15-day Turkey Itinerary
Sep 19th, 2012, 06:58 AM
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15-day Turkey Itinerary
Hello! I'm planning a 15-day whirlwind tour of Turkey and I'm trying to see as many highlights as I can within this time frame. We'll be there Oct 22-Nov 5. Here's our draft itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive Istanbul 15:45. Transfer domestic evening flight to Cappadocia
Day 2: Cappadocia
Day 3: Full day in Cappadocia then night bus from Goreme to Fethiye
Days 4-6: Fethiye (doing side trips out to Kayakoy and other places... maybe Kas?)
Day 7: Half day in Fethiye then bus transfer to Denizli (Pamukkale)
Day 8: Morning + early afternoon in Pamukkale then 16:00 bus to Selcuk
Day 9: Ephesus, Selcuk, and maybe Sirince
Day 10: Bus to Izmir then afternoon flight to Istanbul
Days 11-15: Istanbul
A few questions:
Is a morning and afternoon enough time for Pamukkale to enjoy the pools and see the ruins? We would then take a 16:00 bus out of town that day.
Is 2 days enough for Cappadocia or would you recommend 3 days?
We're really not sure about how to spend our time on the Turquoise coast. We're tied to Fethiye because that's the major bus hub to and from other cities. However, it seems like Kas is the really nice place to do a one-day boat trip. Is it worth taking a 3h bus ride to Kas to do the one-day boat tour and then bus back? Is it possible to do a boat trip from Kas back to Fethiye?
And finally, I think we'll be in Fethiye and Pamukkale during the Kurban Bayramı holiday. Will this have a big impact on what we can do/see and on our travel days since it seems like most things will be closed (or many people will be travelling?)
Thanks!
Day 1: Arrive Istanbul 15:45. Transfer domestic evening flight to Cappadocia
Day 2: Cappadocia
Day 3: Full day in Cappadocia then night bus from Goreme to Fethiye
Days 4-6: Fethiye (doing side trips out to Kayakoy and other places... maybe Kas?)
Day 7: Half day in Fethiye then bus transfer to Denizli (Pamukkale)
Day 8: Morning + early afternoon in Pamukkale then 16:00 bus to Selcuk
Day 9: Ephesus, Selcuk, and maybe Sirince
Day 10: Bus to Izmir then afternoon flight to Istanbul
Days 11-15: Istanbul
A few questions:
Is a morning and afternoon enough time for Pamukkale to enjoy the pools and see the ruins? We would then take a 16:00 bus out of town that day.
Is 2 days enough for Cappadocia or would you recommend 3 days?
We're really not sure about how to spend our time on the Turquoise coast. We're tied to Fethiye because that's the major bus hub to and from other cities. However, it seems like Kas is the really nice place to do a one-day boat trip. Is it worth taking a 3h bus ride to Kas to do the one-day boat tour and then bus back? Is it possible to do a boat trip from Kas back to Fethiye?
And finally, I think we'll be in Fethiye and Pamukkale during the Kurban Bayramı holiday. Will this have a big impact on what we can do/see and on our travel days since it seems like most things will be closed (or many people will be travelling?)
Thanks!
Sep 19th, 2012, 05:54 PM
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> Is a morning and afternoon enough time for Pamukkale to enjoy the pools and see the ruins?
That depends on what you want to see and experience and your preferred pace of travel. For my tastes, yes, that time frame would work.
> Is 2 days enough for Cappadocia or would you recommend 3 days?
Again, it depends! I was glad I had a bit more than 3 full (and very busy) days, but then I visited some parts of Cappadocia that are a bit harder to see without a rental car, and it sounds like you are relying on public transportation. From what I read, many people are satisfied with 2 very full days there.
> Is it worth taking a 3h bus ride to Kas to do the one-day boat tour and then bus back?
I can't answer for you. I don't think it would have been worth it for me. The last 1/2 hour or so of your trip to Kas will include a rather spectacular stretch of coastline. I'm not sure how scenic the rest of the ride would be, as I didn't make it as far west as Fethiye. I took a boat ride of a little under 2 hours from Ucagiz (further east than Kas) and that was enough for me, but some people want to spend much longer on the water than that. I think this question came up on another thread recently, maybe by MinnBeef, so you might want to do a search.
Sorry, but I can't offer any information in response to your other questions.
I thought Turkey a wonderful place to visit - enjoy!
That depends on what you want to see and experience and your preferred pace of travel. For my tastes, yes, that time frame would work.
> Is 2 days enough for Cappadocia or would you recommend 3 days?
Again, it depends! I was glad I had a bit more than 3 full (and very busy) days, but then I visited some parts of Cappadocia that are a bit harder to see without a rental car, and it sounds like you are relying on public transportation. From what I read, many people are satisfied with 2 very full days there.
> Is it worth taking a 3h bus ride to Kas to do the one-day boat tour and then bus back?
I can't answer for you. I don't think it would have been worth it for me. The last 1/2 hour or so of your trip to Kas will include a rather spectacular stretch of coastline. I'm not sure how scenic the rest of the ride would be, as I didn't make it as far west as Fethiye. I took a boat ride of a little under 2 hours from Ucagiz (further east than Kas) and that was enough for me, but some people want to spend much longer on the water than that. I think this question came up on another thread recently, maybe by MinnBeef, so you might want to do a search.
Sorry, but I can't offer any information in response to your other questions.
I thought Turkey a wonderful place to visit - enjoy!
