Concrete day-by-day routes, with realistic travel times between legs, what to drop when time is short, and how the seasons change the plan.
Last reviewed on 27 September 2026.
Türkiye is far bigger than first-time visitors tend to expect: Istanbul to Cappadocia is roughly as far as London to Edinburgh, and the southeast is a flight away from both. The routes below are built around what is actually achievable with domestic flights, intercity buses and trains, and they assume you want to see places rather than transit between them. Each can be reversed, trimmed or joined to another. Travel times are approximate door-to-door estimates for normal conditions — check current timetables before you book. For how the transport system works, see getting around Türkiye.
The classic first trip: the imperial capital and the volcanic landscape of central Anatolia. With one week, resist adding a third destination.
| Day | Base | Plan | Travel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Istanbul | Arrive; evening walk around Sultanahmet or Karaköy. | Airport to centre: roughly an hour or more |
| 2 | Istanbul | Old city: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Topkapı Palace. | On foot / tram |
| 3 | Istanbul | Grand Bazaar, Süleymaniye Mosque, then a ferry on the Bosphorus or to Kadıköy. | Tram, ferry |
| 4 | Cappadocia | Morning flight; afternoon walk in the Rose or Love valleys. | Flight about 1¼ hours to Kayseri or Nevşehir, then roughly an hour by shuttle |
| 5 | Cappadocia | Dawn balloon flight (weather permitting); Göreme Open-Air Museum; Uçhisar castle at sunset. | Local |
| 6 | Cappadocia | Underground city (Kaymaklı or Derinkuyu) and Ihlara valley, on a tour or by hire car. | Day tour |
| 7 | — | Fly back to Istanbul for your onward flight. | Allow a generous connection |
Variant: if you want to return overland, spend day 6 driving or taking a bus from Cappadocia to Konya (roughly 3 hours) and see the Mevlana Museum, then ride the YHT back to Istanbul on day 7 (roughly 4½–5 hours). It adds a city at the cost of Ihlara and some rest.
An overland route down the west coast through the core of classical Anatolia: Troy, Pergamon, Ephesus and Hierapolis. It uses buses and regional trains throughout, with one flight home. It has several one-night stops, so it suits travellers who do not mind moving.
| Day | Base | Plan | Travel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Istanbul | As in the 7-day plan. | — |
| 4 | Çanakkale | Bus south across the Dardanelles bridge; evening on the waterfront. | Bus roughly 5–6 hours |
| 5 | Çanakkale | Troy in the morning; afternoon on the Gallipoli peninsula by ferry or tour. | Short drives, ferry |
| 6 | Bergama | Bus to Bergama; afternoon at the Asklepion. | Bus roughly 3½–4 hours |
| 7 | İzmir | Pergamon acropolis by cable car in the morning; bus to İzmir; evening on the Kordon seafront. | Bus roughly 2 hours |
| 8 | Selçuk | Early train to Selçuk; Ephesus including the Terrace Houses. | Train roughly 1–1½ hours |
| 9 | Pamukkale | Morning: Ephesus Museum and the Temple of Artemis site, or Şirince; afternoon to Pamukkale; travertines at sunset. | Train or bus to Denizli roughly 3 hours, then minibus |
| 10 | — | Hierapolis early, before the heat and the tour groups; fly Denizli–Istanbul or head back to İzmir. | Flight about 1¼ hours |
A hire car makes this route easier, particularly for the Gallipoli battlefields and for Priene, Miletus and Didyma south of Selçuk. Collect it in Çanakkale rather than driving out of Istanbul; see driving in Türkiye. If you would rather spend the night in Selçuk than İzmir, do Pergamon as a day and continue straight on (roughly 3 hours via İzmir).
