Hi all. I am planning for a trip to Turkey end of August 2014. I will be there along with my wife for marriage anniversary celebration. My initial plan is Istanbul-Cappadocia-Antalya-Kusadasi/Pamukkale/Effesus-Istanbul. My tour duration is 11 Nights. If anyone can help me to make a romantic holiday trip plan, like where to stay, places to see etc.......Thanks

For 11 nights, this is way too rushed. How do you plan to get from point A to B? Domestic flight? Rented car? Bus?

What do you want to do/see in each place? Istanbul needs at a minimum 4-5 nights, Cappadocia 3-4, Efesus 1-2, Antalya...you can spend your entire 11 nights there between beach and ruins, so you can't do it all. Not in a romantic way, anyway.

I suggest flying between your destinations, Turkey is big and beautiful, and either add more time to your trip or reduce the number of destinations.

I agree with xyz9 -- You are trying to cover WAY too much. With 11 days, you might be able to visit Istanbul, Cappadocia, and maybe Ephesus -- although that would still be too rushed for my tastes.

Here's my recommendation: Get a good guide book or two, figure out what YOU most want to see and do, check whether there are opening hours that you need to consider, and then figure out what that will mean in terms of number of days in each possible location. Then figure out how long it will take to travel between cities, and don't forget to add at least a few hours on either side to cover getting to from your transit point to your lodging, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting oriented, etc.

Good luck!

Thanks xyz99 and kja for your suggestions. I am planning to go from point A to B via air transportation for long routs. I have selected cappadocia only for hot air balloon ride and thats why staying there only for one night and two days. From there planning to visit Fethiye for paragliding and beach. I will stay there for four days. From Fethiye i will come back to istanbul via pamukkale by bus just to see the travertine (as i heard a lot about the beauty of that). And spend rest of the days near bosphorus in istanbul. What do you think about this plan. Is it still rush or should i compact it more.

Balloon rides are weather dependent. When we went, there were 4 days in a row that balloons did not fly because of the wind. Going for 1 night only is taking a big chance.

I would say that unless you can't dedicate more time to Cappadocia, you skip it this time. It is beautiful, but for 1 night only it's not worth it. Thy at least 2 nights (3 would be better), that will give you 2 mornings/2 chances for the balloon ride.

xyz is right on point: No guarantees that the balloons in Cappadocia will take off on any given day. And when they do, they take off EARLY -- you have to be there the night before.

We loved Cappadocia, but I wouldn't detour all the way there just to spend a day+ and do the balloon ride.

As others pointed out, it's a very early morning departure and there's no way to be sure that they'll launch that day (we were barely under the wind limit when we went).

We did 3 nights (staying in Goreme) and would have loved to have more time.

Thanks a ton. In that case i think its better to proceed to Fethiye straight way. Both of loves beach and ocean. Any suggestion on this regard. As 24 August is our anniversary, I want to make that day a memorable one. Any suggestion for any special event in Fethiye or any other place?? I could gather information regarding balloon ride and paragliding only other then sight seeing. What about taking a cruise trip to Rhodes? And another thing is what type of cloths should we carry in the month of August?

And another thing is what type of cloths should we carry in the month of August?

Well it will be waaaaaay hot and the sun will be as high as an elephant's eye, which means that at midday you want to be under a big hat or parasol. For me I like linen (some people don't like the way it crumples) but you want natural fibres with lots of gaps in the weave to let any air movement through. Given the danger of sunburn you will also need suntan oil on any bits of skin sticking out (keeps skin cancer away too).

Beach wear is more flexible, though generally women do not go topless (though some will), there is no pressure to wear budgie smugglers for men.

Thanks bilboburgler