My Turkey Itinerary – 9 Day Tour

Here’s my Itinerary for a 9-day Turkiye trip.

Day 1: Arrival in Istanbul and explore the vibrant city

Direct flight from the Mumbai International Airport at 6:40 a.m. IST
Arrived in Istanbul at 11:30 a.m. (Turkiye Time)
Proceeded to hotel via Havaist bus (Cheapest option to reach the city center from the airport)
Enjoyed a nice Turkish lunch (kebabs, tea and baklava)
Spent the rest of the day exploring Istanbul using Tram. Visited the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.
In the evening, went to Taksim square using the Tram and walked a little. (actually there’s a lotttt of walking throughout Turkiye)
Get Istanbul card to use public transport in Istanbul seamlessly.

Day 2: Istanbul to Nevsehir and Cappadocia Red Tour

Took a domestic flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia at 6:45 a.m.
Upon arrival in Goreme, went immediately for The Cappadocia Red Tour (Red tour covers the beautiful town of Goreme and the unique landscape around it and a pottery demonstration)
Checked in at an epic cave hotel and enjoyed sunset from a sunset point near my hotel.

Day 3: Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride and ATV ride, Overnight Bus to Denizli/Pamukkale

Woke up super early to experience the magical hot-air balloon ride at sunrise over Cappadocia. (Best Experience EVER!)
After the balloon ride, had a nice Turkish breakfast with an epic view of Goreme’s fascinating rock formations.
Spent the afternoon chilling. (It’s very very hot in August)
Went for an ATV ride at 5 p.m. Riding the ATV in 3 valleys of Cappadocia was the most thrilling experience.
In the evening, board the overnight bus from Cappadocia to Denizli/Pamukkale.

Day 4: Explore Pamukkale – The ancient city of Hierapolis

Arrived in Denizli in the morning. It was too early to check in so left the luggage there and took a minibus to Pamukkale (17 km from Denizli)
Explored the stunning white terraces of Pamukkale and the ancient city of Hierapolis.
Took a bus back to Denizli. Walked around Denizli in the evening. Overnight stay in Denizli. (I would suggest you stay in Pamukkale)

Day 5: Travel to Alacati and click a lot of photos there

In the morning, after breakfast, took a bus to Izmir. (4 hours journey)
There’s no direct bus to Alacati so took a bus from Izmir to Alacati. (1 hour)
Checked in at a pretty stone house hotel.
Enjoyed a hearty meal in a boutique restaurant and spent the evening wandering through the charming streets of Alacati.

Day 6: Explore Alacati and Cesme

Check-in at another hotel in Alacati. (Hotels are shit expensive here)
Clicked some more photos in the European streets of Alacati and visited the Alacati Yel Degrimenleri Parki, clicked more photos there. (You just can’t stop clicking photos!)
Spend the day exploring the beautiful coastal town of Cesme. Visited the Cesme castle and Cesme marina.
Relaxed on the beach and watched a pretty sunset. Got tanned for life.
Ate Kumru!

Day 7: Alacati to Istanbul. The Bosphorus Ferry

Early morning bus from Alacati to Izmir. Then Izmir to Izmir airport by metro.
Took a domestic flight from Izmir to Istanbul.
Upon arrival, check-in at the hotel in Istanbul. Chill!
Took a Ferry ride in the Bosphorus strait and explored a little of Besiktas and Ortakoy. This waterway separates Europe and Asia. Don’t miss this!
Took a return ferry to Eminonu and goofed around in Istanbul.
Public transport is the best here! Istanbul card makes commuting within the city very cheap. Trams, buses, cable cars and the metro, are the most convenient public transport options. Don’t take a taxi, you won’t need it.

Day 8: Istanbul Sightseeing

Continued exploring Istanbul. Visited the Spice Bazaar and the Grand Bazaar. Grand Bazaar is good for window shopping. Buy stuff outside of Grand Bazaar and thank me later.
Visted the Galata Tower just before sunset. Galata Tower will give you a 360-degree view of Istanbul and probably the best!
Went to the Taksim square again. Went shopping. Had no life left to party there but no regrets.
You can go for a traditional Turkish bath (Hamam) in Istanbul

Day 9: Departure from Istanbul

Explored more of Istanbul. This city never disappoints and 3 days are not enough. I mostly explored the European side but you should not miss the Asian side.
Drink some more Turkish chai, and buy some Turkish delights.
Don’t forget to eat Chestnuts and Simit (circular bread covered with sesame seeds) for one last time before you leave.
Had a hard time saying bye to Istanbul. Departed for the airport in the afternoon (Havaist bus again) to catch the flight back to Mumbai at 7:50 p.m.

This was pretty much my Turkiye trip and trust me this is only 50% of what Turkiye has to offer. The total expenditure was around 1.7L INR per person including round trip flight tickets and visa.

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