We are doing the Istanbul in 7 Days tour in June and have a couple extra days before we head home. We are looking for a couple day trips. We were thinking Princes' Island and Bursa. Any thoughts/advice for these or recommendations for others? Thanks.
Posted by
Chicago
675 posts
In October 2024, I was on the 14-day tour of Turkey.
If you want a mix of culture and fun, Kusadasi (https://explorekusadasi.com/) is a good place to go. It's only about a hour south of Istanbul by plane. The ancient city of Ephesus -- one of 12 cities that were members of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era and an important center of early Christianity -- is easy to get to from Kusadai. And Kusadasi has a resort city vibe with cruise ships docking there every day along a beautiful waterfront. The town has a great bazaar and tons of eateries.
If you're an antiquities geek like me, you could visit the site of Ancient Troy in Çanakkale. It's only 20 miles southwest of Istanbul. My guide told our tour about it, and I wish I had had one more day. Here's a CNN story: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/canakkale-troy-turkey.
Posted by
Vancouver (not canada), Washington (not city)
21 posts
As usual it will depend on your personal interests. Typically I caution travelers from cramming too much in when they gain a time opportunity such as you've described. Instead, I recommend using those extra couple days to get genuinely acquainted with the place you're at. For example, enjoying a more authentic Turkish restaurant and not one that merely caters to tourists, such as the incredible traditional Turkish breakfast spread at Privato Restaurant near Galata Tower. That is the kind of truly magical experience you will come away with in place of tourist group memories.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
845 posts
Princes' Island would be my top pick -- the perfect distance for a day trip. I was thinking about doing that a few years ago, but it never quite happened.
A day cruise to the Black Sea and back is another option.
Troy is 200 miles and 4 hour drive from Istanbul. I wouldn't want to do that on a day trip. When we went to Troy, we left Istanbul at 7 a.m., stopped at the ANZAC memorial at Gallipoli, stopped for lunch close to the Dardanelles, and arrived at Troy mid-afternoon. We spent the night in Assos.