Suggestions for 'must visit' for 2 weeks in TR in Mar 2024 for archeology lovers

Wow, Turkey is an absolute paradise for archaeology buffs. There are so many ancient sites that I don't even know where to start.

Some very brief (too brief) thoughts (moving roughly clockwise from Istanbul):

• Istanbul is one of my all time favorite cities. I could spend weeks there. And if you like archeology, there's a great archaeological museum, a fantastic aqueduct and cisterns, and so much more.
• The National Museum of Anatolia in Ankara has a fabulous collection of Hittite artifacts. I learned a lot from visiting.
• Hattusa, not too far from Ankara. has been on my bucket list for a long time, but I have never visited.
• Goreme national park and the underground cities of Cappadocia are definitely worth seeing.
• Neolithic Catahoyuk is not far from Konya. (Gobekli Tepe, one of the most significant neolithic sites anywhere, would ordinarily be a recommendation, but it is close to the Syrian border and in an area badly damaged in the recent earthquake.)
• The Turquoise Coast, from Antalya to Bodrum, is so packed with ancient sites and cities that I can't list them all.
• The Pamukkale travertines are very crowded and over-touristed, as is adjacent Roman theater at Hierapolis. Other parts of Hierapolis are much more pleasant.
• Laodicea, close to Pamukkale, is also interesting. I wish I had spent more time there.
• Aphrodisias, between Ephesus and Pamukkale, is a UNESCO World Heritage site with almost no visitors. It's fabulous.
• Ephesus is magnificent but very crowded.
• Pergamon is good, too. It was not overcrowded when I was there in 2015. Not sure what it's like now.
• You really need a good guide at Troy to bring all the rubble to life. Still, it's Troy. Just seeing that Troy actually existed is amazing.

I posted some brief comments about some of the ancient sites in on a Trip Report recently:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/ancient-cities-of-western-turkey

Is this your first visit to Turkey?

Turkey is a pretty easy country to get around in. Roads are good, if renting a car is your thing. Buses and dolmuses can also get you to most places. In Istanbul, Cappadocia and the Turquoise Coast there's no shortage of English speakers. In some of the more remote areas, not so much.

So, what might an itinerary be for 14 days as an archaeology buff on a first visit to Turkey? Ooh, I am going to have to stew on that for a while. Expect another post later.

Thank you Marie!! This is great information. Looking forward to more info. :)
Yes, this is our first time to Turkey.

Also, do you think it is ok to travel during Ramadan?

I was in Antalya during Ramadan this year, and it didn't have any effect on my trip except that local restaurants were pretty much deserted until after sundown. The restaurants were open, though.

Ramadan might be an issue in Konya, which leans conservative, but not in Istanbul or on the coast.

Some random itinerary thoughts:

• If I were in your shoes, I would look at 3 days/4 nights in Istanbul, 2 days/3 nights in Cappadocia, and the remainder of the time on the Turquoise Coast -- Izmir, Marmaris, or Dalyan would be the logical spots. Drop some pins on Google Maps and see where the sites cluster.

• If you choose Izmir, I would try to find a location in the general area, not in the city center. I arrived in Izmir at rush hour on a Friday afternoon, and the traffic was insane. I was very thankful I was not driving.

• Troy/Canakkale is going to be difficult. Troy is fairly isolated, and there's just not a lot else to see in the area. It's a 3.5 hour drive from either Izmir or Istanbul, and bus/transit/air options are complicated. It's a little too long for a day trip, and there isn't enough in the area to warrant more than a day trip.

• You might want to consider flying straight from the US to one of the destinations other than Istanbul. You are probably going to have to fly through Istanbul to get from Izmir/Dalaman to Cappadocia anyhow. If you can find a direct flight from the coast to Cappadocia, or vice versa, then it would make sense to go to Istanbul first.

