Best of Turkey: Self-Launched 14-Day Loop from Istanbul

Fly into Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW). Take the Havaist airport bus to Sultanahmet (about £3-4, 60-90 min) or the M11 metro plus Marmaray for cheaper. Check into a hostel or pension in Sultanahmet or Karaköy, then walk the Hippodrome, the Egyptian Obelisk and the exterior of the Blue Mosque at golden hour. Evening: cheap meyhane dinner or street simit + balık ekmek by Eminönü.

🚌Havaist airport bus ~£4; trams and walking in the old city

🛏Hostel dorm or small pension, Sultanahmet/Karaköy (~£14-18/night)

• →Hippodrome and Egyptian Obelisk (free)
• →Blue Mosque exterior and courtyard (free)
• →Eminönü waterfront and Galata Bridge walk

Pre-book a Hagia Sophia entry slot online and buy the Topkapı Palace ticket (with Harem) at the gate or via the official site — roughly £22 combined. Skip-the-line/hosted entry passes are available on GetYourGuide if you want context, but the palace's own audio guide is far cheaper. Afternoon wander through the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar; finish with a Bosphorus sunset ferry on the public Şehir Hatları line from Eminönü (about £1 with Istanbulkart) rather than a tourist cruise.

🚌T1 tram + Istanbulkart (~£1 per ride); public ferry ~£1

🛏Same hostel/pension, Istanbul

• →Hagia Sophia entry (~£12)
• →Topkapı Palace + Harem (~£22)
• →Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar (free)
• →Public Bosphorus ferry (~£1)

Take an early morning bus from Istanbul's Esenler or Alibeyköy otogar to Eceabat/Çanakkale (about 5.5-6 hrs, £12-16 with Metro or Pamukkale). In Eceabat, join a half-day Gallipoli battlefield tour with a local operator (Crowded House or Hassle Free, ~£25-35 including Anzac Cove, Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair), or use the cheap Çanakkale-based minibus shuttles. Cross the Dardanelles by the public ferry (Eceabat–Çanakkale, ~£1) and sleep in Çanakkale.

🚌Intercity coach Istanbul–Eceabat ~£14; Dardanelles car ferry ~£1

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Çanakkale centre (~£15-20/night)

• →Anzac Cove and beach cemetery
• →Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair cemeteries
• →Dardanelles ferry crossing

Morning dolmuş or local bus from Çanakkale to the Troy archaeological site at Tevfikiye (~£1.50, 45 min); entry is about £10 and the replica wooden horse is on site. Return to Çanakkale, then take an afternoon coach south to Izmir (about 5 hrs, £12-15). Base yourself in Alsancak or Basmane. For a village lunch experience like the tour's 'Be My Guest' stop, eat at a family lokanta in Çanakkale or a köy kahvaltısı breakfast spot en route — roughly £6-9.

🚌Local dolmuş to Troy ~£1.50; coach Çanakkale–Izmir ~£14

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Alsancak/Basmane, Izmir (~£17-22/night)

• →Troy archaeological site entry (~£10)
• →Replica Trojan Horse at Troy
• →Local village lokanta lunch

Take the regional train from Izmir Basmane to Selçuk (about 1.5-2 hrs, £2-3) or a direct bus. Buy the Ephesus ticket (~£15) and add the Terrace Houses (~£6). Walk the Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre, and then take a short dolmuş/taxi up to the House of the Virgin Mary (~£3 entry). Skip the carpet emporium — if you actually want to learn about weaving, visit the small carpet co-ops in Selçuk town instead, no pressure to buy. Evening back in Izmir: raki and meze at a local meyhane (~£12).

🚌Izmir–Selçuk train ~£3; local dolmuş to Meryem Ana ~£1

🛏Same Izmir base

• →Ephesus entry + Terrace Houses (~£21)
• →House of the Virgin Mary (~£3)
• →Selçuk carpet weaving co-op visit (free/tip)

Morning coach or train-plus-bus from Izmir to Denizli/Pamukkale (about 3.5-4 hrs, £9-12), then a dolmuş up to the village (£1). Drop bags at a pension, then buy the Pamukkale + Hierapolis combined ticket (~£14) and walk the white travertine terraces barefoot in the late afternoon when the light is best and the day-trippers have gone. Optional hot-air balloon at sunrise the next morning can be booked locally (~£120-150) — expensive, but this is one of the world's cheapest ballooning spots.

🚌Coach Izmir–Denizli ~£10; dolmuş to Pamukkale ~£1

🛏Pamukkale village pension (~£15-20/night)

• →Pamukkale travertine terraces (~£14 combined ticket)
• →Hierapolis ancient city
• →Village dinner (~£7)

Re-enter the site early with your Pamukkale ticket to explore Hierapolis' Roman theatre, baths and Cleopatra's Pool (pool entry extra ~£12, optional). Mid-morning coach from Denizli to Antalya (about 4 hrs, £10-13). Check into a hostel or pension in Kaleiçi old town, then wander the harbour, Hadrian's Gate and the old walls. Evening on the Kaleiçi waterfront with cheap mezze (~£10).

