xyz99

I’ve been fumbling with this itinerary a lot, so please take a look and let me know what you think and if it’s feasible. We are a couple in our mid 40s, enjoying culture, nature, nice scenery, good food, history, photography, traveling in general.

Day 1 – Landing in Istanbul early afternoon
Days 2, 3 and 4 – Istanbul
Day 5 – Early morning flight to Izmir, visit Ephesus, sleep in Selcuk
Day 6 – Fly to Cappadocia
Day 7, 8 and 9 – Cappadocia, stay in Goreme. We will probably rent a car/driver for at least a day here, and use buses otherwise
Day 10 – Fly to Dalaman via Istanbul; we’ll be there around noon, rent a car, go see the ruins at Dalyan, sleep in/around Kayakoy (Villa Rhapsody if available)
Day 11 – Visit Tlos + Telmessos, sleep in Kayakoy
Day 12 - Visit Pinara + Patara, maybe explore Kalkan, sleep in Kas - any suggestion?
Day 13 – Visit Xanthos + Letoon, explore Kas, sleep in Kas
Day 14 – Boat to Kekova and visit Myra if enough time, sleep in Cirali - any suggestion?
Day 15 – Visit Olympos, explore Cirali, sleep in Cirali
Day 16 – Drive to Antalya, return car, fly home.

Is there time on any day to fit the Saklikent Gorge? Maybe just for a couple of hours? Are we missing anything that we might regret later? Where is the church of Saint Nicholas, that I keep reading about? Close to Myra, I think…but how do we find it? Are the ruins on the Lycian Way very similar to each other, that we will get ruins overload?

Any other thoughts or words of wisdom that you want to share? Thanks

xyz99

One more thing: we are going in early October, and we love coast/sea views, but we are not interested in the beach.

kja

> Days 2, 3 and 4 – Istanbul

It depends on what you want to see and experience. I took full advantage of 5 days in Istanbul

> Day 5 – Early morning flight to Izmir, visit Ephesus, sleep in Selcuk

Consider making time for the museum in Selcuk, too - outstanding!

> Day 16 – Drive to Antalya, return car, fly home.

But no time in Antalya itself? I really enjoyed my time there.

> Where is the church of Saint Nicholas, that I keep reading about? Close to Myra, I think…

Right - it's in Demre, the modern town nearest Myra. I didn't visit it, but saw a lot of signs for it as I was heading to Myra.

> Are the ruins on the Lycian Way very similar to each other, that we will get ruins overload?

I suspect that varies with the visitor and the visited sites! I visited several sites along the Lycian Way and was pleased to find that I was aware of distinctions among them, but I saw a different set than you are planning to see.

You'll see some wonderful things - enjoy!

otherchelebi

consider leaving Pinara out and visit Xanthos and Letoon icluding Patara on the way from Kayakoy/Fethiye to Kas.

If you must visit Kalkan do so for a cup of tea in the evening at its famous sunset and get to Kas for a better dinner.

Saint Nicholas is a well-restored church and interesting to visit. It is very easy; well sign-posted, as kja wrote, very close to Myra, in Demre.

Some people loved Xanthos. I could see myself not visiting it. Letoon was interesting for me because of its story and the hope of my daughters in catching a frog to kiss. although it is small and in the midst of cultivated fields.

Tlos and Patara are, we found terrific, as we did Kekova, Myra.

You can consider Hotel Canada in Cirali, owned and managed by a Trip Adviser DE, Canmom (Carrie) and her Turkish husband, who is apparently an excellent chef. It is not on the beach, but they have bicycles for their guests. They also have terrific information on hikes, walks, canyons, ruins, etc. If you do get there say Hi! from me, and also ask to see her photographs.

Ruins can be very different according to when they were abandoned and the lay of the land as well as the materials popular or available in the region, in addition to the deities honored, the size of the city, the occupation of the majority of the occupants, etc. i.e. Termessos, on the mountains of Antalya was a huge city of bandits and highway robbers, possibly established by pirates who could not compete with others of their ilk.

Also visit Phaeselis on the way from Cirali to Antalya, if you have time (one hour max.) because of great natural beauty at this partially sunken city.

October is the best time for the region with very warm sea water but temperate day and nights. The only problem will be short daylight. You should have books, kindle, i-pad, cards, and similar to keep busy after dinner, although you may find friendly other travelers, locals or hoteliers for some valuable exchange of ideas, experience and information.

xyz99

Kja,
I knew you would comment about the length of our stay in Istanbul, and I know you are right. But we hope that we might be able to come back someday.

