Istanbul, Antalya, and…?

Posted by momo516 on 05/02/25 10:08 PM

Hi all. I will be in Turkey for 2 weeks this summer. One week will be split between Istanbul and Antalya/Elmali for work, but then I’ll have another week of vacation time in-country and need to figure out how to spend it. What would you do?

Some thoughts… Just spend the entire 2 weeks split between those 2 locations? Add in a 3rd or even 4th destination? Rent a car and road trip up the SW coast? Pick a nice beach town a little less touristy than Antalya for the full week?

Give me your ideas. I’m in my early 40s and will be a solo female travel. Have done a fair amount of solo travel and feel fine driving or exploring alone. I like the hustle and bustle of cities, but am equally fulfilled by gorgeous landscapes and hiking or beach time. Less interested in history (my work time will be focused on it), and tend more towards slow travel.

I don’t speak Turkish and am not overly familiar with Turkey, though have spent a lot of time in Greece and various countries in the Balkans. Turkey hasn’t really been on my radar, but since work is taking me there, I’d like to get to know the country a bit more.

Posted by CL

Salem, Oregon, USA

05/02/25 10:23 PM

3191 posts

You might look into Cappadocia - one of the more unique areas of Turkey. Beautiful landscapes, interesting historic sites, and if you can swing it, a balloon ride you'll never forget. Due to its location you'd probably want to fly from either Istanbul or Antalya. You might consider booking a private guide for your free week, SRM Travel is the company RS uses for guides and they offer a private guiding service. Here's their page for Cappadocia but they offer itineraries all over Turkey - https://www.srmtravel.com/CR-Cappadocia.html

Posted by Kenko

Citizen of the World

05/02/25 10:36 PM

2877 posts

The moonscapes of Cappadocia would be a nice finale. There are flights from Antalya and Istanbul to Nevsehir airport ( NAV) near Goreme. You also might enjoy the 3,000-year-old Underground cities of Kaymakli and Derinkuyu. They both are accessible by bus from the city of Nevsehir and both can be seen on the same day.
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Posted by Marie

Atlanta, GA

05/03/25 03:08 AM

852 posts

There is so much to do/see that you almost can't go wrong.

I would say that three full days is the minimum to get a feel for Istanbul. Of course, you can spend much longer there. It's an amazing city.

How are you getting to Elmali? If you are already renting a car, there are a bunch of places to explore along the coast. There are ancient ruins all over the place in that part of Turkey. Arykanda, just down the road from Elmali, has been on my radar for a while. I did a trip report of a bunch of sites around Antalya a couple of years ago: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/ancient-cities-of-western-turkey, and there are a lot of other places in that part of Turkey on my wish list.

Kas or Patara might be a nice base for all sorts of hikes, nature, and ancient sites. At the same time, I wouldn't rule out Antalya. Yes, it's touristy, but it's also a great base for day trips, especially if you don't have a car.

Cappadocia is certainly another option, but I would probably stick with Antalya Province, which includes Kas and/or Patara, if you are already there. You won't run out of things to do.

Posted by Charlene

Centennial, CO, US

05/05/25 05:55 PM

2242 posts

You could easily spend a couple of days in picturesque Kas — take a boat trip to see the sunken village in the harbor, or take a ferry daytrip across the bay to the gorgeous little island of Kastellorizo in Greece.

Just up the coast from Kas is tiny Patara, with its huge expanse of sandy beach and an interesting archeological site you pass through on your way to the beach. Spend a few days here too, at Akay Pension, a welcoming place — one of our favorites in Turkey. Very simple and inexpensive, with the most welcoming host. When we were there they offered dinners to guests — if they still do, be sure to sign up. Absolutely delicious.

From Patara you can do a day trip to nearby Saklikent Gorge if you’re adventurous. There’s hiking nearby as well. This is a beautiful, untouristy area.

Posted by momo516 OP

05/05/25 06:36 PM

76 posts

Thanks for the ideas so far!

I had thought about Cappadocia because it looks so beautiful, but think I will save that for a future visit when have my husband can go with me.

I'll look into Kas and Patara a bit more - they were on my short list already, so that was the push I needed to be convinced :)

I'm actually not sure how I'm getting to Elmali quite yet. I'm leaning towards having a car if rentals are reasonably priced, but still working out my logistics with my colleagues there. I appreciate the trip report and am sad to hear about Pamukkale, as that was on my short list as well.