Turkey in 2-3 days
Spend your time in Istanbul. There are plenty of attractions to keep visitors entertained for days. Start with Sulthanahmet, the Blue Mosque which is a stunning building. Wander around the gardens neighbouring Topkapi Sarayi, the city’s 500-year-old palace. Be sure to do some haggling in the Grand Bazaar, a thriving market, before going modern on Istiklal Caddesi.
There are plenty of traditional baths where you can receive a massage and scrub down.
In 7-9 days
Spend the first few days in Istanbul (as described above), and then jump on a bus to a small village called Eceabat. From here you can take a day trip to the battlefields on the Gallipoli Peninsula where almost 100,000 Allied and Turkish soldiers were killed in 1915 during World War I.
From Eceabat many people head on to Troy which is commonly described as disappointing, so it’s worth giving that a miss and heading on to Kusadasi on the west coast. Not only does it have a beach to enjoy, it’s close to the ancient Roman ruins of Ephesus.
Two weeks +
Start with the 7-9 day itinerary then head to Pamukkale which is another of Turkey’s unique natural wonders. From there head south to Fethiye which is situated on the Agean Sea for a couple of days. You can do day trips to Ölüdeniz which is a beautiful beach with stunning blue water.
From Fethiye, jump on a gület (a wooden boat) for a four day cruise across to Olympos where you can chill out for a couple of days in the famous tree-houses. Once you’re all relaxed jump on an overnight bus to Göreme in the Cappadocia region where the moon-like landscape is bewildering. To get an even better appreciation for this unique area, jump in a hot-air balloon for one of the most memorable sunrises you will ever see.
