIVE: INSTEAD OF TAKING A FLIGHT, IT IS POSSIBLE TO TAKE AN OVERNIGHT BUS OR TRAIN FROM ISTANBUL TO GOREME, CAPADOCCIA (10 HOURS)

DAY 3: GOREME, CAPADOCCIA 

  • Balloon Tour
  • Goreme Open Air Museum
  • Uçhisar Castle
  • Mevlevi Ceremony

 DAY 4: GOREME, CAPADOCCIA. DAY TRIP 

  • Inlara Valley
  • Kaymakli, Ozluce or Derinkuyu underground city
  • Selime Monastery

 DAY 3: EXPLORE NEARBY TOWNS. OVERNIGHT BUS TO PAMUKKALE (DEPARTURE AT 7:30PM) 

  • Ortahisar (Take a horseback riding trip to the town)
  • Avanos

    DAY 4: PAMUKKALE ( HIERAPOLIS ) 

  • Travertines
  • Hierapolis
  • Antique Pool
  • Hierapolis Archeological Museum

 DAY 5: BUS FROM PAMUKKALE- SELUCK

 DAY 6: SELUCK 

  • Ephesus
  • Meryemana (Mary’s house)

 DAY 7: BUS FROM SELUCK TO IZMIR AIRPORT. FLIGHT FROM IZMIR TO ISTANBUL

 DAY 8: ISTANBUL (Sultanahmet)

  • Blue Mosque
  • Aya Sofya 
  • The Hippodrome
  • Topkapi Palace
  • Basilica Cistern
  • Binbirdirek Cistern
  • Gulhane Park 
  • Istanbul Archaeology Museum
  • Museum Court Literature (The Dervishes Whirl) 

DAY 9: ISTANBUL (Sultanahmet) 

  • Suleymaniye Mosque
  • Kucuk Aya Sophya Camii
  • Rustem Pasa Camii
  • Yeni Camii.
  • Grand Bazaar
  • Spice Bazaar
  • Galata Bridge: It connects Old Istanbul (Sultanahmet) with New Istanbul (Beyoglu)—during sunset is the perfect way to enjoy a stunning view of each side of the city.

 DAY 10: ISTANBUL (Beyoglu) 

  • Taksim Square
  • Galata Tower (For great views)
  • Istiklal Caddesi
  • The Tunnel
  • Dolmabahce Palace
  • Mevlevi Monastery (it hosts the city’s most authentic ceremonies of the Whirling Dervishes)
  • Take a boat cruise along the Bosphorus.

 DAY 11: ISTANBUL (This extra day is recommended as there is so much to see in Istanbul, but it is possible to see the highlights of the city in two and three days)

 DAY 12: DEPARTURE FROM ISTANBUL, TURKEY