Turkey

Turkey, in a few days

From Istanbul to Cappadocia, then Pamukkale and the coast at Antalya: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

Istanbul

Days 1-3

The only city standing on two continents, and the capital of two empires under the name Constantinople. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar sit within a short walk of one another.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Hagia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern, guided3h · from €40
  A church from 537 that became a mosque, then a museum, then a mosque again, and the sixth-century cistern held up by 336 columns.
• Bosphorus cruise2h · from €25
  Two hours on the strait that divides Europe from Asia, past wooden waterfront houses and two Ottoman fortresses.

✦ Free to visit

• The Blue Mosque
• The Grand Bazaar
• Balat district
• Sultanahmet Square

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Cheers Hostel ↗ (€35 a night) · Mid-range: Georges Hotel Galata ↗ (€150 a night) · Luxury: Four Seasons Sultanahmet ↗ (€390 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Istanbul on GetYourGuide

2

Cappadocia

Days 4-5 · ✈️ Flight 1h15

Volcanic rock eroded into cones and hollowed into houses, churches and whole underground cities. Around a hundred balloons go up at first light on a flying day.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Hot air balloon at sunrise1h · from €180
  An hour over the valleys as the light arrives. Wind cancels flights often, so book early in your stay and keep a spare morning.
• The valleys by quad bike or on footHalf day · from €45
  Half a day through Rose Valley and Love Valley, which no road reaches.

✦ Free to visit

• Love Valley and the fairy chimneys
• The cave village of Uchisar
• Sunset over Göreme
• An underground city

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Kemal's Guest House ↗ (€40 a night) · Mid-range: Cappadocia Cave Suites ↗ (€160 a night) · Luxury: Museum Hotel ↗ (€420 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Cappadocia on GetYourGuide

3

Pamukkale and Hierapolis

Day 6 · 🚗 Car 6h

White travertine terraces laid down over millennia by hot calcium-rich springs, with the Roman spa city of Hierapolis on the ridge above them.

🎟️ Worth booking

• The travertine pools and HierapolisHalf day · from €15
  Barefoot up the white terraces, which is the rule, then the Roman theatre and necropolis of the spa town above.
• Cleopatra's antique pool1h · from €12
  A warm spring pool with fallen marble columns lying on the bottom since an earthquake brought them down.

✦ Free to visit

• Sunset on the terraces
• The Hierapolis site
• Pamukkale village

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Venus Hotel ↗ (€28 a night) · Mid-range: Doga Thermal Spa ↗ (€110 a night) · Luxury: Richmond Pamukkale Thermal ↗ (€110 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Pamukkale and Hierapolis on GetYourGuide

4

Antalya and the coast

Day 7 · 🚗 Car 3h

The Ottoman old town of Kaleici inside its walls, Roman stonework still in the street plan, and beaches under the Taurus mountains.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Kaleici old town, guided2h · from €20
  Ottoman houses, the Roman harbour, and Hadrian's Gate, raised for the emperor's visit in the year 130.
• Boat trip to the covesFull day · from €40
  A day along the coast, stopping in inlets that open only from the water.

✦ Free to visit

• The Düden waterfalls
• The Roman harbour
• Konyaalti beach
• Hadrian's Gate

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Hostel Kaleiçi ↗ (€32 a night) · Mid-range: Tuvana Hotel ↗ (€140 a night) · Luxury: Rixos Downtown Antalya ↗ (€170 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Antalya and the coast on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

Domestic flights and a car · Istanbul to Cappadocia is an hour and a quarter in the air against eleven on the road. A car or a long-distance bus covers Pamukkale and the coast.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Kebab and doner, in more forms than the two words suggest.
• Meze: a spread of small plates, ordered for the whole table.
• Pide and lahmacun: flatbreads, and the closest thing to a Turkish pizza.
• Baklava and lokum, layered pastry and rose-scented cubes of sugar.
• Cay and Turkish coffee, drunk all day and never in a hurry.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Agree the price first, and be wary of strangers who are too helpful.
• Haggle at the bazaar, and do it with a smile.
• Cover shoulders and knees in mosques, and bring a scarf for the head.
• Tea offered in a shop is a courtesy, not an obligation to buy.

Words that help

English ↔ Turkish

✈️ Flight delayed by 3 hours or more, or cancelled? You may be owed up to €600. Check your flight on AirHelp.

The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/turkey

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.