This joins the 7-day core to the Aegean and the Lycian coast, finishing with swimming. It uses one flight and one overnight bus.
| Day | Base | Plan | Travel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Istanbul | Istanbul as above. | — |
| 4–6 | Cappadocia | Valleys, balloon, underground city, Ihlara; the third day is a weather buffer for the balloon. | Flight from Istanbul |
| 7 | Night bus | Final morning in Cappadocia; evening overnight bus. | Göreme/Nevşehir to Denizli roughly 9–11 hours |
| 8 | Pamukkale | Arrive early; rest, then Hierapolis and the travertines late in the day. | Minibus from Denizli |
| 9–10 | Selçuk | Ephesus, the museum, Şirince; optionally Priene, Miletus and Didyma by car or tour. | Train or bus roughly 3 hours |
| 11 | Fethiye | Long travel day inland and down to the coast; evening at the harbour. | Bus roughly 4½–5 hours |
| 12–13 | Kaş | Coast road east; Kekova boat trip; Patara or Kaputaş beach. | Bus roughly 2 hours |
| 14 | — | Transfer to Dalaman (closer) or Antalya for your flight. | Roughly 2–2½ or 3½–4 hours |
If you dislike night buses, fly from Kayseri or Nevşehir to Denizli or İzmir instead — usually via Istanbul, so it takes most of a day, and you lose the saved night. Alternatively, end in Antalya instead of Kaş and fly home from there.
A stand-alone summer or shoulder-season trip, or the second week of a longer one. The coast road between Fethiye and Antalya is slow and winding but covered by regular buses and minibuses; a car gives much more freedom for Saklıkent, Xanthos and the small coves.
| Day | Base | Plan | Travel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fethiye | Fly into Dalaman; settle in Fethiye or Ölüdeniz. | Roughly 1 hour by road |
| 2 | Fethiye | Twelve-island boat trip, or Kayaköy abandoned village and a walk down to Ölüdeniz. | Local |
| 3 | Kaş or Kalkan | Saklıkent gorge, then Xanthos and Letoon on the way east. | Car or tour |
| 4 | Kaş | Patara ancient city and beach; Kaputaş cove on the way back. | Minibus or car |
| 5 | Kaş | Kekova, the sunken city and Simena by boat or sea kayak. | Boat from Kaş or Üçağız |
| 6 | Çıralı / Olympos | Myra's rock tombs and St Nicholas church at Demre; evening walk to the Chimaera flames. | Roughly 2½–3 hours with stops |
| 7 | Antalya | Phaselis in the morning; afternoon in the Kaleiçi old town and the Archaeological Museum. | Roughly 1½ hours |
| 8 | — | Fly out of Antalya, or continue east to Alanya, Side and Aspendos. | Airport close to the city |
Walkers can substitute day walks on the Lycian Way for beach days, but only outside high summer. The Mediterranean region page covers the wider coast.
The most rewarding route for history and food, and the least touristed: Mesopotamian cities, the Neolithic sanctuaries, and the god-statues of Nemrut. Fly in to Gaziantep and out of Mardin or Diyarbakır to avoid backtracking. The region's roads are long; a car with driver or small-group tours for the Nemrut and Harran days make sense.
| Day | Base | Plan | Travel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gaziantep | Fly in; evening in the old bazaar quarter. | Flight from Istanbul roughly 1¾ hours |
| 2 | Gaziantep | Zeugma Mosaic Museum; castle area; a serious day of eating — baklava, kebabs, pistachios. | Local |
| 3 | Şanlıurfa | Bus east; afternoon at Balıklıgöl, the sacred fish pools, and the bazaar. | Bus roughly 2–2½ hours |
| 4 | Şanlıurfa | Göbekli Tepe in the morning; Harran's beehive houses in the afternoon; archaeology museum. | Car or tour |
| 5 | Kahta area | Drive north past the Atatürk Dam reservoir; Mount Nemrut for sunset. | Roughly 2½–3 hours, then the mountain road |
| 6 | Mardin | Optional sunrise instead of sunset; Arsameia and the Roman bridge at Cendere; long drive south-east. | Most of a day |
| 7 | Mardin | Old town, Zinciriye medrese, views over the Mesopotamian plain; Deyrulzafaran monastery. | On foot, short taxi |
| 8 | — | Midyat and Mor Gabriel, or Diyarbakır; fly out from Mardin or Diyarbakır. | Diyarbakır roughly 1½ hours by road |
Nemrut tours from Şanlıurfa often run as an overnight package, staying near the mountain and seeing sunset or sunrise at the summit. Between Nemrut and Mardin you can either return via Şanlıurfa or drive via Diyarbakır; both take most of a day. See the Southeastern Anatolia page for background.
