10 Days Trip to Turkey and Turkey Travel Itinerary!
You are planning a Travel to Turkey but not sure where to start creating your Turkey itinerary! You have many questions such; how many days to spend in Turkey, where to visit in Turkey, where to stay, what to do, etc!
No worry! We are a Local Tour Operator, devoted our entire lives to Turkey Travel Industry. Besides creating Travel Packages and operating Local Tours in Turkey, we are preparing blog posts that might help all travelers!
In this post, we will focus on where to stay in Turkey, where to visit in Turkey, and how to spend 10 days in Turkey! Our recommendations, Turkey travel tips, and travel solutions we offer!
First of all, a Turkey itinerary – 10 Days can be as below;
- Day 1: Arrival in Istanbul
- Day 2: Relaxing in the morning and take a midday or afternoon flight to Izmir
- Day 3: Take a Tour to Ephesus Ancient City
- Day 4: Take a Tour to Pamukkale Natural Springs & Hierapolis Ancient City and take a bus to Antalya
- Day 5: Explore Antalya City
- Day 6: Take your way from Antalya to Cappadocia
- Day 7: Take Hot Air Balloon Ride in the morning and explore the Northern Cappadocia
- Day 8: Explore the Southern Cappadocia and take a flight to Istanbul
- Day 9: Explore the Highlights of Istanbul
- Day 10: Departure from Istanbul
Now, let’s talk deeper about each day! How to get from one to another city, which places to explore in each destination, and some other important Travel Tips!
Day 1: Arrival in Istanbul
Istanbul is the center of the inbound and outbound flights since it has the largest and busiest airport in Europe; Istanbul New Airport (IST)! According to your arrival time and details, you may take a transfer to your Hotel and relax. It is easy since there are many opportunities. Read more about Istanbul!
Travel Tips:
- If your arrival flight is around late at night, we do recommend staying in a Hotel near to Airport and taking a morning flight to Izmir on the following day. This can save you time and money from the transfers.
- If your arrival flight is around midday, be sure that your Hotel is centrally located in Sultanahmet or Taksim Streets.
Avoid Doing:
- We do not recommend taking a taxi from the Airport as you can imagine the reason 🙂
Day 2: Relaxing in the morning, and midday or afternoon flight to Izmir
In the morning you may take a very famous Turkish breakfast in your Hotel (some low standard hotels do not provide. So, be sure that you stay in a well-rated hotel). And, walk through the Old-City of Istanbul to explore below places;
- Hagia Sophia,
- Blue Mosque,
- Topkapi Palace,
- Basilica Cistern,
- Grand Bazaar
These all places located next to each other. So, you do not need to take any public transportation to go from one to another. However, you should be staying in the Sultanahmet Region.
Around midday or late afternoon, take a flight to Izmir and overnight stay in Kusadasi or Selcuk Town
Travel Tips:
- Be aware that there are 2 Airports in Istanbul; Sabiha Gökcen Airport(SAW) and Istanbul New Airport(IST).
- Sabiha Gökcen Airport is more for domestic flights! Do not forget to check it while searching for your domestic flight.
- Kusadasi or Selcuk Town should better for staying overnight since the closest places to Ephesus Ancient City.
- Kusadasi is a very nice tiny sea-side town. So, it can catch your attention more than Selcuk Town.
Avoid Doing:
- Do not stay in Izmir City since this can break the rest of your schedule!
Day 3: Take a Tour to the Ancient City of Ephesus
Ephesus is one of the best well-preserved ancient cities you can ever visit in your entire life! So, be sure that you have visited it during your Tour to Turkey! Here are the highlights you should better be exploring in Ephesus;
- Library of Celsus,
- Amphi-Theatre of Ephesus,
- Temple of Artemis,
- House of Virgin Mary
Additional places to visit if you have enough time;
- Basilica of St. John,
- Ephesus Archeological Museum,
- Sirince Greek Village
Travel Tips:
- If you are traveling in Turkey on your own (without a tour), we do recommend you buying a museum pass/card. This can save your money and provide quick access without stuck in the entrance queues.
- We highly recommend you visiting Ephesus with a small-group or private tour according to your budget. In this way, you can understand the history and importance of Ephesus better. There are several ancient buildings, historical places, and stories to learn. So, having a guide is highly recommended.
Avoid Doing:
- We don’t recommend visiting these places by taxi or by rent-a-car since having an all-included tour can cost you less.
At the end of your day, you can take dinner in one of the sea-side located restaurants and finalize your day by having a Traditional Turkish Bath/Hammam experience. Read more about Ephesus from the below post; Ephesus Ruins!
Day 4: Take a Tour to Pamukkale Natural Springs & Hierapolis Ancient City and take a bus to Antalya
Pamukkale is the second top visited destination after the Ephesus Ancient City. It is a place of naturally shaped terraces filled with Natural Hot Springs. It includes a very unique formation called travertines.
At the end of your Tour to Pamukkale, you can reach Antalya by intercity bus, renting a car
Travel Tips:
- Pamukkale is about 200 km away from Ephesus. We do recommend to departure from Kusadasi or Selcuk early as much as possible.
- From Day 4 to Day 7, renting a car can be a good option for you.
- We recommend you to stay near to Kaleiçi Region in Antalya.
Avoid Doing:
- Pamukkale is not worth staying overnight. It is enough to have a day and continue to Antalya.
