Turkey: 11 days - Please advise on good use of time!
 

Hi all,
I'm finally making it to Turkey at the end of October and will have a full 11 days to explore. Would love some advice as you guys are always so helpful!

We are planning on 4 days in Istanbul and we definitely want to do Cappodccia so I'm assuming we need 2 nights there. After that we are thoroughly confused! We would love to spend 2 nights along the coast and definitely get on the water for at least a day with a boat trip. We really don't like touristy/resorty beach places and prefer charming little seaside villages that have beautiful views and are cultural. For that reason I'm thinking that Bodrum is probably not for us. But the question is- where would we want to go? The Black Sea? somewhere else along the Aegean sea? Or should we be going to the Mediterranian and stay somewhere close to a place like Olympos which i heard was very interesting also?

Of course the other big question is- do we or don't we do Ephesus? We don't want to burn out on historical sites but I'm not sure we should miss this. We have been to places like Pompeii and Petra and have loved both- how does this compare?

Ok any advice you have would be much appreciated! Would love other recommends if I'm missing something here. We prefer a mix of historical sites, art and culture culture culture!

thanks so much!
best,
k

You'll need more than two nights in Cappadocia as it takes more than a day to see the sights.

End of November and the sea will only combine on the Southern shores. your best bet will be to fly to dalaman, rent a car and stay couple of nights at Kas, taking a cruise to Kekova/Kalekoy/Ucagiz and a day tour to Patara, Tlos, Saklikent or Myra, Church of Saint Nicholas and Arycanda. Sea and antiquity. The antiquity being very different than what you will find in Cappadocia. Kas should have a small artists colony staying throughout the Fall and Winter and has good cafes and restaurants in addition to lovely views.

The Lycian cities mentioned above are older than ephesus, possibly smaller and not as well excavated and restored, but still great to visit.

If you wish to leave out the sea portion you can do Ephesus, Herakleia, Aphrodisias, Pamukkale, Priene, Miletus instead, flying to izmir instead of Dalaman.

Bodrum, at end of October, will have nothing going for it.

sorry, i meant "end of October" so did not miunderstand your travel plan.

Agree with above. Do the med coast as far as Antalya then go to Cappadocia from there. Split your time between the two. Plenty to do and see.

Skip Istanbul entirely. Gives you 4 more days. You don't have enough time.

Cappadocia needs at least two full days, so three nights.
Ephesus is fantastic. IMHO, a place "not to be missed."
Love Istanbul - even if you have to cut it to only three very full days.

I too vote 2 days not enough for Cappadocia and for water Mediterranean is a better option. With some good logistics you can do a lot :-) Nights Istanbul, 3 full days maybe with 2 Nights Cappadocia, fly to Izmir for Ephesus than waterside, or drive & fly to Antalya October will be less touristy. Driving from Dalaman to Kas or Kalkan is an idea too.
Driving will not be a problem....

Happy travelling,

Murat