Three weeks lets you do the west coast, the Lycian shore and the interior in one loop without overnight buses, finishing in Cappadocia. It has four one-night stops; drop Bergama or Konya if that is too many.
| Days | Base (nights) | Highlights | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Istanbul (3) | Old city, bazaars, Bosphorus | Fly in |
| 4 | Çanakkale (1) | Troy or Gallipoli (pick one) | Bus roughly 5–6 hours |
| 5 | Bergama (1) | Asklepion, acropolis next morning | Bus roughly 3½–4 hours |
| 6–7 | Selçuk (2) | Ephesus, Şirince, Priene | Via İzmir, roughly 3 hours |
| 8 | Pamukkale (1) | Hierapolis and travertines | Roughly 3 hours |
| 9–10 | Fethiye (2) | Boat trip, Kayaköy, Saklıkent | Roughly 4 hours via Denizli |
| 11–13 | Kaş (3) | Kekova, Patara, Xanthos, Lycian Way day walk | Roughly 2 hours |
| 14–15 | Antalya (2) | Myra en route; Kaleiçi, museum, Aspendos | Roughly 4–5 hours with stops |
| 16 | Konya (1) | Mevlana Museum, Seljuk medreses | Bus roughly 5 hours over the Taurus |
| 17–19 | Cappadocia (3) | Valleys, balloon, underground cities | Roughly 3 hours by road |
| 20–21 | Istanbul (1) | Last evening; fly home | Flight from Kayseri or Nevşehir |
To swap in the southeast, cut Konya and the Antalya days and fly from Antalya (via Istanbul) to Gaziantep, then follow the southeast route and fly home from Mardin; the Cappadocia leg then becomes optional. Northern alternatives for a third week include Safranbolu and Amasya, or Trabzon and the Black Sea highlands in summer.
More detail by month: best time to visit Türkiye.
Seven days covers Istanbul and Cappadocia comfortably. Ten days adds either the Aegean sites (Ephesus, Pamukkale, Pergamon) or a stretch of coast. Two weeks lets you combine Istanbul, Cappadocia, the Aegean and the Lycian coast, and three weeks allows a full loop or the southeast.
Fly the long legs, which are frequent and usually route through Istanbul. Use the YHT high-speed trains between Istanbul, Ankara and Konya, and intercity buses elsewhere. Overnight buses are useful for legs of eight hours or more, such as Cappadocia to Pamukkale.
The quickest way is a flight of about an hour and a quarter to Kayseri or Nevşehir, followed by a shuttle of roughly an hour to Göreme or Ürgüp. Overnight buses also run, taking most of a night.
Yes. The usual links are an overnight bus from Cappadocia to Denizli for Pamukkale, or a bus via Konya to Antalya, or a flight via Istanbul. Each takes most of a day or a night, so build it into the plan rather than treating it as a quick hop.
For history, archaeology and food it is one of the most rewarding parts of the country, with Göbekli Tepe, Şanlıurfa, Mardin and Mount Nemrut. Fly in and out to save time, check current travel advice and earthquake recovery, and avoid midsummer heat and the winter closure of Nemrut.
Keep at least two full days in Istanbul. Drop Troy first, turn Pergamon into a day trip, give Pamukkale one night only, and choose either the Aegean or the Lycian coast rather than both on a short trip.