How to plan a Turkey itinerary: 6, 10 or 17 days
Turkey is three times the size of the UK and the things people come for - Istanbul, the Aegean ruins, the Lycian coast, Cappadocia - are hundreds of kilometres apart. The most common planning mistake is trying to see all of them in a week. Here is how we would think about it.
Start with the days you have
Five or six days. Pick one half of the country. The west coast - Istanbul, Gallipoli, Troy, Pergamon, Ephesus - is the Istanbul to Fethiye Tour (6 days). The inland half - Saklikent, Pamukkale, Cappadocia, the Salt Lake - is the Fethiye to Istanbul Tour (5 days). Either one, plus a day or two extra in Istanbul, is a full and unhurried week.
Nine or ten days. Both halves by land: the All Around Turkey Tour (10 days, Istanbul to Istanbul). Or one half plus a short taste of the coast by boat: Istanbul to Antalya with 3-Night Gulet Cruise or its mirror Antalya to Istanbul (9 days each).
Twelve days. One land half plus the full week at sea: Istanbul to Fethiye with Gulet Cruise (west coast, then the boat) or Gulet Cruise & Cappadocia to Istanbul (the boat, then inland).
Seventeen days. Everything: All Around Turkey with Gulet Cruise.
Then decide about the boat
The gulet week is the part of the trip people talk about afterwards, and it is also the part most tours cut to three nights. If you can spare the week, take it: see what a week on a gulet is like. If you cannot, three nights still gives you the Blue Lagoon, Kas and Kekova.
Then the direction
Fly into Istanbul and out of Istanbul if you can - it has the most connections - which is why most of our routes are loops or end there. If you are coming from a Greek island or flying into Dalaman or Antalya, start on the coast instead: the Saturday gulet departure from Fethiye and the Tuesday Antalya pick-up are designed for exactly that.
Then the month
See when to visit Turkey. Short version: May, June and September for everything; July and August if the coast matters most; April and October for history with no crowds.
What a day on the bus is like
Our longest driving day is Pamukkale to Cappadocia, about six hours with stops. Most days are two to four hours of driving broken by the sights. Max 16 people, a guide every day, hotels in the centre of town, breakfast and dinner included. Entrance fees on the land legs are included; on the boat they are paid on board.
Add days where it counts
Two extra nights in Istanbul at the start; an extra night in Cappadocia if you want a second balloon chance or a hike through Ihlara; a few days in Fethiye or Kas after the boat. Tell your tour consultant when you enquire and we will book the hotels.
All eight routes, with dates and availability, are on the departures page.