<< Consider making time for the museum in Selcuk, too - outstanding!>>
We will hire a guide + car, so hopefully we’ll have time for everything.

<< But no time in Antalya itself? I really enjoyed my time there.>>
I know…hopefully next time. There is only so much we can do in 2 weeks, your trip was longer, and we travel a little bit slower than you do.

OC,
<< consider leaving Pinara out and visit Xanthos and Letoon icluding Patara on the way from Kayakoy/Fethiye to Kas. >> Done

<< Also visit Phaeselis on the way from Cirali to Antalya, if you have time (one hour max.) >> Our flight from Antalya is in the morning (10-11 am I think), but we’ll try to visit Phaeselis on day 15.

We travel a lot to remote places where there is no TV, internet, wi-fi, etc., so we are used to books, making friends and entertaining ourselves.

Here’s a slightly modified itinerary for the Mediterranean coast – any thoughts? Is it overly ambitious?

Day 10 – Fly to Dalaman via Istanbul; we’ll be there around noon, rent a car, go see the ruins at Dalyan, sleep in/around Kayakoy (Villa Rhapsody if available); Tlos is close-by, but we will not have time for both; Dalyan or Tlos?
Day 11 (Tuesday) – Visit Kadyanda and then lunch at the fish market in Fethiye, visit Telmessos, theatre then tombs, back to Kayakoy; 75 km, ~ 2 hrs drive. Is the fish market open on a Tuesday?
Day 12 - Visit Patara , Xanthos + Letoon, sleep in Kas; 160 km, ~ 3 ½ hr drive
Day 13 – Boat to Kekova, explore Kas, sleep in Kas
Day 14 – Visit visit Myra + church of Saint Nicholas in Demre, Limyra (9 km away from Finike) if enough time, sleep in Cirali; 170 km, ~ 3 ½ hr drive
Day 15 – Visit Olympos + Phaeselis, explore Cirali, sleep in Cirali; 60 km, ~ 1 ½ hr drive
Day 16 – Drive to Antalya, return car, fly home.

Thanks

otherchelebi

Tlos is not that close and it will take time to walk it. You may wish to rest at Dalyan.

The fishmarket should be open every day, although it is nothing very special unless you find some local Saint Pierre (dulger, in Turkish) Do not fall for the freely caught sea bass or sea bream. Get the smaller admittedly farmed ones for a third of the price. They are all the same. Grouper (lagos) is good but usually too expensive. Do not buy bonito or rouget or mullet.

Also consider eating at the Nefis Pide (meaning delicious pita) restaurant at Paspatur, the pedestrianized shopping area near the fish market.

-The route from Kayakoy to Kas will take quite a bit longer than 31/2 hours if you consider one hour for Letoon (winding side road), 30 minutes at Xanthos, close to highway but more to see, at least one hour at Patara where the beach and the ruins are on different forks.
So if you leave Kayakoy late, you can decide to leave Letoon or even Xanthos out but not Patara.

By the way, we have started posting our photos again. So far only Arycanda is posted but will be followed by others within the next few weeks.
Just photos, so far.

xyz99

Ok, so skip Tlos, right?
Thanks for all the fish recommendations – I will keep notes on this. We usually try to eat the local food wherever we go, so the local fish is always high on our menu.
And if the fish market is nothing special, the delicious pita…yum, I’m salivating now.
The driving times I noted are just that, driving times. They do not include any visiting time, they are just something to make sure we are not in the car all day. We will probably leave Kayakoy after breakfast, and try to slowly see everything on our way to Kas. This trip is shaping up nicely
I saw you started posting the pictures, looking forward to seeing more…maybe I’ll change my mind again based on what I see…

MinnBeef

You don't say what time your flight on day 6 from Izmir to Cappadocia is, but the way you present it above, day 6 looks like a wasted day and it shouldn't be. Especially if you fly out in the early morning, you would be able to either finish your 3-day Cappadocia leg by day 8 or have even more time for Cappadocia then you are showing above.

