Western Turkey Tour - 12 Days

Overview

The Western Turkey Tour combines Turkey’s most visited UNESCO sites with its legendary Mediterranean coast. In 12 days, you travel from the grand mosques of Istanbul through the ancient Greek and Roman cities of the Aegean, down to Antalya and the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean, before ending in the extraordinary volcanic landscapes of Cappadocia.

Ideal for travellers who want both archaeology and coastline in a single journey.

Itinerary

Day 1 — ISTANBUL

Arrival at Istanbul International Airport. Private transfer to your hotel in historic Sultanahmet.

Istanbul stands at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, its historic peninsula packed with 2,500 years of civilization: Roman walls, Byzantine churches, Ottoman mosques, and imperial palaces layered on top of each other in a living archaeological site.

Accommodation: 5-Star Holiday Inn, Istanbul

Day 2 — ISTANBUL

Full day exploring Istanbul: Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, the ancient Hippodrome, Grand Bazaar.

The interior of the Topkapi Palace Harem alone contains 400 rooms. Hagia Sophia’s dome has stood for nearly 1,500 years. The Grand Bazaar, operating since 1461, is one of the world’s oldest continuously operating covered markets.

Distance: 5 km | Meals: Breakfast | Accommodation: 5-Star Holiday Inn, Istanbul

Day 3 — GALLIPOLI — DARDANELLES — CANAKKALE

Spice Market and Rustem Pasha Mosque. Drive to Gallipoli: ANZAC Cove, Chunuk Bair, Lone Pine Cemetery. Cross the Dardanelles to Canakkale.

For Australians and New Zealanders, Gallipoli is sacred ground. The ANZAC campaign of 1915 shaped both nations’ identities — visiting ANZAC Cove and Lone Pine Cemetery is an experience many describe as deeply moving.

Distance: 320 km | Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Accommodation: 4-Star Iris Hotel, Canakkale

Day 4 — TROY — PERGAMON — KUSADASI

The legendary city of Troy. The Asklepion at Pergamon — the ancient world’s most advanced hospital.

Troy’s nine layers span 4,000 years of continuous settlement. The Asklepion at Pergamon combined physical treatment (herbal baths, exercise) with psychological therapy (theatre, dream interpretation) — a surprisingly modern approach to healing, developed 2,000 years ago.

Distance: 390 km | Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Accommodation: 5-Star Elite World, Kusadasi

Day 5 — EPHESUS — KUSADASI

House of the Virgin Mary. Ephesus: Great Theatre, Marble Road, Library of Celsus, Temple of Artemis site, Basilica of St. John.

Ephesus was Rome’s provincial capital for Asia Minor, with a population of 250,000 and a library holding 12,000 scrolls. Its streets are marble-paved. Walking them is walking exactly where Roman senators, Greek philosophers, early Christians, and Egyptian merchants walked 2,000 years ago.

Distance: 30 km | Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Accommodation: 5-Star Elite World, Kusadasi

Day 6 — APHRODISIAS — PAMUKKALE

Aphrodisias — one of the Roman world’s greatest sculpture workshops. Pamukkale’s white travertine terraces and ancient Hierapolis spa city.

Aphrodisias produced sculptors whose work was exported across the Roman Empire. Its 30,000-seat stadium is one of the best preserved in the ancient world. Pamukkale’s thermal waters have been flowing over white calcium terraces for millennia — swimming in them at the ancient Hierapolis pool, surrounded by sunken Roman columns, is unforgettable.

Distance: 280 km | Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Accommodation: 5-Star Hierapark Hotel, Pamukkale

Day 7 — ANTALYA — PERGE — ASPENDOS

Drive to the Mediterranean coast. Visit Perge (one of the best-preserved Hellenistic-Roman cities in Asia Minor) and Aspendos, home to the most completely intact Roman theatre in the world (15,000 seats, still used for opera today).

The Aspendos theatre was built in 155 AD by the Roman architect Zeno, using an innovative design that provided perfect acoustics from every seat. It is so well preserved that it has been in continuous use for performances for nearly 1,900 years. Perge was home to the mathematician Apollonius and the sculptor Bryaxis.

Distance: 320 km | Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Accommodation: 5-Star hotel, Antalya

Day 8 — CATALHOYUK — KONYA

Head north to Catalhoyuk — the world’s oldest known town (7400-6200 BC). Continue to Konya: the Mevlana Museum and the 13th-century Karatay Madrasa.

Catalhoyuk changed everything about what archaeologists thought they knew about early human settlement. Its 9,000-year-old residents lived in a sophisticated urban community with art, religion, and trade networks — in mud-brick houses entered through the roof. Rumi’s mausoleum in Konya is Turkey’s most visited pilgrimage site.

Distance: 390 km | Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Accommodation: 5-Star Bayir Diamond Hotel, Konya

Day 9 — CAPPADOCIA

Enter Cappadocia. Kaymakli Underground City, Uchisar Rock Castle, Sinasos village.

The underground cities of Cappadocia are among the most remarkable human constructions ever discovered — entire multi-level cities carved into volcanic rock to shelter communities from Persian, Arab, and Mongol invasions.

Distance: 240 km | Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Accommodation: Cave Hotel, Cappadocia

Day 10 — CAPPADOCIA

Optional sunrise hot air balloon. Goreme Open Air Museum, Pasabag, Zelve Open Air Museum, Avanos.

Cappadocia from a hot air balloon at sunrise — floating over the fairy chimneys and valleys as the light turns everything gold — is consistently described by travellers as the single most beautiful thing they have ever seen.

Distance: 40 km | Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Accommodation: Cave Hotel, Cappadocia

Day 11 — CAPPADOCIA TO ISTANBUL

Morning flight from Cappadocia to Istanbul. Free afternoon in the city.

Meals: Breakfast | Accommodation: 5-Star Holiday Inn, Istanbul

Day 12 — ISTANBUL — DEPARTURE

Private transfer to Istanbul International Airport.

Meals: Breakfast