Day 5: Explore Antalya City
Antalya, Turkey’s largest city in the Mediterranean region. In recent years, it has become a frequently mentioned tourism city with its wonderful beaches, natural and cultural beauties. Here is the list of places that are recommended to explore;
- Kaleiçi of Antalya,
- Perge, Side, and Aspendos if you are a history lover,
- Duden or Kursunlu Waterfalls,
- Beaches in Kas if you are interested in taking time in one of the most famous beach towns of Turkey
Day 6: Take your way from Antalya to Cappadocia
The distance from Antalya to Cappadocia is about 580 km. And, you have 4 different options to get Cappadocia.
Intercity bus from Antalya to Cappadocia: The duration is approx. 9-10 hours. It cost you around 150 – 200 Turkish lira.
Private Transfer: You can hire a private transfer which will cost you about 200 – 300 USD for 1 to 6 persons. This is the easiest, most comfortable, and safest way to reach Cappadocia. By Flight: You can search for a flight from Antalya Airport to Kayseri Erkilet Airport. The prices of the flights roughly 250 – 350 Turkish lira per person. By Rent a Car: If you have already rented a car, you can drive from Antalya to Cappadocia on your own.
Travel Tips:
- If you have booked a private transfer from Antalya to Cappadocia or driving on your own, consider visiting Konya city and Mevlana Museum on the way to Cappadocia!
- We do recommend staying in Göreme, Cappadocia.
- There are 3 different types of Hotels; Cave Hotels, Stone Hotels, and chain Hotels. We do highly recommend staying in Cave or Stone Hotels. You should experience this unique accommodation style!
Avoid Doing:
- We mentioned that you can rent a car from day 4 to 7. However, this is not recommended if you are not used to driving long distances or if you have any missed license & document.
Day 7 to Day 8: Hot Air Balloons and Cappadocia Tours
Cappadocia is one of the most unique places that you may discover all around the world! It is also the rising star of Turkey Tourism. Be ready, you will never forget the time you spend in this extraordinary place!
On your first day, take Hot Air Balloon Flight in the morning and then explore the Northern side of Cappadocia;
- Panoramic View of Goreme,
- Goreme Open Air Museum,
- Three Beauties Rock Formation,
- Devrent Valley,
- Pasabag Valley,
- Avanos Village
At the end of the day, we do recommend joining the Whirling Dervishes Ceremony or Turkish Night Show and Dinner according to your interest!
In your second day, explore the Southern Cappadocia;
- Red Valley,
- Love Valley,
- Cavusin Valley,
- Valley of Doves,
- Cavusin Castle,
- Kaymakli or Derinkuyu underground cities
At the end of your day, consider taking a flight from Cappadocia to Istanbul.
We also highly recommend you reading our below posts about Cappadocia; All about Cappadocia / 2 Days in Cappadocia!
Travel Tips:
- We do highly recommend booking your Hot Air Balloon Tour (if you are interested) for your first morning in Cappadocia! Because if your Balloon flight is canceled due to the bad weather condition, you may have a second chance to do it on your second morning.
- Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Flights is the most popular and favorite activity in Turkey! So, during the summer season, it is almost impossible to find availability. On this hand, we do recommend booking your Balloon Tour at least a couple of months ago!
Avoid Doing:
- All the chain Hotels are located out of the center of Cappadocia. If you stay in one of the chain Hotels, there is almost nothing to do when you walked-out from your Hotel. These kinds of hotels are not the ones that show you the natural structure of Cappadocia.
Day 9 to Day 10: Explore Istanbul!
Istanbul is the largest city of Turkey full of historical and cultural places. Even, you can spend 10 Days only in Istanbul to explore every spot in it! However, here we have listed the most iconic places of Istanbul that you can discover in 1-2 days.
On day 2 we have mentioned the places in the Old-City of Istanbul; Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, and Grand Bazaar.
If there is any place you could not have enough time to visit, you can put on this day. In addition, we do recommend below places and activities;
- Bosphorus Cruise,
- Chora Museum,
- Dolmabahce Museum,
- Spice Bazaar,
- Cooking Class (must-do if you are interested in Turkish Cuisine)
Travel Tips:
- Do not put Istanbul at the beginning of your schedule! Otherwise, your return domestic flight to Istanbul can be canceled or some other last-minute difficulties may occur. And, this may cause you to miss your international flight.
- Stay in a centrally located, well-known, and well-rated Hotel in Istanbul. Istanbul is a Metropol city and staying in a less-known place may cause serious safety problems.
- To understand and feel Istanbul better, we recommend having a Tour Guide at least for 1 Day.
Avoid Doing:
- Avoid taking a taxi in Istanbul.
- Avoid staying out of the center; Sultanahmet and Taksim.
Turkey Travel Packages we offer and Final Thoughts!
As you may easily see, having 10 days in Turkey needs serious planning and includes many items in it; transportation, accommodations, flights, museum entrances, tours, etc…
The Turkey Travel Packages we offer to you include all these items. According to the package you prefer to book, our services start at the moment you arrive in Turkey and last to the moment you leave Turkey!
You overall liked any package, however, there are some points that you wish to change! No worry! This is another great flexibility that we provide to all our guests. All of our Turkey Tour Packages are customizable according to your requests!
All you need to do is contacting our team and booking your travel package. Then, simply, sit back to you and let our team make your dream Turkey Tours come true!
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