some questions about last minute turkey trip i'm planning

I did not go to Pergamon or Kas so I can't help you there. I did love Fethiye, but I was there in May not October. I think one day would be fine for seeing the tombs and so on, though. I would not take any time away from Istanbul, though. It's an amazing city and there is so much to see and do.

my plan involves late night and night buses to maximize time. Is there any reason why this is a bad idea (really talking from the safety standpoint)

No, not at all. Keep in mind that I was there in 2007 so it's been awhile. But I can't imagine too much has changed. The Turkish people were wonderful. I was there as a solo female traveler, and never ever felt unsafe, and I took several late night and overnight buses. They are very comfortable and will make a couple of stops at places to buy food and use the toilet. I really enjoyed riding the buses, and met some fun people on them.

After visiting Selcuk, I stoppin in Izmir for the day, then took the night bus from Izmir to Istanbul. We stopped around 2 am at one place to get food and the young mother with a baby who sat in front of me, turned around and handed me the baby, motioning that she wanted me to watch him. 😊 So I did and had about 10-15 fun-filled minutes entertaining a 6-month old baby. I think that's what I loved about Turkey more than anything - the people were amazing.

Overnight bus? Not a choice I’d make but maybe right for you (we travel as a couple and rented a car for much of western Turkey). Worth noting: domestic flights in Turkey are gobsmackingly cheap. I’d think twice before toughing out a sleepless night on a long bus ride.

Which tombs carved into cliffs are you contemplating? Some are not accessible.

We spent a few hours at Bergamom (however one spells it). Nice set of ruins, spectacular setting - perched on the side of a deep valley. We are big ruin fans but I wouldn’t spend a whole day there.

Mardee,
what a great story from the bus! By the way, my flight from Istanbul on my last day is at 4:50 PM so i guess i have like a half day on that day also. So I will have either 3.5 or 4.5 days in Istanbul depending on the gallipoli decision.

David,
I read their are cliffside tombs located in Fethiye itself. I read that from Kas you can go to Mya ruins or Pinara ruins but each is about an hour drive's away so I don't know if it can be done without a car. Would you or anyone happen to know any recommended cliffside tombs that can be accessed by public transportation?

I totally agree with Mardee about Istanbul--it's a fabulous city. There are quite a lot of top-flight sights, plus there's the opportunity to enjoy the very different atmosphere on a Bosphorus ferry, in the colorful residential districts, etc. And it's a large city, so it can take some time just to move from place to place. 3-1/2 days feels very short to me; I spent about 20 days there in 2023 and didn't run out of things to do--but I do tend to dig deeply.

On the other hand, it's not horribly difficult to return to Istanbul since Turkish Air has flights from cities all over the world. It's more time-consuming to get to many other destinations in Turkey, so allowing sufficient time in other cities to see what you know is important to you does make sense.

I learned about a great food tour in Istanbul from this forum. It was a great introduction to both the city and the culture. The tour is Yummy Istanbul’s. “Taste of Two Continents”. I highly recommend it.

I also enjoyed the Mehter Band concert at the military museum which is just a short walk from Taksim Square. Many Turkish people in the audience and fewer tourists. Unique experience.

I went to Gallipoli as part of a tour from Canakkale. You visit key sights for both ANZAC and Turkish history and if you enjoy history, like myself, it was moving. Many monuments and some places where remnants of trenches remain and also some reconstructed trenches to show what they originally looked like. I think you will put in some significant bus time leaving from Istanbul, but if this is a high priority for you, go for it.

Troy. This site was a mixed bag for me. There is a walkway through the location that features 7 periods of time found through excavation. Unfortunately, some of the first people here were mostly interested in retrieving valuable artifacts and did not follow what we now consider proper excavation methods. The best display I saw in Türkiye for Troy was actually at the Archaeological Museum in Istanbul.