I LOVED hiking the Saklikent Gorge! Along with the Chora Church (I had already seen Hagia Sophia on my visit in 2011), Ephesus and the ballon ride in Cappadocia, Saklikent was one of the top highlights of my 2012 trip. I would bet I spent a couple of hours in total hiking the gorge. Know that it is not an easy hike by any means. You're walking on a rocky riverbed most of the time. You are literally climbing over wet rock falls at several points in the journey, and all the while wearing the most uncomfortable plastic shoes. (See if they'll let you wear your tennis shoes instead as those plastic shoes have no support whatsoever). But I highly recommend the walk. I probably went in 3 km or so (as far as this beautiful waterfall) and then returned. My biggest worry was dropping the camera into the water. But the scenery was absolutely gorgeous and if you enjoy hiking and are both reasonably fit, I think you will love it. You should easily be able to fit it into Day 11.

My other thought...you show yourself sleeping in 3 different cities along the Med coast. Seems like an awful lot of uprooting, not conducive to relaxation. Could you consider basing in just one spot, particularly if you have a car?

kja

> There is only so much we can do in 2 weeks

Indeed! I wasn't criticizing your plan, just to flag some things for your consideration. Sounds like you did, indeed, consider them and made a plan tailored to your goals and interests. I'm sure you'll have a great experience!

xyz99

Minn,
I haven’t booked the flight to Cappadocia yet, but I expect it to be in the morning, get there by lunch time, have lunch and see the Goreme Open Air Museum in the afternoon of day 6. After that we’ll have 3 more full days (7, 8 and 9) in Cappadocia.

We’ll add Saklikent Gorge on day 11, even if that means eliminating the stop in Fethiye – we are big nature lovers, so I think we will enjoy the gorge. Hope it’s not too cold in October.

I know what you are saying about 2 vs. 3 stops on the Med Coast, and I agonized about it, too. It seemed a lot of backtracking, and being in the car a lot more if we only picked 2 stops. I’ll look into it again, and see if it makes sense to can re-work this.

Kja,
I know you were not criticizing…I read all your posts prior to your trip, and I know how much work it took to come to a final itinerary decision. Then I read your trip report, and tons of other in prep for or trip…I think what we have is a good mix for us, with more emphasis on outdoors ruins and nature, than indoor museums and cities.

What I feel I’m missing is some easy hikes/strolls (1-2-3 hrs) along the coast, to view the beautiful water and coast. Any suggestion? Thanks

xyz99

Alternative itinerary on the Med Coast:

Day 10 – Fly to Dalaman via Istanbul; we’ll be there around noon, rent a car, head to Kas; I don't think we have time for Dalyan, considering that the drive to Kas is over 3 hrs...days are not that long in Oct.
Day 11 Kas – Pinara or Tlos (do we have time for both?) – Saklikent Gorge – Kas
Day 12 - Kas – Xantoon/Latoon – Patara – Kalkan maybe for sunset – Kas
Day 13 - Kas – Boat to Kekova – Kas
Day 14 - Kas – Myra - Church of Saint Nicholas – Limyra – Cirali
Day 15 - Cirali – Olympos – Phaeselis - Cirali
Day 16 – Drive to Antalya, return car, fly home.

I like this one better, because it has only 2 bases, but is it feasible? Are we missing anything that we should not?
Any recommendation of a small/nice hotel with water view in Kas?
Thanks

otherchelebi

You will be walking/hiking a great deal to reach some of the historic sites and at the historic sites so that you do not have to plan for additional hikes.

For example, hiking to the Chimera from Cirali or to Olympos will give you enough chance to vent your energy, as well as Saklikent and Tlos. (definitely better than Pinara)

There are also some fun trails or hikes at Kalekoy/Simena, if you get off the boat there and are picked up after your walk.

Kekova is also a lovely area for kayaking and snorkeling.

xyz99

OC,
As usual, great advice from you, thanks.

Is Kekova snorkling an option in mid-Oct? Can we rent gear there?
Any recommendation on where to stay in Kas?

otherchelebi

Mid October the sea temperature are about 24-27 C and outside will be about that or slightly higher in the shade. Under the sun, you will wish to dive into the sea.

I do not think you are allowed to scuba dive at Kekova because of the sunken ruins, but you may be able to borrow a snorkel or buy a cheap one with the goggles.

If you have scuba dived before and want to do it again, there wil be scuba expeditions out of Kas which will supply the equipment. If you have not done it before, your time is too limited to learn.

Check Trip Adviser reviews for Kas hotels. You can trust them in most cases and can tell if any reviews are false or solicited.

xyz99

OC,
Thanks -I meant snorkeling gear, since I would not want to bring ours for just 1 day. We do not scuba dive (at least, not yet) and definitely do not plan to learn that there, in 1 day

I did not realize Oct will still be that warm...hopefully not too warm for visiting the ruins.