I might do something like this:

• Day 1: leave US
• Day 2: Arrive Cappadocia in the evening. (I don't know which is better to fly into - Nevsehir or Kayseri.)
• Day 3: Cappadocia
• Day 4: Cappadocia
• Day 5: Fly to Istanbul. Arrive midday to afternoon,
• Day 6-8: Istanbul (you want at least 3 full days in Istanbul)
• Day 9: Fly from Istanbul to Izmir/Dalaman. Rent a car.
• Day 10-13: Explore sites: Ephesus? Pergamon? Aphrodisias? ...
• Day 14: return to the US

Have you thought about a package tour? Of course, the Rick Steves tours are good. My neighbors did a Turkey tour with G-Adventures this spring. They enjoyed it, and they visited many of the places on your wish list. A tour would give you a good overview without having do deal with all the logistics yourself.

By the way, March can be chilly and sometimes wet. The crowds, however, will be lower. When I briefly in March 2017 the weather was cool and clear. When my neighbors visited in March of this year, Istanbul was cold and rainy, but the weather was nice for the rest of the trip. When I visited in April this year, I had gorgeous weather. (Okay, Pamukkale was cold in the morning.)

Marie, you're just the best!! This is exactly the type of information that I've been looking for. :) Thank you!!
I didn't know that Turkey was good for dental tourism. Glad it went well

Don't forget visiting Side in Antalya, Alanya Castle, Aspendos Ancient city. I would do Istanbul to Cappadocia to Alanya and from Alanya to Fethiye including seeing St Nicholas Church in Demre, Patara Ancient City( First parliement building in the world is located here) and from Fethiye to Pamukkale and from Pamukkale to Ephesus:)
If you check all of my locations on the map, you will see its all ordered up.

Thank you. Those are great suggestions.

I just finalized an itinerary for next May for a group of friends, also archaeology lovers. This will be my fifth trip, but their first.

Istanbul and Cappadocia are a must, of course. You have time for a third stop, and it sounds like your must-visits are all in the Aegean region. But you also don't like crowds ... and ...

Kuşadası - It's a cruise port, there will be crowds. Nearby Selçuk is nicer for a base.
Ephesus - Major crowds, but sill worthwhile.
Pammukkale - The most visited site in Turkey.
Bodrum - Tt's a party town, though maybe not in March.
I don't know about Canakkale and Troy.

Instead of the Aegean, you might want to look at the Mediterranean, like others have mentioned. Antalya itself is a major international resort, but the historic center of Kaleiçi is lovely. It used to be tranquil, though I've heard rumors there might be more clubs and bars these days. Most visitors seem to come for the beaches - and so the historic sites have nowhere near the crowds as along the Aegean. And they are fantastic. UNESCO World Heritage sites in the area are Termessos, Sagalassos, Aspendos, and Perge.

Sagalassos and Termessos are my faves!

Archeology is our goal also. Am interested in also seeing Sinliurfa in the south east. That is where the three world religions began with birth place of Abraham. This was area connected with Sumer and Ur.
It is also place to visit Gobleki Tepe which is one of the oldest temples (or theaters) in the world.
Air travel from Istanbul is $100 round trip and car rentals reasonably available with booking.com

We used the travel agent that Rick mentions in his book for our trip to Troy and Ephesus. Even though the site is not the best because of Schliemann's poor digging technique, there's just something about being at Troy that I think makes it a must see if you're in Turkey. Have you been to Mycenae in Greece? All I'm missing now from my European archeology bucket list are Crete and Akrotiri. The latter was closed on our one visit to Santorini.

We also loved the Ottoman Imperial Hotel in Istanbul. It was in RS guidebook when we went, we loved it, and one of my friends stayed there this week and also loved it. She said the hotel restaurant, which we also enjoyed, now has one Michelin star.

Two weeks is perfect for an archeological trip. I suggest to visit Miletus Ancient City near Ephesus. Planning your trip with an agency or guide and making a full drive will be ideal. There are a lot of archeological sites in Turkey in almost every city.