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10 days in turkey

hi, it's my first time in the country. I was thinking:

days 1-4 3 full days istanbul with a day trip to gallipoli (night bus to izmir)
day 5 ephesus
day 6 bus to pamukkale and then from there bus to fethiye (can I do this? I'll have a bag with me)
day 7 saklikent and then night bus from fethiye to cappadocia
days 8-10 cappadocia

does that seem decent? anything you'd change? I had considered Troy (i like historical sites but this doesn't seem worth it) and Antalya (i'm not that into the beach) but decided to skip both.

Posted by
11156 posts

Troy is not worth it. Antalya has excellent antiquities nearby.

Posted by
8380 posts

You've picked some great places to visit. I did wonder if you arrive in Istanbul on day 1 as a travel day or are you counting your first full day after you arrive as day 1? My other question was at the end of your trip. Day 10 you are in Cappadocia. Day 11 are you traveling elsewhere? It just seems to stop in an unlikely spot.

Posted by
117 posts

Suki, thanks for the info, maybe i'll look closer into Antalya

Carol, thanks for the reply, day "0" is the arrival day so it's 3 full days in istanbul. Day 11 is planned to be the day I fly home. I imagine it will involve a domestic flight to istanbul first. Is there a better way to plan it?

Posted by
699 posts

That's a lot for 10 days.

  • 3 full days in Istanbul is good. You could do more, but 3 is good.
  • I wouldn't go out of my way to go to Gallipoli. It's a good break on an otherwise boring drive from Istanbul to Troy, but it wouldn't make the cut for me on a 10 day trip.
  • Day 6: Are you thinking about going from Izmir to Pamukkale to Fethiye in a single day???? That's way too much if you want to see anything at all at Pamukkale. You have at least 3 hours from Izmir to Denizli, then transfer to a minibus to Pamukkale, then time at Pamukkale, then back on a minibus (or taxi) to Denizli for another transfer, then another 2.5 hours from Denizli to Fethiye. I wouldn't do it, although admittedly I do tend to travel in the slow lane.

If you are interested in Troy, you need a good (human) guide to help make sense of it. Otherwise, it just looks like a pile of rubble. (I understand that they have opened an interpretive museum since I was there in 2015, but still ...)

I am glad I visited Pamukkale, but it wasn't my favorite place in Turkey. It's very over-touristed.

I learned to love Antalya during my time there. It's a great base for exploring a bunch of ancient sites, and the transit options good. Sites worth visiting around Antalya include Perge, Termessos, Phaselis, Olympos, and more. (Hint: there aren't any beaches, or at least what I would consider real beaches, in Antalya.) Sagalassos is my favorite spot in the Antalya area, but you pretty much have to rent a car to get there.

I would keep the Istanbul plans, consolidate around one city (Izmir/Ephesus/Pergamon, Fethiye/Saklikent or Antalya), and keep your Cappadocia plans. You might want to consider flying from Istanbul to one of the other cities and then take a night bus to Cappadocia.

Posted by
117 posts

would you say it's safe for an american to visit Turkey these days? Obviously, I'd be speaking with everyone in english and i'll be traveling alone (i am male)

Posted by
8380 posts

Michael, there are some tour groups that aren’t too expensive that might come close to matching your interests and take away some of the challenges of traveling alone. Look at Gate 1 travel and see if that has any appeal to you.

Posted by
699 posts

I was in Turkey as a solo female for three weeks last spring and didn't have any issues whatsoever. Admittedly, I do speak a bit of Turkish, which made things easier. Most people speak at least some English in the more touristed areas. In the rural areas, not so much. Overall, Turks are very friendly toward Americans (or, really any tourists --- tourism is a huge part of their economy).

I don't know how recent events in the Middle East have affected the situation in Turkey.

Posted by
117 posts

thanks everyone for the advice and the link. I think I'll pass on Turkey for now, mainly because there are so many other places that I haven't been to yet, but I hope to visit in the coming years.