Gulet Cruise & Cappadocia to Istanbul: a week at sea, then inland
The Gulet Cruise & Cappadocia to Istanbul route is the one to choose if you want to begin your holiday by doing nothing. You arrive in Fethiye, board a gulet on Saturday morning and spend a week on the water. Only then does the bus take you inland to Pamukkale, Cappadocia and finally Istanbul. Twelve days: six nights in a cabin, five in hotels.
Why start with the cruise
Jet lag disappears on a boat. There is nothing to be on time for except meals, and by the time you disembark on Friday you are rested for the part of the trip that involves early mornings - the balloon over Cappadocia, the underground city, the drive to Istanbul. Ending in Istanbul also means you fly home from the city with the best connections.
Departures are on Saturdays, April to October, and every published date runs.
Days 1 to 7: the cruise
The full week described in our gulet cruise guide: Fethiye and the Blue Lagoon on Saturday, St. Nicholas Island and Kas on Sunday, the Sunken City and Simena Castle on Monday, Demre and the turtle bays on Tuesday, Kekova and Firnaz Bay on Wednesday, Butterfly Valley and St. Nicholas Island on Thursday, Samanlik Bay and back into Fethiye on Friday. Full board on board, double and triple cabins, en-suite and air-conditioned. Friday night is in a Fethiye hotel.
Days 8 to 12: inland
Day 8 - Saklikent Gorge and Pamukkale. The canyon walk in the morning, the travertine terraces and Hierapolis in the afternoon. Night in Pamukkale.
Day 9 - Pamukkale to Cappadocia. Optional sunrise balloon over the terraces, then the drive east. Optional Turkish night on arrival.
Day 10 - Cappadocia. Optional sunrise balloon flight, then the Goreme Open Air Museum, Pasabag's fairy chimneys, Love Valley, Avanos and Uchisar Castle. Quad safari and a Turkish bath are optional. Second night in Cappadocia.
Day 11 - Derinkuyu underground city and the Salt Lake, arriving in Istanbul in the evening.
Day 12 - Istanbul. The tour ends after breakfast.
Compared with the other 12-day route
The Istanbul to Fethiye with Gulet Cruise covers the west coast - Gallipoli, Troy, Ephesus - and ends with the cruise. This route skips the west coast and covers Cappadocia instead, with the cruise first. Same length, same boat, different half of the country. If you want both halves and the week at sea, that is the 17-day All Around Turkey with Gulet Cruise.
See dates and prices for Gulet Cruise & Cappadocia to Istanbul