mdm3f

I'll be heading to Turkey early fall for about 10 days excluding travel days. After doing research I plan on heading to the Aegean Coast/Ephesus, Cappadocia and Istanbul. I've planned out the must-dos in each location, but have 1-2 days currently open that I could add to one of the sites. Any thoughts on where they would be best used?

We're in our early 30s and like a mix of cities, natural scenery and historical sites plus want to spend a day or two at the beach. We plan on having a car in Cesme and maybe in Cappadocia as well.

Day 1 - Cesme, beach day
What are the best natural springs in the area to visit?

Day 2 - Ephesus
Drive to Selcuk and Ephesus for the day. See Ephesus, House of Virgin Mary, Basilica of St. John and Ephesus Museum. Better to go to Ephesus last for fewer crowds?

Day 3 - Open
Considering a couple of options for this day: another beach day, taking the ferry to Chios or exploring more ruins in the area. Does anyone have any thoughts on Chios or are there any other major ruins within an hour or two that are worth visiting? We're planning to leave Aphrodisias / Pamukkale out because of the distance.

Day 4 - Morning beach, afternoon fly to Cappadocia

Day 5 - Cappadocia
Goreme Open Air Museum, Zelve Valley, Avanos

Day 6 - Cappadocia
Hot air balloon flight, Kaymakli underground cities, Üçhisar
Evening flight to Istanbul

Day 7 - Istanbul
Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Basilica Cistern

Day 8 - Istanbul
Topkapi Palace, Sogukçesme Sokagi, Grand Bazaar, Turkish bath, Bosphorus tour ferry

Day 9 - Istanbul
Open

Day 10 - Istanbul
Morning open
Afternoon flight

leuk2

You could easily spend more time in Istanbul. I'd also spend an extra day in capppadocia. You only have one full day in capadocia.

nextholiday

Agree with Leuk2 - you can never have enough days in Istanbul. Cappadocia is also worth an extra day. If you decide to spend longer in Selcuk, there is also Sirince, the tiny little Greek Village that is nice for a look & lunch. There is also a beach on the way to Kusadasi from Selcuk & 2 large water parks (if thats your kind of thing?). If you have the extra day in Istanbul, you could always go out to the Princes Islands - lovely out there! But truly the City itself has enough to see & you dont want to be rushed in some places.

otherchelebi

Are you going to be based at Cesme first 3 nights ?

All natural springs in Cesme region are hogged by the large hotels as far as I know. They are in the Ilica area where you have Ilica, Sheraton and Radisson hotels all of which have spas.

At Port Alacati, Alkoclar hotel has a spa.

The only reasonably large ruin near Cesme is at Sivrihisar. It is called Teos (not to be confused with "Tlos" near Fethiye.)
There is a small ruin near Ilica but we could not see much only last month, partially because most of it was fenced off and there was almost no excavation.
If you are staying a night at Selcuk,
There are some great natural sights near Selcuk, foremost being Dilek national park which is open for hiking and biking either from the North near Cave of Zeus or from the South near Dilek Lagoon and Carina. And Carina is close to the ancient city of Priene, which is well worth visiting.

i would not waste time at the overly touristic renovated village of Sirince with its artificially flavored fruit wines.

Ten days are hardly enough for you to discover let alone fully enjoy any of the locations you are visiting. So decide whether your priority is nature and beach, life and culture or history and archeology and add to those regions as much as you can visualize yourself being there and enjoying it by googling and checking photographs rather than depending on what other people think you would like.

andy7

Cappadocia is amazing and beautiful. Your plan for each day there will require a lot of rushing around. Remember, these are not a few museums just a few blocks from each other in a city. It takes time to travel between them, and sometimes wait for an English speaking guide, etc. I spent five days there and loved every minute. Some of the best times were driving around, getting lost, meeting people and finding out-of-the-way towns, shops and fantastic vistas. So my advice is to spend another day and have time to relax and learn about the place. Do be sure to bring a good road map with you. We found it was difficult to get one there. We stayed in Goreme and loved the town.
Of course, Istanbul is also one of the most fascinating cities in the world and another day to walk through it would also be an excellent idea.
Have a great trip.