🚌Coach Denizli–Antalya ~£12

🛏Hostel or pension in Kaleiçi old town, Antalya (~£16-22/night)

• →Hierapolis Roman theatre and baths
• →Kaleiçi old town and Hadrian's Gate (free)
• →Antalya old harbour sunset

Morning at the Antalya Archaeological Museum (~£5, tram from the old town) — it's genuinely one of Turkey's best, with the Perge statues. Afternoon: either a cheap shared boat trip from the old harbour (1-hour harbour cruises ~£8, full-day Kemer/Phaselis cruises ~£20-25) or catch a public bus to Konyaaltı or Lara beach for a swim. Optional day trip to Perge and Aspendos by local bus (~£4 transport + £10 entry) if you want to bank the Aspendos visit a day early.

🚌Antalya tram/bus ~£1 per ride

🛏Same Kaleiçi base

• →Antalya Archaeological Museum (~£5)
• →Shared harbour boat trip (~£10-20)
• →Konyaaltı beach (free)

Take the local bus from Antalya's otogar towards Serik and hop off at Aspendos (about 1 hr, £2); the Roman theatre is one of the best preserved anywhere (~£12 entry). Return to Antalya and take an afternoon or evening coach to Konya (about 5 hrs, £13-16). Konya is conservative — pack a scarf. Sleep near the Mevlana Museum.

🚌Local bus to Aspendos ~£2; coach Antalya–Konya ~£14

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse near Mevlana, Konya (~£18-25/night)

• →Aspendos Roman theatre (~£12)
• →Overnight coach transfer to Konya

Free morning at the Mevlana Museum and Mausoleum (free entry, donations welcome) and the nearby Karatay Tile Museum (~£2) — the Seljuk tilework is stunning. If you want the 13th-century caravanserai experience, hire a taxi or join a half-day tour to Sultanhanı on the Aksaray road (~£20-30 shared, entry ~£5). In the evening, check the Konya Kultur ve Sanat Vakfı schedule for a whirling dervish sema ceremony (~£10-15) — far more atmospheric than a tourist show. Late bus or overnight coach onward towards Nevşehir/Göreme (about 5 hrs, £12-15).

🚌Shared taxi/tour to Sultanhanı ~£25; coach Konya–Nevşehir ~£13

🛏Overnight coach, or guesthouse in Konya if you prefer to travel the next morning (~£20)

• →Mevlana Museum (free)
• →Karatay Tile Museum (~£2)
• →Sultanhanı caravanserai (~£5)
• →Whirling dervish sema ceremony (~£12)

Arrive early morning in Göreme (or Nevşehir). Check in, then hire a scooter or use the local dolmuş network to reach Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı underground city (~£4 entry, dolmuş ~£1.50 each way) and the Saratlı underground city area if you want something quieter. Afternoon walk the Paşabağı fairy chimneys and Devrent Valley (~£3-4 each). For a community-farm experience like the tour's eco-farm stop, book a cooking class or a village breakfast at a family farm in Ortahisar or Mustafapaşa (~£20-25 via GetYourGuide or direct). Evening: testi kebab (pottery kebab) at a local restaurant in Göreme (~£10).

🚌Dolmuş + scooter hire (~£15/day)

🛏Cave hostel dorm or pension in Göreme (~£15-22/night)

• →Underground city entry (~£4)
• →Paşabağı and Devrent Valley (~£7)
• →Village farm cooking class or breakfast (~£22)
• →Testi kebab dinner (~£10)

The balloon decision: a real flight is £130-180 per person (book via GetYourGuide or directly with Royal/Butterfly, 1-2 months ahead for summer) — the tour only offers a viewpoint. If the budget says no, the free/cheap sunrise viewpoint at Aşk Vadisi or the Göreme panorama is genuinely spectacular. Mid-morning: Göreme Open-Air Museum (~£12) for the painted cave churches, then a dolmuş to Avanos (~£1) for a pottery workshop with a working atelier (~£10-15). Optional evening whirling dervish show in a cave han (~£15).

🚌Dolmuş between Göreme, Uçhisar and Avanos (~£1-2 per hop)

🛏Same Göreme base

• →Sunrise balloon viewpoint (free) or balloon flight (~£150)
• →Göreme Open-Air Museum (~£12)
• →Avanos pottery workshop (~£12)
• →Optional cave dervish show (~£15)

Morning bus from Göreme/Nevşehir to Ankara (about 5 hrs, £13-16). Drop bags at a hostel near Kızılay, then visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations (~£6) — the Hittite collection is world-class — and Anıtkabir, Atatürk's mausoleum (free, beautiful at sunset with the changing of the guard). Evening meze in Kızılay or Çankaya (~£10).

🚌Coach Nevşehir–Ankara ~£14; Ankara metro ~£1

🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Kızılay, Ankara (~£18-25/night)

• →Museum of Anatolian Civilisations (~£6)
• →Anıtkabir (free)
• →Kızılay evening meze (~£10)

Take the YHT high-speed train from Ankara to Istanbul Pendik/Söğütlüçeşme (about 4.5 hrs, £12-18 if booked on the TCDD app a few days ahead) — far more comfortable than the coach. Depending on your flight time, spend the afternoon on a Bosphorus ferry to Kadıköy for lunch, or do a final walk through Balat and Fener's colourful streets. Havaist bus to IST (~£4) or M4 metro to SAW. If your flight is early, consider taking the train the evening before and overnighting near the airport.

🚌YHT high-speed train Ankara–Istanbul ~£15; Havaist bus to airport ~£4

🛏None (departure day) — add a night near the airport if needed (~£20)

• →Ankara–Istanbul high-speed train ride
• →Kadıköy market and Bosphorus ferry (~£1)
• →Balat and Fener neighbourhood walk (free)